The Groundtruth from a combat veteran, backed up by independent research and historical study. Information beneficial to the Troops. And a touch of objective politics, as it relates to the subjects at hand.
This site is unabashedly Pro-American and Pro-Military however none of the views expressed here are to be considered as endorsed, proposed, or supported by the Department of Defense or any other Agency, government, public, or private. http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/
The Man Who Declared War on America
A Comprehensive Work of OBL, his ties to Iran, Sudan, and the wide Islamist Terrorism networks, regardless of name.
Pro-Troop Non-Profits WE Support
Beanies For Baghdad Putting Smiles on Faces of Soldiers by putting smiles on the faces of Iraqi & Afghani children and hence the faces of their parents.
Inside Gitmo: The True Story Behind the Myths of G
Guantanamo Bay - Montgomery Granger
Review by Ms Marti: http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2010/11/saving-grace-at-guantanamo-bay-by-montgomery-j-granger.html
The Facts about what has happened at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and who is detained there. More here: http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2009/02/the-unvarnished-truth-about-gitmo-long-overdue.html
Hitler's Panzers
WWII scholar, Professor of History, Colorado College, uses Soldier interviews, archives & other information to demonstrate effectiveness of Armored Warfare as developed by Nazi Germany and pertinent to future warfare.
Ace Of Spades: Why Language Matters In this article, Ace of Spades demonstrates how the writing style of "journalists" and other writers is purposely used to influence the electorate. He explains this far better than I have been able to do, but this is the foundation of why I could no longer be silent.
Libya's ousted Gadhafi called for Libyans to turn out by the “millions” in protest against the provisional government that unseated him. French Defence Minister says the NATO air campaign will continue.
In the months since Egypt's popular uprising, many in the country have felt the revolution came at a price - personal safety.
Britain's chief prosecutor has blocked an attempt to serve visiting Israeli politician Tzipi Livni with an arrest warrant for war crimes, stemming from her time as Israel's foreign minister.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Israel is a threat to the Middle East because it possesses nuclear weapons.
The United Nations has raised the death toll in Syria's crackdown on dissent. US Secretary of State Clinton says UN Security Council has failed the Syrian people.
Clashes have erupted in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, between government forces and supporters of tribal leaders who oppose President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the head of Egypt's ruling military council have discussed regional security issues, after recent cross-border attacks between Egypt and Israel sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
Panetta and Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi held talks on the issue Tuesday during a meeting in Cairo that covered a wide range of issues, including Egypt's response to Arab Spring protests. The demonstrations forced former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign.
Tensions between Israel and Egypt heightened in August when at least eight Israelis were killed after militants crossed into southern Israel from the Sinai Peninsula. Later, five Egyptian security officers were killed after Israeli forces pursued some of the militants who fled to the Sinai.
Panetta said he also urged Egyptian authorities to release Ilan Grapel, an alleged spy for Israel who is being held in Egypt.
Grapel is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen. Egyptian authorities detained him in June on charges of working for Israel's Mossad spy agency, a charge Israel denies.
Panetta traveled to Cairo from Tel Aviv. He will fly next to Brussels for a meeting of NATO defense chiefs.
Yemen continues to fight Al-Qaeda terrorists and other rebels as it announces another US terrorist was killed in that country and 3 more of its soldiers have died in the fight to keep Al-Qaeda from taking over that Nation.
Egyptian Military Rulers have appeased the Muslim Brotherhood demands for who and how politicians can be elected to Parliament in that country.
Syria continues to kill its own subjects, but has taken back a town held by rebels formed from members of its own military.
And at least 15 Iraqi Muslims have been murdered in Hilla by Isalmist terrorists.
Fighting continues between tribal forces and government forces escalates in Yemen.
AS US lawmakers visit Libya's NTC, fighting continues in Sirte. Interpol also issued a "red notice" at the request of provisional authorities in Libya, where a warrant has been issued for Saadi Gadhafi's arrest.
In Egypt, interim leader Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi took a walk in downtown Cairo this week, which gave rise to a firestorm of speculation in the media. Meanwhile, security forces raid al Jazeera office.
Hillary Clinton condemned what she termed an “inexcusable assault” on the U.S. ambassador to Syria by a pro-regime crowd as he met an opposition figure Thursday in Damascus.
A security court in Bahrain has convicted doctors and nurses who treated demonstrators during earlier 'unrest.'
