May 15, 2007

Fred Thompson Winning GOP Debate...

...and he wasn't even there!

fred.jpg

Will you please run, Fred? For the love of G-d, country and all things most exquisitely brutal, do it! We're with you!

** This Insta-poll is subject to change. The screencap here is from 11:36pm EST.

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Update on Al-Qaeda Attack on US Troops

Three soldiers killed in attack identified (via CNN):

The slain and missing U.S. soldiers were from Fort Drum in New York, and all have been identified as members of the 10th Mountain Division's Second Brigade.

So far, three families have been notified that their relatives were killed in action.

Two of the slain have been identified by family members.

They are Pfc. Daniel W. Courneya, 19, of Vermontville, Michigan, and Sgt. 1st Class James D. Connell Jr., 40, of Lake City, Tennessee.

"I'm proud of my dad," said Connell's daughter Courtney. "He didn't really fight for himself, he fought for the country."

The Army is unable to positively identify the missing solders, because one of the dead was burned beyond recognition and they are awaiting the results of DNA tests, expected to be complete by Wednesday.

Military spokesmen said the attack was a "planned snatch" and involved at least 10 insurgents.

Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said 11 people have been detained, and four of them are considered high-value targets.

As of Monday, 460 people have been questioned since the search was launched, Garver said, and the military has received more than 50 tips from people.

more...

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May 14, 2007

US-Iraqi Forces Search for Missing Soldiers

Via AP:

BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi forces exchanged fire with suspected Sunni insurgents on Monday, killing two and wounding four of them during a massive search for three missing American soldiers in a volatile area south of Baghdad, the Iraqi army said.

An al-Qaida front group, the Islamic State in Iraq, claimed Sunday that it had captured U.S soldiers in a deadly attack on a U.S. convoy the day before in Sunni area south of Baghdad that is known as the "triangle of death" _ a longtime al-Qaida stronghold.

Meanwhile, 4,000 U.S. troops backed by aircraft, intelligence units and Iraqi forces were scouring the farming area around Mahmoudiya and the nearby town of Youssifiyah for the third day, as the military promised to make every effort available to find the missing soldiers.

The Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) is responsible for the recent kidnappings and videotaped murders of Iraqi soldiers and police officers. It also claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and murder of two American soldiers last summer. It is an umbrella group of Sunni militias including the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq, Conquering Army (Jeish al-Fatiheen), Soldiers of the Prophet Muhammad (Jund al-Sahaba), and Brigades of Al-Tawhid Wal Sunnah. It aims to overthrow the current Iraqi government and replace it with an Islamic caliphate.

UPDATE: Al-Qaida to U.S.: Stop searching for missing soldiers

BAGHDAD — An al-Qaida front group that claims it has captured American soldiers warned the United States on Monday to stop searching for them and suggested it attacked the U.S. convoy as revenge for the rape and murder of a local teenager last year.

The U.S. military also said for the first time it believes the three missing soldiers were abducted by al-Qaida-linked militants after an attack that included three roadside bombs.

"What you are doing in searching for your soldiers will lead to nothing but exhaustion and headaches. Your soldiers are in our hands. If you want their safety, do not look for them," the Islamic State of Iraq said on a militant Web site.

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May 12, 2007

5 American Soldiers Killed, 3 Missing in Attack

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Via AP:

BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi troops searched house-to-house and combed fields with their bare hands Saturday after American troops and their Iraqi interpreter came under attack in the notorious "triangle of death" south of Baghdad, leaving five dead and three missing.

The military said the patrol was struck in a pre-dawn explosion near Mahmoudiya, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad _ an al-Qaida area where two U.S. soldiers were found massacred after disappearing at a checkpoint nearly a year ago.

A nearby unit heard the blast and the search was launched after communication could not be established with the patrol, the military said, adding that a drone plane later observed two burning vehicles after about15 minutes.

An emergency response unit arrived at the scene about an hour later and found five members of the team killed and three others listed as duty status and whereabouts unknown.

The attack came in the same area where last summer two American soldiers were kidnapped and murdered. The bodies of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas Tucker were found mutilated and booby-trapped in June 2006.

Two other American soldiers remain missing in Iraq: Sgt. Matt Maupin, who was captured in April 2004, and Spc. Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, an interpreter who was kidnapped in Baghdad in October 2006.

