Posted on 08/01/2007 10:32:19 PM PDT by nwctwx
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13652&Itemid=21
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070829-05
August 29, 2007
Coalition Forces detain, later release individuals
Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO
BAGHDAD – Coalition Forces detained a group of 15 individuals traveling together in four vehicles here Tuesday. The group included seven Iraqis and eight Iranian nationals.
Coalition Forces searched the vehicles as the group attempted to enter a checkpoint on Abu Nuwas Street near the Sheraton Hotel. CF confiscated an AK-47 rifle and two 9mm pistols in the possession of the Iraqis in the group. The Iraqis serving as a protective detail had identification but no weapons permits and also had Iranian money.
The individuals were allowed to proceed and went in the Sheraton Hotel.
The CF followed shortly after, based on further instructions from its headquarters element and searched their rooms. While there, CF confiscated a laptop computer, cellphones, and a briefcase full of Iranian and US money.
Contrary to published reports, there was no raid on the hotel.
Following the brief room search the group was taken to a coalition facility for questioning. The Iranian nationals had passports. It was later determined that two of the Iranian individuals were carrying diplomatic credentials.
The Iranian nationals were released in consultation with the Government of Iraq to Iraqi officials.
-30-
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13657&Itemid=128
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070829-08
August 29, 2007
Iraqi Army Scouts, U.S. Special Forces detain key suspected al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists linked to Samarra attack
Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army Scouts, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained three suspected al Qaeda in Iraq leaders, including the al Qaeda in Iraq Emir for operations in Samarra, during an intelligence driven operation Aug. 28 in Tikrit.
The three suspects are linked to the Mosul-based Islamic State of Iraq, an organization established as a front for Al Qaeda in Iraq. Intelligence indicates the three are linked to an attack on Coalition Forces Aug. 26 in Samarra that killed two Coalition Soldiers and two innocent civilians. Coalition Forces repelled the attack, killing at least a dozen insurgents and capturing 14 others.
One of the other detainees is reportedly an al Qaeda in Iraq military coordinator for operations around Samarra while the third detainee is believed to be a local facilitator for al Qaeda operations in Tikrit. Reports indicate all three individuals had recently arrived in Tikrit from Samarra.
No Iraqi or U.S. Forces were injured in the operation.
-30-
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07080234.htm
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Why was church in Kazakhstan subjected to 15-hour raid?
By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service
KAZAKHSTAN (ANS) — Two places of worship of the Grace Presbyterian Church — in the towns of Karaganda and Oskemen — were among church-owned premises raided by the National Security Committee (KNB) secret police on August 24, church sources told a western news service
KNB officers came from the capital Astana to raid the large Karaganda church. Over 15 hours they searched the entire premises, prevented anyone from leaving and forced those present to write statements, says Felix Corley writing for Forum 18 News Service (www.forum18.org) .
Corley says computers and documents were taken away. KNB officers in Karaganda and in Astana refused to tell Forum 18 why the churches were raided.
Aleksandr Klyushev of the Association of Religious Communities of Kazakhstan told Forum 18 that the head of the church, Archbishop Igor Kim, his sister and the administrator are being investigated for treason. But Klyushev believes the KNB’s target is a businessman who paid for facilities the church used for seminars. “I know the pastor — he’s a patriot and he wouldn’t do anything like this.” However, Ninel Fokina of the Almaty Helsinki Committee, believes the raids are a worrying sign of the increasing power of the KNB.
Corley writes that officials of the National Security Committee (KNB) secret police in the town of Karaganda [Qaraghandy] and in the capital Astana have refused to explain to Forum 18 News Service why they staged a massive 15-hour raid on Karaganda’s Grace Presbyterian Church and several other church-related properties on August 24.
“We cannot tell you,” the duty officer at the Karaganda Regional KNB — who refused to give his name — told Forum 18 on August 27. “We’re not an open organization.”
Likewise, Kenzhebulat Beknazarov, spokesperson for the national KNB in Astana, refused to explain. “It was in the framework of a criminal case,” was all he would tell Forum 18 the same day.