Yemen's Saleh says he won't resign until his rivals are gone.
Two American Hikers left Oman today and returned to the US, after being released by Iran, following the payment of $1 Million in ransom.
Turkey captured a Syrian flagged ship it accuses of carrying armaments to the neighboring country and promises to block all arms from reaching Syria.
Syria murdered 5 more of its subjects, while it organized supporters who threw eggs and stones at the French Ambassador to the country.
Yemen's President returned to the country after recovering from an islamist mortar attack on a mosque.
Bahrain held an election to fill the seats of Parliament abandoned by the Shi'ite politicians in February.
The unelected leaders of Egypt and Libya congratulated themselves for their 'democratic' rise to power at the UN. Libya also announced an unelected government will be appointed next week, while rebel forces battle for control of two more strongholds of Qaddaffi.
India noted that the world economy has gotten worse since the 2008 US Elections. Israel welcomed the call for new peace talks, while the Palestinians rejected the idea, demanding the UN recognize them as a Nation instead.
SecState Clinton is "not unduly concerned" about the American Hikers being imprisoned in Iran and rests on hope they'll be freed. Allies in Oman and Iraq, at the behest of the families, are acting a bit more proactively to attain their release.
Egypt's new government expressed a willingness to end the Israeli-Egyptian Peace Treaty.
Syrian anti-Assad groups have formed an official council. The government is preparing public confessions for an officer that defected in recent months, and was kidnapped from Turkey.
The British & French Prime Ministers received a warm welcome as the first western leaders to visit since the Rebels took Libya.
Yemeni forces have killed 12 terrorists in the south of the country, as is attempts to safequard it from becoming an Islamist base of terror.
Turkish PM Erdogan has made a special visit to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt as he prepares to travel to Tunisia where tens of thousands have fled violence ahead of the return of Islamists to that country. Crowds cheered Erdogan's anti-Israel policies.
Syria has renewed its attacks on civilians, calling Arab League talk for Syria to stop killing its own people as "unconstructive."
Turkey warns that Syria is at risk of a civil war while Syrian forces imprisoned many the day after they slaughtered another 17 Syrian subjects. Syrians are calling for a "Day of Rage" against Russia for backing the Assad dictatorship.
Libyan civilians in Bani Walid are fleeing the city as Rebel Forces & NATO warplanes continue to attack that Qaddaffi stronghold. The Rebel Government, NTC, is calling for the new government to be based on Sharia Law. Amnesty International has reported that the Rebels as well as Qaddaffi forces have committed atrocities in contradiction to International Law of War.
Egyptian Omar Suleiman testified today in the trial of Hosni Mubarrak.
Turkey has stated they are considering a full out offensive into Iraq against the communist terrorist group PKK.
Turkey & Qatar are seen as increasingly flexing their muscles as their neighbors descend into greater chaos.
Iraqi Islamists have murdered 22 Muslim pilgrims in Anbar.
Qadaffi forces have counter-attacked Libyan Rebels in Ras Lanuf, killing 15, while Rebels have made little progress against Qaddaffi forces in Sirte. Niger admits 32 high ranking Qaddafi officials gathering in their northern city of Agadez in that country but deny Qaddafi is amongst them. Niger says they plan to detain Saadi Qaddafi, a day after stating that there was no international legal basis to do so. Guinnea Bissau has said they would welcome Moammar Qaddaffi in their country.
The IAEA is "increasingly concerned" about Iran's nuclear weapons program.
The Iranian backed communist PKK Kurdish terrorist group has counter-attacked Turkish police stations, killing 3 civilians and 2 police officers in the southern Turkish province of Hakkari from Iraq.
Russia is rejecting any serious language by the UN against Syrian tyranny, indicating 2,600 dead Syrians is not enough reason for anything more than mild chastisement.
Yemen's President Saleh has authorized his deputy to discuss and implement a transfer of power in the midst of that country's war against Al-Qaeda.
Turkey's Islamist elected Prime Minister Erdogan is traveling to the new governments of North Africa, following the Arab Spring uprisings and at the height of Turkish-Israeli tensions.
Saadi Gaddaffi has fled to Niger as Libyan Rebels continue to attack the remaining strongholds of the Qaddaffi Army, with NATO air support.
