Gość: Datsh IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 15:08 Special to the American Forces Press Service ABOARD USNS COMFORT, NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2001 Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś czytaj wygodnie posty
Gość: JD USA -Israel-Palestinian Authority IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 15:14 Arafat Scrambles for Cover 19 September 2001 From S T R A T F O R THE GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE COMPANY Austin, Texas http://www.stratfor.com SUMMARY Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat up to now has been successful in driving a wedge between the United States and Israel while retaining plausible deniability for suicide bombings in the Middle East. But in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, Arafat’s strategy is in shambles. He is now trapped between an unrestrained Israel and the anger of the Palestinian public. ANALYSIS Immediately after the events of Sept. 11, STRATFOR wrote that Israel would be a major beneficiary of the attacks. We said: “Given that pressures for Israel to restrain operations against the Palestinian Authority will decline dramatically, it might be expected that Yasser Arafat, anticipating this evolution, will rapidly change his position on suicide bombings and become more accommodating to Israel. In effect, today’s events have wrecked Arafat’s nearly successful drive to split the United States from Israel.” That appears to be what has happened. After agreeing to a truce with Israel, Arafat took the unprecedented step Sept. 18 of ordering his forces not to fire even in self-defense. In return, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered a halt to “unilateral action” by Israeli forces. The differing formulas tell it all. Sharon has promised to withhold strikes unless the Palestinians strike first. The Palestinian Authority has committed itself not to strike under any circumstances. Behind all this is a grim reality for Arafat. He was executing a superb strategy. The suicide bombing campaign against Israel allowed Arafat some plausible deniability, at least with Europe and the United States. He argued that he was unable to restrain the bombers because they were controlled by other groups such as Hamas. The more intensely Israel attacked the Palestinians, the more frequently the suicide bombings would occur. This argument allowed Arafat to shift responsibility for events away from himself toward Sharon and Palestinian radicals. He could play the victim of both while generating sympathy for the Palestinians and support for himself. The intent of his strategy was to drive a wedge between the Sharon government and the United States. Sharon’s response to the Palestinians had been to launch what was, in effect, a war against the Palestine Authority’s infrastructure: attacking command facilities, assassinating leaders and moving into towns to clear out armed Palestinians. It was little noticed that on the night of Sept. 10, Israeli forces surrounded the town of Jenin as part of this conflict. But following the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings in the United States, Arafat’s strategy is in shambles. He is still in the middle, but now he is trapped. He fully understands the United States will no longer restrain Sharon. Arafat also knows Sharon well enough to know he will seize any provocation to press the war to a new level of intensity. On the other hand, Arafat may not have complete control over the suicide bombers attacking Israel. After the July 2000 Camp David summit, Arafat deftly maneuvered himself into a position wherein his policies were aligned with those of more radical Palestinians. They had reached a mutual accommodation of sorts: Arafat would use their attacks on Israel to position his diplomacy, and the radicals would carry out operations to their satisfaction and permit Arafat to exploit them for political ends. This cooperation, or parallel play if you will, was not the same as Arafat being in genuine control of all elements. This means that although Arafat sees no alternative to accepting a cease-fire, it is far from certain that all Palestinian groups will accept it. Indeed, both Islamic Jihad and Hamas have opposed the cease-fire, with Islamic Jihad vehemently opposing Arafat’s participation in a U.S.-led coalition against Osama bin Laden. It will be much more difficult for these groups to operate now. Arafat might not have controlled them before, but his intelligence apparatus refrained from interfering with them. That is primarily what the Israelis were furious about because they felt Arafat could have shut down the bombers if he had wanted to. Now it is in Arafat’s interest to do so. He will certainly try and to some extent succeedbut not perfectly. There will be bombings and Israeli retaliation. Arafat is now trapped between overwhelming, unrestrained Israeli force and the genuine anger of the Palestinian public. They understand full well that Arafat has been trapped by events and forced to retreat. What they don’t see are the benefits that will accrue from the retreat: Hamas and Islamic Jihad will argue vehemently that Arafat and the secular leadership of the Palestinians are politically bankrupt and that it is time for a new generation to take chargea generation that is religious in perspective. We strongly suspect that those who planned the Sept. 11 attacks were fully aware of the dynamic they were creating. Assuming the attackers knew what they were doing, they understood their actions would paralyze the American financial markets and air traffic system. They also knew that by extension, their actions would strengthen Sharon and weaken Arafat. That is precisely what they wanted because it would serve to increase the strength of Islamic forces within the Palestinian community. If this develops as logic dictates, then Arafat will find himself with nowhere to go but into Israeli arms. His one hope is that if he reaches a settlement with the Israelis, the Israelis will understand the benefit of improving economic conditions for Palestinians, who have been devastated by occupation and war. If Arafat cannot deliver the kind of victory that was possible a few days ago, he must at least deliver a better life for the Palestinians. For that to happen, the Israelis must be prepared both to support Arafat politically and to infuse capital into the West Bank. But this would require radicals to permit a period of economic stabilization Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: j CIA - Saddam Hussein IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 15:21 WASHINGTON [MENL] Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: *}* Intifada-unsubscribe@www.elysee.fr IP: *.cm-upc.chello.se 29.04.03, 17:19 Saddam Hussein ? www.gaullisme.com/ www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2135/ abcnews.go.com/reference/bios/chirac.html www.elysee.fr/ang/index.shtm www.elysee.fr/ang/actus/iraq_.htm Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: d PALESTINIAN EDUCATION IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 15:30 PALESTINIAN EDUCATION by Itamar Marcus and Ruthie Blum pmw@netvision.net.il INTRODUCTION: The Arab world has been attempting to depict America as a victim of their support for Israel and are claiming that the Arabs have no inherent anti -American bias. However, there is nothing farther from the truth. The Palestinian Authority has been teaching their people for years, that the PA sees the Palestinian conflict with Israel and the United States as two branches in the general total global war of Islam against the West and all other religions. An 11th grade PA textbook describes the inevitable victory of Islam over the West with words that become ever so chilling following the World Trade Center horror: ”... We do not claim that the collapse of Western civilization, and the transfer of the center of civilization to us [Islam] will happen in the next decade . Nevertheless [Western civilization] has begun to collapse and to become a pile of rubble.” [”Some Outstanding Examples of Our Civilization” for Eleventh Grade] In Palestinian Authority schoolbooks, Western society and values, especially those the United States, are portrayed as corrupt, that will inevitably lead to their demise. At times this Western demise is seen as a natural process arising from the innate Western corruption. In other texts the children are taught that the Jihad Muslim fighters will be victorious over the West through Jihad (Holy War for Allah). The following are citations from two Palestinian school textbooks that reflect attitudes prevalent in Palestinian society: [The books are published by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education based on previously published Jordanian books, and in use in the school year 2000-2001. Translations by Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace.] THE SCHOOL TEXTS: ”In the present period, which exceeds all previous periods in terms of the material and scientific advances taking place, social, psychological and medical scientists in the West are perplexed by the worrying increase in the number of people suffering from nervous disorders...and the statistics from America in this matter are a clear indication of this.” ”Western civilization, in both its branches - the capitalist and the Communist - deprived man of his peace of mind, stability and noble human examples whom he can respect, when it turned material well-being into the exemplary goal . his money leading him nowhere, except to suicide...” ”Western civilization is the representation of the highest form of material life achieved by man, but this alone does not bring him happiness, as you have seen. There is no escape from a new civilization.The Western world is not capable of fulfilling this role.There is only one nation capable of discharging this task and that is our nation [Islam]...” ”... We do not claim that the collapse of Western civilization, and the transfer of the center of civilization to us [Islam] will happen in the next decade or two or even in fifty years, for the rise and fall of civilizations follow natural processes. And even when the foundations of a fortress become cracked, it still appears.to be at the peak of its strength. Nevertheless [Western civilization] has begun to collapse and to become a pile of rubble.” ”Since the beginning of our reawakening ... We awoke to a painful reality and oppressive imperialism and we drove it out of some of our lands and we are about to drive it from the rest...” [Some Outstanding Examples of Our Civilization for Eleventh Grade] ”Islam, The True Religion: The Victory of Islam: . This religion [Islam] will defeat all other religions and it will be disseminated, by Allah’s will, through the Muslim Jihad fighters.” [Islamic Education for Seventh Grade p. 125] Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: =v= road map ? IP: *.cm-upc.chello.se 30.04.03, 00:25 www.jews-for-allah.org/_disc1/000000cb.htm ********************************************** members.telering.at/pat/nat.htm ************************************************** www.motl.org/ Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: f Situation Reports IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 15:44 Situation Reports The Kuwaiti Emir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 73, suffered a brain hemorrhage and was hospitalized today. According to Kuwaiti state television, the Emir is fully conscious and not in intensive care, and will be flown to London on Friday evening. It is unclear whether this could lead to a change in the regime, or how that would affect Kuwait's participation in the US led coalition against terrorism. Afghan Radio reported Sept. 21 that following the Taliban's request on Thursday that Osama bin Laden leave the country voluntarily, bin Ladin had reportedly reached the Wakhan Corridor near the Chinese border.The Radio also reported that China will not allow bin Laden to enter the country if he attempted to. These reports are unconfirmed. 2205 GMT 010921 Afghan Radio reported that the Taliban has asked the United Nations to suspend all communications from Kabul to the outside world. 2135 GMT 010921 A senior Afghan opposition official said Sept. 21 that the Afghan opposition group Northern Alliance was in contact with U.S. officials after offering earlier this week to cooperate in any U.S. strike on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, Reuters reported. 2148 GMT 010921 Middle East Newswire reported that authorities have arrested dozens of Muslim activists suspected of association with Osama Bin Laden, in what the report speculates as an attempt to clear Yemen from the list of countries believed to be harboring terrorists. Official sources cited by the Newswire say that Yemen is working closezly with American investigators. The USS Cole was attacked last year while at port in Yemen. 2135 GMT 010921 Hundreds of Muslim demonstrators gathered in Indian Kashmir to protest possible U.S. strikes on Afghanistan. The police fired tear gas on the group as it burned an American flag and pledged to support the "Afghan warriors," Reuters reported. The region's main separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, publicly opposed the demonstrations. 2030 GMT 010921 Reuters reports that Sudan's government said Sept. 21 that Osama bin Laden was not welcome to return to Sudan. Bin Laden lived in the largely Islamic African country from 1991 to 1996. The U.S. struck Sudan with cruise missiles in 1998 in reaction to the African embassy bombings, which were also linked to bin Laden. 2015 GMT 010921 A recent survey shows 47 percent of Americans believe the last week's terrorist attacks will lead the United States into a recession, according to The Conference Board. Almost 90 percent said they will not scale back purchases. 1950 GMT, 010921 The U.S. government issued a $15 billion aid package for the airline industry Sept. 21, the BBC reported. The industry will receive $5 billion in direct loans and $10 billion in loan guarantees. 1940 GMT, 010921 Nationwide protests in Pakistan against a possible U.S. strike on Afghanistan turned deadly Sept. 21, reports BBC. Two people died as a result of gunshots in Karachi and another was killed after he defied an order to strike and attempted to open his shop. 1935 GMT, 010921 French authorities have detained seven people under suspicion of planning terrorist attacks on American targets in France, according to the BBC. Police sources revealed some of those detained were under surveillance since July. 1815 GMT, 010921 Palestinian Authority security forces are reportedly taking measures to prevent Palestinian gunmen from shooting Israeli targets, Itim News Service reported. 