1 June 2006

Reports of a massive explosion and fire at a chemical plant at Billingham in north-east England.

Why all these "accidents" now? (Cf. the largest fire in post-World-War-II Europe,in southern England on 11 Dec. 05, at the Buncefield oil-storage facility.) Now that petro-imperialism needs to ratchet up terror-tension to facilitate the conquest of Persian-Gulf oil.

Iran cautious over US talks offer
BBC News online, 1 June 06, 09:25 BST

'Iran's foreign minister has said his country is ready to talk to the US — but insisted that it will continue with uranium enrichment. ...'

Later:- In Vienna, the five permanent Security Council members and Germany have agreed on a package of measures — basically carrots — for Iran to stop its nuclear programme. But Russia and China are unlikely to agree on harsh sanctions in the negative.

'VIENNA, June 1 — The United States and five other major world powers agreed Thursday [1 June 06] to offer Iran a broad new collection of rewards if it halts its drive to master nuclear technology, but they threatened "further steps in the Security Council" if Iran refuses. ...

'Although details of the five- to six-page document agreed to in Vienna were not announced, incentives discussed before the meeting included an international effort to assist Iran's nuclear industry, including construction of a light-water reactor and guarantees of a long-term supply of fuel. That would represent a significant shift from the Bush administration's past insistence that Iran has no need for nuclear power. Increased trade and investment have also been discussed.

'Aides to [US Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice said the deal also commits Russia and China to a long list of specific steps to punish Iran if it refuses to halt its uranium enrichment program. Both countries have resisted sanctions for months, arguing that they could backfire.

'Addressing reporters here, Russian minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized the incentives in the package and did not mention possible negative measures. ...

The possible sanctions in the agreement are listed in a menu, ranging from minor to major, diplomats said. ...

'Diplomats have said that measures under discussion include an embargo on export of goods and technologies relevant to nuclear programs, the freezing of assets of organizations and people involved in the programs, and a suspension of technical cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency [quelle horreur!]. Broader measures include a freeze on bilateral contacts, a visa and travel ban for senior Iranian officials, an arms embargo, an embargo on certain exports and an end to support for Iran's bid to join the World Trade Organization. ...

[Right, now let's get serious.]

'[UK Foreign Secretary Margaret] Beckett read the brief statement after the diplomats huddled over it for two hours, fiddling with the wording. It emphasized the positive, while using vague code words for tough action, which U.S. stemmed from a desire to persuade Iran to return to negotiations [yeah yeah]. Even speaking anonymously, U.S. officials repeatedly refused to characterize the possible punishments for Iran as "sanctions," using words such as "steps," "measures," "actions" [now we're getting to it] and "negative disincentives." [My emphasis.] ...'

They're still seeking a Security Council resolution that — like the one used as the legal figleaf for the Iraq invasion — contains the let-out clause of unspecified further measures that can be used to "justify" the invasion of the next oil target.

BBC Newsnight cited "credible" reports of other "massacres" of civilians in Iraq by the US military. Most outstandingly, a family of 11 were killed in March 06 when US forces targeted a house where a Qaeda operative was supposed to be.

The US said that helicopters fired on the house, which collapsed, and four bodies were found in the remains. But a video was shot by an Iraqi showing the house badly damaged, but still standing. A senior Iraqi police officer signed a statement that US ground troops (apparently marines) shot 11 dead, including children. The house was later destroyed by US forces (apparently helicopters), in an apparent attempt to cover this up.

2 June 06

MI5 and the Metropolitan Police have staged an "intelligence led" raid on a house in Forest Gate, London. At least 250 police officers were involved. They purported to have evidence that there was a home-made chemical weapon there, but no houses were evacuated beforehand, apparently because that would have tipped the suspects off. (A five-mile-wide air-exclusion zone was set up beforehand.)

Two brothers of Bangladeshi origin were arrested, after one was shot by police in the shoulder. The Independent Police Complaints Commission insisted on investigating on the spot because of this, and this may have "compromised" the search for a chemical weapon, which may already be up an arsehole near you thanks to this.

Iran has rejected the US's "offer" of talks.

Iran bomb 'within next 10 years'
BBC News online, 2 June 06

'Iran is determined to have a nuclear weapon and could possess one within 10 years, according to the top US intelligence chief.

'Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte told BBC Radio's Today programme Tehran could have a nuclear bomb ready between 2010 and 2015. [Which is four to nine years, and more suitable to the get-on-with-invading-Iran lobby.] ...'

The US military has cleared marines of a massacre of 11 Iraqi civilians in March (cf. yesterday).

However, four soldiers were found guilty of killing an Iraqi and then planting a rifle on him. They will face charges of murder, etc.

3 June 06

American climate scientists have told the BBC programme Panorama that their views are being censored by the Bush administration. The Panorama programme will be broadcast on BBC 1 tomorrow night.

Solana 'to deliver Iran proposal'
BBC News online, 3 June 06

'The EU foreign policy head will visit Iran in the next 48 hours in the latest diplomatic effort to persuade Iran to halt nuclear research, Tehran says.

'Janvier Solana will present proposals agreed by six world powers in Vienna on Thursday [1 June 06, see above under that date], Iran's foreign minister said.

'Manchouchehr Mottaki said a breakthrough was possible but added Iran would not halt uranium enrichment — a condition set by the powers [at the behest of the American petro-imperialists] for talks to start. ...'

A dozen or so people have been arrested in Canada have been arrested on terrorism charges, in connection with fertilizer, said to be three times as much (3 tons) as that used in the US Oklahoma City bomb in 1995, whatever that's got to do with it.

4 June 06

The commander of UK (NATO?) troops in Afghanistan says that the number of British (or NATO?) troops in the south of the country will be doubled.

A "suicide car bomber" collided with a convoy of Canadian armoured vehicles in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. There were no casualties in the convoy, but the car was a wreck, and the blast caused many casualties among civilians in the street. [Four were killed and 15 injured.]

The struck armoured vehicle rammed the one in front, which happened to contain a BBC news crew [and Canadian newspeople]. No view of the "strike" appears to have been obtained from this sequestered nook, only a subsequent picture of a wrecked car (no fire or smoke ...)

(BBC 1 news at 10pm)

So, was this a show put on for the benefit of the crew, and hence us?

'The Canadians explained to us that a black pick-up truck had been spotted moving erratically through the traffic in downtown Kandahar.

'It had a single occupant, the driver, and he had tried to force his way into the centre of our convoy.

'Having already encountered four previous suicide attacks the Canadian soldiers were quick to recognise the threat.

'One of them raised his heavy machine gun towards the vehicle and in an instant the bomber detonated his payload of explosives. ...'

("Encounter with an Afghan suicide bomber", BBC News online, 6 June 06)

'... With his head and shoulders poking out of the targeted Coyote, Cote probably had the best view of the bomber during the last few seconds of that man's life. ...

'"When the explosion went off the only thing I saw was flames and smoke coming my way and so I just put my hands in front of my face so I wouldn't get burned, and then I went down in the turret," Cote said.

'When we passed by, the only thing that I saw that was left was the frame and motor, and that's it."

'The governor of Kandahar province, Assadullah Khalid, had followed the convoy out to Panjoway in his own set of vehicles. Khalid said he believed he was the intended target of the suicide bomber.

'"I was behind you," he told the reporters. "The man came and he looked confused and the vehicle which was behind us, he called me on the radio and he said, 'There is this driver, I don't know if he's drunk or what.' We were very close to each other, then there was this explosion."

'The visit to Panjoway clinic termed a Village Medical Outreach was supposed to be an occasion for Canadian commanders and Afghan officials to trumpet the success of recent military operations and the aid the Canadians are providing to locals. ...'

("Canadian forces, Kandahar governor escape suicide attack on convoy", Canada.com)

Tenants occupying the house next (no. 48 Lansdowne Road) to the one raided yesterday (no. 46; see above, under 2 June 06) have spoken exclusively to British Channel 4 News. One said the police broke down the door and a masked policeman struck him without warning on the back of the head with the butt of a machine-gun. He says he feared for his life.

Tenants were kicked and beaten and put in handcuffs, but told they were not under arrest. They were released twelve hours later without charge.

Meanwhile, the brothers from no. 46 denied that one shot the other in a scuffle with police, as some newspapers reported today.