Yemen lost 2 more soldiers in Zinjibar, bringing to 232 killed by Al-Qaeda terrorists to take back the town. It claims to have killed 30 al-Qaeda leaders in the fighting there.
Iranian backed Moqtada al-Sadr has called for his terrorists to cease attacks on US Forces in Iraq, unless those Troops are extended at the request of the Obama Administration.
Israel is considering sending their Ambassador back to Egypt, if that country will provide adequate security.
Libyan Rebels have intensified battles against Qaddaffi Loyalists in Bani Walid.
The Israeli Government is restaining itself from inflamatory rhetoric after Egyptian Security initially stood by as protestors invaded its Embassy in Cairo yesterday, while news reports indicate a greater resistance by Egyptian Security forces than previously stated.
Yemen took back a southern city from Al-Qaeda.
Syria killed 6 more of its subjected people, while the Arab League proposed talking some more about political resolutions that would favor keeping the current tyrant in power.
In a move reminiscent of the 1979 US Embassy crisis in Iran, Egyptian protestors invaded the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, while Egyptian security forces stood and watched. Other protestors are complaining that the military that they asked to take over is still in charge, after deposing the politicians they elected last year.
Libyan Rebels have begun to skirmish with Qaddafi loyalists in Bani Walid and Sirte, as NATO continues to conduct aerial attacks in support of the rebels. Niger has stated that 18 Qaddaffi loyalists have entered that country, including a high ranking General, but denied that Qaddaffi was among them.
Syria continues to slaughter its subjects, while the world's politicians continue to talk about how to talk about it.
IRAN continues its Kursade killing 30 and wounding 60 while rejecting Kurd calls for a truce. Meanwhile, Iran continues to try to manipulate the world on its nuclear program.
EGYPT: Violence broke out inside and outside the court of the Mubarrak trial, when a witness stated that he knew only of orders to use less than lethal tactics against rioting protestors in Egypt.
SOMALIA famine victims continue to stack up as Al-Qaeda's Al-Sahab prevents aid from Western Nations, using food as a weapon and the UN continues to chastise the world and EU in particular for not donating more money for aid that isn't reaching its intended recipients.
SYRIA has allowed the ICRC access to a prison, while the discussions remained devoid of definitive statements. In the meantime, Syria forces have killed another six dissenters.
LIBYAN rebels continue to dither at the edges of Bani Walid and Sirte, with talks and tanks going nowhere in confrontation with the last strongholds of Qaddaffi, while Niger reports that several high level Qaddaffi personnel have crossed into that country.
YEMENI jets hit the wrong mosque while attempting to take Al-Qaeda terrorists that had overrun a smaller mosque in the general vicinity.
NIGERIAN islamists continue to expand violence in the middle of that West African nation.
IRAN has begun moving its nuclear centrifuges into a facility under a mountain in Qom.
LIBYAN rebels are mopping up in Tripoli, solidifying control of the city, attacking the last remaining pockets of government control, & searching for members of the Qaddaffi regime and family, including those previously reported as captured. Foreign Nations rushed to state their support for the Rebels.
SYRIA: The UN has determined that 2,200 murdered civilians is the threshold for condemning Syrian attacks on its subjects.
HAMAS terrorists continued launching rockets at Israeli civilians, this time in Ashkelon.
Syria's Assad has thumbed his nose at critics of his slaughter of his own citizens, telling the world to butt out and mind their own business, that he'll do what he wants when he wants.
Libyan Rebels continue to tighten the noose on Qaddafi, overrunning a major base near Tripoli and taking 3 districts of the capital, while Qaddafi claims to be in full control and willing to defend his dictatorship to the death. He called on "millions" to march against the Rebels, while Tunisia officially recognized the rebels as the legitimate government of Libya. President Obama continues to re-iterate his message from 3 months ago: "Qaddafi's days are numbered."
Palestinian Terrorist Group Hamas launched another 17 rockets at Israeli civilians, bringing the total above 100, which have killed Israeli Women and Children, as well as Palestinian civilians. Egypt has rejected Israel's apology over the border incident following the initial attacks by Hamas.
YEMEN: Terrorists have detonated two suicidal islamists in order to murder tribal leaders and security personnel, killing at least 11.
LIBYA: Rebels Advance on Tripoli as Libyan Civil War spills into Tunisia. Another Qaddaffi loyalist defected to the rebels, while leaving Tunisia for Italy.