Yeraly Tugzhanov, the head of the Justice Ministry’s Religious Affairs Committee in Astana, declined to discuss the raid with Forum 18 on August 28. “No-one has appealed to us about this,” he declared, before putting the phone down.
Church sources told Forum 18 that the raid — which began at 10 am — was led by a colonel and other officers of the national KNB from the capital. They say it occurred without warning.
“Several KNB groups searched every possible thing and place in the entire 3,000 square metre [32,300 square feet] property, including the cellar,” one Protestant told Forum 18 on August 25.
“All documents, computers, discs, accounting records and literature were also checked and much was taken away. Those present were forced to write statements. The KNB officers filmed everything.”
The search lasted until 1 am the following morning. Ordinary police surrounded the church during the whole operation and prevented anyone from arriving or leaving.
Three church-related private homes in Karaganda as well as the Grace Church in Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk) in East Kazakhstan Region were also searched the same day. Computers, discs and documents were taken from these properties.
The leader of the Grace Church, Archbishop Igor Kim, was summoned to the KNB in Karaganda the following day.
Corley says that church members are concerned that the building was blockaded for the whole day, that they were forced to write statements and that documents and computers were searched and taken away. The church has been able to hold services since the raid, including Sunday services on August 26. However, the investigation of computers and documents is expected to last two months, so the church is likely to be without them for all that time.
Church members were told that the raids related to a case under Article 165 of the Criminal Code, which punishes high treason. Sentences under this Article are generally of between ten and fifteen years’ imprisonment. The KNB secret police refused to say whether the case is against any church members or someone else.
Aleksandr Klyushev of the Association of Religious Communities of Kazakhstan, a mainly Protestant group, has been following developments closely. He believes the case is directed against a businessman who made donations to cover the rent for the church to hold seminars but who is not a church member, Corley writes.
“This man is now in prison in Almaty and one of the accusations against him was treason, and the case appears to relate to him,” Klyushev told Forum 18 from Astana on August 27. “I don’t think this is repression of believers. We understand that the KNB are just doing their job. We hope this was just a check-up and that the authorities will apologize.”
However, Klyushev remains concerned that an investigation on charges of high treason is currently underway against Archbishop Kim, as well as his sister and the church administrator. “They and their lawyer have had to sign statements that they will not talk about the case because it is a state secret,” Klyushev told Forum 18. “But we are all praying that the investigation will not lead to any charges. I know the pastor — he’s a patriot and he wouldn’t do anything like this.”
The Kazakh authorities have increased controls on religious communities in recent years, especially by banning unregistered religious activity and increasing punishments for it. Among recent victims have been Council of Churches Baptists, who refuse on principle to seek state registration, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have on occasion been among religious communities refused registration arbitrarily.
Corley states that in a long-running dispute, the authorities in the Karasai District near Kazakhstan’s commercial capital, Almaty, have been seeking to destroy a Hare Krishna commune. They have already bulldozed 26 homes owned by devotees, with the remaining ten or so under threat. An adjoining farm has also been seized, with fears that the farmhouse on the land — in which the commune’s temple is located - will also be seized.
“Officials told us before the August 18 parliamentary elections that they would move against us once they were over,” Hare Krishna spokesperson Maksim Varfolomeyev told Forum 18 from Almaty on August 28. “We are waiting now. Officials themselves are waiting for possible changes of personnel in the leadership, then they are likely to move.” He said the devotees are crammed into the remaining homes. “People are packed in and have to sleep even in corridors.”
Klyushev of the Association of Religious Communities of Kazakhstan does not believe at present that the raids on the Grace churches in Karaganda and Oskemen signal a further tightening of controls on religious communities. “Otherwise there would have been such raids on other communities,” he told Forum 18.
However, Ninel Fokina, head of the Almaty Helsinki Committee, believes the raids are a sign of the increasing power of the KNB in the wake of the 2005 Law on Extremism and amendments to national security laws, Corley says. “In Kazakhstan the concept of ‘religious extremism’ was introduced and religious organisations were included among sources of threats to national security,” she told Forum 18 from Almaty on August 28. She believes subdivisions of the KNB, Interior Ministry and Prosecutor’s Office created in the wake of these legal changes are now “trying to justify” their existence.
