September 28, 2007

PSA: Las Vegas Police Searching for Small Girl [Updated, Bumped, BREAK OUT THE CHAMPAGNE!!!!]

Update: Girl's photos deleted.

The photos here are of a small girl named Madison who investigators described as horribly sexually assaulted . All they have to track her down is a video of the rape.

So they released the photos of her (deleted) and the scumbag who raped her(above right). They have a guy who turned in the tape but not the guy on the tape or most importantly, the little girl. Contact The Nye County Sheriff if you know the girl or the slimebucket in the photos.

LAS VEGAS - Nevada authorities on Friday identified a man they want to question as they search for a young girl shown being sexually assaulted in a homemade videotape.
Chester Arthur Stiles, 34, was being called a "person of interest" in the search for a girl with haunting eyes who authorities believe was 4 or 5 years old when she was raped and sexually assaulted in the video, Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo said.

The girl is called "Madison" on the tape, and it is "possible" that the man shown in it is Stiles, DeMeo said.

Stiles, whose last known address was Las Vegas, also was wanted on unrelated state and federal warrants on charges of sexual assault and lewdness with a minor under 14 years of age, the sheriff said.

The police say the only way they will be able to rescue the girl is with the help of the media.

(more pics including a mugshot of Stiles via CNN below the fold)

Update by Vinnie Great news! This precious child has been found!

LAS VEGAS — A young girl who was seen being sexually assaulted in a homemade videotape has been found and is safe with family members and sheriff's officials, an investigator said Friday.

"We found the victim. She's safe," Nye County sheriff's Detective David Boruchowitz told The Associated Press.

Now, let's hope Chester Arthur Stiles is found. Hopefully, whoever ID's him will have the fortitude to pound the snot out of him before calling the cops.

Sorry, officer, he fell down the stairs. I saw the whole thing.

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September 20, 2007

Youssif Begins First of Many Surgeries to Come

Now that Youssif and his family have had a few days to adjust to life in the U.S., it's time to get started on the work to repair his burn-scarred face. Via CNN:

SHERMAN OAKS, California (CNN) -- A big day had arrived in little Youssif's life: Surgery day.

And the boy's joyous mood turned into fear.

Hospitals in Baghdad meant only pain. They didn't use anesthetic when he was treated there.

Now, on Thursday, he sobbed in his room as doctors came to take him to the operating room. "No," he said in English, clinging to his father.

Tears rolled down his father's face. His mother wept.

It was 6:05 a.m. (9:05 a.m. ET). Youssif was wheeled out of the room, escorted by his parents.

The boy held his dad's hand as long as he could. When they had to let go, the boy screamed and cried even more.

His 2½-hour surgery was about to begin.

[. . .]

"I am happy and so upset. I'm not worried about the doctor's abilities. I'm worried about what my son is going to go through," [his father] said softly, clenching his hands. "A 5-year-old shouldn't have to go through this."

Marveling at her boy dressed in a Superman shirt, Zainab said her son hadn't been this joyful since he was so savagely attacked nine months ago, when masked men grabbed Youssif outside his Baghdad home, doused him in gas and set him on fire.

"Even back home in Baghdad, Youssif was never this happy," she said.

"Just look at him," she chatted with her husband. "Remember when we first arrived here and he wouldn't talk to anyone? Look at him now."

This is just the first of the many surgeries that will be necessary to reconstruct the little boy's face, but each day will bring him closer to the time when he will be free from pain and disfigurement. Hopefully each day will also bring healing to his spirit, and a sense of the love and concern that everyone involved in this project has for him. Then the smile on his face will reflect the joy in his heart.

Look below for some cute Youssif pictures.

UPDATE: Youssif's surgery 'went well,' doctor says

Five-year-old Youssif was recovering Thursday from several hours of surgery to repair his badly burned face, and his doctor is happy with the outcome.

"It went well," Dr. Peter Grossman told CNN. "I was very pleased to see that everything went the way we wanted it to. Youssif was scared, but he was a trouper.

"Surgery really went without any complications, and we're very pleased at the outcome."

Grossman said Youssif will have some pain as he recovers.

"But kids are really pretty brave, and they get over the pain relatively quickly," the burn expert said. "And he's shown that he's a brave young boy."

more...

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September 19, 2007

Israel Declares Gaza "Enemy Entity"

This would seem obvious to most people, but Israel has finally taken the official step of declaring Gaza to be an enemy, a step that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says constitutes an act of war. As if the Kassam rockets raining down on Israel launched from Gaza daily are an act of peace. Via Reuters:

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said on Wednesday that Israel had effectively declared war by labeling the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip an "enemy entity".

"It is a declaration of war and continues the criminal, terrorist Zionist actions against our people," said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas in the coastal enclave.

Israel's security cabinet declaration on Wednesday that Gaza was an "enemy entity" opened the way for cuts in fuel and other supplies to the territory, an Israeli political source said.

"They aim to starve our people and force them to accept humiliating formulas that could emerge from the so-called November peace conference," Barhoum said, referring to a U.S.-sponsored meeting expected to be held in two months.

Militants in Gaza regularly fire rockets into Israel and Israeli forces have raided the enclave, from which the Jewish state evacuated troops and settlers two years ago.


These are the peaceful people who still hold Gilad Shalit captive more than a year after he was kidnapped, who gave us such loveable TV icons as Jihad Mickey and Nahoul the Killer Bee, and whose little girls make music videos about their suicide-bombing mamas. If it weren't so tragic, it would make a great soap opera or country song. Maybe when Gaza evolves to the trailer-park level, it will have a promising future as the redneck capital of the Middle East.