ISRAEL: Hamas has continued to launch rockets at civilians in Israel, killing 1 more, wounding 20 in Ofakim, Beersheba, & Ashdod, including Palestians & Children, after murdering 11 yesterday. Meanwhile, Israel apologized for a retaliatory strike in Sinai that killed Egyptian soldiers. Israel continues to target terrorist positions launching rockets and mortars in Gaza. EGYPT has recalled its Ambassador to Israel.
SYRIA: Government Forces continue to slaughter Syrian Civilians, with a current focus on the Homs Province cities of Latakia, Deir el-Zour, and Hama. Western powers have declared that Assad must abdicate.
IRAN: Sentenced American Hikers to 8 years in prison, ending speculation that they would be released for Ramadan.
IRAQ: SecDef Panetta notes that US Troops will be deployed in new crises in the Middle East, while he expects the US pleas to Iraq to allow US Troops to remain there to bear fruit.
KASHMIR: INDIAN Troops have killed 12 terrorists from PAKISTAN.
VoA News: Egypt is withdrawing its ambassador to Israel to protest the deaths of Egyptian security forces during Israel's retaliatory attacks against militants along the nations' shared border.
The Egyptian Cabinet said Saturday it is withdrawing its ambassador until the results of an Israeli investigation into the incident are provided. The Cabinet said it also wants the Israeli leadership to apologize for what it described as "hasty" remarks about Egypt.
Israel has expressed concern about a deterioration of security in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula since Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resigned in February. The Israeli military said gunmen behind militant attacks Thursday in southern Israel crossed into the country from Gaza through the Sinai, despite Egypt's boosted security presence in the region.
Israel responds to the earlier terrorist attack in southern Israel that leaves seven dead and many injured.
Even as the international community urges Assad to leave, the violent crackdown against Syria's citizens continues apace.
In Iraq, for the second day, Turkish planes bomb Kurdistan Workers' Party enclave.
In Libya, rebels are claiming to have taken control of an important oil refinery west of Tripoli, as well as seizing a nearby town.
Egypt's young entrepeneur/innovators are gaining important mentorships in a six week program that pairs them with their American counterparts.
Israel:
Israeli aircraft hit Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip late Thursday, killing six people. The dead include leaders of the Popular Resistance Committee, which the Israeli government accuses of being behind attacks in southern Israel that killed seven Israelis earlier in the day. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on national television, calling the attacks in southern Israel an increase in the terror front.
US Secretary of State Clinton continues her finger wagging at Syria and declares that Assad faces a "crescendo of condemnation' as civilians suffer continuous crackdowns by the government forces. This on the heels of even more killed by government forces after Friday prayers. UN Ban Kee Moon 'expresses concern' about the rising casualties in Libya. Meanwhile, Ghaddafi threatens 'unauthorised' satellite phone users with execution earlier today. The EU criticises Israel's decision to approve the building of 1,600 new homes in jersusalem. Today, it is reported that the USAid official in Egypt has abruptly left his post and returned to Washington. In Bahrain, the main Shi'ite Muslim opposition group says it will boycott a special parliamentary election scheduled for next month.
Syria:
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says there has been a "crescendo of condemnation" as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government continues its crackdown on protesters. Still, the secretary has not explicitly called on Mr. Assad to step down. Clinton said an international voice is important so Assad's government cannot say pressure is only coming from the West.
Clinton said she and her Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Stoere discussed their acute concern about the Syrian government's crackdown when they met at the State Department Friday.
"The United States will continue to work with our partners to turn this growing consensus into increased pressure and isolation for the Assad regime. In particular, we urge those countries still buying Syrian oil and gas, those countries still sending Assad weapons, those countries whose political and economic support give him comfort in his brutality to get on the right side of history. President Assad has lost the legitimacy to lead, and it is clear that Syria would be better off without him," Clinton said.
As US President Obama says that Syria would be a better place without Assad, the death toll of civilians continues to rise. Israel's interior ministry gives approval for the building of 1,600 homes in Jerusalem. Egypt is working on lifting a 30 year Emergency Law. In Yemen, confusion persists, even as Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh says he is working on a plan for a peaceful transition of power. Libya's rebel forces claim to have advanced on Brega, a key oil port that has been the scene of recent clashes between the opposition and forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi. The EU also expanded sanctions against Libya.