1805 GMT, 010921 Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al- Shara Sept. 21 denied links between last week's terrorist attacks and the current crisis between Israel and the Palestinians, reports IRNA. 1805 GMT, 010921 Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman said during a press briefing Sept. 21 that the Pakistani government hopes the Taliban will make a prompt decision regarding Osama bin Laden that "satisfies the concerns of the international community," said IRNA. 1803 GMT, 010921 The United States is urging European allies to rally behind a military drive to replace Afghanistan's ruling Taliban with an interim government under the United Nations, The Guardian reported. The British daily said it saw a cable from the Washington embassy of a key NATO ally regarding a "post-Taliban Afghanistan." 1800 GMT, 010921 White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the United States warned the Taliban that if it harbors terrorists, the president's message is clear: "We will defeat you," CNN reported. 1751 GMT, 010921 Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Taliban's envoy to Pakistan, told a press conference Sept. 21 that the Taliban would not hand Osama bin Laden over without proof of his involvement in the terrorist attacks, IRNA said. Zaeef said such a move would be "an insult to Islam," and they would not expel bin Laden from Afghanistan. 1750 GMT, 010921 A Western diplomat indicated Sept. 21 that the United States would soon present a case against Osama bin Laden to Pakistan's government and president, CNN reported. 1740 GMT, 010921 Markets are dropping globally Sept. 21 as investors appear to be retreating to government bonds and other "safe havens" over concerns of possible military strikes in the coming days. Tokyo and Hong Kong closed down between about 2 percent and 4 percent, while major European markets were down 6 percent to 7 percent in late afternoon trading. Meanwhile the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P were all sharply lower in early trading. The London Stock Exchange was also evacuated Sept. 21 after a security alert. 1445, 010921 The United States will soon reportedly lift sanctions against India and Pakistan imposed after their 1998 nuclear tests due to the countries' offers of assistance to Washington in its effort to fight terrorism, ABC news reported, citing a senior Western diplomat. In addition, Washington will reportedly reschedule $600 million in Pakistani debt Sept. 24. 1420 GMT, 010921 Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said Sept. 21 that the United States should strengthen the opposition in Afghanistan to enable them to overthrow the ruling Taliban regime instead of ordering a possible ground operation in the country, AFP reported. He also said that Turkey, the only Muslim country in NATO, was ready to offer military training to the Afghan opposition. 1415 GMT, 010921 In a speech broadcast worldwide Sept. 20, U.S. U.S. President George W. Bush delivered an ultimatum to the Taliban that it hand over Osama bin Laden and all other Al-Qaida leaders, release all foreign nationals from the country and close all terrorist bases within Afghanistan. Bush said that the Taliban must act immediately and that "these demands are not open to negotiation or discussion." 1430 GMT 010921 U.S. President George W. Bush announced Sept. 20 the creation of a Cabinet position to oversee ''homeland defense'' of the United States from attack, with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge named as the head of the new position, Reuters reported. The Office of Homeland Security will involve coordination of government-wide domestic security efforts, working with the U.S. military, emergency officials and state and local governments. 1410 GMT, 010921 Bush administration officials have reportedly tied Tawfiq Bin Atash, a longtime associate of Osama bin Laden, with last week's terrorist attacks, Newsweek reported. Bin Atash, who has been implicated in the World Trade Center attack, the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa and last year's attack on the USS Cole, was allegedly photographed by a foreign intelligence service early last year meeting with one of the suspected hijackers in the Sept. 11 attack. 1355 GMT, 010921 Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: *!*} }IRAQ IP: *.cm-upc.chello.se 30.04.03, 08:19 www.albawaba.com/countries/index.ie.php3?country=iraq&lang= Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: awe #The hour is coming when America will act...# IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 15:52 By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2001 Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: #### *************AmericanVictory****************** IP: *.cm-upc.chello.se 30.04.03, 09:32 Gość portalu: awe napisał(a): www.iraqifreedom.us/images/flageagle.gif > By Jim Garamone > American Forces Press Service > > WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2001 Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: molder Re: USA -American Forces Press Service IP: *.sympatico.ca 22.09.01, 16:08 cierpisz na schizofrenie? wszystkie posty z tego samego IP Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: M Arkiv X IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 16:30 Gość portalu: molder napisał(a): > cierpisz na schizofrenie? wszystkie posty z tego samego IP So what ? Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: © love, compassion, compromise and justice... IP: *.cm-upc.chello.se 28.10.02, 20:33 love, compassion, compromise and justice... not Jihad, Holy War and suicidal martyrdom. www.masada2000.org/lifeline2.html Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: u USA -American Forces Press Service IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 16:34 NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense No. 447-01 (703)695-0192(media) IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2001 (703)697-5737(public/industry) DOD CASUALTY UPDATE The Department of Defense confirmed today that the following people were killed as a result of the attack on the Pentagon. This brings to 52 the number of unaccounted victims positively identifed, not including the individual who later succumbed to wounds suffered in the attack. Army: Ms. Amella V. Fields, Department of the Army civilian, 36, Dumfries, Va. Ms. Diane M. Hale-McKinzy, Department of the Army civilian, 38, Alexandria, Va. Sgt. Maj. Lacey B. Ivory, 43, Mo. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Gary F. Smith, 55, Alexandria, Va. Maj. Kip P. Taylor, 38, Mi. Mr. Edmond Young, Department of the Army contractor, BTG, Inc. Navy: Cmdr. William Howard Donovan, Jr., 37, Nunda, N.Y. Ms. Judith Jones, Department of the Navy civilian, 53, Woodbridge, VA Defense Agencies: Ms. Shelley A. Marshall, Marbury, Md. Ms. Patricia E. (Patti) Mickley, Springfield, Va. Mr. Charles E. Sabin, Burke, Va. Mr. Karl W. Teepe, Centreville, Va. As a result of the attack, 125 people were killed or remain unaccounted, not including the 64 passengers on the plane. To date, 117 remains have been recovered and transported to Dover Air Force Base, Del. for identification. Search and recovery operations continue. -END- Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: yd Donald Rumsfeld Defense Secretary IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 16:42 By Sgt. 1st Class Kathleen T. Rhem, USA American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2001 Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: h http://www.defenselink.mil/multimedia/audio/apnb14sep.ram IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 16:46 audio Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: a dyskusja IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 18:56 I'm New -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My heart is broken with the recent terror that has happened in the USA. Only a coward reacts as they did. 5,000 lives taken thousands and thousands destroyed!!! The ones responsible should pay.. Aziz I have been reading your discussions and I really think you are a humble person and have enjoyed your text.. please forgive me for sounding bold but seeing this happen has really torn a hole in my heart .. and now the possibility of war is on the verge.. May God Bless Everyone!!!!!!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Posts: 14 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 9:40 pm on Sep. 15, 2001 | IP aziz Advanced Member -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Doe, Sorry for any my comment that bothered you. It’s not intention to hurt you and I feel sorry for what happened in US. John, US people now can feel now how much it hurts when their country building are destroy and their beloved one dies. US people should think about those who beloved one dies in Palestine and their houses are destroyed by Israel Bulldozers. John, I am pretty young Afghan I have seen nothing, but war, destruction of my country by Russia and ourselves. I was very young when Russians destroyed my house in front of my face and they killed my family member. 1.5 millions killed Afghans torn a hole in my heart long time ago. Think for moment about my heart too and pray for 1.5 million Afghans; Thanks ----- Your brother Aziz -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Posts: 118 | Joined April 2001 | Posted on: 5:35 pm on Sep. 17, 2001 | IP John Doe I'm New -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I agree with you Aziz.... we do have a common in this whole thing.. and one thing for sure one day we will all die and look back at our lives and say what actually did I do to create Love and Compassion for my fellow man whether you are Christian, Muslim, Or Jew! We are all humans created by God and God is love. Im not trying to create a reason to dispell the acts of the ones who did this to USA they will see justice!!! I just pray for the innocent lives that will still suffer!! My brother is a Marine in the US military and it tears my heart to imagine him not being here no more but I have to stand on the principals of Freedom and will fight for what is truely right! And Im sure you feel the same with your country. Im sure you have alot of great people in your country and Im sure you have seen more devastation than I can only imagine. But the time is now to think for yourself and start creating an atmosphere where you can make a difference in other lives. Because Im American and your not doesnt mean we cant offer each other Love (brotherly) and find that common ground to agree to disagree. But for those who torn at the foundation for which American stands and would even think of doing the unGodly acts will not only see justice but in my opinion they will be judged for each and every life they have destroyed!!!! Aziz may your days be long and prosperous!! John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Posts: 14 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 8:30 pm on Sep. 17, 2001 | IP proudAmerica I'm New -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The passing days since the cowardly acts are becoming increasingly painful. Afghanistan Islams are showing no remorse and offering no concession in turning over bin Laden. All evidence points directly to bin Ladean, with arrests taking place throughout the world. Here in the US, we continue to uncover the viper's nests of Islamic terrorists who have lived among us, trained in our schools, and enjoyed the liberties offerred to all Americans. Such hideous offenses deserve severe retribution and punishment. Islamic threats to the US and Israel will only result in Islamic defeat. The Jews are God's own chosen people. God will defend His people even as they are attacked on all sides. His Holy Bible details that. Jesus Christ said there would be many false prophets, brought up by Satan, and Mohammed is the Evil of Evil in false prophets. I urge all Islamic people to read the true word of God; find the truth that only Jesus Christ, God's only Son, will provide. Read Revelation, the last book in the Holy Bible, to see that the current events signal the return of Christ. God loves even the Islamic people, and offers them salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. I do not look forward to or even lightly view the ensuing battle. Many will suffer because of the evil that the Taliban and bin Laden have wrought. Many of those who die will not have accepted the redemption of sin that only Jesus offers. Those people will be judged and, and He says, will be condemned to h e l l for eternity. My anger turns more and more to dread. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Posts: 14 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 9:03 am on Sep. 18, 2001 | IP Jinxx Member -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am curious, If the Jews are Gods choosen people and he will defend them why are they not convinced Jesus was the Messiah ? I mean they think he was complete false normal guy. Muslims at least accept him as a profet. Religions are simply confusing because threwout time many humans have changed or added to origional scripts. Many of the origional scripts which started all three religions (judism, christianity, and islam) were nothing but poetry. The whole adam and eve thing 100% that, poetry. People found these scripts many years after the poets death and placed religious meaning in them. I am not anti faith in religion but i am anti faith in preacher. Why so many preachers teach so differantly ? Yet many many people believe every word they say. How could all of the preachers be correct ? Jinxx -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Posts: 49 | Joined Sep. 2001 | Posted on: 2:40 pm on Sep. 18, 2001 | IP travelr64 I'm New -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not all preachers are correct. And not all religions are about the same God. If there is any way to know what is the truth, it's by listening to the word of God. Jesus said, "No one can come to the Father but through Me", and again, "No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws Him". The problem that I see with the Islamic Religion, is that Muhammed came along some 600 years after Christ, claimed that Christ was a prophet of God, but not His Son. In saying this, Muhammed has called Christ a liar, yet claims Him to be God's prophet at the same time. Jesus was very adamant about the fact that He was the Son of the one and only Living God. In fact, He refused to retract His statement to the point of death. Now, one or the other of Jesus or Muhammed was a liar. Since I have had some very deep and profound spiritual encounters with Jesus, I'm betting my life on Him. The biggest difference between Christianity and all other religions is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to us as Jesus promised before his execution. "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that he may be with you forever; That is the Spirit of truth, whom the wo Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: YA Yasser Arafat IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 22.09.01, 19:55 It is a new world here. For Yasser Arafat it is a world full of opportunities and full of dangers. This world did not begin well for Mr Arafat. Shortly after the attacks on New York and Washington a small group of Palestinians was filmed celebrating in East Jerusalem. Mr Arafat made a show of donating blood Pictures of these celebrations were broadcast round the world - giving the impression the entire Palestinian people was jubilant. These pictures did great damage to the Palestinian cause internationally. Yasser Arafat and his officials were put on the backfoot. They made sure pictures of further celebrations were not seen. They began an intense campaign to show that the Palestinian people condemned the attacks. A campaign which involved Mr Arafat giving blood for the victims of the attacks against America. Incursions At the same time Israel began a series of military incursions into Palestinian controlled areas. These incursions were condemned by the Palestinians. But the world's attention was focused elsewhere. Israeli incursions into Palestinian areas went largely unnoticed by the outside world Then, the next step of the new world. In front of foreign ambassadors called to Gaza, Yasser Arafat repeated his intention to observe a ceasefire. He ordered his forces to act with maximum restraint. His words were not new. But in this conflict, what you say is not as important as when you say it and who has told you to say it. On this occasion, Mr Arafat was under intense pressure from the international community to fall into line. With few other options available, he did so. And his international position rose. He was back in the fold. Prisoner Now the challenge. Yasser Arafat must make sure his forces observe the ceasefire. He must act against Islamic militant groups - and persuade them not to attack Israel. Leading Palestinians warn that this will be difficult. "He is like a prisoner in Ramallah or Gaza," says Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian political activist. "He cannot move army officers from one place to another. Physically he is doing his best." The question now : will his best be good enough? If the ceasefire holds, Yasser Arafat will meet Israel's Foreign Minister Shimon Peres for talks. And there is more. Talks are predicated on the ceasefire holding The Palestinians want Yasser Arafat to be given an Oval Office meeting with President Bush. Such a meeting would do more than anything to restore Mr Arafat's standing in the international community. If the ceasefire holds, this meeting may happen. If it doesn't, it won't. These are defining moments for Yasser Arafat. He may remember Shakespeare's words from Julius Caesar: "There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries." This is Yasser Arafat's tide. If the ceasefire holds, his international position will be strengthened. If the Palestinians break the ceasefire, he can expect real questions from the international community - and from the United States in particular. Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: I Interview of Secretary Powell by BBC IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 23.09.01, 14:55 21 September 2001 Powell Says Anti-terrorist Campaign Not Against Afghan People Interview of Secretary Powell by BBC The United States will be "very careful" in its anti-terrorist campaign "to make sure that people see that in our actions we are not going after the Afghan people, we are not going after Moslems, we are not going after Arabs, we are going after terrorists," Secretary of State Colin Powell said September 21 in an interview with the BBC. The United States is the biggest single donor of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Powell said, and "will continue to be so." "We can avoid casualties of all kinds if the Taliban regime will do the right thing and turn over these terrorists, all of them, not just Usama bin Laden, but all of those who are using Afghanistan, using the poor, poor people of Afghanistan as a sea in which to swim," Powell said. The United States, he said, believes that bin Laden is still in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban. In light of what happened on the 11th of September, Powell said, "we now need a worldwide campaign, not just the United States or even just the UN, but rather everybody coming together" to fight terrorism. "We are embarking on a campaign with a great deal of information and intelligence," he said. "And it is not just a war in the sense of a military conflict; it is a campaign that is much financial, political, diplomatic, public diplomacy, infrastructure ripping up. And we have quite a bit of information and intelligence and we will gather a lot more. And it is a campaign that will be successful at the end of the day. Because we will dry up the havens they have been using; we will ostracize those countries that have been providing support. And it is a campaign that will go on for as long as it takes to be successful," Powell said. Following is the transcript as released by the State Department: U.S. Department Of State Office of the Spokesman September 21, 2001 Interview Of Secretary Of State Colin L. Powell By BBC Washington, D.C. Question: General Powell, last night, the President talked about justice being brought to the terrorists if the terrorists were not brought to justice. Do you currently have enough evidence against Usama bin Laden to secure a conviction in an American court of law? Secretary Powell: I think so. I mean, he has been indicted for previous offenses against the United States, previous offenses against humanity. And I think we have enough intelligence information as well as legally sufficient evidence to bring him before an American court. Question: Would you prefer him dead or alive? Secretary Powell: I would prefer him brought to justice and justice brought to him. I wish nobody dead just for the sake of being dead. I think justice is the issue here, not whether he is alive or dead. Question: What is taking justice to him going to mean? Secretary Powell: It might mean that we are going to have to go find him, rather than have him delivered by the Taliban. And we will find him and we will use all the resources at our disposal, not only to go after him. We shouldn't just personalize it in him. The President only mentioned his name once last night. Question: True, but he was the only person mentioned. Secretary Powell: True, but he talked about a network, the very broad network he heads called al-Qaida, which is located in countries all around the world. It is that network we have to go after. We can't leave part of that network untouched in order to perpetrate another terrorist attack at some point against somebody else. Question: Do you know where Usama bin Laden is now? Secretary Powell: We presume he is still in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban. Question: But you don't know? Secretary Powell: We presume that, and we have pretty good reason to believe that. We can't be absolutely sure, but I think that is very good. Question: When the President talked about a war against terrorism and mentioned 60 countries, we're talking about something vast, aren't we? Secretary Powell: It's vast. Now that doesn't mean there is a huge presence in each country. In some cases, it might just be a financial presence or just a presence that is intended to draw support from that country, as opposed to a terrorist cell. But it is a very broad network. I sort of liken Al Qaida to something like a holding company. And Mr. Usama bin Laden is the chairman and chief executive officer and treasurer of it. Question: Is this a war against all terrorism? Secretary Powell: Yes. The President sees this as a campaign that goes after terrorism as a curse in the face of society. Question: So that would include Irish terrorism, Kashmiri terrorism, Basque terrorism? Secretary Powell: I think that is correct. Any organization that is interested in terrorist operations to overthrow legitimate governments, democratically elected governments, or governments that represent the will of their people is a threat. We should go after them. This is not new for the United States. We recently designated the Real IRA a terrorist organization. We've done the same thing with three organizations in Colombia, the FARC, the ELN and recently their paramilitary, the AUC. So the United States has been in the forefront of going after terrorism. But in light of what happened on the 11th of September, we now need a worldwide campaign, not just the United States or even just the UN, but rather everybody coming together. Question: How will you judge that that war has been won? Secretary Powell: I think we can make a judgment that the war is being won or has been won when we don't see that kind of terrorist incident occurring anywhere. Now, will we ever get there? I don't know. Can we reduce the likelihood of these sorts of incidents as we go after these terrorist organizations? The answer to that is clearly yes. Question: But you are embarking upon a war that you are not sure you can win. Secretary Powell: We are embarking upon a long campaign that we will win if we start to see these kinds of incidents sort of disappear from public life. Will we ever get to a situation where there is not a single terrorist left in the world willing to do this kind of activity, I can't answer that, I can't say that we will. Question: Iraq wasn't mentioned in the President's speech. Is that a target country? Secretary Powell: Iraq is a country we have had on our list of nations that sponsor terrorism, it's an enemy we keep well contained with the strong support of our British friends and others. We have contained them for ten years and we will continue to do so. We will watch them, we've hit them before and if its necessary we will do what is necessary. Question: When the President says that all necessary weapons will be used, does that include possibly nuclear armament? Secretary Powell: I don't think nuclear weapons would be a necessary weapon against a terrorist organization. Question: You can give a guarantee on that? Secretary Powell: I think I've just answered the question rather adequately. Question: When you look at a country like Afghanistan, realistically, the poor people of Afghanistan, they don't have any choice in their government. They don't live in a democracy. Their country has been bombed to pieces. What good does it do for the richest country in the world to rain arms down on people like that? Secretary Powell: What good does it do for a regime such as that to come after civilization and kill over 6,000 innocent people, who include people from some 80 countries throughout the world, to include several hundred Britons. There is a sense of outrage about all of this and that is where they are hosted. We are not goin Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: p Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 23.09.01, 16:00 Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Harakat al-Jihad al-Islami al-Filastini Under this name several radical Palestinian Islamic factions were active from 1979 on in the Territories, mainly under the influence of the Iranian Islamic revolution and the growing Islamic militancy in the region. The PIJ Fathi Shqaqi faction has in recent years become the most prominent Palestinian terrorist group to adopt the Islamic Jihad ideology. It views Israel, the “Zionist Jewish entity”, as the main enemy of the Muslim Brothers and the first target for destruction. Thus, it calls for an Islamic armed struggle and strives for the liberation of all of Palestine. This is to be accomplished by guerilla groups, led by a revolutionary vanguard, which carry out terrorist attacks aimed at weakening Israel. Its militants see themselves as those who lay the groundwork for the day when the great Islamic Arabic army will be able to destroy Israel in a military confrontation. In the 1980s the group was involved both in subversive and terrorist activity in the Territories and prior to the Intifada carried out several terrorist attacks in the Gaza Strip. At the beginning of the Intifada it numbered some 250 militants and several hundred sympathizers in the universities and the young activists around the mosques. In August 1988 the group's leaders were expelled to Lebanon, where Shqaqi reorganized the faction and strengthened its ties with the Hizballah and Iran. The faction was behind several of the deadliest terrorist suicide attacks carried on in Israel by the radical Islamic organizations in 1995-1997. Fathi Shqaqi was killed by unknown assailants in October 1995 in Malta. History Leadership Terrorist Activity Articles Documents Links Updates Attacks from 1988-2000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- History The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Harakat al-Jihad al-Islami al-Filastini) was founded in 1979-80 by Palestinian students in Egypt, who had split from the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood in the Gaza Strip. The founders were highly influenced by the Islamic revolution in Iran on the one and hand, and the radicalization and militancy of Egyptian Islamic student organizations, on the other. The founders - Fathi Shqaqi, `Abd al-`Aziz `Odah and Bashir Musa - were disappointed by the supposed moderation of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and what they considered the neglect by the Egyptian Islamists of the priority that should be given to the Palestinian problem. Shqaqi and Musa, therefore, proposed a new ideological program, which became the basis for the new organization. They claimed that the unity of the Islamic world was not a precondition for the liberation of Palestine, but on the contrary, the