U.S. Officials: Militants May Have Fled Baghdad Due to Crackdown

BAGHDAD, Iraq —
Citing an increase in attacks in provinces that border Baghdad, U.S. military officials are starting to believe Sunni and Shiite extremists have fled the Iraqi capital to avoid the new security crackdown.

Attacks north and west of the capital Saturday contrasted with a lull in major violence in Baghdad as U.S. and Iraqi forces try to regain control from sectarian militias and criminal gangs.

A twin bombing left 11 dead in northern Iraq and U.S. aircraft went in action against Sunni insurgents west of Baghdad, as Iraqi officials claimed early success in the campaign to restore order in the capital.

The bombers struck in a Kurdish neighborhood of the oil city of Kirkuk, about 180 miles north of Baghdad, as streets were filled with cars and pedestrians.

Police and witnesses said the first blast occurred near shops and a bus depot. Minutes later, a suicide car bomber attacked the same area. Terrified shoppers fled screaming in panic amid burning cars and debris. A restaurant owner lay screaming on the sidewalk, his body soaked with hot cooking oil after one of the blasts hurled him onto the curb.

Eleven people were killed in the two blasts and 65 were wounded, police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qader said. Sunni Arabs and Kurds have laid rival claims on Kirkuk and its oil wealth.

In Ramadi, a Sunni insurgent hotbed 70 miles west of the capital, U.S. jets strafed gunmen after they ambushed a U.S. patrol, said 2nd Lt. Roger Hollenbeck, a Marine spokesman. Hours later, U.S. aircraft destroyed a car with gunmen who were trying to escape after they attacked an Army patrol, Hollenbeck said.

There were no U.S. casualties, but Hollenbeck said eight insurgents were killed — four in each attack. The U.S. military did report, however, that a Marine was killed the day before in Anbar province, which includes Ramadi.

Iraqi authorities said they foiled a would-be suicide attack near Karbala, about 50 miles south of Baghdad. A minivan came under fire after the driver failed to slow at a checkpoint, and then detonated the explosives and was killed, said Karbala police spokesman Rahman Mishawi. There were no other casualties.

In Baghdad, however, much of the gunfire appeared to come from Iraqi police shooting in the air to clear the way for their convoys.

On Palestine Street, a main thoroughfare in east Baghdad, police commandos in armored personnel carriers manned dozens of checkpoints — some only about 100 yards apart. In Waziriyah, a Sunni area of northeast Baghdad, cranes put concrete blast barriers in place to block would-be suicide bombers.

American paratroopers from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division joined Iraqi soldiers in a sweep through a mostly Sunni neighborhood. U.S. Apache helicopters and a jet flew overhead.

Although the Baghdad operation has been in full swing only four days, Iraqi authorities have already begun heralding it as a major success. Iraqi spokesman Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi told reporters that "crimes and terrorist attacks" had dropped by 80 percent since Wednesday.

Police said the bodies of only five apparent victims of sectarian death squads were found in Saturday across the capital — in contrast to the scores that were recovered daily in the weeks before.

U.S. officials, however, have said it is too early to declare success.

And Sunni politicians have complained that the initial raids have focused on Sunni neighborhoods, sparing Shiite hotspots such as Sadr City, stronghold of the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Sunnis blame the Mahdi Army for much of Baghdad's sectarian violence and for forcing thousands of Sunni families from their homes. Shiites insist the greater threat comes from Sunni extremists including al-Qaida in Iraq.

Al-Sadr is a close ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The Shiite prime minister convinced al-Sadr to remove many of his armed militiamen from the streets to avoid a showdown with the Americans.

Assad, Ahmadinejad vow to form alliance against U.S., Israel

Iranian President Mahmoud Adhmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad on Saturday vowed to form an alliance against what they called U.S. and Israeli conspiracies against the Islamic world.

Iran's ISNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that the Islamic world in general and Iran and Syria in particular should maintain their vigilance and neutralize conspiracies aimed at sowing discord among Muslims.

Ahmadinejad said that what the U.S. really aims for under the pretext of development in the region "is just another effort to strengthen its own status and that of the Zionists."

The Iranian president also praised the agreement by rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah to form a unity government.

"Dispute among Muslim factions has always been harmful for regional nations and useful for Islam's enemies," he said.

ISNA quoted Assad as saying that expansion of Tehran-Damascus ties would help resolve the problems of the Islamic world. He accused the U.S. of trying to attract public opinion within the Islamic world by undermining Iran-Syria relations.