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September 13, 2007

Michigan "Sniper" is a Shia Blogger UPDATE: "The Start of My Personal Jihad"

Heh, it looks like the man picked up yesterday in Dearborn Michigan for carrying around an AK-47 in a park is a blogger. And guess what? He's not Amish after all. In fact, his website graces viewers with a prominent image of ..... drumroll please....Ayatollah Khomeini.

The website is also laced with images of the 12th or "hidden" imam. He's the son of Dr. Ali Zorkot, which is sad since it looks like the elder Zorkot and the rest of the family aren't exactly what you would call radicals.

Here's his website. Have at it.

Houssein_Zorkot_website.jpg

Thanks to Allahakchew.

UPDATE: Looks like some in the Zorkot family support Hizbollah. Check out this page:

Hizbollah is not a terrorist organization! Hizbollah is a national resistance organization. Hizbollah protects Lebanon.
Here's an image.

Houssein_Zorkot_website_hizbollah.jpg

I suck at backing up websites, someone might to cache this if they can.

UPDATE: He has a gallery here in which he confirms that he is on a personal jihad. One of the photos is captioned:

The Start of My Personal Jihad (in the US)
If you look at the image, its hard to imagine he means 'inner struggle'. Update: Added the image below.

Thanks to KW and Dust My Broom for pointing that out.

UPDATE: LGF and Hot Air have related, including some more screencaps. And Debbie Schlussel has some background on Shia jihadis in Michigan.

Here's the image.

personal_jihad.jpg

KW points out that image along with the caption "The start of my personal jihad" was posted on the day Zorkot was arrested.

UPDATE: Kafir uploaded a news story about him. Watch at end of post.

UPDATE: Well, isn't that special. Houssein Zorkot poses in front of a Hizbollah poster and missiles during a trip to Lebanon in the summer of 2007. Well, it seems we've discovered the point at which Zorkot decided to go on jihad.

Houssein_Zorkot_website_lebanon.JPG

Houssein_Zorkot_website_lebanon2.JPG

UPDATE: Good news, police sieze laptop, FBI involved. Detroit News:

After his arrest, police sought a warrant at the man's home, where they seized a laptop computer and several pictures...

The man also had visited Lebanon within the past month, police said...

Dearborn police have called in the FBI to help with the case. FBI spokesperson Dawn Clenney confirmed they had been contacted about the case, but declined to discuss the issue any further.

I suspect the task force will get involved.

Thanks to Larwyn for pointing me to this National Terror Alert post which noticed the computer angle.

UPDATE: I don't know how I missed this. Sweetness and Light runs the whois info. Thanks to Dan Riehl for pointing that post out.

UPDATE: So I keep hearing this nasheed (song) on several of his webpages and began to wonder where it came from. So I checked the source code and I'll give you one guess where the Hezbollah song is being hosted.....Youtube. Since the description of the song is "HEZBOLLAH ANASHEED", Youtube doesn't exactly have the ignorance excuse here. more...

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September 11, 2007

Video: New bin Laden & 9/11 Hijacker "Martyrdom" Video (UPDATE: Video added)

UPDATE 9/11/07 PM: I've uploaded the full video. Full 2007 Osama bin Laden on 9/11 hijacker Waleed al Shehri "Martyrdom" video here.

UPDATE: 9/11/07 First 15 minutes of video added below. The video is subtitled in English. Scroll down for video.

bin_laden_911-martyr-2007-a.jpg
bin_laden_911-martyr-2007-b.jpg

The Jawa Report and LauraMansfield.com have obtained an exclusive copy of an unreleased al Qaeda video featuring Osama bin Laden. The video is the last will and testament-- or "martyr" video--of Waleed al Shehri, one of the 19 hijackers responsible for the 9/11 attrocities. The first 15 minutes of the video is here. UPDATE: Complete 2007 Osama bin Laden on 9/11 hijacker Waleed al Shehri "Martyrdom" video here.

The video shows Osama bin Laden in the same clothes and with the same background as another 'new' video released of the al Qaeda leader this week.

Waleed al Shehri was on board Flight 11 and is thought, along with his brother Wail al-Shehri, to have murdered at least two flight attendants during the hijacking. Mohammed Atta flew the plane. The plane eventually was crashed by Atta into World Trade Center North Tower 1.

UPDATE: Laura Mansfield now has the first 15 minutes of the video on her site. Update: Video clip below. UPDATE: Complete 2007 Osama bin Laden on 9/11 hijacker Waleed al Shehri "Martyrdom" video here.

UPDATE: Just to clarify I see that CNN is now running a story saying the video has been posted. Not true. It hasn't. Laura Mansfield has the video, but al Qaeda did not post it on the internet. I think the word intercepted is more descriptive.

How could they have posted the video? All their favorite forums where they usually post are now offline. ;-)

UPDATE 9/11/8:00 AM: The video has been released, but what forum was it posted to? In fact, the only copies I now see are Laura's, SITE's, and Intel Center's--of which only Laura is making the video publicly available. Since al Ekhlaas, as Sahab's favorite forum, is currently offline, then where did they release the vid?

UPDATE: I love this screecap Laura grabbed. So, here we have an official al Qaeda video, with an introduction from Osama bin Laden, showing Waleed al Shehri sayings he's about to become a martyr, with an image of the WTC buildings burning in the background, and yet still the Truthers deny al Qaeda was behind 9/11.

Video added below courtesy of Laura Mansfield. more...

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September 10, 2007

Another bin Laden Video Expected, Waleed al-Shehri Hijacker "Martyrdom" Video

UPDATE: Video has been released. Video has not been released, but we have obtained a pre-release version of it.

New bin Laden & 9/11 Hijacker Waleed al Shehri video here.

-------------


Here is the image posted by al Qaeda. Keep an eye on Laura Mansfield who will probably be first to release.