liberation of Palestine by the Islamic movements was the key to the unification of the Arab and Islamic world. In other words: the Jihad for the liberation of Palestine by Islamic movements will bring upon the expected Jihad for the reconstruction of the greater and one Islamic state. The admiration of the three Palestinian militants for the Islamic revolution in Iran was at that time unique of its kind in the Arab world and among the Islamic Sunni movements. Not only did they consider the Iranian revolution as a model for the Arab world, but they accepted the principle of "the leadership of the men of religion" (vilayet-i-faqih) although it was a Shi'ite concept. Shqaqi was also the first in the Arab Sunni world to write, already in March 1979, a book glorifying Khomeini and the Iranian revolution, which was banned by the Egyptian authorities. This group of Palestinian students maintained close relations with radical Islamic Egyptian students, some of whom were involved in the assassination of president Sadat, in October 1981. As a result, the Palestinian Islamic radicals were expelled from Egypt and returned to the Gaza Strip, where they formally began their activity as an Islamic Jihad organization. The faction was involved in subversive and terrorist activity in the Territories in the 1980s. During the year 1987, prior to the Intifada, it carried out several terrorist attacks in the Gaza Strip. In August 1988 the two faction`s leaders, Shqaqi and `Odah, were expelled to Lebanon, where Shqaqi reorganized the faction, maintaining close contacts with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards unit stationed in Lebanon and with Hizballah. Shqaqi expanded the political connections of the faction and became a prominent member of the new Rejection Front which emerged after the Israeli- Palestinian Oslo agreement, under Syrian influence. Shqaqi was killed in October 1995 in Malta, allegedly by Israeli agents. His successor is Dr. Ramadan `Abdallah Shalah, who has resided several years in Florida, U.S.A, and moved to Damascus at the beginning of 1996. Shalah has not the charisma and the intellectual and organizational skills as Fathi Shqaqi and this has influenced the organization's position and activity. The group has been active on the political scene in the Territories, mainly in the Gaza Strip, among students and intellectuals. Until the foundation of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, the Islamic Jihad groups did not have connections to Hamas, and were regarded even as rivals in the Gaza Strip. Since then, and mainly after Hamas switched to the strategy of suicide terrorist bombings, there was some operational cooperation between the two organizations in carrying out attacks like the one in Beit-Lyd, in February 1995, or in coordinating simultaneous terrorist attacks. Shqaqi 's death undermined the PIJ's position in the Territories and Hamas no longer sees it as a threatening rival. The group has offices in Beirut, Damascus, Tehran and Khartoum, but its activity is focused in Lebanon, where there are several tens of Palestinian members. It has some influence in the Gaza Strip, mainly in the Islamic University, but not in a way that can endanger the dominant position of Hamas as the leading Islamic Palestinian organization. During the 1980s several other groups of Palestinian Islamic Jihad were formed, but the main faction which has survived is the group founded by Shqaqi. The Islamic Jihad Organization - the al-Aqsa Battalions (Munazzamat al-Jihad al- Islami - Kata’ib al-Aqsa) was founded under the religious guidance of Sheikh `As`ad Bayyud al-Tamimi in Jordan in 1982, with the support of Fatah activists. It has carried out its first terrorist operation already in October 1983, by killing an Israeli citizen in Hebron. The faction has tried to carry out other operations in the 1980s but failed. During the Intifada it became active under the name of the “Islamic Jihad Organization - the al-Aqsa Battalions”. Some of its activists maintained good relations both with Iran and Sudan. Its religious leader, `As`ad al-Tamimi, was also a supporter of the Iranian revolution, and was arrested or confined several times by the Jordanian authorities. Formally the group is still active in Jordan, but has no supporters in the Territories. The Islamic Jihad - The Temple (al-Jihad al-Islami - Bait al-Maqdas) was founded in the early 1980s by the “Western Sector” apparatus of Fatah, headed by Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad). It was composed of Fatah terrorist activists from “The Students Committee”, who carried out an important terrorist attack in Hebron on April 1, 1980, killing six Israelis leaving a synagogue. Later on the activists of that committee turned to religion and formed the group which was called “The Islamic Jihad - The Temple”. The group was led by Bassem Sultan, Marwan al-Kayali and Muhammad Bkheis, who were killed by a Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: p Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) 2 IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 23.09.01, 16:10 The group has been active on the political scene in the Territories, mainly in the Gaza Strip, among students and intellectuals. Until the foundation of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, the Islamic Jihad groups did not have connections to Hamas, and were regarded even as rivals in the Gaza Strip. Since then, and mainly after Hamas switched to the strategy of suicide terrorist bombings, there was some operational cooperation between the two organizations in carrying out attacks like the one in Beit-Lyd, in February 1995, or in coordinating simultaneous terrorist attacks. Shqaqi 's death undermined the PIJ's position in the Territories and Hamas no longer sees it as a threatening rival. The group has offices in Beirut, Damascus, Tehran and Khartoum, but its activity is focused in Lebanon, where there are several tens of Palestinian members. It has some influence in the Gaza Strip, mainly in the Islamic University, but not in a way that can endanger the dominant position of Hamas as the leading Islamic Palestinian organization. During the 1980s several other groups of Palestinian Islamic Jihad were formed, but the main faction which has survived is the group founded by Shqaqi. The Islamic Jihad Organization - the al-Aqsa Battalions (Munazzamat al-Jihad al- Islami - Kata’ib al-Aqsa) was founded under the religious guidance of Sheikh `As`ad Bayyud al-Tamimi in Jordan in 1982, with the support of Fatah activists. It has carried out its first terrorist operation already in October 1983, by killing an Israeli citizen in Hebron. The faction has tried to carry out other operations in the 1980s but failed. During the Intifada it became active under the name of the “Islamic Jihad Organization - the al-Aqsa Battalions”. Some of its activists maintained good relations both with Iran and Sudan. Its religious leader, `As`ad al-Tamimi, was also a supporter of the Iranian revolution, and was arrested or confined several times by the Jordanian authorities. Formally the group is still active in Jordan, but has no supporters in the Territories. The Islamic Jihad - The Temple (al-Jihad al-Islami - Bait al-Maqdas) was founded in the early 1980s by the “Western Sector” apparatus of Fatah, headed by Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad). It was composed of Fatah terrorist activists from “The Students Committee”, who carried out an important terrorist attack in Hebron on April 1, 1980, killing six Israelis leaving a synagogue. Later on the activists of that committee turned to religion and formed the group which was called “The Islamic Jihad - The Temple”. The group was led by Bassem Sultan, Marwan al-Kayali and Muhammad Bkheis, who were killed by a car bomb in Lymassol, Cyprus on February 1988. The faction's ideologue was Munir Shafiq, who also had pro-Iranian affiliations. It was the first Palestinian Islamic group that staged a terrorist attack prior to the Intifada, by throwing hand grenades on Israeli soldiers and their families during a swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on October 15 , 1986. The faction had very few militants in the Territories. The Islamic Jihad Squad (Tanzim al-Jihad al-Islami) was a small group of Islamic Jihad militants led by Ahmad Muhanna. These militants were imprisoned in Israel for violent activities in the framework of a PLO off-shoot, the Palestinian Popular Liberation Forces (Quwat Tahrir al-Sha`biyyah al- Filastiniyyah), who became Islamists in the late 1970s under the leadership of Jaber `Ammar. Ahmad Muhanna split from this group and during the 1980s was active mainly from Sudan and was also involved in Islamist militant activity in Egypt. The faction carried out a terrorist attack in Egypt against an Israeli tourist bus in Northern Sinai, on February 4, 1990. Back to Top -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leadership Dr. Fathi Abd al-Aziz Shqaqi was born in the Gaza Strip in January 1951. Shqaqi finished B.A. studies in mathematics at Bir-Zeit University, in the West Bank and in 1974 went to Egypt to study medicine at Zaqaziq University. He became active in the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood, but in 1974 left the organization because of ideological disputes. Immediately after Khomeini's rise to power in 1979, Shqaqi wrote a pamphlet entitled "Khomeini: The Islamic Solution and the Alternative", in which he expressed his support for the Islamic revolution and praised Khomeini's position in regard to the unification of the two branches of Islam, the Sunna and the Shi'ia. Shqaqi's book was prohibited and he himself was arrested for three months by the Egyptian authorities. In 1980 Shqaqi returned to Gaza and began to organize a group of young Islamic radicals, mostly students who were expelled from Egypt due to their subversive Islamic militancy. Dr. Ramadan `Abdallah Shalah, born in the in the Saja`iyah refugee camp in Gaza Strip, was one of the first militants in the PIJ and was close to Fathi Shqaqi. He went to study in London and was appointed head of PIJ's office there. From there he handled PIJ's military, propaganda and information activity in the Territories. Shalah finished a doctorate thesis in Islamic economics at the University of Durnham in UK. In 1990 he went to the United States to teach Middle east courses at the South Florida University in Tampa, were he became also director of the World and Islam Studies Enterprise (WISE), a think tank on Muslim religious and political issues connected with the PIJ. After Shqaqi's killing in October 1995, `Abdallah Shalah became the head of the PIJ faction. Sheikh `As`ad Bayyud al-Tamimi, the scion of a distinguished Hebron family, was born in 1924 and finished his law studies at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo in 1949. Tamimi began his political activity in the 1950s in the framework of the Muslim Brotherhood, but later left them because they did not accept the priority of the Palestinian problem. He was then one of the founders of the Islamic Liberation Party (Hizb al-Tahrir al-Islami), an extremist pan-Islamic organization whose base was in Jordan. He served in the 1960s as imam of al- Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. He was expelled by Israel to Jordan in 1969 due to his radical sermons at the al-Aqsa mosque. After the Iranian Islamic revolution, apparently with the Iranian's government blessing and in cooperation with Fatah, he began to recruit young Palestinians - including active Fatah members - for the new Islamic Jihad organization. According to him only later Shqaqi, Muhanna, and others split from the organization in 1980. In 1989 Tamimi called his faction The Islamic Jihad - al- Aqsa Battalions. Tamimi lives in Jordan. Sheikh Tamimi wrote in 1984 a book entitled "The disappearance of Israel - a ruling of the Koran", in which he tries to prove the importance given in the Koran to Palestine and that the Jihad in Palestine is bound not only to bring back the Holy Land to Muslim sovereignty, but also to banish all presence of the infidel Jews. Ahmad Hassan Muhanna was born in Khan Yunes and became an officer in the PLO's Palestinian Liberation Army (PLA). He was jailed in Israel for his terrorist activity and there became an extremist Islamist. He was liberated in the framework of an exchange of prisoners in 1985. He continued his terrorist activity in relation with Jaber `Ammar's faction and was expelled to Lebanon in 1988. Sheikh Jaber `Ammar, from the Gaza Strip, was sentenced to life prison for terrorist activity at the beginning of the 1970s. He was the first to form a group of Islamic radicals inside the Israeli prison. `Ammar was released in 1983 as a result of an exchange of prisoners and went to Egypt, but he was expelled Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: e Usa Bin Ladin in Washington Post IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 23.09.01, 22:51 By Bob Woodward and Walter Pincus Washington Post Staff Writers Sunday, September 23, 2001; Page A01 Four to five al Qaeda groups have operated in the United States for the last several years, but investigators have not yet found any connection between them and any of the 19 hijackers responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, according to government officials. The groups, called "cells" by the FBI, are under intensive government surveillance. The FBI has not made any arrests because the group members entered the country legally in recent years and have not been involved in illegal activities since they arrived, the officials said. Government officials say they do not know why the cells are here, what their purpose is or whether their members are planning attacks. One official even described their presence as "possibly benign," though others have a more sinister interpretation and give assurances that measures are in place to protect the public. Al Qaeda, Arabic for "the Base," is a loose confederation of extremist Islamic groups led by Saudi fugitive millionaire Osama bin Laden, whom President Bush and other government officials have publicly charged with responsibility for the New York and Washington attacks. There has been widespread fear and speculation about other al Qaeda groups in the United States, but officials say they have no specific information about their plans. "They are so good at compartmentalizing," an official said yesterday, noting and anguishing over the difficulty of finding clear links among the cells. The