http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/wot/ en-us Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:35:10 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048293/posts With the two presidential hopefuls arguing over how to fight the Afghan war, and one of them currently in the battle-scarred country - the Bush administration recently held a secret meeting to brainstorm how to win it. U.S. intelligence officials summoned top Afghanistan experts to Virginia, including ex-ground commander Army Lt. Gen. David Barno, to chart a plan for victory, the Daily News has learned. One point several of the experts agreed on: Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are clueless about the seven-year war, because each wants a troop surge. "Both candidates putting so much emphasis on troop... New York Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048293/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:35:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048252/posts It's not easy to find a place to meet the man who goes by the name of Abu Mustafa. A number of places were agreed on and jettisoned. Finally, after hours of cruising around Gaza City with Abu Mustafa's driver, the call came. The meeting would take place on the beach. There are enough people on the beach that one doesn't attract so much attention, the caller explained. How absurd this notion was would soon become clear. Most people don't stick out on the beaches of Gaza to the degree that Abu Mustafa does. He picks his way across the... Spiegel Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048252/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:28:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2048253/posts I still think the GOP screwed themselves when they failed to take Fred Thompson seriously. The old cat never ceases to amaze me. A Google Alert popped these two stories from the Indian Blogosphere into my in-box this morning: Gandhian self-destruction from Indian Raksa - Defending Secular India, and Gandhi’s Way Isn’t the American Way: Collective suicide is no foreign policy from Islamic Terrorism in India. Both of these posts are based on this March 15, 2007 National Review Online transcript of a Fred Thompson radio spot. Listen to Fred right here. (mp3 file) Doesn't he sound presidential? Here is... Plains Feeder http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2048253/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:30:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047944/posts Ongoing weekly - Saturday from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM, Laguna Beach To confront wacos for Peace in the Middle East and through out the World. these folks are really goofy Main Beach, Pacific Coast Highway and Ocean Avenue. Bring your flags and signs, time to get this state full of nut jobs squared away. If you have any contacts in CA. that do not come to the forums often please forward this alert to them http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047944/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:40:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048220/posts A depot in France from which a large quantity of powerful explosive went missing was poorly guarded, the regional head of security has said. The storage of 28kg (61lb) of Semtex at the site near Lyon was "not usual and certainly not authorised", Xavier de Fuerst also told the AFP news agency. A search by anti-terrorist officers is under way, and the manager of the site has been suspended pending an inquiry. Semtex is favoured by terrorists as it is odourless and difficult to detect. bbc.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048220/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:27:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048222/posts The White House this afternoon accidentally sent to its extensive distribution list a Reuters story headlined "Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan - magazine." The story relayed how Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told the German magazine Der Spiegel that "he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months … ‘U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes,'" the prime minister said. The White House employee had intended to send the... ABC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048222/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:35:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048208/posts 173rd’s fight not symbol of more violent Afghanistan, says Preysler "The sky is not falling," Col. Charles "Chip" Preysler, commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, said Saturday from Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Preysler spoke via telephone less than a week after his paratroops and their Afghan allies were involved in a fierce attack at a small post near the village of Wanat. In the July 13 battle, nine of his men were killed and 15 others wounded. But the attack is not a sign of conditions worsening in the country, he said. The battle occurred just after dawn at a... Stars and Stripes, Mideast edition http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048208/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:33:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048152/posts Following an Islamic court's verdict, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Mohmand agency on Saturday publicly shot dead commander and deputy commander of its opponent Islamic militia and captured their 120 armed followers after killing 18 of their fighters, claiming that Shah Group's presence in the agency has been finished. "We arrested Shah Khalid, known as Shah Sahib, his deputy chief Maulvi Obaidullah along with their 120 companions late Friday night after killing their 18 fighters in exchange of gunfire." Dr Asad, spokesman of Taliban amir in Mohmand agency, told this correspondent via phone. "According to the orders of shariah court, comprising of Islamic... thepost.com.pk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048152/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:53:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048112/posts