“See, it has now come to treason!” Fokina declared. “It’s a very worrying indicator of the growing influence of the secret police, especially as they are completely out of anyone’s control.” She is especially worried that such raids on religious communities are taking place as the parliament elected on August 18 is about to take up its work and is likely to adopt the long-promised new Law on Religion.
“This new law is being prepared at the initiative of the KNB,” Fokina insisted, “and was merely delayed because of the early parliamentary elections.”
** Michael Ireland is an international British freelance journalist. A former reporter with a London newspaper, Michael is the Chief Correspondent for ASSIST News Service of Lake Forest, California. Michael immigrated to the United States in 1982 and became a US citizen in September, 1995. He is married with two children. Michael has also been a frequent contributor to UCB Europe, a British Christian radio station. His weblog appears at: Michael’s Wor(l)d BLOG
** You may republish this story with proper attribution.
https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=72763
you are here: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
“Warden Message: Northern Niger State of Alert”
Consular Affairs Bulletins
Sub-Saharan Africa - Niger
28 Aug 2007
https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=72765
you are here: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
“Warden Message: Zimbabwe War Veterans March August 29”
Consular Affairs Bulletins
Sub-Saharan Africa - Zimbabwe
28 Aug 2007
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Wed Aug 29 2007 04:05:02 GMT-0700.
Worldwide Caution
April 10, 2007
PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
#
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=B782FED8-4FCE-41A5-A1B1-12732B452B3D
“Iran’s Scarecrow”
By Micah Halpern
MicahHalpern.com | 8/29/2007
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “You can call him a puppet, you can call him a scarecrow. Just don’t call Iranian President Ahmadinejad a leader. A leader, by definition, is a policy maker. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, by definition, is a policy implementer. He is the front man for the true rulers of Iran, The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the ruling Religious Council. They decree, he makes sure it happens.”
Note: The following news brief is a quote:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3443316,00.html
Qassam rocket lands in western Negev
Published: 08.29.07, 11:46 / Israel News
A Qassam rocket fired on Wednesday from the northern Gaza Strip landed in an open field in the western Negev.
No injuries or damage were reported. (Shmulik Haddad)
placemark
Thanks for the ping.
Thank you for the swarm alert, not a word on the radio about it.
I had missed the thread, so double thanks.
You’re welcome granny.
Yes, both the US and Canada have concerns about swarms.
RECAP regarding the murder and persecution of Christians and the slow release of the Christian hostages by the Taliban (Taleban):
ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Deal The releases come a day after the South Korean government said it had reached a deal with the Taleban. South Korea has agreed to withdraw troops from Afghanistan as scheduled by the end of the year. It also said it would end all missionary work in the country and stop its citizens from travelling there. There has been no mention of money being paid, but it is thought that a ransom may have been part of the deal, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Kabul. The Taleban appear to have dropped their earlier demand that Taleban members be released from Afghan prisons in exchange for the hostages' freedom. A Taleban representative, Mullah Basheer, said all 19 would be released "step by step" in the coming week. "One of our main demands has not been accepted, but our other demands were welcomed. All of the Koreans will be released in less than a week." Speaking in Japan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government would not change its strategy in light of the release of the hostages. One German national is still being held in Afghanistan. Another German national, who was kidnapped at the same time, died of a heart attack. "The federal government is trying hard to obtain the release of the hostages we have in Afghanistan," Ms Merkel said. "All necessary efforts are being made. In my view, the situation concerning the South Korean hostages will not change in the way we are dealing with it. We are, through the crisis committee, very much involved and engaged and making everything possible for the liberation of the hostages.""
HIGHLIGHTING 1 comment in your post no. 1885, Oorang.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/017950.php
(THE COPENHAGEN POST)
August 29, 2007
“Jihad group incites war on West, promises ‘heads will roll’”
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “A third speaker at the congress, Emir Shamil, said that ‘heads may roll’ in the recreation of the Caliphate.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=antichristian
#
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22332032-5001028,00.html
“Art award nominees ‘gratuitously offensive’”
Article from: AAP
August 29, 2007 11:55pm
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “CONTROVERSY has erupted over two entries in a prestigious art competition, one which depicts the Virgin Mary in a burqa and an image of Osama bin Laden which morphs into Jesus.”