"America's policies have failed in the region ... By creating divisions among Muslim nations, Washington wants to pursue its aims," IRNA quoted Assad as saying during his meeting with Ahmadinejad, who urged "Muslim countries to preserve unity."

The Syrian leader said Muslims worldwide should be informed about "the evil aims by the U.S. and Zionists" which he said were sowing discord among Muslims.

Assad arrived earlier Saturday in Tehran for a two-day visit to discuss developments in the Middle East and was scheduled to also meet Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, former president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.

On the agenda would be Iraq, Lebanon and cooperation with the
Palestinians. Assad was in Tehran in August 2005 immediately after
the start of Ahmadinejad's presidential term.

Ahmadinejad said earlier Saturday that Lebanon and Hezbollah have his complete support in their struggle against Israel and the United States.

"Iran and Lebanon are two parts of the same body, and only through cooperation between our two nations will it be possible to foil the conspiracies of the enemy," Ahmadinejad said.

"Thanks to Hezbollah, the Lebanese people have become a symbol of courage, faith and respect for all nations, and all this through the power of resistance," Ahmadinejad added.

On Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that his organization is entitled to secretly transfer arms in order to fight Israel, and that he will not forgive the Lebanese Army for seizing last week an arms-laden truck that belonged to Hezbollah.

Nasrallah said "we have plenty of weapons ... and we have the right to transport our arms to combat Israel."

Nasrallah said the arms transfers are carried out in secret in order "to hide them from the Israeli enemy."

The Hezbollah chief added that his group has no intention of disarming, and intends to maintain its forces in southern Lebanon. "The resistance will always stand by the Lebanese Army in southern Lebanon, with our weapons, men and blood... to defend Lebanon," he said.

Hezbollah is "ready to give the army all the arms it needs," but will not forgive anyone who confiscates even a single bullet, Nasrallah added.

Nasrallah was speaking at a Beirut rally marking the anniversary of the assassination of his predecessor, Sheik Abbas Musawi, who was killed in 1992 in an Israeli strike.

Last week, the Lebanese Army confiscated a truck that was full of Hezbollah weapons.

Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr said during a televised interview that the arms shipment was comprised of rockets, but staunchly denied allegations that the shipment came from Syria, saying it originated from within Lebanese territory.

The Shi'ite organization announced that the truck belongs to it, and demanded that the Lebanese Army release it immediately.

The incident heightened tensions between Lebanon's government and Hezbollah, which has called for its overthrow.

Nasrallah, vowed on Friday to continue the opposition campaign led by his militant group to force Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to share power or step down, saying he was confident of eventual triumph, claiming the militants had the resources for it.

"No one should imagine that the opposition's coffers have emptied," he said. "If the (demands) are not met, the opposition will continue its actions by means which it finds appropriate."

However, Nasrallah insisted his Sh'ite Muslim followers would not incite a conflict that could degenerate into a civil war. Saniora is backed by the country's Sunnis.

"Civil war is a red line," Nasrallah said, an expression he also used last month after scuffles between pro- and anti-government supporters turned into Shi'ite-Sunni sectarian clashes that killed eight people.

Senate Gridlocked on Iraq Troop Buildup

WASHINGTON —
The Senate gridlocked on the Iraq war in a sharply worded showdown on Saturday as Republicans foiled a Democratic attempt to rebuke President Bush over his deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops.

The vote was 56-34. That was six short of the 60 needed to advance the measure, which is identical to a nonbinding resolution that Democrats pushed through the House on Friday.

"The Senate, on behalf of the American people, must make it clear to the commander in chief that he no longer has a rubber stamp in Iraq," said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the final moments before the vote.

Republicans blasted him and the Democratic leadership for refusing to allow a vote on an alternative that ruled out any reduction in money for troops in the field.

"A vote in support of the troops that is silent on the question of funds is an attempt to have it both ways," said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the GOP leader. "So we are asking for an honest and open debate."

The vote marked the second time this winter that Senate Republicans have blocked action on nonbinding measures critical of the president's war policies. This time, however, there were signs of restlessness within the GOP.

Seven Republicans broke with their leadership, compared with only two on the previous test vote.

Also this time, the maneuvering concerned a nonbinding measure that disapproved of Bush's decision to deploy the additional troops and pledged to support and protect the troops.

The vote in the House on Friday was 246-182, with 17 Republicans breaking ranks to support the measure and two Democrats voting in opposition.