Like a bad dream, the gory images have come back to haunt the land of famished fields and parched valleys veiled in dense layers of dust. Just about when the picture of a woman — covered from head to toe in a blue burqa with a narrow screen in front of her stony eyes — shot in the back of her head was turning grainy, the nightmare revisited Ghazni city last week. Two women, wrapped in blue, were asked to kneel on the ground. And then a few fierce-looking men, with hate dripping from their eyes, nudged the women's bowed... The Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048112/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:29:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048038/posts THESE days in Peshawar, where al-Qaeda was founded 20 years ago, the only glimpse of Osama bin Laden comes on little green packets of safety matches strewn around town by American officials (see picture). They bear the portrait of the world’s most wanted man, along with the promise that America will pay up to $5 million for information leading to his capture. It is an appropriate image. Like one of these matches, Mr bin Laden caused a flash with the September 11th attacks on America in 2001, then vanished into smoke, leaving a burning trail of militancy stretching from Indonesia... The Economist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048038/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:00:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048035/posts TEHRAN -- Critical talks in Switzerland over Iran's nuclear program began today with both Iranian and United States officials making their highest level diplomatic contacts since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana smiled as they posed for pictures before heading into the closed-door meetings which will include U.S. undersecretary William J. Burns, the State Department's number three official. LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048035/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:51:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047866/posts Last year the Phoenix police department handed 359 extortion-related kidnapping cases, Sgt. Phil Roberts said. The ransom demands in these cases can range from $50,000 to $1 million, he said. Excerpt, read the rest of the related news article here. Click here to watch the video from KPHO news. YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047866/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:25:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047942/posts In a "Worst person in the world" segment Keith Obermann called Veternan Bud Day a CLOWN because Mr. Day said "he was not prepared to bow the knee to the "Muslims," referring to Muslim terrorists who seek to destroy America. Blogs for John http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047942/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:17:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047928/posts One recurring question that has been at the forefront of most intelligence agencies since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by al-Qaida on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon just 1 mile outside Washington concerns the ongoing efforts by terrorist groups to acquire weapons of mass destruction: chemical, biological and mostly nuclear. Each of the NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) weapons comes with a certain advantage and disadvantage -- for the terrorist, that is. Of the three sorts, biological weapons are quite possibly the easiest to safely reproduce in a lab, assuming one knows what to do. A... The Middle East Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047928/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:51:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047892/posts Gitmo Go-Ahead July 19, 2008; Page A8 It has taken nearly seven years, but the men who planned the murder of 3,000 Americans on 9/11 are finally going to face justice in a court of law. The last of numerous political and legal hurdles were cleared this week to put the enemy combatants held at Guantanamo on trial. Federal District Court Judge James Robertson ruled Thursday that the military commissions -- established by Congress in 2006 and applying guidelines laid out by the Supreme Court -- can move forward. A military judge in Guantanamo reached a similar decision. So the... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047892/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:13:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047514/posts BEIJING: Chinese authorities have replaced top police and security officials in the Muslim dominated Xinjiang province, which is the hotbed of separatism and political violence. They have also closed down 41 "illegal" places of worship. These places of worship were used as training ground for conducting a "holy war", Chen Zhuangwei Chen, the police chief of Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang province, said. The Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047514/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:19:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2047867/posts Hi everybody, I’m excited to be posting on BlogHer. Not only because blogging is something I’ve actually been able to beat my daughters to; but because it gives me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about them, my husband, myself, and our experiences traveling all over this great country. Over the course of this campaign, I’ve been hosting roundtable discussions with working women all across America. I’m there to talk about my husband, of course – but more importantly, I’m there to listen. We talk about what it’s like to play multiple roles at once and what it’s... BlogHer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2047867/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:29:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047863/posts Many people across the Arab world are excited and amused that a black man with the middle name 