Target Centermass

Category: General

  • Tape: Al-Zarqawi Aide May Have Been Killed

    A tape, a terrorist pep-rally speech supposedly by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has shown that one of the top bad guys is now taking that long dirt nap, Fallujah-style.

    A speaker believed to be al-Qaida’s leader in Iraq said in an audiotape found on the Internet Thursday that one of his top lieutenants was killed in last year’s U.S.-led assault on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.

    The speaker, claiming to be Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said top aide Omar Hadid was killed during fighting in November when U.S. and Iraqi forces recaptured the city.

    It was the first public report by the insurgents that Hadid, a leading guerrilla commander in the city, was dead. It was widely believed that Hadid, who was in his 30s, fled the city as it was being attacked.

    “Days after the battle began, one of the commanders suggested to brother Omar Hadid and brother Abu Harith Mohammed Jasem al-Issawi to shave their beards and leave Fallujah through a safe exit so that they can start working from outside,” the speaker said.

    “The two heroes refused, saying: ‘By God we will not leave as long as there is one immigrant fighting in the city.’ They were martyred. May God’s mercy be upon them.”

    The authenticity of the tape could not immediately be verified.

    Al-Zarqawi hinted that the battle of Fallujah was the beginning of a long war.

    “Ferocious wars are not determined by the outcome of days or weeks,” the speaker on the tape said. “They take their time until it’s time to announce the victory of one of the parties.”

    Target Centermass translation: “Sure, we got our asses handed to us in our very own base. Sure, the Americans aren’t cutting and running like in Beirut and Mogadishu. Sure, I bailed out before anything even went down but c’mon, guys, you can still rise up and get out there and die. I’ll hopefully still be back here to behead any unarmed, bound folks you can bring me.”

    So long, Omar Hadid, we hardly knew ya.

  • Not Tonight

    Too much time lost on PC maintenance and laundry. Sorry, folks, maybe tomorrow. I know, I’ve been slacking this week but I’ll make it up to you.

    For what it’s worth, I found this an interesting read about censorship and threats in the land of Islam.

  • Iran’s Defence Minister Defiant

    Relations are simmering between Iran and the U.S.

    Iran has acquired a strong military capability and will deter any attacks against it, Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani said.

    Shamkhani, speaking on Monday at a technology conference, said Iran did not fear the United States, which has already toppled the fundamentalist Taliban in Afghanistan and dictator Saddam Hussein in Iraq, both Iran’s enemies.

    The defiant comments came the same day that US President George Bush said he would not rule out military action against Iran over its nuclear program.

    “We can say we have developed a might that no country can attack us because they do not have accurate information about our military capabilities,” Shamkhani said in the speech, which was made available on Tuesday by the Defence Ministry.

    “We have produced equipment at a rapid pace with the minimum investment that has resulted in the greatest deterrent force,” the ministry statement quoted Shamkhani as saying.

    Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Seymour Hersh reported in Monday’s edition of The New Yorker magazine that Bush and his national security advisers had been “conducting secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran at least since last summer” for the purpose of gathering intelligence and targeting information.

    US Defence Department officials strongly criticised Hersh’s report.

    ….

    The toppling of Saddam in neighbouring Iraq has worried many Iranians about the possibility that Iran would be next in America’s list. Bush has accused Iran of being part of an “axis of evil” with North Korea and prewar Iraq.

    The United States has accused Iran of seeking a covert nuclear weapons program. Iran has denied the charge, saying its nuclear program is geared only toward generating electricity, not producing bombs.

    Hersh, who broke the story about the Abu Ghraib prisoner torture scandal in Iraq, wrote that he had repeatedly been told by intelligence and military officials, on condition of anonymity that “the next strategic target was Iran.”

    Bush administration officials however, rejected the report, saying it was inaccurate.

    European Union officials said on Tuesday they would oppose a military option against Iran. Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, whose country holds the EU presidency, said they hoped to persuade Bush during a summit later this month that the only way to solve a standoff over Iran’s nuclear program was through diplomatic means.

    Shamkhani stopped short of predicting the mother of all battles.