Syria: The Obama administration says Syria would be "a better place" without leader Bashar al-Assad. Although senior U.S. officials repeatedly have called on President Assad to stop the brutal crackdown on demonstrators, President Barack Obama has not explicitly called on him to do so. Our correspondent reports on U.S. efforts to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on the Syrian leadership.
In Libya, rebels are claiming control over the strategic southwestern town of Bir al-Ghanam, after violent confrontations with Ghadffi forces on Saturday.
In two major cities in Israel, many thousands of protesters took to the street, unhappy with the high cost of living.
Syria's foreign minister again asserted today that 'free and fair' elections could be held by the end of the year. The killings continue, and unconfirmed reports say that 26 protesters were killed on Friday.
In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood - long banned under Mubarek - today elected three new leaders to replace party executives who had resigned.
Libya:
Following a fierce battle against Ghadaffi loyalist, and the killing of four of their own, Libyan rebels say they have gained control of the strategic southwestern town of Bir al-Ghanam, following fierce clashes with pro-government forces.
In our Middle East roundup today, reports from Libya, Israel, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Iran.
In Iran, speculation is still swirling that the American hikers arrested in August 2009, may soon be released:
From VOA News
An Iranian ambassador said the U.S. hikers who have been detained in the country for two years on spying charges may be released "very soon."
In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Hassan Dannaie Fir, Iran's envoy to Iraq, said the "general atmosphere" is that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal will be freed soon from prison.
In our Middle East roundup today, you will find reports from Egypt, Iran, Italy, Libya, Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.
Egypt - Egypt's revolution in January and February led to major changes in the country's media, changes that affect both journalists and news consumers.
At the newsstand, owner Mohammed Ali says Egyptian newspapers are responding to the changes. "There are a lot more opposition voices in the newspapers, and criticism of the government, even in the state-owned papers," Ali noted. "They reflect the views on the street more. And I have lots of new customers. Some of them never read newspapers in the past."
In news from the Middle East today, you will find news from Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Libya and Syria.
Egypt - Officials are making last-minute preparations for the televised trial of ex- President Hosni Mubarak, his two sons and several other former top officials. The possibility of the ex-leader facing justice is something many thought would never happen, and a few believe may still not.
Egyptian media have a long tradition of special dramatic programming for the month of Ramadan, but few broadcasts have been so anticipated as the trial of Mubarak set to begin Wednesday on the outskirts of Cairo.
If the trial goes according to script, Mubarak, his influential sons Gamal and Alaa, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly and six security officials will appear in court locked in an iron cage.
The turmoil of the MidEast continues as Islamists in Egypt, Turkey, and Yemen make gains in attacks, political or violent, against democratic rule.
In Libya, the "justification" for specific attacks is becoming even more specious as NATO suggests that Qaddaffi's words threaten civilians physically. Meanwhile, "Who shot the General?" points to several potential reasons for the assassination of the top rebel commander. The death of the former confidant of Qaddaffi turned Rebel Military leader casts suspicion on Qaddaffi spies, rivals, and Rebel leadership.
In Syria, the oppression of protestors remains violent as many more civilians are killed by government forces.
And the government run press in Iran is speculating that the American hikers illegally imprisoned there may finally be released at the beginning of Ramadan.
Previously reported: Iraq has decided 46 Ministers of Government is 50% too many to effectively run a government, while it weighs whether or not to request that US Troops stay, in accordance with pleas by the Obama Administration. Security in Iraq continues to deteriorate, as evidence of Iran-Al-Qaeda connections continues to mount.
Al Pessin, VoA News, Cairo: Tens of thousands of Egyptians supporting a variety of political movements rallied on Cairo’s Tahrir Square Friday. The groups don’t necessarily agree on what kind of country to build in the wake of the revolution five months ago, but their leaders decided to try to show solidarity during Friday’s protest.
Busloads of devout Muslims from around the country swelled the crowd and chanted for the establishment of Islamic Sharia law in Egypt. Transportation for the demonstrators was arranged by several Islamist political groups that are eager to assert their influence after being largely sidelined during the revolution.
Millions of Egyptian protesters throughout the country succeeded in ousting President Hosni Mubarak in February. As dramatic as that change was, however, for many Egyptians it was only the beginning. They say the reforms have not gone far enough.