We mourn the loss of the five soldiers who were killed and we pray for the safety of the three missing, as well as for those troops involved in the search and rescue efforts going on now.

Video of the Army news conference describing the attack below the fold.

H/t George. more...

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Kidnapped Humanitarian Returns Home

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Via AP:

PARIS (AP) Looking thin and frail, a French aid worker returned to France on Saturday after five weeks in Taliban captivity in Afghanistan and made a plea for his captors to free three Afghans seized with him.

Eric Damfreville wore a bandage over one eye as he stepped off a French plane at the Villacoublay military airport, west of Paris. He was met by the French foreign minister.

"I feel a great joy to be here this morning," Damfreville said. "But my joy will be even greater once Azrat, Rasul, Hashim, three Afghans, are also freed."

The aid group he worked for, Terre d'Enfance, said Damfreville had spent most of his captivity bound and gagged and described his health as "quite deteriorated."

Damfreville said he was treated well by his captors and that his weakened health was a result of the length of his detention and the sparse conditions of the area where he was held.

I guess he's trying to put a good face on it while his 3 friends are still being held by the same thugs who treated him so well. If this is the premium Western-hostage care, I hate to think of how those poor Afghan guys are being treated. This is the thanks they get for trying to make a wretched hellhole a little less hellish. Obviously that isn't going to happen while the Taliban continue to exist.

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May 11, 2007

Eric Damfreville Freed in Afghanistan!


UPDATE:
Here is a video report by the BBC on Eric's release::


Wonderful news out of Afghanistan:

The Taliban freed a French aid worker kidnapped last month in Afghanistan, a spokesman for the group said Friday.

Qari Mohammad Yousuf said the Taliban handed over Eric Damfreville to tribal elders in the province of Kandahar. The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed Damfreville was transferred to its representatives.

There were unconfirmed reports he may be taken to Kandahar airfield, then possibly Kabul, before he heads to France.

This is a wonderful answer to prayers; let's continue to pray for the safe release of Eric's three Afghan co-workers.

Anyone want to bet that newly-elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy made the Taliban an offer they couldn't refuse? more...

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May 10, 2007

Islamic State of Iraq Murders National Guards (WARNING: GRAPHIC)

Via SITE:

The Islamic State of Iraq, through its al-Furqan Foundation for Media Production, issued to jihadist forums today, Thursday, May 10, 2007, a one-minute video depicting the gunshot execution of the nine captured employees of the Iraqi Ministries of Interior and Defense. A prior video released by the group on Monday showed these individuals bound and standing in front of the Islamic State’s flag, as demands for their release within a 72-hour period were made of the Iraqi government. These demands, including the release of female Sunni Muslim prisoners and the turnover of Shi’ite police officers allegedly guilty of the rape of Sabrin al-Janabi and women in Tal Afar, mirror the demands made by the Islamic State in similar incidents for the past two months, which went unheeded. After a message declaring that the deadline had passed and the Shari’a Court had decided to implement the “Rule of Allah” upon the captured, the scene cuts to outdoor footage of each prison bound and blindfolded, and shot in the back of the head one-by-one by the executioner.

The ISI has apparently decided to milk this alleged rape for all it's worth: this is the third incident in which Iraqi National Guardsmen have been kidnapped and murdered. In April, 20 Iraqi soldiers and policemen were abducted and murdered; in March, 18 were killed

H/t George

Video below the fold more...

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May 06, 2007

Sarkozy Wins!

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Great news from France via CNN:

PARIS, France (CNN) -- Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy has won France's presidential election, beating his Socialist rival Segolene Royal by a comfortable margin, television projections said on Sunday.

Forecasts by four pollsters showed 52-year-old former interior minister Sarkozy won about 53 percent of the vote in the second-round ballot and will succeed fellow conservative Jacques Chirac, who was president for 12 years.

Turnout was predicted at about 85 percent.

Thousands of rightwing voters burst into applause and wild cheering after Sarkozy's victory was announced at the concert hall where he was due to make a speech.

Anti-American weasels were deeply saddened.

Woo Hoo!

