Posted on 12/22/2002 12:43:34 PM PST by Diogenesis
GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 12/23/02 - Al Faw, Al-Fidaa, Nahrwan, Salman Pak, Al-Tuwaitha, Duekoue, Tiebissou
BREAKING: Duekoue, Ivory Coast BREAKING: Nahrwan, El-Basil military research center inspection BREAKING: Tiebissou, Ivory Coast BREAKING: Al Faw inspection BREAKING: Al-Fidaa inspection BREAKING: Salman Pak, Al-Tuwaitha inspection
=========== Baghdad ===========
In Baghdad, Iraq, Amir al-Saadi, adviser to $addam,
said he would allow the CIA to come and identify (why not inspect and destroy?)
WMD sites.
In Baghdad, Iraq, at the UN headquarters, on the way to an inspection
Iraqi police follow behind UN inspectors and report. We know this.
They know we know. We know that they know we know.
They know that we know that they know.
In Baghdad, Iraq, the bored Iraqi officials await the arrival of the U.N. inspectors
after notification about the "secret" inspection.
========= Nahrwan =========
In Nahrwan, ~20 miles south-east of Baghdad,
at the El-Basil military research center.
In Baghdad, Iraq, at the Al-Fidaa company inspection.
The Iraqis watch.
In Baghdad, Iraq, at the Al Faw Engineering Designs Company inspection.
What a joke. They only thing left are the $addam statues.
In Baghdad, Iraq, back at the studio
which is still producing the ubiquitous $addam statues.
In Baghdad, Iraq, at the al-Tuwatha complex.
In Baghdad, Iraq, at the Um el Ma'arak (Mother of Battles) Mosque
hate is preached against the USA and its allies.
In Baghdad, Iraq, at the al Kadhemeiya mosque. Iranian women must beg for blessings.
They cannot enter because by $addam's rules, only 3000 Iranian Shiite each year are allowed
to visit the main three holy shrines
in Najaf, Kerabla and Kadhemeiya. The Iranians, leaving here, would have had more freedom if Israel
controlled the sites.
In Baghdad, Iraq, at the al Kadhemeiya mosque, some Iraqis appear to derive Iranian money
selling entrance to the mosque.
Why do the Iranians cotton to the Iraqis, anyway?
========= Salman Pak =========
In Salman Pak, ~20 miles east of Baghdad,
at the entrance of Tuweitha, Iraq's nuclear site.
========= Duekoue =========
In Duekoue, Ivory Coast, French forces prepare to fight.
They join the loyalists.
In Guehieble, 24 klicks north of Duekoue, the French Legion secures the area,
with weapons hot nearby.
In Duekoue, Ivory Coast, following the battle, seized weapons.
The French Legionnaire heroes stopped this rebel sweep into the commercial capital, Abidjan.
========= Tiebissou =========
In Tiebissou, Ivory Coast, with French military Operation Unicorn to monitor the ceasefire.
In Tiebissou, Ivory Coast, at the checkpoint.
========= Proplyds: Infant Solar Systems =========
The Proplyds: Infant Solar Systems - Only a few million years old. Incredible.
Not for commercial use. Solely to be used for the educational purposes of research and open discussion.
-----------------------
Please spend a few hours today helping for success in the War for Enduring Freedom,
or/and post your thought, missive, picture, thread, analysis, greetings to those serving overseas,
venting, update, correction, observation, or anything else of interest.
END OF TRANSMISSION 12/23/02 .......... K
| Fri Dec 20,11:23 AM ET |
|
United States Army Lieutenant Eric Hooper (R) of Albany, Georgia, sits in his Bradley armored vehicle while replying to Christmas cards as a full moon rises over the north Kuwaiti desert December 20, 2002. There are some 12,000 U.S. troops in Kuwait for training, many within just 5 kilometers of the Iraqi border. REUTERS/Chris Helgren |
Thank you for all your hard work this past year giving us a view of the world. Merry Christmas!
Nothing terribly wrong with carrying a bolt-action rifle like the GIAT FR-F2 into a possible fight- if you have the rest of a company of Legion paras around you for security.