officials declined to identify the cities where the al Qaeda groups are located. Investigators are finding a highly unusual degree of discipline and patience in the groups, which usually number fewer than a dozen individuals. One of the central questions the FBI has been struggling with is why the groups have stayed in the United States. One official speculated that they could be here to gather intelligence or to support or execute terrorist attacks. It is also possible, the official said, the cells are here to earn money because the United States is one of the few countries where entry is easy and jobs are readily available. The members of al Qaeda have a level of commitment and zeal that is not easily understood in the United States. While in training, they sign an agreement called a bayat. They agree to go to a country on which a jihad has been declared and wait to be called upon to undertake a task, according to testimony at the recent New York City trial of bin Laden associates who were convicted of bombing the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. "You swear to agree about the jihad, listen to the emir . . . and do whatever work they ask you in group, you have to do it," said the government's prime witness, Jamal Ahmed Mohamed al-Fadl. "If they ask me to go anywhere in the world for specific mission or target, I have to listen. . . . They say when you make bayat and you agree about the al Qaeda and about the war, anything." The domestic al Qaeda groups operate in a similar fashion to the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks: They stick together, moving among inexpensive hotels, motels and apartments, and keeping largely to themselves. Although officials have not connected these groups to the hijackers, they have made a connection among the four teams of hijackers. The FBI has identified Mohamed Atta, the 33-year-old Egyptian who authorities say piloted one of jetliners that hit the World Trade Center, as the main figure connecting the four teams of hijackers that commandeered the planes. One official called him "the axle" who apparently coordinated the attacks. The members of the al Qaeda groups in the United States were in some cases initially identified by the CIA through intelligence gathered abroad that connected specific individuals to bin Laden or the al Qaeda network. Under an agreement, the CIA passes this information to the FBI, which then launches investigations and surveillance within the United States. Over the last two years, the CIA has provided the FBI with approximately 100 names of people associated with the al Qaeda network who have entered the country legally in most cases. Over the years, some of the al Qaeda members and other identified associates of terrorist groups in the United States have been subjects of investigation, but their cases were closed because no crimes were uncovered. At least two of the hijackers, Khalid Al-Midhar and Nawaq Alhazmi, were on a watch list generated by this CIA-FBI liaison a month before the attacks. Officials said that those names were not connected to any other known bin Laden associates in the United States, including the four or five operating cells. "There was no pattern, nothing seemed to fit with information we had, and there was no intelligence or suggestion that some plot was afoot," an official said. The investigation is hampered because the CIA and FBI have had little success over the past decade in infiltrating the tightly knit cells of Islamic fundamental terrorists who often are linked by blood or marriage. Most of all, they join in a strict view of their religion, which is cemented by vows they take when they join. At any one time, the CIA has had fewer than six informants within the groups that have been associated with bin Laden, said a senior intelligence official. The FBI at most had a "handful," according to a former FBI official with extensive experience in counterterrorism. "They are unlike the mafia, which built loyalty out of criminal enterprise, but where personal and even family relationships could be overcome with money or deals with those in prison," the former FBI official said. The Islamic fundamentalists, he said, "would have to give up their religious beliefs to become sources [for the FBI], and that is potentially more dangerous than threat of death." He said the terrorists believe that death in fighting in a religious war against their enemies puts them in eternal heaven. Turning against their religious vows, by informing authorities about their activities, damns them to eternal hell. "In order to enter a [terrorist] cell," he said, "someone inside must vouch for the bona fides of the newcomer. Walking in cold is very hard." He also said that religious leaders, called emirs, in the United States and abroad solidify the spiritual ties, reminding the terrorists their eternal fate rests in remaining true to their cause. One of the bureau's few informants supplied the tip that thwarted a 1993 attempt to blow up the United Nations headquarters building after the first World Trade Center bombing had taken place. "The trouble was we used him [the informant] and he got burned," the official said. Identified, "he had to retire. . . . We gave him a new identity and he's gone," the official added. "The ability of the FBI to penetrate is very limited. . . . The fundamentalist Islamic community is very tight and different from other Muslims in the community," said a former senior bureau official with long experience in the counterterrorism field. In the 1980s and early 1990s, CIA coverage of bin Laden groups and other Muslim terrorist operators was helped because they regularly talked over cell phones, often bragging about what they were about to do or what they had done, according to former intelligence officials. In addition, during the 1980s, "we could always find a participant who would turn in the others for $1 million, a new identity and a house in California," he said. "That has all changed. Now they are ready to commit suicide." Today, the U.S. foreign intelligence community's direct coverage of bin Laden has been through intercepting communications. The other major sources are re Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: o USA Chiny IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 23.09.01, 23:20 Remarks With Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Tang Jiaxuan After Their Meeting (1400 hrs) Secretary Colin L. Powell Washington, DC September 21, 2001 SECRETARY POWELL: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sorry we're running late. We have had an excellent set of discussions, which ran over because they were so comprehensive. It's a pleasure to once again meet with my colleague from Beijing. This is one of several times we have met in recent months. And we covered the full range of issues that affect the relationship between our two countries. Especially, we talked about, as you might expect, the President's upcoming visit to Shanghai and Beijing. We also discussed counter-terrorism activity in light of the recent events here in Washington and New York. The Minister told me a very moving story about a Chinese family who had come to visit their children here in this country, and were killed in the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. And he met with those children yesterday. And it just shows how this is an international crisis. And it all has to do with the loss of innocent humanity. And so we agreed to cooperate in this campaign against terrorism. I won't cover all the different issues. The Minister may wish to talk about one or two more. In the interests of time, I am anxious to get the Minister over to the White House for his meeting with Dr. Rice and with the President. Mr. Minister, it is a great pleasure again to welcome you here in the United States. FOREIGN MINISTER TANG: (As translated.) Ladies and gentlemen, today my talks with Secretary Powell were useful, constructive and successful. Our talks covered many issues, many of which the Secretary has already briefly touched upon. For my part, I would like to emphasize the following two points. Firstly, both sides agree that the upcoming visit by President Bush to China and the important meetings between the two presidents will exert a significant and far- reaching impact on China-US relations. The Chinese side believes that the President's visit and his meeting between top leaders will make contributions to continue the long-term development of our relations in a normal, constructive, and healthy fashion, as well as continued improvement of our relations in the future. Secondly, both sides have already started our cooperation on the anti-terrorism field, and such cooperation will continue into the future. Our attitude on the question of terrorism has always been clear-cut and consistent. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn all forms of terrorism in all their evil acts, and both sides agree to carry out even better cooperation on this question in the future. Thank you. SECRETARY POWELL: The Minister has to leave for the White House. I'll come back for just a moment, if you want me to. QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman earlier this week made some statements that seem to indicate that China was looking for a quid pro quo, their support for the anti-terrorist activity in exchange for some sort of agreement on Taiwan where America's support would diminish somewhat. Did that come up in the talks at all? SECRETARY POWELL: No, there was no suggestion of a quid pro quo. In fact, both sides recognize that this is a threat to both countries. They have their terrorism problems, and there are terrorism problems here in the United States. So there was absolutely no discussion of a quid pro quo. QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, how can China be especially helpful to the United States, given its geography? SECRETARY POWELL: It has influence in that region. It has knowledge and information. It has intelligence that might be of help to us. And our counter- terrorism experts will be getting together next week to explore every way in which the two sides can cooperate. QUESTION: Secretary Powell, could I ask you about Iran? As you know, the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is going to be in Iran, I believe today. You have had conversations in the last days with your British colleagues. What message have you asked the British to pass on or what message would you like them to pass on Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: V http://directory.kol-israel.com/asites/? IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 24.09.01, 01:04 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon canceled cease-fire talks planned between Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. Israeli government officials said Sharon took the step because Palestinian violence against Israelis had not stopped even though Arafat announced a cease-fire last week. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said he called Prime Minister Ariel Sharon over the weekend to urge him to hold cease-fire talks with the Palestinian Authority. Powell also called Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and "reiterated the need to take sustained and effective steps" to enforce a cease-fire Arafat announced last week, according to State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, the spiritual leader of New York's Congregation Kehillath Jeshurun, sounded the shofar at a prayer service held in Yankee Stadium for the victims of the Sept. 11 terror attack against the United States. Four other rabbis, as well as leaders of other faiths, addressed the remembrance gathering. The Palestinian Authority arrested and then released a leader of the Palestinian militias who claimed responsibility for a Sept. 20 drive-by shooting in which a mother was killed in front of her children, Israeli officials charged. The officials are demanding that Atef Abayyat be rearrested and that the Palestinian Authority take other meaningful steps against violence before cease- fire talks are held. The Palestinian information minister attacked Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's decision to cancel Sunday's planned meeting between Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. "This step illustrates that the Israeli government seeks to pursue its war against the Palestinian people," Yasser Abed Rabbo said Sunday. "This is the behavior of a gang, not a responsible government of a state." Israeli security officials said they recently arrested two Palestinian men who were allegedly planning a terror attack on a major shopping and business complex in Tel Aviv's downtown district. The two, who were arrested in August, were members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the officials added. Israel reported dozens of attacks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over the weekend. Most of the attacks were against military installations, but they caused no casualties. Palestinians also fired several mortar shells at Jewish settlements in Gaza. An exhibition opened in the West Bank city of Nablus to mark the first anniversary of the ongoing Palestinian uprising, according to the Jerusalem Post. At the opening, a Palestinian man re-enacted the Aug. 9 suicide bombing of the Sbarro pizzeria in downtown Jerusalem, the paper reported. Israel called on the Palestinian Authority to extradite to the Jewish state the leader of Palestinian militias in the West Bank. The request for the extradition of Marwan Barghouti was made under the terms of the Interim Agreement the two sides signed in 1995. The request came after Israel's Justice Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Barghouti so he can be questioned regarding his alleged involvement in several recent terror attacks against Israelis. Isaac Stern, considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, died in New York at 81. He played with conductor Leonard Bernstein and the Israel Philharmonic in Jerusalem soon after the 1967 Six-Day War, for Israeli soldiers during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and with a gas mask on after an Iraqi Scud missile attack interrupted a performance in Israel during the 1991 Gulf War. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was called "the cancer at the center of the Middle East crisis" by an unnamed official in Britain's Foreign Office, according to the Guardian newspaper. A Foreign Office spokesman later told the Jerusalem Post that "these unattributed remarks" in "no way represent the views of the Foreign Office or the government. Whoever made them is not speaking for the government." Lithuania held commemorations to mark the 60th anniversary of the start of the Holocaust in the Baltic nation. Sept. 23 also serves as the anniversary of the 1943 liquidation of the Vilnius Ghetto, in which thousands of Jews were forced from their homes and sent to Nazi death camps. Prosecutors in Lithuania said they would name 76 Lithuanians unfairly cleared of war crimes as Nazi collaborators because new evidence regarding their World War II activities had come to light. Soon after Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, it passed a law rehabilitating people who were convicted by Soviet courts, most of them for resisting Moscow's rule. But Nazi hunters said the law also sheltered war criminals in Lithuania. Britain's Orthodox chief rabbi proposed a severe penalty for any country refusing to join an international campaign against terror. Writing in London's Jewish Chronicle, Jonathan Sacks said, "Any country that refuses to join this coalition should be expelled from the United Nations." The chief of Israeli military intelligence said he saw no signs that Iraq was involved in the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States. "I know many people are wondering whether this kind of attack could be carried out without the help of a country, and they immediately point at Iraq or Iran," Maj. Gen. Amos Malka told the Israeli daily Yediot Achronot. "But as far as intelligence is concerned, I cannot point at the moment to a connection." Iran's foreign minister said his country was in indirect contact with the United States over plans to fight world terrorism. Kamal Kharrazi made the remarks on the eve of a visit to Iran by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to discuss cooperation against terrorism. According to some reports, Straw, who is the first British foreign minister to travel to Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, might be carrying a message from Washington. CNN said there is "absolutely no truth" to a claim that circulated on the Internet that CNN used 10-year-old video when showing the celebrations of some Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem following the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States. The video was shot that day by a Reuters camera crew, according to a statement issued by CNN, which subsequently broadcast the video. The United States is investigating whether Islamic militant groups are receiving support for their activities in the area where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay share borders, the U.S. Embassy in Brazil said. Over the years, there have been periodic reports of Islamic militants living in the region, which has a large Arab community. Thousands of Somalis took to the streets of their capital and burned American and Israeli flags to protest U.S. policy in the Middle East. Hard-line Islamic leaders who addressed the crowd in Mogadishu said the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States were the "curse of Allah on America" and that "one man in Afghanistan cannot be blamed for that." Scores of Indonesian men entered hotels on the island of Java and warned Americans to leave if the United States carries out revenge strikes against Afghanistan. Witnesses said the men represented several radical Muslim groups. Anti-U.S. sentiment has been growing in the world's largest Muslim country following the deadly Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington. Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: g JERUSALEM IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 24.09.01, 01:23 JERUSALEM, Sept. 16 (JTA) — Israel has not been a prime target on Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden's terrorist agenda, but Israeli officials worry that could soon change. Israeli terror experts such as Maj. Gen. Amos Malka, the chief of army intelligence, said recently that bin Laden is gearing up for action against Israel by sending members of his terror organization to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, or by recruiting followers in the Palestinian territories. If Israel until now has not figured prominently on bin Laden's terror map, these experts say, it is not because he doesn't want to hurt Israel, but simply because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not his first priority. But that situation could soon change, according to Israeli security officials cited by the Israeli daily Ha'aretz. These officials say bin Laden may become increasingly motivated to strike Israel because of growing criticism from within his fundamentalist Muslim organization regarding his failure to support the Palestinians in their struggle against the Jewish state. Bin Laden's launching pad for Holy War is Al Qaida — Arabic for "the base" — his own private, highly effective terror organization. Al Qaida's primary goal is "to unite all Muslims and establish a government that follows the rule of the caliphs," according to the group's own words. The group's fight, therefore, is not specifically against Israel but the entire non-Islamic world. Like other Islamic fundamentalist leaders, Bin Laden perceives the Western powers as successors to the Crusaders. He perceives himself as the successor to the great Muslim warrior Saladin, who conquered Jerusalem from the Crusaders in October 1187 and kicked the "infidels" off holy Muslim soil. Several months ago, the Israeli press came out with banner headlines disclosing that bin Laden followers were trying to establish a foothold in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In June 2000, according to recently released details, Israeli security agents arrested a Palestinian, Nabil Ukal, 27, a resident of the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza. Ukal, who left Gaza in October 1997 to study religion in Pakistan, returned to the region the next year as Al Qaida's first agent in the territories. Under orders from a senior member in the organization, he was sent to the territories to set up a paramilitary infrastructure for operations that were to include Israeli Arabs. Upon his return to Gaza, Ukal is known to have met with the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin. Yassin gave Ukal $10,000 for his activities. When Israel brought charges against Ukal after his arrest, he was indicted for planning to carry out a large-scale attack in the center of the country. This was not the first time that bin Laden operatives were arrested in the region. At the end of 1999, Jordan arrested a number of fundamentalist activists, graduates of bin Laden's training camps in Afghanistan, who allegedly plotted to attack Israeli and American tourists visiting Israel and Jordan for the millennium. Only a few, carefully selected journalists have so far been given the opportunity to meet with bin Laden in his hideout somewhere in the mountains of Afghanistan. Al Jazeera Television, the popular Arab television network that broadcasts from the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar, recently was granted a lengthy exclusive interview with bin Laden that sheds light on the psychology of the most wanted terrorist in history. In the best of Arab tradition, the interview was held in a tent, with both interviewer and interviewee sitting on carpets. With his rifle nearby, bin Laden enunciated his belligerent world view in a soft-spoken manner. "There are two sides to this conflict," he said, with a half-smile. "America, Israel, and ‘Crusader' countries like England that want to rule the world, on one hand — and Islam on the other hand." As his words made clear, bin Laden's world is conveniently divided into "us" and "them." Because, according to his view, the West wants to control the rest of the world, it is legitimate to hate westerners and fight them. By extension, according to his own statements, "Every American who tries to hurt Islam is a legitimate target." According to Western intelligence officials, Al Qaida's base is located in Afghanistan, where bin Laden settled five years ago after he was expelled from Sudan. From there, its tentacles stretch all over the world. Al Qaida is thought to be involved in a number of international conflicts, having given support to Muslim fighters in Bosnia, Chechnya, Tajikistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Kosovo. Bin Laden is happy that at least one Muslim nation has a nuclear capability. In his interview with Al Jazeera Television, he spoke with pride that Pakistan has an "Islamic bomb." "We don't need to apologize for having a nuclear potential," he said in the interview. "It is our right. With Israel in possession of hundreds of nuclear warheads, with American and Western nuclear hegemony in the world, it is definitely our right." Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: www **************** JERUSALEM*********************** IP: *.cm-upc.chello.se 30.04.03, 11:11 www.iraqifreedom.us/index.htm Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: JG Re: USA -American Forces Press Service IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 24.09.01, 21:59 By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2001 Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: cp COMPLEX PROBLEM IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 24.09.01, 22:13 September 24, 2001 COMPLEX PROBLEM Groups Could Help Find bin Laden and Assist American Attacks By MICHAEL R. GORDON and ERIC SCHMITT (AP) Fighters of the Northern Alliance, a coalition of Afghan opposition groups, in northern Afghanistan on Saturday. The group is stepping up operations there. A Look at the Opposition Forces in Afghanistan ASHINGTON, Sept. 23 — The Bush administration is backing efforts to build an internal coalition in Afghanistan against Osama bin Laden and his Taliban supporters. Such a coalition could collect crucial intelligence, provide political support and cooperate militarily in the war on terrorism. The United States has stepped up contacts with the Northern Alliance, a coalition also known as the United Front, which has been fighting the Taliban. Officials said there were plans for the United States to provide it with financial support. The group controls only a sliver of territory in northern Afghanistan, and it suffered a grievous setback when its military leader was assassinated, just days before the attacks in the United States on Sept. 11. But it has fought back by carrying out an attack in Kabul and stepping up other operations in the north. Recognizing the complex ethnic mix of Afghanistan, the United States has also initiated contacts with the Pashtuns, the dominant tribe in the south. There has been enormous attention given to the need to build an external coalition involving nations like Britain, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and others in the region. This external coalition is important. Britain, for instance, is expected to join the military operation. Forging an internal coalition of ethnic groups that could increase pressure on the Taliban government is just as crucial, though the effort to meld together different tribes and factions in a country that has long been at war could be very complex. One reason for the effort is military. The United States needs allies inside Afghanistan who can help track Mr. bin Laden and those Taliban leaders who harbor him, and can provide information on possible attack targets, as well as a possible base of operations in the country for American forces. They could also do some of the fighting. There are key political reasons as well to build a coalition inside Afghanistan. The administration is trying to counter the impression that the fight against Mr. bin Laden is a war against Afghanistan or Islam. A plan for bringing stability to Afghanistan is also needed to attract help for the United States military campaign. To encourage that cooperation, Washington wants to offer the groups a role in governing Afghanistan after the conflict. A plan for bringing stability for the nation is also important to persuade Pakistan and other neighbors to cooperate. The last thing Washington wants is a chaotic situation that creates a haven for terrorists and destabilizes the neighboring countries. Today, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld indicated that the United States was trying to encourage defections within Taliban ranks, and that those people could be part of a new governing structure for Afghanistan. "Some of the Taliban say, `Well, it could get uncomfortable supporting those people, so I think I'll shift sides,' " Mr. Rumsfeld said today. Efforts to form a grand coalition involve the 86-year-old former king of Afghanistan, Mohammad Zahir Shah, who lives in Rome. The exiled king is a Durrani Pashtun, like the Taliban leaders. The thinking is that he could serve as the symbolic head of a broad group that would include other Afghans who are not Pashtuns. Mostapha Zahir, the 37-year-old grandson of the king, said in a telephone interview from Rome that the king was willing to serve as a rallying point for the Afghans but had no intention of trying to re-establish the monarchy. He said the king planned to meet in Rome this week with commanders from the Northern Alliance and other groups. There are, however, many obstacles to the effort to form a grand coalition, including tensions among the ethnic groups. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, foreign minister of the Northern Alliance, recently blamed Pakistan for regional instability. Pakistan has close ties to the Pashtun tribes that would supposedly be in the grand coalition. John Moore, who until last year was the chief Middle East analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency, said: "People have talked about this as a great alliance, but that's going to be subject to fractious politics. This is not going to be an easy or quick process." Influential lawmakers here have been briefed on the administration's emerging strategy to encourage the creation of a pan-Afghan coalition to combat the Taliban government. "It could be very useful if it can hold together," said Senator Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who heads the Armed Services Committee. "In the past, there have been such differences among the groups, it's been difficult. It'll take a special effort, and I'm glad the administration is looking at it." Washington's efforts to encourage an anti-Taliban coalition are coming in the midst of continuing military preparations. Administration officials said a C.I.A. reconnaissance drone had crashed in Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed on Saturday that they had shot it down, but American officials said the unmanned aircraft was gathering intelligence and might simply have crashed. The Northern Alliance, one of the anti-Taliban groups, is dominated by Tajiks and Uzbeks, and has 10,000 to 15,000 fighters. It draws financial support from Iran and weapons from Russia. It lost its military leader, Ahmed Shad Massoud, when two suicide assassins, posing as journalists, set off a bomb in his presence. He died of the wounds several days later. American intelligence officials now say the attack on Mr. Massoud was orchestrated by Mr. bin Laden. The aim was to decapitate the leadership of the primary anti-Taliban resistance, they say, therefore depriving the Bush administration of a potential ally in any retaliation. Dr. Abdullah and the Northern Alliance's new military chief, Muhammad Fahim, also met in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, with the head of the Russian general staff, Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin. As for relations with the Americans, Muhammad Eshaq, the Washington representative of the Northern Alliance, said there had been intense contacts with the Bush administration. The administration plans to offer financial assistance, officials say, but Mr. Eshaq said it had not yet done so. Nonetheless, the Pentagon seems to be counting on the Northern Alliance's help. Mr. Rumsfeld has talked openly about a military collaboration with the alliance. "These folks, they know the lay of the land," Mr. Rumsfeld said on Friday, referring to the Northern Alliance. "They know, in some cases, some targets that are useful; they have ideas about how to deal with the Taliban. I think that one has to say that they can be useful in a variety of ways." There was concern in the administration that Mr. Rumsfeld's comments could complicate Washington's dealings with other factions, including the dominant Pashtun group, which has close ties to Pakistan. So today Mr. Rumsfeld made the point that opponents of Mr. bin Laden might also include "tribes in the south." A coalition would help the United States balance the interests of its outside partners. The Iranians and Russians, for instance, are supporting the Northern Alliance. The Iranians also have ties to the Hazaras, another minority. "There is a coalition dimension to this, so we want to make clear that we are working with several groups," a United States official said. "We are not only reaching out to the Pashtun leaders; there are tribes and leaders re Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: q Osama bin Laden - Izrael IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 25.09.01, 20:58 The incident that occured at the Rafah international crossing on June 1, 2000, did not attract much attention at first, with news giving the story only a few lines: A confrontation broke out between Israeli security guards and Palestinians as a result of the latters' insistence to arrest a young Palestinian who had crossed into Rafah from Egypt. During the ensuing clashes, 10 Palestinian policemen were injured by rubber- coated bullets fired by the Israeli soldiers, and the Shin Bet security service agents managed to leave the area with their prisoner. Only gradually did the behind-the-scenes story begin to emerge. The incident was so serious that the head of the Palestinian security apparatus in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Dahlan, turned it into a justification for a long-lived vendetta with the Shin Bet. The Rafah prisoner was Nabil Ukal, a 27-year-old resident of the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. The Shin Bet, just like their counterparts working for Dahlan, knew the exact reasons for insisting on holding the prisoner. Ukal was supposed to have served as a key figure and first representative in the territories of the international terrorist organization headed by the wealthy Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden. In October, 1997, Ukal left the Gaza Strip for religious studies in Pakistan. There, he joined one of the organizations affiliated with bin Laden and underwent paramilitary training in Afghanistan. Under orders from Halil al-Dich, a senior member in the organization, Ukal was sent to the territories to set up the paramilitary infrastructure for operations in the territories. These activities were also meant to include the participation of Israeli Arabs. Ukal returned to the Gaza Strip in 1998 and remained in contact with bin Laden activists in Jordan and Britain, receiving instructions through electronic mail. Upon his return to the Gaza Strip, Ukal is also known to have met with the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, informing him of the training that he had undergone in Afghanistan. Yassin, in turn, provided Ukal with the sum of $10,000 for his activities. At the Shin Bet security service, the assessment is that Yassin was not aware that Ukal was an operative for Bin Laden. For his part, Ukal sought to recruit Israeli Arabs. He met with two Islamic Movement activists in Umm al-Fahm, but with no success. The two were held by the Shin Bet at a later date, but were subsequently released after questioning. When charges were brought against Ukal in the military court at the Erez Crossing in the Gaza STrip, he was indicted for planning to carry out a large- scale attack in the center of the country, sending suicide bombers and attacking Israel Defense Forces soldiers. While Ukal was in detention, his colleagues were busy gathering intelligence information, testing explosives and gathering explosive materials. Ten of the members of the bin Laden cell in the territories were arrested by the Shin Bet and the Palestinian Authority during the weeks before the outbreak of the intifada. A senior officer in the security service acknowledged that the unveiling of bin Laden's plans in Israel occured as much as three years too late. Is Israel still bin Laden's target? The security services feel that Israel remains a target for bin Laden. His motivation may increase as a result of criticism, voiced inside the organization, about the failure to sufficiently support the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel. Officials at the IDF's General Staff believe that Israel is better prepared to handle attacks of the sort experienced by the United States on Tuesday. "For years, we have taken stringent security measures in order to prevent attacks against our strategic assets. The hijacking of aircraft and the penetration of our airspace are things that have been taken into account," a member of the General Staff said yesterday. "There will be a need to reassess the philosophy of our preparedness in view of the lessons from New York. A process of studying the lessons and refreshing the orders [for security] has already begun," he continued. Yoram Shweitzer, a researcher on the subject of terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, is sure that Israel is still a target. "[Bin Laden's] statements, like the operations that have been prevented, reflect this clearly," he said. While the trial of Ukal is still continuing, there is no available information on the arrests of other terrorists linked with bin Laden. However, Chief of Military Intelligence Major General Amos Malka said recently that "bin Laden has already tried and will surely try to reach Israel again. He will do this by trying to infiltrate here or by trying to recruit people from the territories. He will try different creative ways." Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: . USA -American Forces Press Service IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 26.09.01, 13:08 By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2001 Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: = 1999 Terrorist Organizations IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 26.09.01, 23:15 Background Information on Foreign Terrorist Organizations Released by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism October 8, 1999 Compiled every 2 years Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) Armed Islamic Group (GIA) Aum Shinriykyo Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) Gama'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group, IG) HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement) Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) Hizballah (Party of God) Japanese Red Army (JRA) al-Jihad Kach Kahane Chai Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK, MKO, NCR, and many others) National Liberation Army (ELN) Palestine Islamic Jihad-Shaqaqi Faction (PIJ) Palestine Liberation Front-Abu Abbas Faction (PLF) Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) al-Qa'ida Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17 November) Revolutionary People's Liberation Army/Front (DHKP/C) Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA) Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, SL) Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) Definition of Terrorist Activity Used in These Designations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) a.k.a. Black September, the Fatah Revolutionary Council, the Arab Revolutionary Council, the Arab Revolutionary Brigades, the Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims Description: International terrorist organization led by Sabri al-Banna. Split from PLO in 1974. Made up of various functional committees, including political, military, and financial. Activities: Has carried out terrorist attacks in 20 countries, killing or injuring almost 900 persons. Targets include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, moderate Palestinians, the PLO, and various Arab countries. Major attacks included the Rome and Vienna airports in December 1985, the Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul and the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking in Karachi in September 1986, and the City of Poros day-excursion ship attack in July 1988 in Greece. Suspected of assassinating PLO deputy chief Abu Iyad and PLO security chief Abu Hul in Tunis in January 1991. ANO assassinated a Jordanian diplomat in Lebanon in January 1994 and has been linked to the killing of the PLO representative there. Has not attacked Western targets since the late 1980s. Strength: Several hundred plus militia in Lebanon and limited overseas support structure. Location/Area of Operation: Al-Banna may have relocated to Iraq in December 1998, where the group maintains a presence. Has an operational presence in Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley and several Palestinian refugee camps in coastal areas of Lebanon. Also has a presence in Sudan and Syria, among others. Has demonstrated ability to operate over wide area, including the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. External Aid: Has received considerable support, including safehaven, training, logistic assistance, and financial aid from Iraq, Libya, and Syria (until 1987), in addition to close support for selected operations. Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) a.k.a. Al Harakat Al Islamiyya Description: Smallest and most radical of the Islamic separatist groups operating in the southern Philippines. Split from the Moro National Liberation Front in 1991 under the leadership of Abdurajik Abubakar Janjalani, who was killed in a clash with Philippine police on 18 December 1998. Some members have studied or worked in the Middle East and developed ties to Arab mujahidin while fighting and training in Afghanistan. Activities: Uses bombs, assassinations, kidnappings, and extortion payments to promote an independent Islamic state in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, areas in the southern Philippines heavily populated by Muslims. Raided the town of Ipil in Mindanao in April 1995, the group's first large- scale action. Suspected of several small-scale bombings and kidnappings in 1998. Strength: Unknown, but believed to have about 200 members. Location/Area of Operation: The ASG operates in the southern Philippines and occasionally in Manila. External Aid: Probably receives support from Islamic extremists in the Middle East and South Asia. Armed Islamic Group (GIA) a.k.a. Groupement Islamique Arme, AIG, Al-Jama'ah al- Islamiyah al-Musallah Description: An Islamic extremist group, the GIA aims to overthrow the secular Algerian regime and replace it with an Islamic state. The GIA began its violent activities in early 1992 after Algiers voided the victory of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS)--the largest Islamic party--in the first round of legislative elections in December 1991. Activities: Frequent attacks against civilians, journalists, and foreign residents. In the last several years the GIA has conducted a terrorist campaign of civilian massacres, sometimes wiping out entire villages in its area of operations and frequently killing hundreds of civilians. Since announcing its terrorist campaign against foreigners living in Algeria in September 1993, the GIA has killed more than 100 expatriate men and women--mostly Europeans--in the country. Uses assassinations and bombings, including car bombs, and it is known to favor kidnapping victims and slitting their throats. The GIA hijacked an Air France flight to Algiers in December 1994, and suspicions centered on the group for a series of bombings in France in 1995. Strength: Unknown, probably several hundred to several thousand. Location/Area of Operation: Algeria. External Aid: Algerian expatriates and GIA members abroad, many of whom reside in Western Europe, provide some financial and logistic support. In addition, the Algerian Government has accused Iran and Sudan of supporting Algerian extremists and severed diplomatic relations with Iran in March 1993. Aum Shinrikyo a.k.a. Aum Supreme Truth, A.I.C. Sogo Kenkyusho, A.I.C. Comprehensive Research Institute Description: A cult established in 1987 by Shoko Asahara, Aum aims to take over Japan and then the world. Its organizational structure mimicks that of a nation- state, with "finance," "construction," and "science and technology" ministries. Approved as a religious entity in 1989 under Japanese law, the group ran candidates in a Japanese parliamentary election in 1990. Over time, the cult began to emphasize the imminence of the end of the world and stated