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May 05, 2007

Zawahiri Mocks Democrat's Surrender Bill (Updated, Bumped With Video)

zawahiri0507.jpgNo matter what words Harry Reid uses, redeployment, withdrawl, timetable, al-Qaeda see's it as surrender. It's a damn shame too that the Democrats handed Zawahiri this propaganda just as al-Qeada in Iraq's back is against the wall and our Apache crews are making short work of the Taliban's spring offensive.

Via ABCNEWS: In a new video posted today on the Internet, al Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al Zawahiri, mocks the bill passed by Congress setting a timetable for the pullout of U.S. troops in Iraq.

"This bill will deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces which we have caught in a historic trap," Zawahiri says in answer to a question posed to him an interviewer.

Continuing in the same tone, Zawahiri says, "We ask Allah that they only get out of it after losing 200,000 to 300,000 killed, in order that we give the spillers of blood in Washington and Europe an unforgettable lesson."

Laura Mansfield has more and a copy available for download here.

Update: Video added, below the fold. Note the message is dated 04/28/07. That date is included in the original filename as well.

Update: Higher quailty version added below. more...

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TSA Suits Lose Employees' Personal Data

In a balls-up that will have a familiar ring to anyone who has worn the uniform of a Transportation Security Administration officer, someone at TSA headquarters has managed to lose a hard drive containing the personal information, including Social Security numbers, for 100,000 employees: more...

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May 04, 2007

Deadline Draws Near for French Hostage

The deadline set by the Taliban for the release of French hostage Eric Damfreville and three Afghan colleagues is set to expire on Saturday, and no progress is being reported.

Via AFP:

"The deadline is drawing closer every moment," Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP.

"The French government and the Afghan government not only has not accepted our demands, but they even have not tried to contact us. The situation is unclear and blurry."

The Taliban has demanded the release of high-ranking prisoners held by the Afghan government and the withdrawal of France's 1000 troops from Afghanistan.

The hostages, employees of the NGO Terre d'Enfance, which set up schools and women's centers in rural provinces, were kidnapped April 3. Female hostage Celine Cordelier was released last week as a "goodwill gesture". She returned to France after making tearful pleas for the freedom of her co-workers.

The Taliban had originally threatened to behead the captives last weekend, but extended the deadline by a week in recognition of the French presidential elections.

Afghan Presidet Hamid Karzai has ruled out any hostage exchanges for the kidnapped aid workers. He was criticized for freeing 5 Taliban prisoners last month in order to win the release of Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, while refusing to deal for his Afghan driver and interpreter, who were beheaded.

Critics said the move increased the risk of kidnappings by militants and others groups wanting prisoners freed, or by criminal groups who could "sell" their captives on or demand ransom.


Less than a week after the Italian was freed, a medical team that included Afghan doctors and nurses was captured in southern Afghanistan. The Taliban has said it has demanded certain prisoners in exchange for the five.

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Verizon Drops Akon

What hath the Imus fracas wrought?

Verizon, pushed back on its heels by the videos of their "featured artist" Akon dry-humping a 14-year old girl in the name of "expression," has ended their association with this incomprehensibly brilliant and important rapper.

Michelle (with the aid of Laura Ingraham) can probably add a notch to her belt for this one.

Cue screams of "censorship" from the left, and hysterical laughter from the right. Don't worry, leftards.

I'm sure there are plenty of "artists" out there expressing your messages of "rebellion" and "sexual freedom to hump 14-year old girls onstage" in ways similar if not identical to Akon.

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April 30, 2007

Eyewitness to a Stoning (Warning: Graphic)

Gateway Pundit has the story behind the stoning:

On or around April 7, 2007... Du'a Khalil Aswad, a 17 year old Kurdish girl was murdered by public stoning after running away from home for a so-called honour crime. Du'a was a member of Iraq’s Yezidi religious minority from the village of Bahzan in northern Iraq. She was killed by a group of men and in the presence of a large noisy crowd in the town of Bashika, near the city of Mosul. Some of her relatives may have participated in her stoning.

Amnesty International reported that Du’a Khalil Aswad’s murder is said to have been committed by relatives and other Yezidi men because she had engaged in a relationship with a Sunni Muslim boy and had been absent from her home for one night. Some reports suggested that she had converted to Islam, but others deny this. Initially, she was reportedly given shelter in the house of a Yezidi tribal leader in Bashika, but her killers stormed the house, took her outside and stoned her to death. Her death by stoning, lasted for some 30 minutes.