The Clairon is not without its faults, though probably the best of the bullpup rifles now fielded anywhere in the world, but even it is now into its second-generation *F2* version. But the French wisely examined the Swiss and Israeli rifles of the time, contracted with Ruger to develop a militarized *GB* Mini-14 prototype with 3-shot burst capability...and then used the best features of each in the finalized GIAT design.
But in recent years the French have had little to be ashamed about regarding the field performance of their forces, particularly the Legion and Marsouins et Bigors, as in Desert Shield/Storm/Saber in 1991. And of course during the 2 REP's rescue of hostages, including Americans, in Zaire's Kolwezi province in May of 1978, while America's Rangers sat on their butts at Hunter Airfield waiting for orders from Jimmy Carter that never came.
Nice, but pricey, and the magazines are fragile. There's a point of view that of a paired team, one guy should carry the most precise long-distance rifle available, while his observer backs him up with a semi, which may also double as a night vision device-equipped rifle, particularly if fitted with a silencer. And some teams are going to a three-man configuration, providing a strong back for an extra patrol radio, or an antimaterial .50/.338/20mm rifle, particularly when a backtrail or river crossing can use a cover position. Similarly, airfield sniper teams working from towers work a little better with a third member on the ground for some extra security.
That PSG-1 is mighty heavy to hump for long distances in the bush....
-archy-/-
Oh, they won't mind. Not a bit.
archy-/-
I thought machine gunners were usually taller and bigger than me?
Yeah. A M82 .50 would also be a nice 'wish list' item.
Santa's NOT bringing me one.
The SAW, which I'm more fond of in L89 configuration than M249 is a pretty good ol' chainsaw, and an improvement on the LSW I last ran around in the woods with. Like their M60 or M249 big uncles though, the real weight comes when deciding how many belts to bring along for the ball.
As for the Barrett, if you had one, you'd just want to try it out and use it for something interesting. and that might get more interesting than you can imagine, per this FReeppost and response thread [gets interesting starting around #115]
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat presides over a cabinet ministers session at his headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2002. The Palestinian Cabinet accepted the recommendation of its election commission to delay the vote, set for Jan. 20, until 100 days after Israeli troops leave West Bank cities and towns. Since the Israelis have given no signs that they are preparing to pull back, that amounts to an indefinite postponement.
Well that solves a problem in my view.
They voted to not vote for something. Cool, the Israelis should wait a long time before leaving. That is what I would do.
Thanks once again.
Merry Christmas and a great New Year to you and yours.
Stay safe; stay armed.
Indefinitely...
If this is what they think it is, it would be the first visual evidence of another solar system, aside from star wobble, no? Yeah, that would be amazing.
But seriously, can you see the Alien face and torso with arms up and a round mouth looking to the right on the upper right?; )
Merry Christmas Dio!
FOX NEWS.com (AP): "FAMILY MOURNS U.S. SOLDIER KILLED IN GUN BATTLE IN AFGHANISTAN" (ARTICLE NOTE: The U.S. soldier is identified as Sgt. Steven Checo, age 22, an 82nd Airborne paratrooper.) (CINDY'S NOTE: Please pray for Sgt. Checo's family.) (122202)
***DW-WORLD.de - DEUTSCH WELLE: "GETTING READY FOR BIOLOGICAL WARFARE" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Germany's secret service is warning that the possibility of terrorist attacks on German soil is higher than ever. Interior Minister Otto Schily has asked citizens to be on general alert, especially as tensions between Iraq and United Nations remain high. Security experts say likely terrorist targets are highly symbolic structures such as the twin Deutsche Bank skyscrapers in Frankfurt or even Cologne's famous cathedral. However, one target that worries analysts even more is an attack on the general population in the form of a biological weapon, such as cholera, anthrax or small pox."