Saturday's debate and vote occurred in an intensely political environment, both in and out of the Capitol. The unusual weekend session sent presidential contenders in both parties scrambling to make the vote.

One of them, Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, squeezed in a morning appearance in New Hampshire, where she told one audience, "We have to end this war and we can't do it without Republican votes."

Polls show strong public opposition to the war, which as killed more than 3,100 U.S. troops. Democrats seemed eager to force Republicans into votes that might prove politically troublesome.

"They are torn between their president's policy and the wishes of the constituents, but vote they must," said Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, head of the Senate Democrats' campaign committee.

Democrats in both the House and Senate have said the nonbinding measures would be only the first attempt to force a shift in Bush's war policies.

In the Senate, Reid has told lawmakers he will turn anti-terrorism legislation into a forum for debate over the war. He has met privately in recent days with fellow Democrats as the leadership plans its next move.

In the House, Democrats have said they will attempt to place restrictions on Bush's request for an additional $93 billion for the military in an attempt to make it impossible for him to deploy all 21,500 additional troops.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., has described a series of provisions that would require the Pentagon to meet certain standards for training and equipping the troops, and for making sure they have enough time at home between deployments.

Murtha and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., describe these provisions as designed to protect the troops.

Republicans argue the effect would be to deny troops needed reinforcements and are expected to try to block the restrictions.

Internet Buzzing Over Mystery Weapon Found in Iraq

NEW YORK —
The photo of a "mystery weapon" found by GIs and a Web journalist in Iraq two years ago has captured the imagination of bloggers around the world eager to answer the question: What is it?



The photo, which shows what appears to be a weapon, about 3-feet long, resembling a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher, was taken by Michael Yon, a writer and photographer currently based in Iraq. He photographed the "weapon" in 2005 as he was cataloging a huge cache of munitions discovered by Iraqi police under a barn in Mosul and later destroyed by the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment.

As U.S. military officials linked Iran to the Iraq weapons-supply chain on Sunday, Yon scanned his photos from the Mosul horde and decided to post the photo to his blog, www.michaelyon-online.com, prompting hundreds of responses to what it could possibly be.

"It's got everybody and their grandmother wondering what the thing is and nobody really seems to know," said Yon, a former special ops weapons specialist.

DO YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS? If so, email your guess to: mysteryweapon@gmail.com

Click here to read Yon's 'Mystery Weapon' posting.

Bloggers surmised the item could be anything from a homemade RPG to a Palestinian-made anti-tank launcher called the Yasin.

One crafty blogger even tried to convince readers it was a toy by digitally manipulating the item into the equipment of Special Ops Cody, the military doll at the center of a February 2005 soldier kidnap hoax video posted to an Islamic militant Web site.

Yon said the weapon was part of the largest cache of munitions he's seen in Iraq — a storehouse of arms he dubbed the "Devil's Foyer" that included RPGs, surface-to-air missiles, blasting caps, anti-tank mines, mortar rounds, anti-personnel mines and the as-of-yet unidentified firing object.

Click here to read about the Devil's Foyer.

"If I saw that anywhere other than amongst all those other weapons, I would have said, 'What in the world is that thing?" Yon told FOXNews.com by phone from Baghdad. "'Maybe it's some kind of potato launcher.'"

FOXNews.com circulated the photo on Thursday to military weapons experts and received the following responses:

— "On closer inspection, the launcher on the bottom is a Chinese Type 69 launcher. The object in the foreground is not a rocket, but is an RPG-2 or RPG-7 launcher. The front area is missing the heat shield and is a little scorched, but you can see the brown baked heat shield clearly where the launcher would rest on your shoulder. You can also see the small carry handle on top. It's an older model with iron sights. The green launcher on the top looks to be a Hezbollah manufactured improvised 57mm electrical firing system. It can fire Soviet 57mm rockets. The power source and firing mechanism should all be contained in the grip stock/rear handle. If they take it apart, the batteries may give it all away. There are probably traceable markings on the batteries."

— "From the round in the foreground, it's clearly an RPG launcher of some sort. I've looked through all my "Janes: Weapons of the World" [books] and can't find anything like it. My first thought: it's homemade. A close look at how close the butt-stock is to the rear of the launcher tells me that the shooter will be hard of hearing when he meets the 72 virgins."

— "Looks kind of Eastern European, or maybe... made in Al Qaeda shop class and stole the scope off daddy's hunting rifle... look for [someone] with a bloody ear and singed hair."