This stoning, incidently, led to the massacre of 23 Yezedis by Muslims who believed Du'a was murdered for converting to Islam:

Abdul-Karim Khalaf, a police spokesman for Ninevah province, said the executions were in response to the killing two weeks ago of a Yazidi woman who had recently converted to Islam after she fell in love with a Muslim and ran off with him. Her relatives had disapproved of the match and dragged her back to Bashika, where she was stoned to death, he said.

A grainy video showing gruesome scenes of the woman's killing was distributed on Iraqi Web sites in recent weeks, but its authenticity could not be independently confirmed.

The Gates of Vienna has some excellent background information on the Yezedi. This is one of those occasions, however, when we have to put aside our sympathy for a persecuted minority and state the obvious fact that stoning women, either for adultery or converting to another religion, is barbaric and reprehensible. Let's contrast this honor killing with Jesus's response to a similar situation:

3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:3-11)

Video via Publius Pundit.

H/t BeShep33

Crossposted at Not Ready for my Burqua

Update by Rusty: This video is all over Islamic websites and Muslims are outraged by it. The most common comment being: see what they do to a girl who converts to Islam! Ironic, of course, since Muhammed said that leaving Islam was punishable by the death penalty.

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7/7 Terrorists Known to Authorities Prior to Attack

The Associated Press reports that details revealed during the trials of five jihadis (just sentenced to life terms) show that British investigators were aware of the 7/7 terrorists, but failed to connect the dots:

Details kept secret to ensure a fair trial showed that counterterrorism agents tracking the five men had also stumbled onto the transit plotters. And despite disturbing signs that the transit plot was in the works, the agents failed to piece them together in time to prevent the July 7, 2005 bombings that killed 52 people, testimony and official briefings during the trial showed.
Of course, the bits and pieces always fit together seamlessly after the fact. more...

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April 28, 2007

French Woman Hostage Freed

Via AFP:

A French woman -- one of five hostages held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for three weeks -- has been released in the southern province of Kandahar, a Taliban spokesman told AFP.

"Today at 11:05 (0635 GMT) the French female hostage was released in Maiwand district of Kandahar province," Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said.

Afghan officials could not immediately confirm the release. The French embassy in Kabul said: "We are awaiting confirmation."

The Taliban will give France one more week to negotiate the release of hostage Eric Damfreville and 3 Afghan colleagues.

Another spokesman for the movement, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the extension was granted to the French government "since they have elections and they are busy."

"We will give the French woman a letter containing our demands from the French government," he said.

UPDATE: France Confirms Release of Hostage in Afghanistan

“French authorities confirm that one of the hostages, who are members of the Terre d’Enfance association, has been released this morning in Afghanistan,” the ministry said.

“This release is the result of the efforts made for more than three weeks. They must continue with the same determination and the same discretion until the release of the other hostages,” the ministry said in a statement.

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April 27, 2007

Breaking al-Qaeda Leader Captured (UPDATED)

Via ABCNEWS breaking news email

THE PENTAGON SAYS IT HAS ONE OF AL QAEDA'S MOST SENIOR OPERATIVES IN ITS CUSTODY, HE WAS CAUGHT BY THE CIA.
Update: The man is identified at by the DOD as Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi.
The Department of Defense announced today that it took custody Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, a high-level member of al-Qaida captured in the War on Terror and placed him under control of the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Prior to his arrival at Guantanamo Bay, he was held in CIA custody.

Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi was one of al-Qaida’s highest-ranking and experienced senior operatives at the time of his detention. Abd al-Hadi associated with leaders of extremist groups allied with al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including the Taliban. Abd al-Hadi worked directly with the Taliban to determine responsibility and lines of communication between Taliban and al-Qaida leaders in Afghanistan, specifically with regard to the targeting of U.S. Forces. More details of his background and activities are available here.

Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi is now under DoD custody and control and will be treated appropriately and in accordance with policy and procedures for other DoD detainees at Guantanamo. He will be treated in accordance with U.S. law and international obligations under treaties to include the Convention Against Torture, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, the Detainee Treatment Act, the Military Commissions Act, and applicable Department of Defense directives and instructions governing detainee operations.
Update by Rusty: Much more from Roggio here and some video of this scumbag at the bottom of Allah's post here.