that the United States would initiate "Armageddon" by starting World War III with Japan. The Japanese Government revoked its recognition of Aum as a religious organization in October 1995, but in 1997 a government panel decided not to invoke the Anti-Subversive Law against the group, which would have outlawed the cult. Activities: On 20 March 1995 Aum members simultaneously released sarin nerve gas on several Tokyo subway trains, killing 12 persons and injuring up to 6,000. The group was responsible for other mysterious chemical incidents in Japan in 1994. Its efforts to conduct attacks using biological agents have been unsuccessful. Japanese police arrested Asahara in May 1995, and he remained on trial facing seventeen counts of murder at the end of 1998. In 1997 and 1998 the cult resumed its recruiting activities in Japan and opened several commercial businesses. Maintains an Internet homepage that indicates Armageddon and anti-US sentiment remain a part of the cult's world view. Strength: At the time of the Tokyo subway attack, the group claimed to have 9,000 members in Japan and up to 40,000 worldwide. Its current strength is unknown. Location/Area of Operation: Operates in Japan, but previously had a presence in Australia, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, the former Y Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: il Izrael - PA IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 29.09.01, 09:11 Terms of the agreement By Herb Keinon JERUSALEM (September 28) - When Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat agreed on a step-by-step outline into the Tenet and Mitchell plans on Wednesday, they were agreeing to a plan that has been worked on in discussions between the sides over a number of weeks. The plan is divided into six different stages. In the immediate stage, both sides express a commitment to a cease-fire and to implementation of the plan. This means a renewal of top-level security cooperation, the public denunciation of every act of terror, as well as the investigation of those involved in terror and those responsible for them. The second stage is to take place over the next 96 hours, or by Sunday morning. During this period, Israel is to take the following steps: * Removal of a number of roadblocks in quiet areas * Granting additional permits to Palestinian businessmen and merchants to enter Israel. * Improving the ability to transfer merchandise at the Allenby Bridge. * Further development of the construction of a power plant in Gaza * Permits to import into the Palestinian territories non-security related governmental supplies. During this period, the Palestinians are expected to take the following steps: * The arrest of high-profile terrorists. * Take over security responsibility in areas where Israel eases up on security restrictions. The next period runs for a week, during which Israel will: * Continue lifting closures in quiet areas * Allow for Palestinian security personnel to move between different areas * Move forward on water and sewage projects * Advance tourism in areas where security easements apply * Establish a central framework to advance joint projects * Ease up on the transfer of agricultural merchandise * Opening of the Rafiah crossing point * Allow for family reunification The Palestinians are to: * Continue arresting terrorists * Take action to close mortar and bomb-making factories and storehouses. During the next period, of yet undetermined length, Israel will: * Carry out a gradual redeployment in all areas, conditional on a calming of the security situation * Allow Palestinian security outposts to return to where they were before the violence began * Widening the fishing area off the Gaza coast * Granting of visitors permits (a few hundred a month) * Start transferring held up funds to the PA The Palestinians are expected to: * Complete the arrest of terrorists on a list provided by Israel * Continue to dismantle the terror infrastructure During the last stage, when both sides are to expected to create a calm security atmosphere that will assist dialogue, Israel will: * Transfer the rest of the funds owed the PA * Allow VIP permits * Open the safe passage road * Advance the development of long-term infrastructure projects, such as the Gaza-West Bank train and a desalination plant. The Palestinians are to: * Take systematic and consistent action against the terror infrastructure, including the total disarmament of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad * Collect and transfer illegal weapons. Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: v Re: USA -American Forces Press Service IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 29.09.01, 21:14 By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2001 – The Bush administration is going to move on terrorist networks in a measured, deliberate way, DoD's top civilian and military leaders said Sept. 27. Army Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at a noon Pentagon press briefing that Americans should resist the idea of a quick military victory over the terrorists. "From a military standpoint, it is very easy when faced with a crisis to default automatically to the military because we can move fast and we can do things that will show up well on television or in a newspaper," he said. "On the other hand, if you really want to be effective, you have to understand we have a lot of tools (in the government), and we will be much more effective if we bring them together at the enemy's center of gravity." He called the Bush administration's intended multifaceted, multidimensional campaign the right way to go. Both Shelton and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have said since the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and New York's World Trade Center, that some elements of terrorism are best countered by other agencies. The State Department, Justice Department and Treasury Department have roles to play in the campaign as well as the Defense Department. Shelton said the intelligence agencies are up to the tasks of finding terrorist organizations and the cells within them. "I am confident of our intelligence community's ability to focus its efforts and to go against these terrorist organizations," he said. The intelligence war against these organizations has been going on for quite some time. "It's not something that we are just starting today," he said. There have been some great successes over the last two to three years, Shelton said. The intelligence push against terrorists is increasing. "I am confident that we will have the wherewithal … in the intelligence, as well as in the other dimensions of the campaign, to root out and eliminate the organizations that we focus on," he said. The chairman told reporters the United States is receiving great help from partners, allies and friends around the world. "It's the civilized world against the terrorist world," he said. "Without a doubt we have the ability to go after these terrorist organizations and to achieve a victory." Shelton is scheduled to retire from the military on Sept. 30 after 38 years of service. He said he has very mixed emotions about leaving at such a time. He compared himself to a quarterback who's behind by a touchdown but knows the team's going to come through and win in the end. "You're in the first quarter, and all of a sudden the coach sends a player out on the field to tell you your eligibility just expired," he said. "I'd probably break down in tears, except that when I look over at the bench, I see an All-American quarterback suiting up and ready to come in. His name is (Air Force Gen.) Dick Myers. He along with the team will go to victory." Myers was confirmed Sept. 14 as Shelton's successor to the chairmanship. Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś
Gość: 8 Izrael - PA IP: *.150.200.217.cm-upc.chello.se 30.09.01, 13:01 Cease-fire crumbles under heavy fighting By Margot Dudkevitch JERUSALEM (September 30) - In one of the most violent weekends in recent weeks, at least 10 Palestinians were killed and scores wounded, and 12 Israelis were wounded, in various incidents. The upsurge in unrest came despite efforts by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat at Gaza's Dahaniya Airport on Wednesday to enable a cease-fire and the resumption of security talks in Tel Aviv on Friday. Four of the Palestinians were blown up as they were apparently making a bomb. Marking the first anniversary of the intifada, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in angry demonstrations throughout the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, calling"Death to America and Israel" and declaring support for terrorist Osama bin Laden as they clashed with Israeli security forces. In the West Bank early yesterday morning, Palestinians fired a mortar shell that hit north of the Gush Etzion community of Tekoa, causing neither injury nor damage. This was the first mortar attack outside the Gaza Strip since Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood came under mortar fire in August. In the Gaza Strip on Friday night and early yesterday, Palestinians fired a total of six mortar shells. Two landed in Alei Sinai, lightly wounding two residents and causing damage to a house. One landed in Netiv Ha'asara, two landed near the hothouses in Netzarim, and the other fell early yesterday in a Jewish community in the northern Gaza Strip. "The severe terrorist attacks directed at the Jewish residents of Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip and security forces in recent days prove that a cease-fire never existed," declared Samaria Regional Council head Benzi Lieberman. "Israel's failure to respond and instead opt for further dialogue will only lead to an escalation in violence and the further spilling of Jewish blood," he added. Lieberman called on the security cabinet to refrain from easing any restrictions imposed on the Palestinians, as called for in the Peres-Arafat meeting, saying that doing so will only provide Palestinian terrorists with the opportunity to wage further attacks against Israeli targets. Arafat adviser Nabil Abu Rudeineh responded by accusing Israel of sabotaging the cease-fire. "We are urging the United States to pressure the Israeli government to stop this escalation and aggression," he said. He added that Israel should already have begun easing up its restrictions imposed on Palestinian areas. Last night Israeli security forces declared a closed military zone around the Tzofim junction in Samaria after scores of Jewish residents from Alfei Menashe and Tzofim burned hothouses and a field belonging to Palestinians and blocked the road to protest the escalation in violence in the area. Police arrested two of the demonstrators and ordered them to clear the road and leave the site. Last week the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza warned it would step up activities if the government continued to restrict the army's response to the Palestinian violence. Several council leaders expressed concern that some may be tempted to take the law into their own hands due to the lack of response to the continued attacks. In a two-day roundup of incidents in the West Bank: * Shots were fired last night at Tapuah, Psagot, an IDF post near Ramallah, and a Border Police post near the Hebron Jewish community. Shots were fired at an Israeli vehicle near the Kalkilya District Coordinating Office. * A resident of Itamar was shot in the leg by Palestinians as he drove by the mosque in Hawara. The man was admitted to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva in good condition. * Yesterday afternoon soldiers and Palestinians exchanged fire in Hebron for several hours. Three Palestinians were killed, two of whom were identified: Yasser al-Adhami, 24, and Ribhi Abu Biad, 50. Two soldiers were lightly wounded when Palestinians shot at their post near Beit Hadassah. They were taken to Hadassah-University Hospital in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem. * On Friday morning, a soldier was lightly wounded when Palestinians shot at an IDF position in Tel Rumeida. * Islamic Jihad activist Yasser a-Nadhimi was killed near Hebron on Friday night while apparently preparing a bomb, which exploded prematurely. * Near Tulkarm, Palestinians threw firebombs harmlessly at a Border Police patrol, and shots were fired at the nearby Border Police base. * On Friday night, shots were fired at a Border Police base near Bethlehem and at soldiers at Givat Hadagan. There were exchanges of gunfire near Halhoul and near El Khader a Palestinian youth threw a bomb at soldiers, who shot him dead. Shots were fired from a Palestinian Police position at soldiers dispersing Palestinian demonstrators near Bani Naim. During an exchange of gunfire that ensued, Palestinians said 10-year-old Muhammad al-Tariera was killed. * On Friday a border policeman was lightly wounded by stones thrown at a patrol near Tulkarm. * An Israeli motorist suffered moderate wounds and three others were lightly wounded when stones thrown at their vehicle near the Yitzhar junction on Friday caused the driver to lose control and smash into a wall. The wounded were brought to hospital for treatment. * In the morning two residents of Carmel were lightly wounded when shots were fired at their vehicle as they traveled between Maon and Sussiya. They were taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. * Shots were fired at an army vehicle near Wallajeh, between Jerusalem and Gush Etzion. In the Gaza Strip over the weekend, violent clashes broke out at the Erez and Rafah border crossings, near Netzarim, Kfar Darom, and Neveh Dekalim. * Yesterday morning a border police officer was lightly wounded by stones thrown at an IDF post near the Erez crossing during fierce clashes with hundreds of Palestinians. * Near Rafah, Palestinians threw numerous grenades and fired at soldiers deployed near the Egyptian border. They also fired at the Termit army post, which was damaged by a bomb blast Wednesday morning. * Shots were fired at army positions near Neveh Dekalim, at Israeli convoys traveling on the Karni-Netzarim road, and at IDF positions near Gadid. A Palestinian fired an anti-tank grenade at an IDF post at Moshav Katif. * Palestinians reported that four died in a mysterious explosion near Rafah on Friday night. Three of the dead were identified: Ghazi Shadi Lafi, 20; Ahmed Mahdi, 21; and Muhammad Zahd, 20. The four are presumed to have been killed while preparing a bomb meant for soldiers on patrol. Odpowiedz Link Zgłoś