(121902)
***ISLAM-ONLINE.net: "MULLAH OMAR URGES JIHAD AGAINST U.S. WAR ON IRAQ" by Hasbanullah Mutawakel, IOL Correspondent (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Peshawar, December 18 (IslamOnline) - Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar exhorted Muslims on Tuesday, December 17, to prepare for Jihad against the United States if it unleashes a military offensive against Iraq. In a statement published in the Pakistani Mashraq newspaper, Mullah Omar stressed it was time for the Islamic nation to stand in the face of world atheism and to attack American interests worldwide.") (121802)
***Quote.BLOOMBERG.com News: "UN ENLARGES IRAQ TEAM; AZIZ WARNS OF TERROR THREAT (Update 4)" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Any U.S. move against Iraq to rid the country of weapons will mean the "hatred against the United States will reach its peak," Aziz said on the U.S.'s "Fox News Sunday" program. It would prompt attacks against U.S. citizens at home and abroad, he said, without specifying who might carry out the strikes.")(121602)
ISLAM-ONLINE.net - News: Cairo. "AMERICAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PROTESTS U.S. WAR ON IRAQ" (ARTICLE SNIPET: "AUC professors who have formed "Faculty4Pal" helped organize the protest and plan to invite next year a children's theater group from Aida refugee camp near the Palestinian West Bank town of Bethlehem, Mehrez said. Around 5, 000 Egyptian and foreign students attend AUC, which was founded in 1919 by American scholars and is incorporated in the U.S. State of Delaware, where it is licensed to confer degrees. Although an American institution, AUC's students staged several anti-U.S. rallies...") (121802)
TELEGRAPH.co.uk: "SYRIANS 'SMUGGLING ARMS TO BAGHDAD'" by Con Coughlin (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Western intelligence officials have discovered that at least 52 crates containing new air-defence systems and spare parts have been smuggled into Iraq from Syria since the start of December. The Russian-made equipment, which has been purchased through a Belorussian middleman, was taken into Iraq through al-Walid border crossing earlier this month.") (121502)
FREE CONGRESS.org - THE FREE CONGRESS FOUNDATION - Notable News: "ONE WHO DARES CALL IT 'TREASON'" -Commentary by Paul M. Weyrich (COMMENTARY SNIPPET: "So how does Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) justify holding a reception for the Mujahedin-e Kalq? The U.S. State Department, since 1994, has listed this group as one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world. The State Department says that this Marxist-Muslim group has killed many Americans and had blown up a number of U.S. facilities in Iran. This group participated in the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. This group had a falling out with the Ayatollah Khomeni, according to The Washington Times, so the group fled to Iraq and now is funded by Saddam Hussein. The group helped Hussein fight the Kurds in the North of Iraq when chemical weapons were used.") (112502)
CANADA.com: "HARKAT LINKED TO U.S. AL QAIDA CELL" by Ian MacLeod, The Ottawa Citizen (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent says accused Ottawa terror suspect Mohamed Harkat recently communicated with suspected al Qaida sleeper cells in the United States.") (121902)
FOX NEWS.com (AP): "CANADA IS HOME TO AL QAEDA SLEEPER CELLS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "TORONTO - An Algerian immigrant arrested in Ottawa has links to a senior member of the Al Qaeda terrorist network, Canadian intelligence authorities allege. Mohamed Harkat was awaiting orders to carry out a terrorist attack and his presence in Canada suggests other Al Qaeda associates are in the country, the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service concluded in court documents released Monday. Canadian authorities are considering whether to deport Harkat.") (121702)
THE STAR.com: "'BIN LADEN CELLS IN CANADA'" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "And for some years now, the intelligence agency has warned that with the possible exception of the United States, there are more international terrorist organizations active in Canada than anywhere in the world.") (121702)
NATIONAL POST.com: "CSIS LINKS OTTAWA MAN TO AL-QAEDA" (121702)
GOOGLE Search Term: "AHMED RESSAM"