Update II by Howie: The Times is reporting that Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi was to the 7/7 bombing what KSM was to 9/11.

The al-Qaeda leader who is thought to have devised the plan for the July 7 suicide bombings in London and an array of terrorist plots against Britain has been captured by the Americans.

Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, a former major in Saddam Hussein’s army, was apprehended as he tried to enter Iraq from Iran and was transferred this week to the “high-value detainee programme” at Guantanamo Bay.

These are not the Iraq, al-Qaeda connections we are looking for, move along.

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MIT Dean Marilee Jones Resigns Amid False Credentials Scandal

Via Fox News:

The school announced Thursday that Jones had resigned after acknowledging she had misrepresented her education when she started working at the university 28 years ago, and declined to correct multiple incorrect claims since then.
Looks like it wasn't just a few mudane details:
She falsely bolstered her credentials to get a job with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and over the course of her career claimed to have earned degrees from three schools. MIT officials say now they have no evidence she ever graduated from college at all.

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UPDATE: Taliban Set Saturday Deadline for French Hostages

Via AFP:

Afghanistan's Taliban movement said Friday that its deadline for demands to be met for the release of two French aid workers captured with three Afghans more than three weeks ago would expire Saturday.

The demands include the withdrawal of French troops mfrom Afghanistan and the release of an unspecified number of Taliban prisoners. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has promised not to release any Taliban in exchange for the hostages. But the French look like they may be caving on their end:

As concerns grew about the fate of the five employees of Terre d'Enfance (A World For Our Children), French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said that France did not plan to stay in Afghanistan.

"There is no plan to continue occupying a country in the long-term," said Douste-Blazy. "It goes against France's values of respect for sovereignty, national independence, and territorial integrity."

Hopefully those vaunted French values also include rescuing their fellow countrymen from the hands of murderous thugs who would be just as happy to have Eric and Celine star in their next propaganda beheading video as to actually have the French leave, thus drying up the talent pool for the Afghan snuff film industry.

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April 26, 2007

Democrat Congress As Fat And Corrupt As Previous

Another Democrat campaign promise broken.

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Taliban Claims French Hostages Are Alive and Well

Two French hostages kidnapped earlier this month, and who have not been heard from since a video was released last week, are alive and well, their captors claim. That could change at any time though:

The Taliban, which has beheaded several of its captives, said April 20 that French troops must be withdrawn from Afghanistan and Kabul must release Taliban prisoners within a week.

"Without this, the position of Islamic Emirate [the Taliban] about foreign prisoners was clear to the world and [will] soon be applied," it said in a statement on its Web site.

Taliban spokesman Yousef Ahmadi refused to speculate on what would happen if the deadline passes tomorrow.

"They are in good health, in good condition. They are eating well and they are our guests," Ahmadi said. "There has been no particular development of the case. There has been no major direct or indirect negotiations."

Hostages Eric Damfreville and his co-worker Celine were kidnapped in SW Afghanistan on April 3, along with 3 Afghan colleagues.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has vowed not to release any Taliban prisoners in exchange for the captives. Last month, an Italian journalist, Daniele Mastorgiacomo, was abducted along with his driver and translator. Mastrogiacomo was freed in exchange for 5 Taliban prisoners. The driver, Sayed Agha, and translator, Adjmal Nakshbandi, were beheaded by the Taliban, sparking criticism that they were treated like second-class hostages.

We continue to pray for Eric and Celine's safety and freedom, and for the day when Taliban spokesmen are no longer in a position to demand anything from decent, freedom-loving people anywhere on Earth.

more...

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April 22, 2007

Eight Ethiopian Hostages Freed

Here is some good hostage news for a change: the 8 Ethiopian guides who were kidnapped along with the 5 British Embassy workers back in early March have finally been released:

Ethiopia said on Sunday that of its eight nationals kidnapped last month with a group of European travellers in a remote northern desert region had been released in neighbouring Eritrea.

The hostage saga had put further strain on ties between the two Horn of Africa foes, who fought a 1998-2000 border war and are blaming each other for stirring up the Somalia conflict.

"Their release is due to pressure imposed on Eritrea by the international community," said a brief government statement read on TV. The eight had been held for 40 days.

The statement, which quoted Ethiopian security sources, said further information, including on the health of the group, would be given on Monday.