Tens of thousands of Egyptians have returned to Cairo’s Tahrir Square and other rally points in recent weeks, demanding reform of the police force, the prosecution of top former officials, and faster trials of those responsible for the deaths of protesters who helped oust long-time president Hosni Mubarek in February.
And the interim government has responded. The interior ministry announced that more than 600 senior police officers would be fired.
But many of those who come out to Tahrir Square said there has not been enough change quickly enough.
"I am here today because I have not felt any change," said one woman. "The military council has corrupted political life in Egypt."
“We need to finish what we are doing since beginning 25th of January, you know. And when we came on the 25th of January, we need to change all of the things," said a man on the street.
“It’s just a change of the faces," said another man who was interviewed. "I mean there’s no real change that could satisfy me and my people.”
At the English-language newspaper Daily News Egypt, chief editor Rania Al Malky said the renewed protests point to a fundamental crisis of confidence.
“The minister of the interior had made statements meeting these demands, but people stopped listening because they feel that everything is being done too little, too late,” said Al Malky.
That is all too evident on Tahrir Square, where the main complaint is that police officers accused of killing protesters.
“We didn’t achieve anything yet," said this young man. "Many people, like 300, die for nothing. There is no one [who] killed them.”
To the outside world, it looks like weekly protests every Friday. But for these people, it’s an everyday thing. They’ve promised to stay here, as a sit-in, to live in these tents, until they get justice for the people who were killed during the revolution.
For long-time Mubarak opponent, Professor Saad Eddin Ibrahim, the Egyptian revolution was a lifelong dream. He said his limp is the result of daily torture when he spent three years in a Mubarak prison. Ibrahim said the renewed protests are a good thing.
“Egyptians now broke the fear barrier and if things do not unfold to their liking, they will take up to the square, not just Tahrir Square, but all the public squares in all major cities of Egypt,” said Ibrahim.
Indeed, protesters have already done that, including this demonstration in the city of Alexandria. [Symbol left, as seen in the Alexandria protests, is that of the Muslim Brotherhood, a secret Islamist organization that calls for the repression of women, and terrorist violence against Israel and it's supporters.}
But one veteran Egyptian journalist worries that after decades of repression, many people here are too quick to return to the streets because they don’t know how to pursue their goals through a political process. Journalist Hisham Kassem spoke in the building he is renovating for his new media venture.
“You have a mindset which is what I call the prolonged opposition trauma," said Kassem. "And even people like myself can suffer from that because it’s not natural to be in the opposition for 20 years. Now, in some cases, there are political activists who failed to make the switch. They need something to oppose. To them, that’s politics. They’ve never practiced politics properly.”
Proper or not, this is the way thousands of Egyptians are continuing to practice politics, in an effort to ensure that the dramatic change they achieved in January results in the real reforms they want.
12 July 2011 VOA News Egyptian security officials say saboteurs have blown up a natural gas pipeline station that distributed supplies to Israel and Jordan.
The officials say Tuesday's massive, pre-dawn blast occurred close to the town of El-Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula, near the Israeli border. The attack was the fourth on pipelines in Sinai since February, and the second in as many weeks.
VoA News: Hundreds of Egyptian reformists have disrupted traffic in central Cairo and blocked access to the capital's main government building in a third day of protests against the country's military rulers.
After spending a second night in a tent camp in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the activists blocked surrounding roads and formed a picket line outside the adjacent Mogamma administrative complex on Sunday.
Tens of thousands of protesters have massed across Egypt to voice growing frustration with what they see as a slow pace of government reforms and delays in prosecuting former officials linked to killings of pro-democracy demonstrators.
Protesters packed Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday for one of the largest rallies since the 18-day revolt that led to former President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in February.
Activists have pitched tents in the square, where Egyptians are chanting and waving flags.
July 4, 2011 VOA News Egyptian security officials say saboteurs have attacked a pipeline carrying natural gas into neighboring Israel and Jordan from the northern Sinai Peninsula.
The attack took place early Monday near the town of Bir el-Abd when men with machine guns forced guards at a station along the pipeline to leave, then planted explosives which they activated remotely.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that the Obama administration wants to open a dialog with the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.
"We believe, given the changing political landscape in Egypt, that it is in the interests of the United States to engage with all parties that are peaceful and committed to nonviolence, that intend to compete for the parliament and the presidency," Clinton told reporters in Budapest, Hungary. "And we welcome, therefore, dialogue with those Muslim Brotherhood members who wish to talk with us."