'Hussein', who is pledging to end the war in Iraq, has become the Democrats' nominee for president of the US. But in Iraq, which is preparing to receive Senator Barak Obama this weekend, a sense of realism prevails. He said that he would have all US combat troops out of the Arab country within 16 months of becoming president. All this, however, sparks fear rather than joy among many Iraqis across the political and sectarian spectrum. Withdrawal of US troops is not... Monsters and Critics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047863/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:15:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047861/posts As Sen. Barack Obama prepares for his second visit to Iraq, Iraqis are divided over his plan to withdraw U.S. combat troops in 16 months should he be elected president. "Iraq will be in hell, and we will find ourselves at the gates of civil war," said Maied Rashed al-Nuaemi, a provincial council member in Mosul, a city in northern Iraq where Iraqi forces are battling the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq. "The American presence in Iraq is the safety valve to keep this country quiet. If they withdraw, that will lead to calamity." Mohammed Sulaiman, 56, a retired... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047861/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 03:08:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047820/posts Three Bali bombers have exhausted their appeals and will soon be executed by firing squad, according to Indonesia's attorney general.Imam Samudra and the brothers Amrozi and Ali Ghufron have never shown any remorse for the 2002 bombings and have repeatedly said that they embrace death and wish to be martyrs. Indonesia's attorney general Henderman Supanji, in announcing that no further legal avenues are available to the condemned men, said, "the process would not be drawn out". The bombers' lawyer, Fahmi Bachmid, said afterwards: "All of them have repeatedly said they will only ask pardon from God, not the president. This... Daily Telegraph (UK) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047820/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:20:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047815/posts PARIS, France (CNN) -- Explosives used to destroy land mines have disappeared from a site near Lyon, France, the French Interior Ministry said Friday. About 62 pounds (28 kilograms) of explosives were stolen from a depot at the civil security site at Fort de Corbas, the ministry said in a written statement, because of an apparent breach in the site's protection. Michele Alliot-Marie, France's minister of the interior, immediately suspended the head of the security center and started an investigation. French anti-terrorism authorities and the Lyon police also are participating in the investigation, the statement CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047815/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:04:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047791/posts War On Terror: After 9/11, Pakistan promised to close its radical madrassas as part of anti-terror reforms. Now we learn they're not only still open, but also recruiting and brainwashing American boys.All told, 600 American children are being indoctrinated into jihad in 22 madrassas across Pakistan. A U.S. filmmaker stumbled on them while tracing the path of the London suicide bombers. He discovered they attended the same radical Islamic schools. A congressional delegation has confirmed his findings. One particularly radical school in Karachi freely displays a banner at its main gate urging Muslims to join the Taliban. At least 80... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047791/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:07:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047739/posts The Air Force's top leadership sought for three years to spend counterterrorism funds on "comfort capsules" to be installed on military planes that ferry senior officers and civilian leaders around the world, with at least four top generals involved in design details such as the color of the capsules' carpet and leather chairs, according to internal e-mails and budget documents. Production of the first capsule -- consisting of two sealed rooms that can fit into the fuselage of a large military aircraft -- has already begun. Air Force officials say the government needs the new capsules to ensure that leaders... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047739/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:30:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047706/posts Former Vice President Al Gore, delivering a speech in Washington on environmental issues, said global warming, not terrorism, is the No. 1 threat to America. The former V.P. encourages a national switch to earth-friendly power sources. (Video at Link) *barf alert is standard for algoreWhile he praised both Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain for their stands on environmental issues, Gore challenged the next president to take bold steps to solve the problem. "Both are serious and must be addressed. That having been said, I think that the climate crisis is, by far, the most serious threat we have ever... ABC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047706/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:43:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047698/posts A Shia imam in Saudi Arabia has declared his support for Iran and called on supporters to send money to the country to help it fight against the United States and Israel. "We stand by Iran and we will do everything to support this country," said Shia imam Namer Baqer al-Namer during a sermon he gave at the Imam Hussein mosque in the eastern village al-Awamiya on Friday. The sermon was published on the imam's Internet site on Tuesday. A Saudi citizen, al-Namer said that he felt very close to Iran for his Shia belief and called on the faithful... AKI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047698/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:29:12 GMT