***THE STAR.com - THE TORONTO STAR (CANADIAN PRESS): Ottawa. "CANADA ALLOWS IMPORT OF BOMB BOOK" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The federal government has approved the importation of a book that gives detailed instructions for making bombs and blowing up bridges, the Ottawa Citizen reported yesterday. Even the author of The Anarchist Cookbook has renounced it as "misguided and potentially dangerous." But the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency says there is nothing to prevent its sale in Canada because it violates neither the hate law nor obscenity law, the newspaper reported.") (121502)
***FBI.gov: SEEKING INFORMATION: "AMER EL-MAATI" akas "Amro Badr Eldin Abou El-Maati, Amro Badr Abouelmaati" (SEEKING INFORMATION POSTER SNIPPET: "Amer El-Maati is being sought in connection with possible terrorist threats in the United States."..."SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS")
***FBI.gov: MOST WANTED TERRORISTS: "IMAD FAYEZ MUGNIYAH" aka "Hajj" (WANTED POSTER SNIPPETS: "Mugniyah is the alleged head of the security apparatus for the terrorist organization, Lebanese Hizballah."..."The Rewards For Justice Program, United States Department of State, is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information leading directly to the apprehension and/or conviction of Imad Fayez Mugniyah."..."SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS")
An Informative Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding an article on the INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE Online: "TERRORIST SAFE HAVEN IN LATIN AMERICA?" by Larry Rohter, The New York Times (121602)
YAHOO! News (AP): "SWISS-BACKED ARAB BANK DENIES LINKS TO DRUG TRAFFICKING GANG" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "GENEVA - A Geneva-based Arab bank on Thursday denied any links to an international drug trafficking gang operating in South America, the Middle East and Europe. "Nothing has occurred that would suggest the slightest indication of use of the bank for illicit purposes," Kanz Bank said in a statement. Swiss prosecuting authorities, however, said the bank's Saudi president, Sayef Al-Shaalan, is wanted on suspicion of drug trafficking and financing of trafficking. Al-Shaalan already has been indicted in the United States for allegedly helping fly a two-ton cocaine shipment from Venezuela to France in 1999.") (121902)
BBC News: "FLIGHT ATTENDANT GUILTY IN BOMB SCARE" (122102)
ISLAM-ONLINE.net - News: Paris. "FIRST UNIFIED ISLAMIC COUNCIL IN FRANCE IN PLACE" (ARTICLE SNIPPETS: "The day-to-day tasks of the new Council will be providing clergy to minister to Muslims in the army, universities and prisons, acquiring burial sites, delivering halal meat certificates, organising the pilgrimage to Mecca and building new mosques and prayer-halls. Fekkar-Lambiotte and another leading liberal, the mufti of the main Marseille mosque Soheib Ben Sheikh, both agreed to take up places on the Council's central committee."..."Algeria funds about 200 religious centers, while Saudi Arabia provided 90 percent of the money for the main mosque in Lyon. In addition 90 percent of French imams are paid by foreign countries, including Boubaker himself who is an employee of the Algerian government.") (122002)
WorldNetDaily.com: "TERROR ATTACK FOILED IN FRANCE? by Jon Dougherty (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Quoting unidentified police sources, French radio and television reports and the daily newspaper Le Parisien said the group was planning a chemical attack. UPI reported that French police seized empty containers, vials of suspicious fluids, powders and a chemical suit, along with $5,000 in cash and phony identification papers in the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. Specialists are currently studying the materials...") (121802)
BBC News: "POLICE SEIZE CHEMICALS IN PARIS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "All three men, arrested in a dawn raid on Monday, are reported to be of North African origin. The French news agency AFP quoted a source close to the investigation, who said that the men had all spent time in both Afghanistan and Chechnya. Some French media reports described the three men as Algerians, and said they were allegedly preparing a chemical attack.") **Note: This article has been recently updated. (121702)
TELEGRAPH.co.uk: "COLLAPSE OF 'FARCIAL' DUTCH AL-QA'EDA TRIAL EXPOSES JUSTICE SYSTEM'S DIFFICULTIES" by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "After a trial criticised as farcical, a court in Rotterdam freed four members of an Islamic cell accused of plotting to blow up the US embassy in Paris and a Nato base at Kleine Brogel in Belgium. The alleged ringleader, Jerome Courtailler, was a laddish Roman Catholic butcher and football champion who grew up in the little French Alpine town of Bonneville, near Mont Blanc, before converting to Islam two years ago in an attempt to free himself from drug addiction.") (121902)
GOOGLE Search Term: "JEROME COURTAILLER"
GOOGLE Search Term: "FINSBURY PARK MOSQUE"
YAHOO! News: "ALGERIA"