Newspapers have variously reported that police were looking for a cyanide, anthrax or sarin device. But the search of both houses is still continuing, so far without announcement.

(British Channel 4 News, 4 June 06 at 7:45pm)

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei says that Iran will disrupt oil supplies if the US undertakes military action against the country.

6 June 06

Still no find announced in the London terror-police raid (see above, under 2 June 06.). Police now say the search will continue until the end of next week.

The Council of Europe's report on the CIA's "extraordinary renditions" of terror suspects to third countries for possible torture will be published tomorrow. BBC Newsnight obtained an "advance copy".

The report will say that there is evidence that there is evidence of secret prisons in some European countries, and that 14 European countries colluded with the US.

'... The document by Swiss senator Dick Marty follows a seven-month inquiry.

'The report says there is ... evidence to back suspicions secret CIA camps are or were located in Poland and Romania — allegations both countries deny. ...

'The BBC's Tim Franks in Paris, where the report is being officially unveiled, says the charges are potentially explosive — but the difficulty remains in securing the proof.

'Mr Marty ... has drawn on air traffic logs, satellite photos and accounts of prisoners who say they were abducted. ...

'Spain, Turkey Germany and Cyprus provided "staging posts" for rendition operations, while the UK, Portugal, Ireland and Greece were "stop-off" points, the report says.

'It says [We are all guilty!!!!] Italy, Sweden, Macedonia and Bosnia allowed the abduction of residents from their soil. ...'

The BBC's John Simpson did one of his walkabouts, in Baghdad (also shown on Newsnight. He mentioned the case of an Iraqi Reuters reporter who was twice arrested by US soldiers because of "suspect numbers" on his mobile phone. A co-worker was shot dead by American troops.

Also interviewees complaining of the bad state of water and electricity supplies, etc.

Fifteen people appeared in court in Canada for bail applications, and details of the charges against them were heard. They included plans to storm the Canadian parliament, seize leading politicians and behead the prime minister, and to storm the headquarters of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Bombings were also mentioned, perhaps as alternatives to stormings.

The accused, Canadian Muslims of "south Asian" origins, were arrested on 3 June 06 (see above under that date) in an operation involving 400 police. Which seems to be the big sister — should that be brother? — of the concurrent British one.

The plot — if it can be so dignified — was an internet-based one.

The EU's foreign-policy head, Janvier Solana, has delivered the six-power proposals to Iran.

7 June 06

The deputy leader of the United Nations, Mark Malloch Browne, has criticised the United States government for not doing enough to defend the UN from domestic opponents.

John Bolton, the US ambassador to the UN, called the speech "a grave mistiake" and illegitimate. He called on the UN Secretary General to repudiate the remarks, but Kofi Annan backed his deputy.

The criticism was occasioned by US threats to withhold its upcoming half-yearly contribution to the UN if the organization does not improve administrative "efficiency". The US is the UN's biggiest financial supporter.

8 June 06

Zarqawi killed in Iraq air raid
BBC News online

'Militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been killed, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has announced. ...

'The head of US-led forces in Iraq, General George Casey, said Zarqawi was killed at 1815 (1415 GMT) on Wednesday [7 June 06] in an air strike against an "isolated safe house ... Approximately 8km (five miles) north of Baquba". [Maps given.]

'"Iraqi police were first on the scene after the air strike," he said, followed shortly afterwards by coalition forces. ...

'General Casey said Zarqawi's body was identified through fingerprints, facial recognition and known scars. He promised to give more details of the raid later on Thursday [today]. ...

'Shortly after the Zarqawi announcement, the Iraqi parliament approved Mr Maliki's nominees for the key government posts of defence and interior ministers. ...'

... US F-16s fired two 500-lb bombs at the "safe house", leaving just rubble — hardly a stone on a stone. Yet photos of Zarqawi's face were published, with just a red mark on one cheek.

And his fingerprints and known scars as well! It's amazing there was any body left to check.

And "Zarqawi's" beheading of British peace activist Ken Bigley ...

'The purported execution of "Al-Qaeda mystery man" Musab al-Zarqawi end what was exposed two months ago as a Pentagon psychological operation [link] in leaked military documents. [These only indicated that the military was playing up Zarqawi, not that they were employing or inventing him.] ...