Abu-Musab-Waleed-al-Shehri.gif

--------

Waleed_al-Shehri.jpgIt looks like OBL just can't keep away from the cameras. We already have several videos of the 9/11 hijackers, but not all of them. I'm surprised al Qaeda didn't release them earlier.

Fox News:

Al Qaeda announces it will release a new video of Usama bin Laden presenting the last testament of one of the Sept. 11 homicide hijackers.
An official al Qaeda release with a bin Laden intro and voice over and then video of one of the 19 hijackers' celebrating his impending death I wonder how the 9/11 truthers are going to respond? Since we already have a similar al Qaeda video in which Mohammed Atta and others speak, I guess we already know how the truthers are going to respond: it's all a CIA plot, man.

We even have video of bin Laden with some of the 9/11 hijackers, and still they say it was an inside job. Loons, all.

Hat tip: Vicki

UPDATE: Waleed al Shehri, aka Fat Jihadi Bastard.

UPDATE: Godwin's law redux?

Who's worse, Reagan or bin Laden?
Who's worse, Rupert Murdoch or al Qaeda?

I'm going to go ahead and call this Rusty's law.

As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving al Qaeda or bin Laden approaches one.

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September 08, 2007

Jawa Report Exclusive: New Bin Laden Video Full Version

The Jawa Report has obtained a full length copy of the new Bin Laden video. It's cooking now. Laura Mansfield agreed to host a downloadable copy for us, it is here.

Hat Tip: Rod.

Update: The Google Video copy is ready.


Smaller (45meg) version here

UPDATE by Rusty: Laura sends this:

Note: The posting announcing the video included a technical note: "Technical clarification: From the beginning of the production to minute 2, the production is in video and audio. From minute 2 to minute 12:30, the production is audio and a still image. From minute 12:30 to minute 14:00, the production is in video and audio. From minute 14 to the end, the production is in audio and a still image."
Very strange, indeed.

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September 07, 2007

Video: Osama bin Laden 2007 Speech

UPDATE: Full video added below the clip.

Here is a clip of the new Osama bin Laden video already being circulated on the forums. I am told by someone with very good authority that the full video should be available within hours. We will keep you posted.

Switched to liveleak video, which streams better for me.

Update by Howie: We now have the entire Osama bin Laden video here. more...

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UBL Video Intercepted! UPDATE: bin Laden Praises Chomsky/Left/Antiwar Voters!

as_sahab_bin_laden_911_2007.gif

This just in. MSNBC:

The White House has obtained a copy of a purported video by Osama bin Laden ahead of the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and has begun to analyze its contents, a Bush administration official said Friday.

The official would not discuss the contents or say whether any conclusion has been reached about whether it’s really the al-Qaida leader.

The world holds its breath.......

UPDATE: Proof of life? The Blotter:

Intelligence sources tell ABC News they believe the expected video message from Osama bin Laden is authentic, recently produced and evidence the al Qaeda leader is still alive.

U.S. authorities now say they have a transcript which they say is aimed at potential suicide bombers who he urges to carry out missions against the West

AllahP has some interesting photoshops of bin Laden.

UPDATE: AllahP just e-mailed the news that we already have transcripts of the new bin Laden video. I'm stunned. It's going to take me some time digesting all of this.

Here's the immediately funny part: bin Laden praises Noam Chomsky:

He goes on to call Noam Chomsky "among one of the most capable of those from your own side," and mentions global warming and "the Kyoto accord."
And why not? They both share the common goal of getting the U.S. to stop meddling in the affairs of the world so that bin Laden and other Islamists can step in and impose sharia.

I'm just surprised he doesn't mention Ron Paul.

He also praises the American public for voting for Democrats, and then castigates the Democrats for not surrendering as fast as the American people wanted them too.

With words like this, even I might have to question the timing.

PS--the way I read it, it's an audio message, not video.

UPDATE: Jeff G questions the timing:

Having the world’s number 2 terrorist (just behind George Bush) come out and berate you for not following through with your promises to do his organization’s bidding — well, that can be a bit of a bummer, I imagine.
UPDATE: Amazing-- the transcript is dated September 5th, two days ago.

UPDATE: Man the thing reads like it was written by Cindy Sheehan. Notable quotables (updated as I'm reading them):

People of America: the world is following your news in regards to your invasion of Iraq, for people have recently come to know that, after several years of the tragedies of this war, the vast majority of you want it stopped. Thus, you elected the Democratic Party for this purpose, but the Democrats haven't made a move worth mentioning. On the contrary, they agree to spending of tens of billions to continue the killing and the war there, which has led to the vast majority of you being afflicted with disappointment...

In the Vietnam War, the leaders of the White House claimed at the time that it was necessary and crucial war, and during it, Rumsfeld and his aides murdered two million villagers. And when Kennedy took over the presidency and deviated from the general line of policy drawn uup for the White House and wanted to stop the unjust war, that angered the owners of the major corporations who were benefiting from its continuation.

And so Kennedy was killed, and al Qaeda wasn't present at that time, but rather, those corporations were the primary beneficiary from his killing...

This war was entirely unnecessary, as testified by your own reports. And among the most capable of those from your own side who speaks to you on this topic and on the manufacturin of public opinion is Noam Chomsky, who spoke sober words of advice prior to the war, but the leader of Texas doesn't like those who give advice....

The entire world came out in uprecedented demonstrations to warn against waging the war and describe its true nature in eloquent terms like "no spilling red blood for black oil," yet he paid them no heed....