AFGHANISTAN.org - News (AP): "PROTESTERS DEFEND NINE AL-QUAIDA SUSPECTS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Several of the some 50 doctors complained that FBI agents participated in the raid Thursday on the home of naturalized American citizen Javed Ahmad, arrested with eight family members. Police released four of the relatives Friday. Those still in custody with Ahmad include his sons, Umar Karar and Khyzer Ali, also naturalized Americans, and Ahmads brother Naveed Khawja and his son Usman, naturalized Canadians. Ahmad lived in Florida from 1972 to 1983. The other men returned to live in Pakistan several years ago. Pakistani police arrested the nine men after a brief exchange of gunfire in the raid aimed at discovering whether Ahmad and his family helped smuggle weapons for possible terror attacks. Police said Friday they found $109,500 and an assault rifle at the home. FBI agents Thursday seized computers and computer disks.") (122002)
BBC News.com: "WANTED MILITANT 'DEAD' IN PAKISTAN BLAST" (ARTICLE SNIPPETS: "A senior police official said they suspect Asif Ramzi, believed to be the Commander in Chief of the banned group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, died in the blast, which occurred on Thursday morning. Asif Ramzi was wanted in connection with the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and the June bombing of the US Consulate in Karachi, said police officials."..."Mr Leghari said they also found a motorcycle with its fuel tank packed with five kilograms (11 lbs) of explosives.") (121902)
PAK TODAY.com (AP): "PAKISTAN FOILS PLOT vs. U.S. DIPLOMATS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "KARACHI: (AP) - In a foiled suicide bomb plot, Islamic militants planned to ram an explosives-laden Volkswagen into a car carrying US diplomats in Karachi, Pakistan police said Sunday. Police said they arrested three men Friday and Saturday and seized about 250 sacks of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer used in explosives. They said the suspects had been trained at a camp in Afghanistan run by Islamic militants fighting Indian rule in the disputed province of Kashmir.") (121602)
PAK TODAY.com: "PAKISTAN LETS LOOSE PRO-OSAMA TERRORISTS" (121302)
US DOJ.gov - Press Release: "SENIOR LEADER OF HAMAS AND TEXAS COMPUTER COMPANY INDICTED FOR CONSPIRACY TO VIOLATE U.S. BAN ON FINANCIAL DEALINGS WITH TERRORISTS" (PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft announced today that a federal grand jury in Dallas has returned an indictment against a senior leader of Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzook, for conspiring to violate U.S. laws that prohibit dealings in terrorist funds. The indictment, returned yesterday, alleges that Marzook conspired with the Richardson, Texas-based INFOCOM Corporation and five of its employees to hide his financial transactions with the computer company. In 1995, Marzook was designated as a terrorist whose actions threatened the Middle East peace process - a designation that made it illegal for any U.S. person or entity to conduct any transaction with Marzook. The indictment alleges that INFOCOM continued to engage in financial transactions with Marzook after his designation as a terrorist, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In addition to Marzook and his wife, Nadia Elashi, the 33-count indictment charges the INFOCOM Corporation, along with INFOCOM Vice President Ghassan Elashi, who is also chairman of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, and four of his brothers, all employees of INFOCOM. Marzook, his wife, the five Elashi brothers and INFOCOM are charged with illegal exports, making false statements on export declarations, dealing in the property of a designated terrorist, conspiracy and money laundering. In addition, Ghassan Elashi and his brothers are charged with illegally selling computers and computer parts to Libya and Syria, both designated state sponsors of terrorism, Ghassan Elashi, Bayan Elashi, Basman Elashi and Hazim Elashi were arrested in the Dallas area this morning. A fifth defendant, Ihsan Elashyi, is currently in federal custody on an unrelated charge. Marzook and his wife are living abroad and are now fugitives.") (121802)
GOOGLE Search Term: "MOUSA ABU MAZOOK"
GOOGLE Search Term: "MOUSA ABU MARZOUK"