  • Giving Myself a Holiday

    I guess I’m just not in the mood tonight for digging through the news. I try to keep in mind that this blog is a hobby — I don’t want it to ever feel like it has become a job that needs to be done, especially since I’m paying to do this. If I ever went the route of adding advertisements, that may be a different matter. Before I say good night, I wanted to call your attention to a couple of links.

    First, the big story of the day, the kidnapping of a Catholic archbishop is covered well and updated by Dr. Rusty Shackleford at The Jawa Report (listed as My Pet Jawa in my blogroll).

    Second, Eric Cowperthwaite at Eric’s Random Musings contemplates whether he is a milblogger and examines the impact of his military experience on his current life.

    Third, you may notice a new button on this site representing C.U.B., the Coalition of Unpaid Bloggers. This idea is courtesy of The Fire Ant Gazette, a new addition to my blogroll, and ties in well with my earlier statement that this blog is a hobby that I enjoy and want to keep enjoying. That said, good night, y’all.

  • Quote of the Week, 16 JAN 05

    I am tempted to declare that whatever doctrine the Armed Forces are working on, they have got it wrong. I am also tempted to declare that it does not matter that they have got it wrong. What does matter is their capacity to get it right quickly, when the moment arrives.

    —Sir Michael Howard

  • Fledgling Iraqi Air Force Gets Planes

    Back in October, I asked the following question:

    In a somewhat unrelated aside, how long into the resurrection of the Iraqi government and military expertise do we begin working on the martial aspect needed for eventual success, aviation and air power abilities?

    Well, in a very limited sense, the answer is now.

    A defunct squadron of the Iraqi air force was reactivated Sunday and received a delivery of three C-130E Hercules cargo planes from the United States, the U.S. military said.

    Iraqi airmen celebrated the arrival of the planes by slaughtering five sheep in a ceremony at an airfield and marking the planes with blood.

    The 23rd Iraqi air force squadron, first created in 1965, is responsible for airlifting military personnel and equipment. Before accepting the new planes, flight crews and mechanics completed four months of training in neighboring Jordan.

    They will receive additional instruction in flying and maintaining the aircraft from U.S. Air Force commanders in Iraq and on flight simulators in the United States.

    Saddam Hussein’s air force all but disappeared during the 1991 Gulf War and efforts have only recently begun to rebuild the fleet. In November, the United Arab Emirates delivered four six-seater Com Air 7SL aircraft, four Bell Jet Ranger Helicopters and several other planes.

    I do wonder about the current status of the more lethal aircraft of Saddam’s era. What became of the fighters that were flown to Iran or found in Iraq? Were they destroyed or are we waiting until it’s time to take the training wheels off the Iraqi Air Force? I’ll see if I can find any information but, if anyone has any knowledge in the area, please feel free to contribute in the comments.

  • Calls for EU Ban on Nazi Symbols

    You have to love when a stupid act causes an even more pinheaded reaction.

    Several German lawmakers have called for a Europe-wide ban on Nazi insignia following widespread outrage after Britain’s Prince Harry wore a swastika as part of a costume at a high-society gathering.

    Prince Harry, who went to a costume party dressed in an Afrika Korps uniform with a swastika armband, “really lacked taste,” said Wolfgang Bosbach, deputy leader of Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic parliamentary group.

    Bosbach said it was possible European justice ministers at an upcoming meeting would discuss bringing in a European prohibition on displaying the swastika and other Nazi signs. These already are banned in Germany, which nonetheless has a worrying problem of xenophobic neo-Nazi activities, particularly in the former Communist east of the country.

    “All of Europe has suffered in the past because of the crimes of the Nazis, therefore it would be logical for Nazi symbols to be banned all over Europe,” added Silvana Koch-Merin, who heads Germany’s liberal Free Democrats in the European Parliament. She also called for the question of a ban to be placed on the agenda of the next meeting of justice ministers.

    This calls into question Ms. Koch-Merin’s grasp of the concept of logic.