'What is a well-established (and deliberately unaddressed) fact is that the United States government and US-connected intelligence agencies created Islamic "terrorism". The US and its allies have continued to use and guide terroirst cells, as well as fill the worldwide media with "terrorism" propaganda. ...

'As pointed out by Michel Chossudovsky in "The Anglo-American War of Terror: an Overview" [link], the continuing US-led war of conquest rests upon a labyrinth of deceptions, of which Zarqawi is one ...'

9 June 06

How U.S. Force Found Iraq's Most-Wanted Man
Jonathan Finer, Washington Post, p.A01

'To kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, U.S.forces first found his spiritual adviser. Then they had to wait. They tracked the adviser for weeks, until he met Iraq's most wanted man Wednesday [7 June 06] night in a village north of Baghdad. ...

'Among the bloodiest attacks claimed by his group was the August 2003 bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad that killed 23 people, including the organization's chief envoy. Zarqawi was also blamed for a string of bombings on March 2, 2004, that killed more than 100 worshippers in Karbala and Baghdad during the Shiite festival of Ashura.

'For years, Zarqawi and his top aides have been hunted [or enacted?] by an elite and highly secretive team of U.S. Special Forces personnel known as Task Force 77. [My emphasis.] They nearly apprehended Zarqawi on several occasions, most recently in April [06] during a series of raids near the southern city of Yusufiyah, according to a defense official familiar with the Zarqawi hunt. ...

'Several discrepancies emerged in various account's of Wednesday's events. Police and witnesses at the scene told a Washington Post special correspondent that Zarqawi was only wounded in the attack and was whisked away by U.S. forces, dying in their custody. [US military spokesman] Caldwell said he was killed instantly. ...

'Caldwell said intelligence gathered from the attack was being used to pursue other targets. [Cf. below, under 15, 16 June 06] Coalition forces raided 17 locations in and around Baghdad on Wednesday night, seizing a "treasure trove" of information about terrorist operations in the country, Caldwell said. ...'

'The pace of the task force's work was punishing. For more than a year, it has been running multiple operations a day, sometimes as many as 14 raids in 24 hours. Suspected insurgents were picked up almost daily. Other militant cells identified by the unit were allowed to keep operating, but under tight surveillance, [my emphasis] in the hope that they would lead U.S. operatives to Zarqawi. Last fall, the unit got so close to nabbing the Jordanian-born Sunni militant that operatives expected to arrest him any day. ...' (Kevin Whitelaw, "Blown Away ...", U.S. News & World Report, 16 June 06

The two brothers from Forest Gate, London, arrested on terrorism charges, were released without charge.

"Radical Muslim group" al-Ghurabaa held a demonstration in the area. Demonstrators included Anjem Choudary, the former head another "Radical Muslim group", al-Mujahiroun, (since effectively reconstituted as "Ahl ul-Sunnah Wa al-Jamma"). An inhabitant criticised the "exploitative" intervention of groups like this and anti-war party Respect (BBC Newsnight).

There's irony for you! Last year, al-Ghurabaa — which said Muslims will go to Hell if they support democracy — aggressively disrupted a meeting of Respect in leader George Galloway's constituency, claiming to believe that the party was .... pro-war.

"Muslim convert Simon Sulayman Keeler", a "leading member" of Ahl ul-Sunnah Wa al-Jamma, may have been the ginger-headed white or half-white man shouting through a megaphone at the current demonstration.

(See "Al-Mujahiroun and its Spinoffs".)

This complex of groups is a probable MI5 provocateur front.

Quote of the Day:-

"All our activities are intelligence-led"

— Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Rosie FitzPatrick

Seven Palestinians from the same family were killed when the Israelis shelled a Gaza Strip beach. (Today is Friday, the Muslim holiday.)

11 June 06

A British soldier has been killed and several injured in fighting in Helmand, Afghanistan's southerly province.

Three Guantanamo inmates have "committed suicide" in similar manners, in their cells with ropes made from bedclothes.

US military commentators described the deaths as an act of war and a PR exercise. Evidently they were were holding a moral-bankrupcy competition.