29 June 2011 VOA News Egypt's health ministry says violent confrontations between police and protesters in central Cairo have injured more than a thousand people in the largest outbreak of unrest to hit the Egyptian capital in weeks.
Witnesses say most of those injured in the protests that began late Tuesday and lasted into Wednesday suffered smoke inhalation from tear gas fired by police to disperse rioters who threw stones and burned tires. Clouds of smoke engulfed the area.
Around 70 people were admitted to hospitals. The Egyptian interior ministry says at least 40 security personnel were among those hurt.
Some of the demonstrators demanded that Egypt's military leadership
22 June 2011 VOA News Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has joined with 17 political parties to establish what they call a pro-democracy platform for parliamentary elections scheduled for September.
In a statement, the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party and the other factions say they approved the document Tuesday. The coalition pledges to push for equality and democratic freedoms.
The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood is one of Egypt's most organized political movements.
7 June 2011 VOA News Egypt has declared the Muslim Brotherhood political movement legal, ending a ban on the group that had been in place for decades.
The organization is one of the country's best organized political groups. Egyptian state media announced the government's decision, which clears the way for the Muslim Brotherhood to field candidates in parliamentary elections set for September.
Activists in Egypt Press for Investigation into ‘Virginity Check’ Allegations
31 May 2011 VOA News Activists and rights groups are calling on Egypt's military rulers to investigate accusations that soldiers subjected detained female protesters to “virginity checks.”
CNN reported on Tuesday that one senior general admitted security forces performed the acts on some women detained during continued rallies weeks after the demonstrations that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak.
CNN quotes an anonymous Egyptian general saying that the virginity tests were carried out so that women would not claim that soldiers raped them in detention.
VoA News: A prominent Egyptian blogger and democracy activist has been summoned for questioning by the country's military rulers after he publicly accused an army official of instigating abuses against civilians.
Hossam el-Hamalawy said he was ordered to appear before military prosecutors Tuesday after he charged in a televised interview that the head of the country's military police was responsible for torturing activists. Hamalawy added that he has testimonies, videos and other evidence to back up his claims.
VOA News: Egyptian security officials say police have arrested an Iranian diplomat in Cairo on charges of spying.
Authorities Sunday said Iranian diplomat Qassem al-Husseini was detained and questioned for "passing information" to Iran's intelligence services. There are reports that the diplomat also was trying to recruit other agents to work as spies in Egypt.
Iranian officials have denied that al-Husseini was arrested. They said he was at work Sunday in Iran's Cairo mission.
Egypt and Iran have not had full diplomatic relations since 1979, when Iran underwent its Islamic revolution and Egypt made peace with Israel.
Instead of embassies, each country has a lower-level mission in the other's capital.
VoA News: Hundreds of Palestinians crossed from the Gaza Strip into Egypt Saturday, taking advantage of the Egyptian government's newly eased restrictions on its border with Gaza.
The new interim government in Egypt started regular hours Saturday for the Rafah crossing, which is the only official entry point outside Israel into Gaza. Officials say they are operating the crossing under rules that were in place prior to the start of the Egyptian blockade in 2007.
The United States, Qatar and the World Bank each pledged to give billions of dollars in aid to Egypt this week, in order to help the country boost its economy following the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak.
U.S. President Barack Obama has promised to relieve Egypt of $1 billion in debt, and has offered an additional $1 billion in loans to improve infrastructure and create new jobs.
VoA News: Egyptian security officials say at least two people have been injured in clashes between Christian and Muslim protesters in Cairo.
The clashes began late Saturday and lasted through early Sunday.
Witnesses say rocks were thrown and vehicles set on fire outside Egypt's main state television building, where protesters have been staging a sit-in in recent days. Security forces fired shots in the air to restore order.
Cairo's main square on Friday saw the gathering of thousands urging an end to sectarian violence, continued political reforms and support of the Palestinian cause.
The rally comes after Muslim-Christian clashes left 12 dead over the weekend in sectarian fighting. Violence between Egypt's Coptic Christians and conservative Muslims has led to calls for tolerance.
Some in the crowd waved Palestinian flags in support of rallies on Friday in the Palestinian territories leading up to Sunday's commemoration of what Palestinians call Naqba , the anniversary of the creation of Israel.