Ethiopia blamed Eritrea for the abductions, while Eritrea said separatist rebels were to blame.

H/t George

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April 20, 2007

Taliban Demands Prisoner Swap for French Hostages

Via Reuters:

"The stand of the mujahideen ... is as follows: 1) that France withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan's territories within one week; 2) the administration in Kabul must show a quick reaction on the swap of hostages," said an Internet statement from Taliban's leadership council.

"In case of refusal, action will be taken against them (hostages) promptly," the council said.

This is not good news for hostages Eric and Celine, as Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ruled out making any more prisoner swaps, after taking terrible criticism over the Daniele Mastrogiacomo abduction, when 5 Taliban prisoners were released in exchange for the kidnapped Italian reporter. His Afghan assistants, driver Sayed Agha and translator Adjmal Nakshbandi, were beheaded when Karzai refused to exchange any prisoners for them.

There has been no word on 5 Afghan medical workers who were also kidnapped last month; their Taliban abductors had promised they would be next in line for murder after Adjmal's beheading.

The French government says it is studying the Taliban's demands and will make no further comment. Let's hope they can move from analyzing to action before Eric and Celine's heads are sent back in a sack to France for further study.

H/t George more...

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April 19, 2007

French Send Envoy to Kabul in Effort to Free Hostages

The French Foreign Ministry's Secretary-General, Phillipe Faure, will meet with Afghan government officials today and Friday to try to win the release of 2 French aid workers who were kidnapped two weeks ago.

Eric Damfreville and his co-worker Celine, ran the NGO Terre d'Enfance in the southwestern province of Nimroz. They, along with three Afghan assistants, were abducted April 3 by the Taliban. A video of the captives was sent to media outlets last week; the Canadian Broadcast Company showed still frames from the video on their nightly news show.

In the video, Eric and Celine plead for their lives; Celine tearfully warns that they will be beheaded and their heads sent home to France if the Taliban's demands are not met. The demands, however, have not been publicly stated.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ruled out any prisoner swap for the captives; after taking heat for releasing 5 imprisoned Taliban last month in exchange for Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, whose Afghan driver and translator were beheaded when Karzai refused to deal for them.

France has a large stake in winning the freedom of Eric and Celine: they presently have about 210 humanitarian workers posted in Afghanistan, running 20 different NGOs. Fears for their safety has increased since the recent spate of kidnappings, but most say they do not want to leave the country:

Ehsan Mehrangais, a Franco-Afghan, runs the NGO Afghanistan Demain, the goal of which is to collect and reintegrate street children. He works with two French expatriates. Highly knowledgeable about Afghanistan, he is nonetheless sceptical about the future of security here: "People think about it, but continue working. We now avoid leaving Kabul and I no longer authorize weekends in the provinces." He explains that the situation has deteriorated not just since the kidnapping of the two French humanitarian workers, but also because of the death of the Afghan interpreter of the hostage Daniele Mastrogiacomo. "The Afghans are edgy and all are terribly angry at the Karzai government," Ehsan explains. President Hamid Karzai agreed to release five Taleban prisoners for the freeing of the Italian journalist on 19 March, but his interpreter was decapitated a few days later for lack of a similar agreement.


Although the situation remains calm in Kabul, Afghanistan Demain's drivers have redoubled their vigilance. They constantly watch that they are not being followed and systematically lock the doors. Shortly before being kidnapped, Celine spent a few days in Panshir with, among others, Ehsan. He says he was profoundly affected by the abduction of the young woman: "Celine had very few contacts with the people of Kabul. But she was very motivated: she learned Persian and was keenly interested in Afghanistan."

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April 18, 2007

CU Student Arrested For VT Shootings Comments

The question is, though, is he really a danger, or simply a publicity hound? more...

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Democrats Argue for Right To Suck Baby Brains Out

They're appalled. They're mad. Their 'Constitution' has been shredded.

The eeeevil Rovian Supreme Court upholds a democratically adopted law, and the left shrieks. A central sacrament of their hyper-liberal religion (the 'right' to destroy unborn babies in the third trimester by sucking out their brains with a high-powered vaccum) has been violated. Someone must pay.

A clarifying moment if you ever needed one.

Posted by: Good Lt. at 01:07 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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