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Authorities and bomb technicians were at the scene of a suspicious package near Tinker Air Force Base on Wednesday.
According to police, Tinker security found what they believe to be an ammunition box. A bomb-sniffing dog, trained to detect gun powder, recognized the package. Authorities said they don't perceive the box to be a threat, but because the dog hit on it, they wanted to take every precaution possible.
http://www.koco.com/news/14002552/detail.html
Dutch women lose NATO jobs after marrying Muslims
29 August 2007
The Hague - Two Dutch women, have lost their jobs at a NATO base in Geilenkirchen over their mysterious marriage to Muslim men which took place during a holiday in Tunisia, the NIS Dutch news service reports. One of the women was the personal assistant of Colonel Jelle Zijlstra, deputy commandant of the base.
Both women - who were identified only by their first names Patricia and Gerda - had a level of security clearance that would have allowed them to access possible NATO secrets, the NIS report said. Following their weddings in Tunisia to local men who they met on while on holiday to the North African country in 2007, the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) withdrew the women's NATO security clearance.
According to a report by the Dutch daily De Telegraaf, the two Tunisian men were classified as "extremely high-risk". Although it is not clear why the men - whose names were not published - are classified as high risk, their marriage was described as "suspicious" by officials at the Geilenkirchen base, home to 17 AWACS surveillance planes - used against aerial terrorist threats.
Excerpted
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1253659017
Apparently NATO is not hindered by political correctness.
Good.
Known only as "U," an Algerian man accused of plotting to blow up Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was denied bail by a British court last week. "U" has been held, somewhat mysteriously, for six years. Little is known about "U." The Associated Press reports that, according to British officials, he arrived in England in 1994 after having held a senior position at a mujahideen training camp in Afghanistan. "U" allegedly set up and ran a terror cell there "which was named after an alias he used at the time."
Algeria wants "U" back, but the UK has been unable to deport him; his lawyer says he'll be tortured if he's returned home to North Africa. The US wants to try "U" for his role in the LAX plot, but its extradition time frame to do so has lapsed. "U" has not been formally charged in England with a crime and he has not had a trial.
The judge presiding over the case said, "He [i.e. "U"] had not indicated to any extent whatever that he has disavowed his former beliefs or associates." His lawyer, however, sees things differently and argued that "U" should be released on the grounds that he's "damaged goods."
More from the AP:
The suspect's lawyer, Hugh Southey, argued his 44-year-old client had become "damaged goods" in the eyes of any terrorist because he was bound to be kept under surveillance if released. "He is somebody who an intelligent person who wanted to carry out illicit or illegal acts would steer well clear of," he told the court.
http://www.theaviationnation.com/
Musharraf agrees to step down as military chief: Bhutto
August 29, 2007
LONDON - Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has agreed to step down as army chief, exiled prime minister Benazhir Bhutto said Wednesday, a move that would be a key step toward a power-sharing deal aimed at rescuing the U.S. ally's bid for another presidential term.
Bhutto, who is expected to return to her homeland and contest parliamentary elections due by January, also said corruption charges would be dropped against her and dozens of other politicians as part of ongoing negotiations to restore civilian rule. Musharraf and Bhutto have been in talks for months about a pact that would protect the general's re-election bid from legal challenges and public disenchantment with military rule.
"We're very pleased that Gen. Musharraf has taken the decision to listen to the people of Pakistan by taking the decision to take off the uniform," Bhutto told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I expect that he will step down (as army chief) before the presidential elections, but that is for the president to say."
There was no immediate reaction from Musharraf. Earlier, a Musharraf ally, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, confirmed the two sides had reached agreement on Musharraf's military role. "Both sides have agreed on the issue of uniform," he told reporters.
Excerpted
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2007/08/29/4455472-ap.html
Yes, surprising though.
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