So in answer to the question about the causes of the Democrats' failure to stop the war, I say: they are the same reasons which led to the failure of former president Kennedy to stop the Vietnam war. Those with real power and influence are those with the most capital. And since the democratic system permits major corporations to back candidates, be they presidential or congressional, there shouldn't be any cause for astonishment -- and there isn't any -- in the Democrats' failure to stop the war. And you're the ones who have the saying which goes, "money talks." And I tell you: after the failure of your representatives in the Democratic Party to implement your desire to stop the war, you canstill carry anti-war placards and spread out in the streets of major cities, then go back to your homes, but that will be on no use and will lead to the prolonging of the war....

In fact, the life of all mankind is in danger because of the global warming resulting to a large degree from teh emissions of the factories and of teh major corporations, yet despite that the representative of these corporations in the White House insists on not observing the Kyoto accord, with the knowledge that the statics speaks of teh death and displacement of the millions of human beings because of that, especially in Africa. This greatest of plagues and most dangerous of threats to the lives of humans is taking place in an accelerating fashion as the world is being dominated by the democratic system, which confirms its massive failure to protect humans and their itnerests from the greed and avarice of the major corporations and their representatives....

The capitalist system seeks to turn the entire world into a fiefdom of the major corporations under the label of "globallization" in order to protect democracy....

And if you would like to get to know some of the reasons for your losing of your war against us, then read the book of Michael Scheuer in this regard.

So, bin Laden really does read and believe Leftist propaganda! It's like reading a Kos diary or a Democratic Underground thread. AllahP has the exact same reaction: Bin Laden, Socialist Icon.

STACLU has blog reactions.

Update: Entire Video: Osama bin Laden 2007 Speech here.

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September 06, 2007

New bin Laden Video on 9/11

UPDATE 9/07/2007 03:45 PM: NEW OSAMA BIN LADEN 2007 VIDEO HERE.

UPDATE 9/07/2007 11:45 AM: White House has copy of bin Laden tape.
---------------

Holy schneike, new bin Laden video! Could this be the 9/11 gift to Manhattan? Maybe so.

as_sahab_bin_laden_911_2007.gif

I had heard that a new bin Laden video was coming out, but frankly I thought it was just wishful thinking on the jihadis part.

Breitbart:

Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden plans a new video addressing the American people regarding the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a terror monitoring group said Thursday.

SITE Intelligence Group said an Internet announcement of the plan included a photo of the al-Qaida leader from the upcoming video—his beard, which in previous messages had been streaked with gray, was entirely dark.

And both AllahP and The Blotter connect the video to the "special gift for Manhattan on 9/11" message.

UPDATE: Look at the two pics AllahP has up. Isn't it odd that bin Laden is wearing the same outfit? What could that mean?

Also word now that video will be released within the next 72 hours.

UPDATE: Here's a hint about the two pics: I aint the only one thinking it.

I'll even go out on a limb.

Prediction 1: Any "new" video of Osama will be him talking in generalities, conveniently wearing same clothes as previous videos, only everything looks a bit darker in it. What, you don't think al Qaeda editor at large Adam Gadahn doesn't know how to use video editing tools, which include simple color and tone "fixes"?

Prediction 2: Anything "new" that could possible serve as "proof of life" will actually be audio overlaid on to static photos of bin Laden.

Any takers? I could be wrong, but I just have this sneaking suspicion.

UPDATE: Too good to be true--Kos Kidz already questioning the timing.

Expect more scare tactics from Bush soon.
Like clockwork.

UPDATE: I knew there was a reason Charles was my blogfather--like minds and all that. And do they have digital botox?

UPDATE: The banner above is the official banner released by al Qaeda's as Sahab, the production company thought to be run by Adam Gadahn. It isn't my photo, but the one al Qaeda is using to promote the video.

Thanks to Garduneh Mehr, here is a translation:

"The brave sheikh Osama bin-Laden
A video clip."

UPDATE: Via Gateway Pundit, this Fox News item seems to be the first to at least hint that we should be skeptical:

The official could not confirm or deny the authenticity of the images released, but he said "it's not exactly clear at this point" if the message will be authentic. The official also pointed out that previous messages were later proved to be older footage.
It's almost as if the MSM wants the video to prove once and for all that bin Laden is alive.

In my mind he's dead unless they can prove otherwise. And not with some old video and some static-laden audio.

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September 03, 2007

Bush Surprise Visit to Iraq

(Al-Asad Air Base, Anbar Province, Iraq) President Bush secretly flew 11 hours from Washington to make a surprise visit to Iraq, presumably landing only a short while ago. Defense Secretary Gates also arrived for a visit by a separate airplane.

Apparently, nobody in the media was tipped off to the trip. Pundits peg the trip as a show of support for the Iraqi government and a morale booster for the troops.

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August 27, 2007

Probably not worth mentioning but...


Image Credit - Cox and Forkum

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL RESIGNS

(AP via Breitbart) - Alberto Gonzales, the nation's first Hispanic attorney general, announced his resignation Monday, driven from office after a wrenching standoff with congressional critics over his honesty and competence.

Republicans and Democrats alike had demanded his departure over the botched handling of FBI terror investigations and the firings of U.S. attorneys, but President Bush had defiantly stood by his Texas friend for months until accepting his resignation last Friday.

"After months of unfair treatment that has created a harmful distraction at the Justice Department, Judge Gonzales decided to resign his position and I accept his decision," Bush said from Texas, where he is vacationing.

Buh bye.

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August 04, 2007

Murdered Oakland Journo Was Writing on Raided Muslim Bakery

UPDATE: Via LGF, a handyman from Your Muslim Bakery admits to the murder.
- - -
Via Insty, the journalist gunned down and killed by a masked gunman the other day was incidentally working on a story on the chain of bakeries operated by a group of "black Muslims."

Firearms linked to the slaying of an Oakland journalist were seized during early morning raids Friday targeting members of a Black Muslim group that operates a chain of bakeries, police said.