— "My guess is that this is a mock up of a weapon, or an improvised munition. For one thing, the telescopic site is attached to a plate that is welded on. Second, both the front handle and the butt are screwed on — notice the screw holes on both at the bottoms. This would impair the integrity of the barrel, making it liable to explode if it were fired. Next, the butt end of the weapon is too close to the rear of the weapon, and there is no blast shield. Finally, if you measure the projectile, which has a firing pin at the bottom (the small dot) and hold the measurement up to the barrel of the weapon, the trigger is about two inches short of the firing pin. One thing I do know is that if this thing were going to work, it would take an extended trigger mechanism... It also could be a refitted German-made Armbrust recoiless rifle, fitted with a grenade launcher on front, to hold RPG rounds. It is, by any definition, an improvised munition."

Bomb Explodes in Iran Near Site of Previous Deadly Blast

TEHRAN, Iran —
A bomb exploded in southeastern Iran late Friday, near the site where an earlier explosion this week killed 11 members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, the state-run news agency IRNA reported.

"Minutes ago, the sound of a bomb explosion was heard in one of Zahedan streets," the agency said but gave no further details. IRNA didn't say whether the explosion had caused any deaths or injuries.

The semiofficial Fars news agency said clashes broke out between Iranian police and armed insurgents following the explosion in Zahedan but those reports could not be immediately confirmed.

On Wednesday, a car bomb blew up a bus owned by the elite troops in Zahedan, capital of the Sistan-Baluchestan province on the border with Pakistan.

Friday's blast came just hours after the funeral of the 11 Revolutionary Guardsmen took place in the provincial capital.

A Sunni Muslim militant group called Jundallah, or God's Brigade, which has been blamed for past attacks on Iranian troops, has claimed responsibility for the Wednesday bombing.

Iran has accused the United States of backing militants to destabilize the country. The accusation come amid growing tensions between Tehran and Washington over insurgency in Iraq and Iran's controversial nuclear activities.

The Fars agency said the Friday explosion occurred at a female school in Zahedan.

"The insurgents began shooting at people after the explosion. Clashes are continuing between police and the armed insurgents. Police have cordoned off the area," the Fars agency said.

Iran's state-run television showed footage of Zahedan residents marching in the streets earlier in the day and carrying coffins of the killed Guardsmen for burial. The crowd chanted, "death to hypocrites," in a reference to the insurgents.

Separately, IRNA quoted an unnamed "responsible official" late Friday as saying that one of those arrested on charges of involvement in Wednesday's bombing, identified as Nasrollah Shanbe Zehi, has "confessed" that the attacks were part of alleged U.S. plans to provoke ethnic and religious violence in Iran.

"This person who was behind the bombing confessed that those who trained them spoke in English," IRNA quoted the official as saying. According to the official, the suspect was surprised at his arrest, because he had allegedly been told that the people would support the group.

The confessions by Zehi helped police detain an unspecified number of Jundallah members and confiscate weapons and documents from the group in a raid Thursday in Zahedan, IRNA also said.

A majority of Iran's population are Shiite Muslims but minority Sunnis live in southeastern Iran.

The blasts represent sharp flare-up of violence in the remote southeast corner of Iran, near Pakistan and Afghanistan, that has long been plagued by lawlessness. The area is a key crossing point for opium from Afghanistan and often sees clashes between police and drug gangs.

Jundallah, believed to have links with al-Qaida terror group, has waged a low-level insurgency in the area, led by Abdulmalak Rigi, a member of Iran's ethnic Baluchi minority, a community that is Sunni Muslim and is present in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rigi has said his group is fighting for the rights of impoverished Sunnis under Iran's Shiite government.

The Fars agency also said that said Rigi appeared on the People's Mujahedeen opposition television, run by the armed group, minutes before Friday's explosion. The group seeks to overthrow the Iranian government by force.

Iranian officials have often raised concerns that Washington could incite members of Iran's many ethnic and religious minorities against the Shiite-led government in Tehran.

Iran has faced several ethnic and religious insurgencies that have carried out sporadic, sometimes deadly attacks in recent years — though none have amounted to a serious threat to the government.

In December, Jundallah claimed responsibility for kidnapping seven Iranian soldiers in the Zahedan region, threatening to kill them unless group members were freed from Iranian prisons. The seven were released a month later, apparently after negotiations through tribal mediators.