UN desperate to question 'father of Islamic bomb'
Massoud Ansari and Philip Sherwell, Telegraph (UK), 11 June 06

'Washington has stepped up pressure on Pakistan to allow its disgraced nuclear scientist, A Q Khan, to be questioned by United Nations inspectors, after fresh traces of enriched uranium were found on equipment used at an Iranian military site.

'Dr Khan, who is under house arrest, is believed to hold vital information about Iran's controversial atomic programme, having sold nuclear machinery, plans and technology to the Islamic regime. ...

'Information from Dr Khan could add crucial insights to the recent discovery, by IAEA inspectors, of enrichment contamination on machinery previously used at Teheran's Lavizan-Shian military complex. ...

'The Lavizan-Shian facility was razed in 2004, on the orders of the Teheran government, before IAEA staff could inspect it. ...'

And no further explanation of how the IAEA could find "traces of enriched uranium" on equipment from a facility that was razed in 2004.

But, nothing daunted, the redoubtable Telegraph soldiers on ...

12 June 06

They obviously have some top brains working on this, er .... in the basement.]

'Concerns over activity at Zirzamin 27 will be raised at this week's meeting of the IAEA's Board of Governors in Vienna, which starts today. ...

'Suspicions have been growing that Iran has a secret military nuclear research programme since UN inspectors discovered particles of enriched uranium at a research complex at Lavizan, a military base on the outskirts of Teheran, in 2003. [See previous item.]

'The Iranians agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to visit the Lavizan complex but razed it to the ground before the inspectors arrived.

'Iranian nuclear officials have ignore repeated requests by IAEA officials for a detailed explanation of the Lavizan project. Now the IAEA officials are studying new intelligence indicating that the Lavizan research project has been moved to a secret military location outside Teheran. ...

'"This is a truly alarming development," said a senior western diplomat working with the IAEA. [It's all very anonymous. Who are these IAEA officials and western diplomat? Neocons or their acolytes?] ..." ...

'The Zirzamin 27 operation is thought to be being supervised by Iran's Revolutionary Guards under the direction of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the head of Iran's Modern Defensive Readiness and Technology Centre, a top-secret military research site. [Kill two birds with one stone. The Pasdaran are already "responsible" for Iraqi roadside bombs and "border violations" of Iraq [!!]. ...'

13 June 06

The Israelis have tried to say that Hamas (perhaps a landmine) was responsible for the Palestinian family wiped out on a Gaza Strip beach (see above, under 9 June 06).

But US-base Human Rights Watch says that, based on measurements it took on the beach, and interviews with medical staff, a 155mm howitzer shell was responsible.

(NBC news)

14 June 06

Two coalition soldiers have been killed in a US-led offensive of 11,000 US, UK and Canadian troops in four Afghan provinces including Helmand. It is the largest action in five years.

(Sky TV news)

'... concentrating their firepower on an area under British control.

'British, Canadian and Afghan troops will sweep across insurgent strongholds in four southern provinces rocked by a wave of Taliban violence in recent months.

'The ambitious offensive, named Operation Mountain Thrust, aims to cripple the strengthening insurgency before Nato takes command of southern Afghanistan next month.

'The heaviest combat is expected in the lawless mountains spanning western Uruzgan province and north-eastern Helmand, where 3,300 British troops are deploying and Britain suffered its first combat fatality last weekend.

'Less intensive operations will target pockets of Kandahar and Zabul provinces. US military officials announcing the operation said reconstruction activities would follow in its wake. ...

'The British troops will fight alongside 2,300 Americans, 2,200 Canadians and about 3,500 Afghans. The mission will last through the summer and carries a high risk of casualties. ...'

'... The operation ["Mountain Thrust"] began in May with a string of pitched battles in southern parts of Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan provinces, but the second phase of the campaign would take the fight into enemy sanctuaries in the north of those provinces. ...'
(Rachel Morarjee, "US and Afghan troops launch southern offensive", Financial Times online (UK), 14 June 2006

The areas now affected is, broadly speaking, in the southern centre of Afghanistan.

15 June 06

In the latest from the CIAgitprop ("see-eye-AYE-jit-prop") comedy show ...

It is alleged that "Qaeda-in-Iraq" documents were recovered from the Zarqawi safe house hit by two 500-lb bombs. One was shown (in perfect condition as far as I could see). They included "information" on a plan to provoke war between the US and Iran, though it wasn't apparent how. (BBC Newsnight)

'... The document was provided in English by Iraqi National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie:

——

'... The question remains, how to draw the Americans into fighting a war against Iran? ...