Colleagues said Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey, 57, had been working on a story about Your Black Muslim Bakery before he was ambushed and killed Thursday morning in downtown Oakland.

Eeeenteresting.

Further developments as they break.

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July 31, 2007

German Hostage Seen in Taliban Video

German engineer Rudolf B., kidnapped two weeks ago in Wardak province, appeared in a video released today by his Taliban captors. Via Reuters:

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Jazeera television broadcast a video on Tuesday showing a German man held by Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents and said he appealed to Berlin and Washington to withdraw their troops from the Central Asian country.

The man appeared in the video against a rocky backdrop in a hilly area. Al Jazeera did not play the sound of the video.

"The German hostage Rudolf B. ... urged Germany and the United States to pull out their forces from Afghanistan and urged his country to help save his life and secure his return to his homeland and family," an Al Jazeera presenter said.

One of the militants pointed a rocket-propelled grenade launcher at the man, who appeared to be unharmed.

Al Jazeera said it obtained a similar video showing the German engineer's four Afghan companions. It did not say how it obtained the videos.


Rudolf B.'s fellow engineer, Ruediger Diedrich, was murdered by the Taliban, who shot him in the knees and back after he collapsed on a forced march in the mountainous region.

A separate video showing Rudolf B.'s four Afghan colleagues was also aired. Al-Jazeera claims it doesn't know how it obtained the videos.

The Taliban is demanding the release of 10 rebel prisoners in exchange for Rudolf B. and the Afghans. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly said he will not release any more prisoners after being sharply criticized for deal freeing 5 Taliban in exchange for Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo in March.

Let's keep up the prayers for Rudolf B. and his co-workers, as well the Korean hostages being held by the Taliban in a separate incident.

Thank you to George for keeping me up to date on this.

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July 27, 2007

John Doe Passes

Audrey Hudson reports:

The Senate last night passed legislation to implement the final recommendations of the September 11 Commission that includes the "John Doe" provision to protect airline passengers from being sued if they report suspicious behavior that foreshadows a terrorist attack.
But Allah wonders if it really matters, and he makes a good point.

Seems like we must grant absolute civil immunity for tipsters, otherwise CAIR can still harass any one they want. The safeguard should not be the "objectively reasonably” standard, but rather criminal liability for falsehoods, misleading statements, or harassment. Which simply means that we should let the FBI, TSA, and other law enforcement agencies decide the line between harassment and a mistake, and not CAIR.

Of course this won't placate CAIR, since in their eyes everyone, including the FBI, is against Muslims. This is why CAIR so opposes this provision. They believe they are the only ones qualified to watch the watchers.

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July 25, 2007

German Journalist Missing in Afghanistan

A German writer for the magazine Stern and his translator have reportedly been kidnapped in Kunar province, Afghanistan. Christoph Reuter (above) was traveling in the remote, mountainous area where earlier this month, several civilians were killed in a NATO air strike.

Via BBC:

A senior security official in Kunar told the BBC that the German journalist had disappeared when visiting the village of Sangar in Wattapour district.

"We have sent a delegation to investigate this, at this stage we have to assume that they have been kidnapped," he said.

A local hotelier told the BBC that the journalist, who he said worked for a German magazine, had been staying at his lodge when insurgents arrived at the door. They dragged the journalist out of the building and took him away.

The hotelier said he was taken with two Afghans, a driver and an interpreter, but local officials say only two people were kidnapped.

Reuter speaks fluent Arabic and has covered both Afghanistan and Iraq for Stern. He is also the author of a 2006 book, My Life Is a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing.

UPDATE: German man freed in Afghanistan

UPDATE II: Germany Can´t Confirm Hostage Freed in Afghanistan

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July 23, 2007

Body of 1 German Hostage Recovered in Afghanistan

This story, if accurate, helps to explain some of the confusion over the weekend about the fate of 2 German engineers kidnapped from a dam project last week in Wardak province. The Taliban spokesman announced on Saturday that both the Germans and their Afghan colleagues were shot in response to Germany's failure to bend over for them. The Afghan government denied those claims, saying that one hostage died of a heart attack and the other was still alive. On Sunday, however, the body of one of the engineers, identified only as Ruediger B., was discovered with a gunshot wound to the back. So was he shot and the other hostage dead of a heart attack? Now it appears, pending an autopsy, that Ruediger collapsed from complications of diabetes and that his captors, instead of giving him his insulin, shot him the back to see if he was dead or alive. What was that part about Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate?

Via Expatica:

The German newspaper Die Welt quoted witnesses as saying that dam engineer Ruediger B, who suffered from diabetes, collapsed after he, another German and five Afghans were taken on a forced march in the heat. After lying on the ground for some time, he was shot.

On its website, the paper said that the kidnappers were not part of the Taliban insurgency but were Pashtun bandits. It said only an autopsy could show if Ruediger, abducted Wednesday, was already dead when shot.

It said that German consular officials had spoken Sunday by telephone to the second German hostage.

Another news website, Spiegel Online, identified a witness as Eshaq Noorzai, the Afghan who was freed at the same time as Ruediger's body was handed over to authorities. He is the brother of Arif Khan Noorzai, deputy speaker of the Afghan parliament.

The fate of the second German and the five other Afghans remains uncertain. Let's pray hard for their safe release and that their brutal abductors are shown the same mercy and compassion as was given to Ruediger B.

Thanks to George for the link. more...

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July 21, 2007

Taliban Kill Two German Hostages

Two German engineers kidnapped Wednesday in Afghanistan have been murdered by their Taliban abductors (via Fox News):

A purported Taliban spokesman said the hardline militia on Saturday shot and killed two German hostages because Germany's government didn't announce that its troops would leave Afghanistan.

Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said the Germans were shot to death. They had been kidnapped on Wednesday, along with five Afghan colleagues, in the southern province of Wardak while working on a dam project.

"The German and Afghan governments didn't meet our conditions, they didn't pull out their troops," Ahmadi told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Ahmadi offered no proof for the claim of the killings; he said the Taliban would give further information about the two bodies later.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government would not negotiate with the Taliban. Neither would she withdraw German troops from Afghanistan.

'We can't give up on our efforts now. The Afghan people must not be left in the lurch,' Merkel said in the interview printed by the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper in southern Germany.

She said a Foreign Ministry crisis team was working very hard to obtain the hostages' release, adding, 'In the interests of those affected, I cannot say more than that.'

Germany has about 3000 troops stationed in Afghanistan, most are engaged in reconstruction projects such as digging wells. The two civilian engineers were working on a dam project in Wardak province. There is no word so far on the fate of 6 Afghan colleagues kidnapped with them on Wednesday.

UPDATE:
5 Afghans Hostages Also Killed Via AP:

A purported Taliban spokesman said the hard-line militia killed two German and five Afghan hostages on Saturday but said the militants were willing to release 22 South Korean Christians in exchange for the freedom of imprisoned Taliban fighters.

The Afghan government, however, said it had contradictory information concerning the Germans, casting doubt on the purported spokesman's claims.

A contradictory report from the AFP:

An Afghan foreign ministry spokesman said Saturday that one Taliban-held German hostage is alive and that a second had died of a heart attack, denying claims that militants had killed both.

"According to information from Afghan security organisations, one of the hostages died of a heart attack and the second is still alive," said ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen. "Efforts for his release continue."

more...

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July 18, 2007

Leader of Islamic State of Iraq Captured, al-Baghdadi is Sock Puppet

ht_mashhadani_070718_ms.jpgI have good new in my inbox this morning. The Islamic State of Iraq has been beheaded. VIA ABCNEWS:

"Al-Mashhadani is believed to be the most senior Iraqi in the al-Qaida in Iraq network," Bergner said. He said al-Mashhadani was a close associate of Abu Ayub al-Masri, the Egyptian-born head of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Bergner said al-Mashhadani served as an intermediary between al-Masri and Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.

"In fact, communication between the senior al-Qaida leadership and al-Masri frequently went through al-Mashhadani," Bergner said.

"Along with al-Masri, al-Mashhadani co-founded a virtual organization in cyberspace called the Islamic State of Iraq in 2006," Bergner said. "The Islamic State of Iraq is the latest efforts by al-Qaida to market itself and its goal of imposing a Taliban-like state on the Iraqi people."

This man was the the leader of the infamous Ansar al-Sunnah before he joined ISI. Ansar al-Sunnah is a particularly brutal group of terrorists who are famous for beheading hostages on video. Personally, knowing we got a leader of Ansar al-Sunnah and the Islamic State of Iraq is the greatest news ever. It's like a two for one sale on terrorist scumbags.

By golly I was right, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi can be anyone on any day. He has been described a a "phantom" by many including some groups opposed to al-Qaeda's front group. Turns out al-Baghdadi is just another sock puppet on the internet.

Bergner said al-Mashhadani had told interrogators that al-Baghdadi is a "fictional role" created by al-Masri and that an actor is used for audio recordings of speeches posted on the Web.

"In his words, the Islamic State of Iraq is a front organization that masks the foreign influence and leadership within al-Qaida in Iraq in an attempt to put an Iraqi face on the leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq," Bergner said.

He said al-Mashhadani was a leader of the militant Ansar al-Sunnah group before joining al-Qaida in Iraq 2 1/2 years ago.

Hat Tip: Hot Air.

UPDATE by Rusty: Let me add a few words to Howie's post. First, for those of us who have been following the "insurgency" in Iraq, we know just how brutal Ansar al Sunnah was. We remember the dozens and dozens of sickening beheading videos they produced while Al-Mashhadani was with them. One particular moment in their history that stands out was the desecration of the body of Corporal Jeffrey Boskovich. The death sentence is too good for this guy.

It's not clear, to me at least, when al Mashhadani left Ansar al Sunna to join the Mujahidin Shura Council, which later became the fictitious entity called The Islamic State of Iraq. I had noticed a sharp drop in the number of Ansar al Sunna produced videos over the last year. I guess I now know why.

As to the al Qaeda connection, the current debate about al Qaeda in Iraq vs the al Qaeda is stupid and pointless. Those engaged in it --mostly journalists and politicians -- fundamentally misunderstand the global Salafi jihad. These jihadis do not see themselves as "al Qaeda operatives", they see themselves as true Muslims and mujahideen--warriors for God. We could kill every single al Qaeda operative in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, and the global jihad would continue under another banner. Al Mashhadani and the Islamic State of Iraq illustrate the point.

The al Qaeda in Afghanistan sent aid to local Islamists opposed to the secular Kurds who had established an independent region under the U.S. no-fly zone in the North of Iraq. Those local Kurdish and Arab fighters called their group Ansar al-Islam. Al Qaeda's emissary to them was one Abu Musab al Zarqawi.

After the invasion, Ansar al Islam's bases were completely annihilated and its fighters fled to Sunni Arab regions of Iraq. Here, Zarqawi rallied some of the remnant under the banner of Tawhid wal Jihad. Other, mostly Kurdish Islamists, operating around Arabized Kurdish cities, such as Mosul, gathered under the banner of Ansar al Sunnah. But both Tawhid wal Jihad and Ansar al Sunnah had prior contact with and financing from the al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

Later, after Zarqawi had become famous for beheading hostages and posting those videos on the internet, he "pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden". But only the ignorant or those with a political agenda would ever suggest that Zarqawi wasn't already a member of al Qaeda before he ever got to Iraq. "Al Qaeda in the Land of Two Rivers (Iraq)" may have been born at that moment, but clearly the two groups were linked prior to that time.