stepping back in time...WHITE HOUSE.gov - President George W. Bush - News Release: "FACT SHEET ON SHUTTING DOWN THE TERRORIST FINANCIAL NETWORK" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: ("Today's Action: - Highlighting another significant step in the financial war against terrorism, President Bush announced action to block the assets of three entities that provide financial and material support to the terrorist organization HAMAS: - The U.S.-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development provides millions of dollars each year that is used by HAMAS; - Beit el-Mal Holdings, an investment company controlled by HAMAS; and - Al-Aqsa Islamic Bank, a financial arm of HAMAS substantially owned by Beit el-Mal. - Federal agents locked down the Holy Land Foundation's headquarters in Richardson, Texas, as well as its three other offices in Bridgeview, Illinois, Patterson, New Jersey, and San Diego, California, securing their offices and taking custody of relevant business records. - This action against financiers of HAMAS makes good on our promise to go after the fundraisers for all terrorists of global reach. - Today's action is taken under the authority of Executive Order 13224, signed by the President on September 23, which authorizes aggressive actions against the bankers of international terrorism.") (December 4, 2001)
stepping back in time..NEWSFACTOR.com - NEWSFACTOR NETWORK: "FBI TERRORISM TASK FORCE RAIDS ARAB WEB HOSTING FIRM" (ARTICLE NOTE: The firm is identified as InfoCom Corporation. ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Arab leaders held a news conference to protest the FBI's actions, calling it an "anti-Muslim witch hunt." They insisted the task force, which also included the Secret Service and the U.S. Customs Service, acted on little evidence, but rather on political pressure and anti-Arab stereotypes. "While Muslims understand the FBI's mission to protect American citizens, we are concerned that the civil liberties of InfoCom's owners and their many important clients were violated by this unexpected raid," the Arab group said in a statement.") by Tim McDonald (SEPTEMBER 7, 2001)
GUARDIAN.co.uk - THE GUARDIAN: "PALESTINIAN RADICAL WAS GUEST OF U.S. AMBASSADOR" (122102)
GOOGLE.com Search Term: "AZZAM TAMIMI"
IDF.il - Spokesperson Unit: "TERRORISTS INTENDED TO SHOOT DOWN A HELICOPTER OVER ISRAELI PARLIAMENT" (PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: "An indictment served to three terrorists in a Jerusalem regional court for planning a car bombing also indicates a plan to shoot down a helicopter over the Israeli Parliament (Knesset). The three accused were operatives in the terrorist organization "Islamic Jihad". They had been planning a car bomb attack on a crowded area in Jerusalem. However, a conversation between two of the suspects (exposed in the indictment) reveals a much more sinister intent: to shoot down a helicopter over Israeli parliament.. The following are excerpts from the indictment against Omer Atrash (suspect number one), Hadar Abu Hamad (suspect number two) and Ziad Atrash (suspect number three):") (121702)
***PALESTINIAN MEDIA WATCH Bulletin: "PA LEGISLATOR THREATENS U.S. WITH SUICIDE BOMBINGS" (112602)
JERUSALEM POST.com online for all the latest news from Israel
www2.OCREGISTER.com - ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: "VO EXTRADITION SEEMS LIKELY" (ARTICLE NOTE: "Van Duc Vo, age 42, is a naturalized U.S citizen from Vietnam.) (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Vo, who is being held in federal detention in Los Angeles, faces charges in Thailand in an alleged June 19, 2001, plot to bomb the Vietnamese Embassy. He was arrested in October 2001 after arriving at John Wayne Airport from Seattle. His brother is facing separate charges in the Philippines for allegedly attempting to bomb the Vietnamese Embassy in Manila. Vo appeared in court in wrist chains, guarded by eight federal marshals and a bomb-sniffing dog. Court visitors had to check their cell phones outside the courtroom because cell phones were supposed to detonate the embassy bombs.") (122002)
FOX NEWS.com - CONTINUING COVERAGE OF THE SNIPER SHOOTINGS & FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATIONS (122302)
"A CHRISTmas Celebration!" (click here)
I assume poster above is joking about the patch being in English; "France" is of course the name of the country in both French and English, both pronounced as "Frahnts" in Europe; only on this side the water is "Frants" ever heard...
Think of the outrage if any ENGLISH SPEAKING white troops were fighting in Africa! The French can get away with things!
Note to those who put the French down due to WWII behavior: I do not think they surrendered [to Germany] because they were wimpy cowards, I think it was because they were on Germany's side!
Polls showed only about 10% of French population siding with England/USA in that war; some 35% were pro-Hitler, maybe many more; the rest didn't care WHAT happened.
I think an awful lot of French people still have views along those lines.