'[Six suggestions altogether, including]

'4. By executing exploding operations in the west and accusing Iran by planting Iranian Shi'a fingerprints and evidence. ...'

Conspicuous by its absence in the list is a suggestion to plant roadside bombs (IEDs) in Iraq, with Iranian "fingerprints" on them, to blow up US and UK soldiers. But al-CIAduh and their Brit sidekicks may already be doing this.

Sophisticated bomb technology, allegedly supplied by Iran and/or their Lebanese Hezbollah sidekicks to Shia guerrillas in Iraq, was first supplied by MI5 and the FRU to — the IRA — in the early 1990s.

In September 2005, two soldiers from the SRR — successor to the FRU — were caught red-handed by Basra police, disguised as Arabs and with a carload of explosives. After failing to shoot their way out, the two were imprisoned. The spectacular reaction by the British armed forces — busting the two out of the central police jail — may have been a conscious reaction to the threat of discovery. What may have been a contingency cover-story, that the two were part of an undercover investigation of militia infiltration of the local police — was put out.

See "The Special Reconnaissance Regiment".

16 June 06

Beginning of end for Zarqawi group, says Iraq
Michael Howard, The Guardian (UK), p.1

'Iraqi and US officials claimed yesterday that they were close to breaking the back of al-Qaida in Iraq, after hundreds of raids in recent days yielded a trove of information about the group's movements, bases and tactics, as well as more than 700 captives [my emphasis]. Documents and computer equipment retrieved from the rubble where Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died last Wednesday indicated that the group was struggling to get new recruits and losing both members and weaponry to regular US raids.

'Mowafaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser, said a memory stick, laptop and other documents had been found in the rubble of the house near Baquba after the US airstrike on Zarqawi, yielding "a huge treasure of information" about the terror network. One document suggested that the group's best tactic to ease the pressure would be to foment war between the US and Iran (see above, under 15 June 06. ... 'More than 450 subsequent raids on suspected militant hideouts across Iraq have resulted in 104 insurgents being killed and 759 "anti-Iraqi elements" being captured, according to Major General William Caldwell, a spokesman for the multinational forces in Iraq. ...

'... The documents, the authenticity of which has not been independently verified [my emphasis; and how about all those "Qaeda" tapes "verified" by the CIA?], indicated that Zarqawi's group had changed tactics ...'

In the continuation of their British terror trial, "Jawad Akbar" is heard in an MI5 recording, discussing hijacking an airliner with perhaps 300 passengers and "just crashing the flipping thing". Then "Omar Khyam" talks about simultaneously disrupting electricity, gas and water supplies.

(British Channel 4 News)

Cf. March 2006 diary, under 22 March 06 (second day of the trial) — where the "plotters" were discussing getting "an atomic bomb" — which on closer inspection turned out to be a radiological dirty bomb — from the Russian Mafia.

The plotters were originally arrested in March 2004. Relatives of the brothers Omar and Shujah Khyam said that an MI5 agent calling himself "Mr Gould" visited the pair three times before their arrest. Security sources dismissed the claim as "rubbish". (March 2004 diary under 31 March 04.)

Meanwhile, another unnamed man, who was cleared of the "ricin plot", but nevertheless subjected to continued detention, has agreed to be deported rather than face any more of it. The Algerians will not arrest him, but allow him to go home to his family.

(British Channel 4 News, 16 June 06)

17 June 06

Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman, head of the "anti-terrorism" branch of the police, has been awarded a CBE in the Queen's honours list.

That's Order Of The American Empire.

[UK] Police may let Muslims see terrorism intelligence
Vikrim Dodd, The Guardian, 17 June 06

'The police are considering a proposal to let selected British Muslims examine the intelligence used to mount anti-terrorism raids before they take place, the Guardian has learned.

'The proposal will be considered as part of a review of the raid in forest Gate, east London, a fortnight ago [see above, under 2 June 06] ...

'... sources said the review would look at the gathering and assessment of intelligence, which is sparser than in other serious crime [my emphasis]. ...