In March 2006, gunmen dressed as security forces killed 21 people on a highway outside Zahedan in an attack authorities blamed on "rebels," though Jundallah was never specifically named.

Iranian officals are concerned that the United States could be backing these groups in an attempt to destabilize the country. Hmmmm, kinda the same thing Iran is doing in Iraq. I almost feel bad for them...not really.

TV Bounty Hunter 'Dog' Chapman Faces Extradition to Mexico

GUADALAJARA, Mexico —
A federal court cleared the way for TV bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman to be extradited to face charges in Mexico, court officials said Thursday.

Norma Jara, a spokeswoman for the second district court in Guadalajara, said the court rejected Chapman's injunction request, ruling there was no reason not to try him with the charge of deprivation of liberty of Mexico.

Mexican authorities had already asked for Chapan's extradition from the state of Hawaii.

Chapman's lawyers argued he would not be guaranteed a fair trial in Mexico, Jara said.

The charges against the 53-year-old star of the A&E reality series "Dog the Bounty Hunter" stem from his June 2003 capture of convicted rapist Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir, in Puerto Vallarta, 210 miles west of Guadalajara.

Chapman was arrested Sept. 14 along with his son and another associate and released on $300,000 bail. He faces up to four years in a Mexican jail if convicted.

Luster's capture shot the Honolulu-based bounty hunter to fame and led to the TV series. His disappearance set off an international manhunt by police, FBI and bounty hunters trying to recoup some of the bond money. Luster is serving a 124-year prison term.

Am I the only one who sees the ignorance of this. Here is our government, sending Americans to Mexico for meaningless crimes, all the while we have 13 million illegals here that the same government refuses to send back to Mexico.

Venezuela to Al-Qaeda: Hey, don't threaten us, we're on your side

From Jihad Watch

Rear admiral Luis Cabrera, one of the members of President Hugo Chávez' Joint Chiefs of Staff, Thursday asked for verification of the "illogical" threat Al Qaeda allegedly launched against Venezuela, as this country is fighting US imperialism too, but using other methods.

"We should confirm the authenticity of these reports. It seems illogical that Al-Qaeda, which is against the US imperialism, is going after a State that is precisely fighting this hegemony, this imperialism, yet using other methods," Cabrera told official TV channel VTV.

Reports from Abu Dhabi on Wednesday claimed that the Saudi branch of Al Qaeda has urged followers to strike oil facilities in all countries around the world supplying oil to the United States, including Mexico, Canada and Venezuela.

The call came in an article called "Bin Laden and the Oil Weapon," featured in the latest edition of on-line magazine Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad), of the so-called "Al Qaeda Organization in the Arabian Peninsula," Efe reported.

Official: Al-Qaida in Iraq leader wounded

Some good news from Iraq:

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader Wounded
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was wounded and an aide was killed in a clash Thursday with Iraqi forces north of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry spokesman said.

The clash occurred near Balad, a major U.S. base about 50 miles north of the capital, Brig. Gen Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.

Khalaf said al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri was wounded and his aide, identified as Abu Abdullah al-Majemaai, was killed.

More good news from Iraq from earlier this week:

Sadr leaves Iraq for Iran

WASHINGTON: The powerful Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr has left Iraq and has been living in Iran for the last several weeks, senior Bush administration officials say.

With fresh U.S. forces arriving in Baghdad as part of the White House plan to stabilize the capital, officials in Washington suggested Tuesday that Sadr might have fled from Iraq to avoid being captured or killed during the crackdown.

Let the Military Choose Iraq Policy- Not Congress

A post from my congressman, Paul Gillmor, blog. This is why I vote for him.

This week, I joined many of my colleagues in a debate about a resolution being offered to disapprove of the President’s decision to send additional troops to Iraq.

Personally, I am skeptical that the increase of 20,000 additional troops will make the difference and stabilize Baghdad and Iraq. That being said, the question for me is to whom we should listen regarding operational decisions in Iraq. Should we listen to the recommendations of the US military or to the politicians in Washington?

As an Air Force veteran, I think we should accept the recommendations of our military. In that respect as recently as two weeks ago, General Odierno, Commander of Ground Forces in Baghdad said “By bringing more troops in, it provides us the opportunity to work with them (the Iraqis), to provide more time, and defeat this threat, which is both an al Qaeda threat as well as sectarian violence.”

For the past week, the House of Representatives has debated a nonbinding resolution which will do nothing to help our troops or positively change the course of action in Iraq. Our time could have been better spent debating real issues such as how to most effectively win the war that terrorists have waged on us.