After Zarqawi's death, al Qaeda in Iraq decided it needed to rebrand itself. Some will recall that Zawahiri had castigated Zarqawi for too many brutal beheading videos, especially of civilians. It just didn't look good to the consuming public. So, after Zarqawi died, al Qaeda formed The Mujahideen Shura Council. (MSC) A "shura council" is an Islamic court and ruling body, thus legitimizing the many murders carried out by al Qaeda as the implementation of Islamic law.

When nobody bought the MSC, they came up with the Islamic State in Iraq and its fictitious leader. But, in the end, the Islamic State of Iraq is really the Mujahidin Shura Council, which is really al Qaeda in Iraq, which is really Tawhid wal Jihad and Ansar al Sunnah, which is really Ansar al Islam, which is really al Qaeda. Different names, same goals and methods.

I'm happy this piece of human filth is captured, I'll be even more happy when he is hanged. For more on this see Bill Roggio.

Video celebration and more below. more...

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July 14, 2007

Old Bin Laden Footage In New al-Qaeda Tape

More here at ABC's The Blotter.

Laura Mansfield, who was first to obtain the video, has once again pwned al-qaeda. The buzz has been that UBL would appear in a video. the footage appears to be old.

Via Laura Mansfield: Those are the words of Osama Bin Laden in a short clip from a longer As Sahab video obtained this morning by LauraMansfield.com.

The Bin Laden clip appears to be a short portion of an older video of the Al Qaeda leader speaking to his followers about martyrdom. There are no indications as to the date when the clip was filmed.

So it appears the Jihad supporters are going to have to groan again. This is the fifth tape from as-Sahab in just a few days. It seems very little truely new propganda is coming from iraq. The GIMF campaign to defend ISI was nothing more than old messages spliced together.
(click image for video)
binladen0707.jpg

It may be as-Sahab is trying to take the lead and make up for the propganda recent propaganda losses, they might be releasing everything they can ASAP because thye are under pressure. It could indicate an attack. Most likely it's just more terrorist rerun bull.

Embedded copy below the fold.

Update: Gateway Pundit has footage from an old message that matches the dress and background of the "new" tape. More here at Hot Air. You compare both the video from 2001 and this one. Same thing. more...

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July 11, 2007

German Woman Hostage Freed

After five months of captivity in Iraq, Hannelore Krause has been freed by her Arrows of Righteousness abductors. Mrs. Krause and her son, Sinan al-Tornanchi, who remains captive, were kidnapped in February 2007 by a group demanding that Germany withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. From Reuters:

A German woman who was kidnapped by militants in Iraq in February is free but her son remains in captivity, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Wednesday.

"After 155 days, Hannelore Krause's captivity is over. She has been free since yesterday afternoon," Steinmeier told reporters in Berlin, declining to talk about the circumstances of her release.

"We are relieved that Mrs. Krause is now free, but the worrying uncertainty about the fate of her son, who is still in captivity, remains," he added.

Iraqi militants had threatened to kill the two, seized from their home in western Baghdad on February 6, unless Germany withdrew its troops from Afghanistan.

Mrs. Krause and her son appeared in two videos pleading for their lives. Thank God one of them is free at last, let's keep praying for her son and for the other hostages in Iraq and the Middle East. And I don't want to hear any complaints when the "Arrows of Righteousness" find out what real righteous justice looks like.

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July 08, 2007

250 Inept Terrorists to Walk Free

In a mistaken and potentially tragic vote this morning, the Israeli Cabinet voted to free 250 terrorists as a "goodwill" gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (via Arutz Sheva):

The government, in its Sunday morning weekly session, approved the release of 250 convicted Arab terrorists from prison, as a goodwill gesture to PA chief Abu Mazen. Only terrorists without "blood on their hands" are to be released.

Some of the terrorists being freed attempted to murder Israelis but missed their targets.

[. . .]

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert admitted at the cabinet session that releasing the 250 terrorists will not convince Hamas and Hizbullah terrorists to free their IDF hostages. He explained that the move was a “good will” gesture to support Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas’s new government.

“I have come to the conclusion that releasing the prisoners will not affect the chances of bringing Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser home,” said Olmert. The families of all three captives are in France to attend a rally calling for the freedom of their loved ones, who were kidnapped in the south and north by terrorists last summer. The families will meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Monday.

Not only will this prisoner release (not even an exchange) not win the freedom of the 3 Israeli soldiers who were abducted last summer, it's not even likely that it will help Abbas all that much:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) at their summit in Sharm el-Sheikh two weeks ago that he would release the terrorists. The Cabinet did not discuss the specific terrorists who are to be freed.

The General Security Service (Shabak) provided Olmert with a list of terrorists that could be released, but Olmert returned the list. He said it contained mostly terrorists who are to be freed within a short time in any event, and that releasing such terrorists would not help Abu Mazen.

Public Security Minister Avi Dichter agreed, saying that the release of terrorists whose jail terms end within 2-3 years would actually hurt the PA chief. Dichter also noted that “none of the gestures we made since 1994 (releasing terrorists in exchange for Israeli hostages, dead or alive) ever resulted in any PA action against terror.”

So let's sum up this proposal:

(a) 250 incompetent terrorists will get a second chance to improve their skills;

(b) Israel gets nothing but grief in return;

and

(c) It probably won't even help to prop up a corrupt Fatah tyrant against his more aggressive Hamas rivals.

Gee, it sounds like a plan to me! Let's go for it!