'Any British Muslims shown intelligence would be security vetted but would not have a veto on the raid. [Whatever next?! Einsatzkommandos having a veto on the Holocaust?] ...

'Privately senior officers have said that more raids will occur because of the threat of terrorism. ...'

19 June 06

Taliban supply route is targeted by U.S. troops in Afghanistan
Jason Straziuso, Associated Press, St. Louis Today

'U.S. soldiers descended on a mountain ridge Sunday [yesterday], setting up fortified posts and mortar positions overlooking a key Taliban transport route.

'Their arrival marked the first time in years that soldiers from the U.S.-led military force had ventured into Baghran Valley, in northern Helmand province. The move is part of a major offensive ["Mountain Thrust"] that has killed dozens [or hundreds] of militants.

'Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry pout of helicopters poured out of helicopters in the early morning and scouted the mountains for militants. ...'

21 June 06

'Al-Qaeda video' of 20th hijacker
BBC News online

'... The video, released by a US intelligence organisation [my emphasis], is of [a] Saudi man, Fawaz al-Nashimi, who was killed in a shootout in Saudi Arabia in 2004.

'The US has not commented and the video claim cannot be independently verified [my emphasis].

'The latest al-Qaeda video was released by IntelCenter, which is based in Virginia and works on intelligence with the US government. ...'

U.S. Deems al Qaeda Video Propaganda
Lee Keath, AP, ABC News, 29 April 06

'The U.S. military has seen only "loss, disaster and misfortune" in Iraq, al Qaeda's No. 2 said, in a video message that a U.S. official deemed part of a propaganda campaign to demonstrate the terror network's relevancy.

'The video by Ayman al-Zawahiri, posted on an Islamic militant Web forum Saturday [29 April 06], came within the same week as an audiotape by Osama bin Laden and a video by the head of al Qaeda's branch in Iraq [Abu Musab al-Zarqawi] ...

'The video by al-Zawahiri was first obtained by IntelCenter [my emphasis], a U.S. contractor that provides counterterrorism intelligence services to the U.S. government. ...'

Under a photo of al-Zawahiri, the caption reads in part, "This image was provided via the IntelCenter, which is a private contractor working for intelligence agencies [my emphasis]. In the bottom right corner is the logo in Arabic and English of Al-Sahab, an al-Qaida video production company."

Looking back further on usenet, I find, for example, a reproduction of a news item from the Khaleej Times of 11 Dec. 05 ...

'Al Qaeda deputy praises Taleban gains in Afghanistan in new tape (AP)

'11 December 2005

'CAIRO, Egypt — Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman Al Zawahiri has praised Taleban leader Mullah Omar for winning back control of large regions of Afghanistan and urged Muslims to wage holy war against the West, according to a tape that surfaced on Sunday [11 December 05].

'The new tape, which is about 48 minutes long, was believed to have been made at about the same time that the last tape attributed to Al Zawahiri — a Sept. 19 video — was issued.

'The latest tape, which could not be immediately authenticated, was obtained by IntelCenter, a government contractor that does support work for the U.S. intelligence community [my emphasis]. ...'

And on Yahoo News (from PRWEB, whoever they are), 30 May 06 ...

Osama Tape Appears Fake, Experts Conclude

'The latest audio tape attributed to Osama bin Laden, appears to be one more installment in a succession of evidence fabricated by the US government to deceive the American people, according to Scholars for 9/11 Truth. "This tape is only the latest in a series of fabrications intended to mislead the American people," said James H. Fetzer, the society's founder. "The closer we get to revealing the truth about 9/11, the more furiously the government fights to conceal it!" He said members of Scholars and other experts had detected evidence of fakery.

'In this new recording, a voice attributed to Osama bin Laden asserts that Zacarias Moussaoui was not involved in 9/11, which he knew to be the case because he had personally assigned the 19 hijackers involved in these events. The Osama of this tape thereby implicitly confesses his responsibility for orchestrating the attacks. However, in a tape released on December 27, 2001 [after Tora Bora, BTW], the authenticity of which is not in doubt, Osama denied having had anything to do with 9/11. "Moreover," Fetzer added, "some of the 19 hijackers he 'personally assigned' have turned up alive and well.