What is most important about this resolution is not what it says but what it does not say. Even though the resolution compliments our military men and women, nowhere does it commit to continue providing funds for troops in the field. At a time when some in Washington are talking about cutting off funding for our troops, I think we should commit to providing full funding for our armed forces as long as they are in the field.

I have visited with wounded troops in Germany and have discussed our progress with a relative of mine who served a year in a combat zone in Baghdad. I am incredibly proud of our men and women in the military. They are talented, dedicated, professional and the absolute best in the world. We owe them all a tremendous debt of gratitude. What we do not owe our troops is a rejection of the only plan which has been proposed to achieve success in Iraq because failure in Iraq threatens the security of the United States, the Mideast and other parts of the world.

The resolution the House has been considering has two purposes. First, it rejects the only plan which has been suggested by our military leaders for success in Iraq. Second, it begins this Congress down a path which ends with cutting off funding for our troops and abandoning our foreign policy because of failed Congressional fortitude. I am opposed to this resolution and Congress’ micromanaging of the War on Terror.

French Police Arrest 11 in Recruitment for Al Qaeda

PARIS, Feb. 14 — The French antiterrorism police have arrested 11 people, most of them accused of connections to Iraqi insurgency recruitment rings linked to Al Qaeda, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

Two suspects were detained at Orly Airport on Tuesday night, and nine were detained on Wednesday, mostly in southwestern France.

French news reports said that the two men detained at the airport had been expelled from Syria. Le Monde said they had been arrested in Syria in mid-December as part of a group thought to be affiliated with Al Qaeda.

The arrests took place after an investigation by French intelligence services over several months, the Interior Ministry said.

“These individuals from southwestern France are involved in the organization of a jihadist recruitment ring for Iraq,” the ministry said.

A number of French citizens have been arrested in recent months in France and abroad, accused of trying to enter Iraq as fighters or of trying to enlist others to join the Iraqi insurgency.

In October 2006, Syrian security forces arrested three young French men who were accused of seeking to join the Iraqi insurgency. Their arrests led the French police to detain three more in France; they were accused of a connection to a recruitment ring, local news media said.

Egyptian forces in December 2006 arrested 12 French citizens, accusing them of connections to another jihad recruitment ring, but most of them were released without charges, Le Figaro reported.

The war in Iraq has encouraged terrorism, President Jacques Chirac said in his New Year’s address to foreign diplomats on Jan. 5. “It has undermined the stability of the entire region, where every country now fears for its security and its independence,” he said. “It has offered terrorism a new field for expansion.”

The French still have their heads in the sand.

FOXNews.com - Bush to Congress: Stand Up for Our Troops

President Bush on Wednesday lamented that the House is planning a resolution to express disapproval with the plan to deploy more U.S. forces to Iraq and said the U.S. Congress ought to do more to show its support for service members.

"Our troops are counting on their elected leaders in Washington, D.C., to provide them with the support they need to do their mission. We have a responsibility, all of us here in Washington, to make sure that our men and women in uniform have the resources and the flexibility they need to prevail," Bush told reporters in an East Room press conference.

Bush also said he had proof that many improvised explosive devices used against American forces in Iraq come from Iran but did not mention any specific plan for action.

"My job is to protect our troops. And when we find devices that are in that country that are hurting our troops, we're going to do something about it, pure and simple," he said.

The president said he discussed operations in Iraq this morning with the top U.S. commander there, Gen. David Petraeus.

"When Gen. Petraeus' nomination was considered three weeks ago, the United States Senate voted unanimously to confirm him. And I appreciated that vote by the senators," Bush said.

"And now members of the House of Representatives are debating a resolution that would express disapproval of the plan that Gen. Petraeus is carrying out," he continued.

The 95-word nonbinding resolution opposes Bush's plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, even as the deployment is in the works.

"Our coalition troops that are heading into Baghdad will be arriving on time," he said.

House lawmakers were continuing debate on the resolution on Wednesday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said the new policy won't work.

Read more

Rep. Ellison calls the cops to snuff Tancredo’s cigar

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) believes it is his right as a Muslim to be sworn into Congress with the Quran. But apparently, the freshman lawmaker doesn’t believe it’s Rep. Tom Tancredo’s (R-Colo.) right to smoke a cigar in his congressional office.

Ellison’s office called the Capitol Hill Police on Tancredo last Wednesday night as Tancredo was in his office smoking a cigar. The lawmakers have neighboring offices on the first floor of the Longworth House Office Building.