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July 07, 2007

Musharraf to Mosque Militants: "Surrender or Die"

Apparently in a peevish mood after surviving another assassination attempt yesterday, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told the militants holding the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) their time is up (via Reuters):

"If they don't surrender, I'm saying it here, they will be killed," Musharraf said, in his first public comments on the deadly stand-off in Islamabad.

Hundreds of troops have surrounded the fortified compound housing Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, and a girls' madrasa, where clashes between armed students and security forces began on Tuesday following months of tension.

The death toll rose to 20 after a paramilitary soldier was shot dead on Saturday morning, though the cleric leading Lal Masjid's Taliban-style movement said casualties were far higher. There were unconfirmed accounts of the mosque's defenders burying more bodies on Saturday.

Explosions have blown holes in the outer walls of the compound, and fierce gunbattles have raged, but there has been no assault. Officials reckon 50 to 60 hardcore militants are leading the fighting.

"We've shown great patience because we don't want people to be killed," Musharraf told reporters while visiting flood-hit Baluchistan province. "We could have done everything. The government has the power but there are women and children."

Mosque cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi has said he would rather choose "martyrdom," and has rejected government accusations that he is holding women and children as human shields.

Ghazi said he and his followers would lay down their weapons but would never accept arrest. "I fully stand by my position, there's no question of arrests," Ghazi told Reuters, speaking over the crack of rifle fire.

My prediction: Ghazi and his brave band of "freedom fighters" will follow the example of their captured leader Abdul Aziz and try to escape wearing burquas, leaving the women and children to face martyrdom.

Update: Brainwashed children plead to die as martyrs in Red Mosque siege

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July 06, 2007

Shots Fired at Pakistani President's Plane

Remember that Pakistan already has nuclear weapons: (via Telegraph UK)

The plane of Pervez Musharraf was fired on today as it took off from a military airfield, an intelligence officer said, in the latest apparent assassination attempt on the president of Pakistan.

Contradicting government denials, the official said the plane came under attack as it left the base in Rawalpindi, but arrived safely in the town of Turbat, where the president was due to visit flood victims.

A journalist for the Reuters news agency said he had seen two large guns mounted on the roof of a two-storey house in Rawalpindi.

Security forces sealed off the area around the house, arrested a man and seized an machine gun which had been modified for use as an anti-aircraft weapon.

Meanwhile, the siege continued at a mosque in Islamabad where the radicals holding the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, are said to be using women and chldren as human shields:

The interior minister, Aftab Sherpao, said the radical students besieged in the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, were armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, hand grenades and Molotov cocktails.

"The total of casualties is 19," said Mr Sherpao. "There are 50 to 60 hardcore militants inside the mosque. They are keeping women and children who want to come out of the mosque and are not allowing them to leave."

Several students who had fled the mosque claimed in interviews with The Daily Telegraph that some men, women and children had been prevented from leaving the mosque and madrassa that houses Pakistan's largest girls' seminary.

The cross-dressing leader of the insurrection, Abdul Aziz, was captured Wednesday trying to escape from the mosque dressed in a burqua:

Aziz was captured by police on Wednesday as he tried to flee the mosque complex wearing a burqa. He told state television that about 1,000 male and female students remained inside.

"After coming out I saw the siege was massive and came to the conclusion that we should give up," he said. "The government has massive resources and I realised that people will not be able to stay inside for long."

Somewhat inexplicably Aziz made his television appearance wearing a black burqa under which his grey beard was partly visible.

The interviewer asked him to take off the veil, which he then did to reveal a bemused smile.

The cleric later appeared in court charged with plotting terrorist attacks and kidnapping people, including seven Chinese nationals abducted by his students from an acupuncture clinic for allegedly running a brothel. He was later remanded in custody.

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July 05, 2007

Rage Boy Speaks!

The Islamic Idol sat down for an interview with Izhar Wani of AFP and wants his fans to know that his now-famous rage is not an act:

"If my photographs get published across the world, it is because my emotions are real and my looks are not deceptive. The photos show the anger inside," said the full-time demonstrator, who when off the street looks distincly modest and a little shy.

Shakeel Bhat is a 31-year-old Kashmiri activist who spent 3 years in prison in the 1990s for taking part in the violent Muslim uprising in the disputed territory. Now his only weapon is his face.

Bhat has been detained more than 300 times since he first took to the streets of Srinagar in late 1997. He even travels to other parts of the picturesque Kashmir valley to vent his Islamist anger.

"Police have registered 40 cases against me for taking part in the protests and I have to shuttle from one court to another to defend myself. I've been in almost every police station," he laughed, clutching a plastic bag full of court papers.

Although not a Shiite Muslim, he says his inspiration is Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

"I sometimes leave my home and return days later after being in police lock-ups," said Bhat, whose family run a handicrafts business.

"My family members are very supportive. They know I am not doing anything wrong. I am doing what every Muslims needs to do."

Bhat modestly denied knowledge of his fame in the West:

"I don't believe this! I have no knowledge about all this. Why do they do it?" demanded Bhat, who says he has no idea how to use a computer and the Internet.

But he courageously vowed to continue the jihad, one snarl at a time:

"I don't need any titles. I am a simple Muslim. Yes, I get enraged if someone, somewhere makes derogatory remarks about our religion or Prophet," he said.

"The Koran is my driving force. I will come out on streets as long as Muslims are victims of oppression, even if it leads to my death."

H/t Little Green Footballs

Crossposted at Not Ready for my Burqua

Update: Who Should Be the New Islamic Idol?
Update II: A Campaign Message from Krispy Khalid
Update III: And Now a Word from Jihad Mickey
Update IV: Day 2 of the Islamic Idol Contest
Update V: Rage Boy Sings
Update VI:
And Now, Your New Islamic Idol!

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