Others called for continued political reforms and the prosecution of officials linked to the former government of ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian prosecutors said on Thursday that Mr. Mubarak and his wife, Suzanne, have been questioned about allegations of illegally acquiring a portfolio of massive wealth.
On Friday, Egyptian media reported that authorities ordered a 15-day detention of Mr. Mubarak as the questioning continues. The Reuters news agency reported that Mubarak's wife was also ordered detained for 15 days.
The Mubaraks are residing in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where Mr. Mubarak has been hospitalized after being ousted from office during massive anti-government protests in February.
UPDATE:
Egypt's state-run media said Friday officials ordered the wife of former President Hosni Mubarak, Suzanne, detained for 15 days.
MENA said the order came after both were questioned for three hours in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Officials said Mrs. Mubarak would be transferred to a prison near Cairo.
MENA also said both Mubaraks had agreed to reveal information about their personal banks accounts in Egypt and around the world.
10 May 2011 Jeffrey Young VOA News The once frosty relations between Egypt and Iran have notably thawed in recent months. Contacts between the two nations have moved to the point where Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister will go soon to Cairo for talks, as well as planned meetings between Iran and Egypt's Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the upcoming Non-Aligned Movement meeting.
It had not been seen for some three decades. On February 22, two Iranian naval ships passed through Egypt's Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea. By itself, it was an uneventful transit. But seen in a larger context, the passage represented renewed relations between the two nations.
In earlier times, Egypt and Iran were bonded by marriage. Iran's monarch, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, wed Egypt's Princess Fawzia Fuad in 1939. Though the couple later divorced, the two nations maintained diplomatic relations until Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
VoA News: Egyptian officials say five people were killed and more than 50 others wounded in clashes between Christians and Muslims "triggered by a belief that a Christian woman had converted to Islam."
Egypt's official news agency says the violence broke out Saturday in the Cairo district of Imbaba, after word spread that the Christian woman who converted to Islam had married a Muslim man.
Witnesses say Muslims converged on a Coptic church "out of concern" the Christian woman was being held there against her will. They say gunfire was exchanged, and that Muslim protesters threw firebombs that set buildings on fire.
Security forces deployed to the scene fired shots in the air and used tear gas to separate both sides.
Interfaith relationships are a source of tension in Egypt, where Coptic Christians comprise about 10 percent of the country's population of 80 million.
Egypt's once outlawed Muslim Brotherhood has announced the formation of a new political party, which it says will contest half of the parliamentary seats in the September election.
A spokesman Saturday described the Freedom and Justice party as a "civil group with an Islamic background."
The Brotherhood has run independent candidates in the past to get around a ban on its participation in politics.
The new party has pledged to cooperate with secular groups in Egypt's new parliament. The Brotherhood also says the Freedom and Justice party will not field a candidate in November's presidential election.
27 April 2011 VOA News A pipeline carrying natural gas from Egypt to Israel has exploded following an attack by an armed gang.
Egyptian security officials say Wednesday's explosion was the second attack on the pipeline near the north Sinai town of El Arish in recent months. "An unknown armed gang attacked the gas pipeline near Arish city," said a security official. Authorities say they have closed the valves controlling the flow of gas in an effort to to stem the fire.
On Feb. 5, an explosion at a different section of the pipeline severed gas exports for weeks.
Last July the pipelone was attacked by Bedouin tribesmen of the Sinai Peninsula, but their attempt to blow up the pipeline failed.
Egypt exports gas to Israel and Jordan however lately the deals have come under attack because of the low price at which the gas is sold.
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SSgt Workman is featured in the Hall of Heroes and a book review on this from Marine Till Death that read it as it was written: http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2008/12/shadow-of-the-sword-by-jeremiah-workman-w-john-bruning.html
http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2008/12/ssgt-jeremiah-workman-navy-cross-usmc-iraq-marion-oh.html and links to prior articles.
Go to War against the Nazis with SSG Smith of the 94th Infantry Division. Review: http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2010/04/everymans-war-vet.html.html
John R Schindler, Professor of Strategy, Annapolis
Unholy Terror
Exposing what the media did not: Al-Qaeda's role in the Bosnian War, by one of those most authoritative on it.
Ed Darack
Victory Point
Ed Darack embedded with the 2/3 Marines in Afghanistan 2005. He tells their story including the USMC part of Operation Red Wings. (Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell)
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