Tancredo was still stunned a day later. “It’s very bizarre,” said Tancredo, who has never met Ellison. “Seemed to me not a good way to say hello.”

And let’s face it. Calling the cops on a colleague takes the cake for the nerviest behavior so far among members of this year’s freshman class of Congress.

This is how it all went down. On Wednesday evening, around 6 p.m., Tancredo was preparing for his trip to Mississippi. And as he so often does, he was unwinding with a cigar.

Soon enough, however, a police officer walked in to check on the smoke. The officer told Tancredo that the officer came because he was required to do so and not because the officer wanted to. The officer had already told Ellison that Tancredo was permitted to smoke in his office. The visit was more a formality.

Tancredo said he would not stop smoking in his office. “Heck, no!” he said. “If he [Ellison] would have [had] the courtesy to say something I’m sure I would have been more accommodating to his wishes.”

To help keep his office free of impurities, Tancredo has three air purifiers. And he has no plans to meet Ellison anytime soon. “I’m sure we will, but I’m not going to make a point [of it],” the presidential hopeful said, adding that he supported Ellison’s right to be sworn in with the Quran.

Ellison’s press secretary, Rick Jauert, made the call to the Superintendent’s office when he noticed the smoke. “I called because the smoke was coming through the walls,” Jauert said, adding that the Superintendent’s office referred him to the Capitol Police.

Jauert said he then informed his boss what he had done. He said “fine,” Jauert said. “He’s complained of the smoke before.”

***UPDATE***

A freshman Democratic lawmaker sent a hand-written note Wednesday night to a neighboring Republican congressman to apologize for the situation that erupted after his staff complained to U.S. Capitol Police about cigar smoke.

No word yet that Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison is sorry that his staff called the cops in the first place to complain that Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo's cigar was stinking up the hallway they share in the Longworth House Office Building.

Ellison "apologizes for the situation" because "it was so blown out of proportion," Carlos Espinosa, Tancredo’s press secretary, told FOX News.

Tancredo told FOX News on Thursday that he had only read the first portion of the Ellison letter because he was in a rush to get the House floor to speak about Iraq. He said he would discuss the note once he can fully review it after he returns from attending the funeral of Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., who died earlier this week after a long battle with cancer.

News of the complaint were first reported in Wednesday editions of The Hill newspaper. Ellison's staff called the police to snuff out Tancredo's cigar. Tancredo, who often relaxes with a cigar, is allowed to smoke in his office. The police officer told Ellison's people that, but for due diligence went to check on the smoke.

Iranian Sniper Rifles in Iraq

Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

More than 100 of the.50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids.

A Steyr HS50 rifle, Austrian supplied rifles, arms trade, Iran equipping Iraq insurgents



The Steyr HS50 is a long range, high precision rifle

The guns were part of a shipment of 800 rifles that the Austrian company, Steyr-Mannlicher, exported legally to Iran last year.

The sale was condemned in Washington and London because officials were worried that the weapons would be used by insurgents against British and American troops.

Within 45 days of the first HS50 Steyr Mannlicher rifles arriving in Iran, an American officer in an armoured vehicle was shot dead by an Iraqi insurgent using the weapon.

Over the last six months American forces have found small caches of the £10,000 rifles but in the last 24 hours a raid in Baghdad brought the total to more than 100, US defence sources reported.
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The find is the latest in a series of discoveries that indicate that Teheran is providing support to Iraq's Shia insurgents.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, yesterday denied that Iran had supplied weapons to Iraqi insurgents. But on Sunday US officials in Baghdad displayed a range of weapons they claimed had originated in Iran.



They said 170 American and British soldiers had been killed by such weapons.

The discovery of the sniper rifles will further encourage those in Washington who want to see Iran's uranium-enriching facilities destroyed before a nuclear weapon is produced.

The Foreign Office expressed "serious concerns" over the sale of the rifles last year and Britain protested to the Austrian government.

A Foreign Office spokesman said last night: "Although we did make our worries known the sale unfortunately went ahead and now the potential that these weapons could fall into the wrong hands appears to have happened."

The rifle can pierce all body armour from up to a mile and penetrate armoured Humvee troop carriers.

It is highly accurate and fires a round called an armour piercing incendiary, a bullet that the Iranians manufacture.

The National Iranian Police Organisation bought the rifles allegedly to use them against drug smugglers in an £8 million order placed with Steyr in 2005.