'To be sure, this new tape is not the first one in which bin Laden appears to take responsibility for the attacks. As David Ray Griffin, a prominent member of Scholars, points out, "The Osama on the video tape that appeared on December 13, 2001, confessed to planning the 9/11 attacks. But he is far darker and much heavier than the real Osama bin Laden. People can see the difference by looking up 'The Fake bin Laden Video Tape' on Google." ...

'... A translation of the tape has also been released by IntelCenter, a private company that does contract work for the US government. "I supposed I would be accused of being a 'conspiracy theorist' to suggest there is any connection," Fetzer added. ...'

IntelCenter, and its "sister company" Tempest Publishing, have been around for 13 years. Its chief executive officer is Ben N Veniste.

"... Our primary client base is comprised of military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the US and other allied countries around the world. ..."

"IntelCenter : About Us

22 June 06

An MI5 video of Omar Khyam inspecting "a load of fertilizer" at a storehouse, at the trial ...

A supposed plot to crash an airliner into Britain's tallest building, Canary Wharf in London.

23 June 06

A supposed plot against America's tallest building, the Sears Tower in Chicago. No explosives found, not saying what, if anything, they found. No Arabs involved, but African Americans, supposedly hoping to bring Qaeda in to help. Sons of David, or something ...

The Bush administration secretly spied on Americans' bank accounts after 9/11, the New York Times reports. The government asked the Times not to publish the story.

24 June 06

'A ... Pew Center poll released this week [found that] 65 [of Muslims] in Indonesia, 59 percent in Egypt and Turkey, and 53 percent in Jordan say Arabs did not carry out the September 11 [2001] attacks. Among European Muslims, 56 percent in Britain, 46 percent in France, and 44 percent in Germany held the opinion. ...'

(Katie Stuhldreher, Muslims, West see each other at fault, The Washington Times, 24 June 06)

A deafening silence in this report on who people thought did carry out the attacks.

No doubt many will attribute them to the Israeli bugbear ...

In the UK, Gilbertson says he warned the police two years ago about Mohammed Sidique Khan and Tanweer, who contracted him to produce anti-Western propaganda and many times tried to convert him to Islam, etc. (See The July 7 "Suicide Bombers" ....)

25 June 06

A group "linked to al-Qaeda", who kidnapped four Russian diplomats in Iraq, has "killed" them. Russia refused to cognize the group's demands to leave Chechnya, etc.

Once again we see "Qaeda" acting against the US cabal's potential enemies and in the furtherance of its oil-expanding interests (here the Caspian region).

And we can get some idea of how "Qaeda" is operating, through potential covers such as "Task Force 145/77", the intelligence/special-forces group that "hunted Zarqawi". And from an increasingly-complacent spewing of "Qaeda" tapes by IntelCenter ...

26 June 06

Israel threatens to re-invade the Gaza Strip after the killing of two Israeli soldiers and kidnap of a third, Gilad Shaleet.

Three Palestinian militant groups have called for the release of their women and child prisoners (95 women and 300+ teenagers) in exchange for Shalit. Israel has rejected this.

27 June 06

Two more British soldiers are killed in Afghanistan, in a firefight with Taleban fighters in Helmand province.

The Israeli airforce has bombed two bridges in the Gaza Strip, and a Hamas leader has been blown up in his car.

28 June 06

A judge in the UK has ruled that suspected terrorists under restraining orders have had their human rights violated.

Israeli ground forces have crossed into the southern Gaza Strip, after their aircraft destroyed bridges and the main Gaza power station.

Israeli jets flew low over President Assad's palace in Damascus, where the exiled leader of Hamas is.

29 June 06

The US Supreme Court has ruled, in a majority decision, that military tribunals for Guantanamo inmates are illegal, and that the Geneva Convention is applicable.

President Bush says he will try to get new legislation for the tribunals from Congress.

Israeli planes have bombed the Palestinian interior ministry building in Gaza City.

"Osama bin Laden appears again", in a tape that surfaced on an Islamist website. A voice recording, and a still photo, in fact, along with movie of Zarqawi.

Now the US government has proclaimed him dead, but why should that stop him?

30 June 06

My usenet posting (the original awaits Arkin-censorship) "Persian Gulf Oil and the Terror Agenda".

Scholars for 9/11 Truth

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