    The Social Democrats deputy parliamentary leader, Michael Müller, agreed that study was needed to find out how a German-style anti-Nazi law could be transposed to the rest of Europe. Dieter Wiefelspütz, a Social Democratic party specialist on justice questions, said Nazi symbols were reminders of a “humiliating” and “deathly” concept of humanity.

    But expanding the ban on Nazi symbols across the EU is unlikely to happen, as many countries consider their display — no matter how repugnant — is protected by democratic principles of free speech.

    The young prince’s choice of costume was indeed tasteless and poorly thought out for someone so much in the public’s eye. Also, it goes without saying that the history of the Nazis is obviously atrocious. However, to ban a symbol because of this history is ridiculous. What next, a ban on the letter “K” because of its prominent role in the acronym KKK? Beyond the free speech aspect, I would counter that to ban the swastika would only add to its attraction among those seeking to rebel against society.

  • Pentagon Rejected Gay Weapon Proposal

    This is good for a chuckle.

    The U.S. military rejected a 1994 proposal to develop an “aphrodisiac” to spur homosexual activity among enemy troops but is hard at work on other less-than-lethal weapons, defense officials said Sunday.

    The idea of fostering homosexuality among the enemy figured in a declassified six-year, $7.5 million request from a laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio for funding of non-lethal chemical weapon research.

    The proposal, disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information request, called for developing chemicals affecting human behavior “so that discipline and morale in enemy units is adversely affected.”

    “One distasteful but completely non-lethal example would be strong aphrodisiacs, especially if the chemical also caused homosexual behavior,” said the document, obtained by the Sunshine Project. The watchdog group posted the partly blacked-out, three-page document on its Web site.

    Lt. Col. Barry Venable of the Army, a Defense Department spokesman, said: “This suggestion arose essentially from a brainstorming session, and it was rejected out of hand.”

    The Air Force Research Laboratory also suggested using chemicals that could be sprayed on enemy positions to attract stinging and biting bugs, rodents and larger animals.

    Another idea involved creating “severe and lasting halitosis” to help sniff out fighters trying to blend with civilians.

    The U.S. military remains committed to developing less-than-lethal weapons that pass stringent legal reviews and are consistent with international treaties, said Captain Dan McSweeny of the Marine Corps, a spokesman for the Pentagon unit spearheading their introduction.

    “We feel it’s very important to offer our deployed service members and their commanders a greater range of options in dealing with increasingly complex operational environments,” said McSweeny, of the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate.

    It all seems rather silly, but it’s good to know the folks in defense are putting some creative skullsweat into their efforts.

    I wonder, however, had we developed the homosexual aphrodisiac weapon, what would the ramifications be on Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell in a friendly-fire incident?

  • FBI Warns of Suspicious Inaugural Activity

    FoxNews is reporting that the FBI is concerned about security threats and questionable behaviour at sites related to next week’s inauguration.

    The federal government is receiving reports of “suspicious activity” around buildings where presidential inaugural events and a parade are scheduled to occur Jan. 20 in Washington, FOX News learned Friday.

    FOX News obtained an intelligence bulletin sent this week to law enforcement by the FBI’s Washington field office, which is coordinating the security for next week’s inaugural along with the U.S. Secret Service.

    An FBI official confirmed the authenticity of the bulletin and said, “there is no credible threat information but we are looking at everything and anything out of an abundance of caution.”

    More than 6,000 law enforcement personnel will be on duty Jan. 20, the day President Bush is sworn in for a second term.

    Reports of suspicious activity noted by the FBI include people taking pictures and writing descriptive notes while being near the buildings. But there is no indication that any of these activities are linked to terrorist activity. Plus, many of the buildings and streets in question consistently receive numerous suspicious activity reports due to their high visibility in the Washington area.

    I’ve lived in D.C. The very notion of trying to discern between a tourist and a terrorist based on the choice of photographic subjects or number of exposures taken seems incredibly daunting. I pity the analysts who have to pore over this stuff.

    Some of the threat reporting is coming to U.S. officials from overseas, according to the FBI bulletin.