The company was given permission to export them by the Austrian government, which is not a Nato member.

The Victory Caucus

Our Mission

* Deliver the perspectives and news on the war effort which the mainstream media neglects to help the American public understand the nature of our conflict and its true progress

* Provide tools and infrastructure to help citizens who are committed to victory organize into a recognized and influential caucus

* Identify opportunities for the caucus to act and exert influence on America’s leaders and to directly aid and support the men and women of our military



Our Beliefs

We support victory in the war against radical Islamists. We supported the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and we believe victory is necessary in both countries for America's self-defense.

We believe that the radical regime in Iran, while not representative of the Iranian people, is a menace and that it cannot be allowed to obtain or build nuclear weapons.

We believe that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that has killed hundreds of Americans and which waged war against Israel in violation of every law of war this past summer, and will do so again in the future.

We believe Israel is our ally and friend and deserves the full assistance of the United States in its battle with radical Islamists. We believe that Israel has repeatedly shown its willingness to negotiate a just and lasting peace, but that its enemies do not want peace, but the destruction of Israel.

We believe that the American military is the finest in the world and indeed in history, well led and superbly trained, and populated at every level by America's best and brightest.

We support the troops, and those organizations which assist the wounded in their recoveries and support the families of those who sacrificed everything.

We support leaders who support victory.

Thomas Jefferson & the Quran

There recently has been some controversy about Rep. Keith Ellison, who is a muslim, refusing to take his oath on the bible and instead opting to use a Quran. In what he thinks was a sly political move, he decides to use Thomas Jefferson's Quran. Rep. Ellison apparently is a fool because Jefferson's Quran was translated into English. If the Quran is translated into any other language, it is no longer a "holy" book. Of course if one reads the Quran, they will know there is nothing holy about it period.

You may ask, "Why did Thomas Jefferson own a Quran?" Some fools use it as apologetic towards Islam. Thomas Jefferson only purchased the Quran after reading another book that was "prejudiced" against Islam. His reading of the Quran made him realize that appeasement is never the answer. It also aided in his decisions during the Barbary Wars. Time for a history lesson kids.

Thomas Jefferson was secretary of state (1789-1793), VP (1797-1801), and President (1801-1809). He realized, even then, you cannot negotiate with terrorists.

September 11, 2001 was not America's first encounter with Islamic savages. It started in 1784 when the Barbary Pirates from Morocco captured an American ship sailing near the northern part of Africa. The ship and its contents were sold and the crew was enslaved. After paying a ransom, the crew was released and Morocco became the first nation to recognize the United States as a country and not a territory of the British.

Later in 1784, pirates based in Algeria captured two American ships. Once again, everything was sold and the crew was enslaved. The pirates wanted a ransom because the European countries paid bribes for safe passage (sound familiar?). The crews of these ships were enslaved for 11 years because we would not pay the full ransom. By 1789, 12 American ships were captured and the crews of those ships were enslaved and the kidnappings continued for several years after. These countries were part of the Ottoman Empire and also preferred the Christian hostages to do demeaning work.

The paying of ransoms led to more kidnappings. Jefferson knew this would happen, but Congress wouldn't listen. The Muslim countries harboring the pirates declared war on America when we weren't making payments as demanded. American merchants needed protection sailing near the north of Africa. George Washington finally listened to Jefferson and supported the idea of ending "tribute" payments. This led to the creation of the United States Navy in March 1794. After Jefferson's presidential inauguration, the Pasha of Tripoli wanted $225,000. Jefferson refused to pay the "tribute", Tripoli declared war on us, and in 1801 the American Navy was ready to go and the First Barbary War ensued. The United States Marine Corps acts during the wars is noted in the USMC hymn, "from the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli".

After the war of 1812, the Barbary pirate states, thinking our military was too depleted to fight them again, decided to go after American ships. We once again paid ransom for the return of the crews until 1815, which began the Second Barbary war. This war didn't last long because some European countries become involved and finished the war.


Here are some quotes from Jefferson regarding the Barbary wars,

"I acknowledge I very early thought it would be best to effect a peace thro' the medium of war."

"it will be more easy to raise ships and men to fight these pirates into reason, than money to bribe them."

He was a man who was truly understood the kind of people we are dealing with. Apparently, democrats are not fans of American history. They have consistently urged appeasement towards our nations enemies. From Hitler, the Communists, and to the muslim savages they think negotiations is the answer.