Yeah, everybody knows that they do that just to piss us off during the olympics. :)
I'll bump that. Thank you Dio and the best of the holidays to you and yours. Same too for the brave forces fighting evil world wide...
But the F2 version of the French sniper's rifle came out after the transition to the FAMAS Clarion in 5,56mm, and the development of match-grade 7,62mm ammunition had far exceeded the capabilities of the remarkably similar 7,5 French cartridge, which shares a .308 bullet diameter with the 7,62x51 NATO.
The 2-piece stock design of the parent MAS36 has evolved into a steel foreend for the F2 that offers a really stable attach point for the bipod and for camoflage wrapping that doesn't affect the free-floated barrel in the slightest; and on the F2 a black plastic thermal sleeve has been added to the barrel, lighter than the usual US varmint-weight bull barrels commonly seen but just as stable for repeat shots; takn main gun barrels have had aluminum thermal sleeves for most of the last decade or so for the same reason. And the use of the plastic sleeve cuts down on the thermal signature in a thermal image viewer after firing, a consideration as such equiopment becomes more widespread.
There's also a folding stock version of the F2, simple to fit due to the 2-piece stock design [I'm uncertain if this is just the fitting of the old para's stock for the CR36 version of the MAS36 to allow the bolt rifle to be reduced to the length of a US M1A1 folding stock carbine for parachutists, or is a new development] and there's a silenced barrel version, on which the sound suppressor can be fitted in 15 seconds or so, without any reduction in the rifle's effective range.
The real gem of the F2 system is its CILAS autoranging scope, much appreciated by the French snipers using it in comparison to the 10X mil-dot scopes fitted on French .338 Lapua L96A1 rifles. That would likely be the hardest part for an American gunsmith or accuracy tuner to duplicate on a MAS36 rebuild, but it might be possible.
I've considered going the other route, and rechambering a MAS36 to the Swedish 6,5x55 cartridge, since the Swedish Mausers are built on the weaker M95 Mauser action rather than the later M98. The MAS 36 has shown up in the $35-$50 range in recent import batches, offering an interesting low-cost starting place for bashing something more interesting together, but the original 7,5x54 cartridge is quite servicable in its own right, and the aperture sight of the MAS 36 is quite useful to my tired old eyes...and if a scoped 7,5mm rifle is a necessity, the semiauto MAS49/56 is factory fitted with a rail mount for an auxiliary telescopic sight that'll do fine. And there are other things that can be done to a MAS 49/56 as well....
The L89 is the Australian version of the M249, set up similarly to the U.S. SEALs Mk46 Mod 0 version, though variations of barrel length and configuration are easy to rearrange with the Minimi. The Minimi paratrooper version buttstocks I've run across have been collapsing push-pull type rather than folding, though, but that too is something not too difficult to swap out. The Israeli Negev uses a side-folder, I wouldn't be surprised if something could be rearranged with one of them to work on a M249. The Israelis also have a couple of fairly neat Minimi versions, and there are still a lot of ideas about where and how to best place Picitinny rails on the M249 to best mount NVDs, day scopes and thermal viewers. Several different tripods are under development, too, as well as a pretty nifty twin-gun mount for vehicle pintles. There are some wood butt versions for those working in desert climes where a black plastic stock that's been in the noonday sun can leave an operator with burns on his cheek; I expect some of those now in Afghanistan and soon in Iraq might know a bit about that.
The Australian *Auscam* pattern pouches for linked belts for the M249, very reminiscent of the WWII Marine *Beachhead* pattern used during Pacific island-hopping tasks, is a handy means of carrying belts, too- certainly beats the Marine MOLLE vest/pack setup, in my book.
The L89 might be a bit light for use on the dinosaurs [think I'd use a FAMAS clarion if I had to take a 5,56mm], but I've got a little project coming up that a Minimi would be just swell for. Of course a FIST track could be real handy too, but I don't think I can fit one of those in the Conex *Toybox*.
Red Beret [beret rouge] and para brevet = French Army paras;
beret vert, [green beanie] para brevet drago and FAMAS clairion= French Foreign Legion paras, Regiment Parachutist du Legion Entrangere
Legio Patria Nostra,
-archy-/- 
You're in luck. Right here you go!
-archy-/-
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