    For example, the State Department advised that on Jan. 6, a regional security office received a letter via local mail service from a Kenyan national, alleging that terrorists will launch an attack at the inauguration using tactics similar to those employed in Iraq last month that killed 19 U.S. soldiers.

    The letter did not contain further details about the alleged attack but it rambled on about other topics such as the recent tsunami disaster, the Kenyan government’s inability to provide jobs and medical care to its citizenry and the torture of political prisoners, according to the bulletin.

    Sounds like your run-of-the-mill nutjob or Democratic Underground poster.

    The possible reference in the letter to the Dec. 21 attack in Mosul, Iraq, on a U.S. military mess hall may indicate the use of an improvised explosive device by a would-be homicide bomber, the agency noted. Based on the information received to date, this is not assessed to be a credible threat. A copy of the letter is being passed to the Kenyan police for further investigation.

    Another threat report, as outlined in the FBI bulletin, consists of word that Mohamad Chafiq Dekkak contacted a U.S. businessman of Muslim descent to sponsor his visa entry into the United States for business purposes.

    Dekkak has been associated with two possible international arms dealers, Hemad Lakhani and Samir El Mahallawy. Lakhani was arrested in the United States in August 2003 and charged with providing material support for terrorist acts and with violating the arms import/export control act. The FBI continues to investigate.

    Dekkak’s hidden intent is allegedly to attend the inauguration. This is suspicious, since Dekkak has no known basis for his recent interest in U.S. political events, the FBI noted.

    I feel it important to note that the main reason I post this and feel even a shred of concern is that it is probably the last significant opportunity to strike a blow to the U.S. prior to the Iraqi elections.

  • Soldier Gets 10 Years in Iraq Prison Abuse

    Abu Ghraib continues to take its toll. This time, however, the cost is finally being borne by one actually responsible.

    Army Spc. Charles Graner Jr., who grinned in photos of Iraqi prisoners being sexually humiliated but told jurors, “I didn’t enjoy what I did there,” was sentenced Saturday to 10 years behind bars in the first court-martial stemming from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

    Graner, labeled the leader of a band of rogue guards at the Baghdad prison in late 2003, could have received 15 years.

    Asked if he felt remorse after the sentence was handed down, Graner said, “There’s a war on. Bad things happen.”

    Graner will be dishonorably discharged when his sentence is completed. He also was demoted to private and ordered to forfeit all pay and benefits.

    A day after convicting him, the jury of four Army officers and six senior enlisted men deliberated about two hours to determine Graner’s sentence. He could have received 15 years.

    Graner, who had been free prior to trial, was taken into custody after the sentence was read. He gave his mother, Irma, a big hug and his father, Charles Sr., a firm handshake before the jury foreman read the sentence.

    “He’s scared to death,” Irma Graner said later.

    Graner was accused of stacking naked prisoners in a human pyramid and later ordering them to masturbate while other soldiers took photographs. He also allegedly punched one man in the head hard enough to knock him out, and struck an injured prisoner with a collapsible metal stick.

    Defense lawyer Guy Womack said his client and the six other Abu Ghraib guards charged with abuses were being scapegoated, but added that he thought the jury did its job well.

    “I firmly believe there should have been reasonable doubt, but we respect their decision,” he said outside the courthouse. He added that he had feared Graner could have received a harsher sentence than the 10-year term.

    Prosecutors Maj. Michael Holley and Capt. Chris Graveline would not speak to reporters, but they said in a joint statement, “We think it is important that the world was able to observe this court-martial.”

    The exact scope of the abuse scandal has been hyped to hyperbole by those thirsting for ratings or with an axe to grind or on a political headhunt. Screams for heads to roll, no matter how distant and uninvolved those heads were, echoed loudly but luckily to no avail.

    What happened at the prison was a crime, actually a fairly minor one in relation to the harm it was allowed to wreak on U.S. efforts, and now the criminals are beginning to find justice. That is as it should be; however, when all the dust settles, will those who contributed to the international circus ever look back and realize the damage they willfully perpetrated against the U.S. and the harm done to fighting Islamist terror?