Category: National Security

Arrests made in the General Mohammad Suleiman assassination

London-based Asharq al-Awsat is reporting several arrests (aka ‘the usual suspects’) in the assassination of Mohammad Suleiman, the Syrian military general with ties to Hizbollah (though Hizbollah spokesman are saying ‘Suleiman who?’). As Syria is struggling to admit that he was actually killed, I think it may be awhile before we hear any official confirmation.

Meanwhile the Tehran Times is saying Israel did it (as if you expected something different)?

Here’s my question of the day. A sniper, on a yacht, with wave action taking him up and down, manages to get off 4 hits on a target? We’re talking Bourne Identity caliber or better (or are the seas perfectly calm down around Tartous?) . NOTE: Initial reports said he was shot in Cairo but now it appears he was shot in Syria in the port city of Tartous.

]]>

Coups and Earthquake Updates of the Day

On the basic assumption that Americans care only about world news at it relates ‘coups and earthquakes’, or more recently, coups, earthquakes and hostages, I thought I’d give an update of the world news today.

* There was a coup in Mauritania today, but as most of you haven’t the slightest clue where that is it really isn’t news.

* The three US hostages seized by the FARC and rescued by the Colombian military are going to take a cross country ride to raise attention to the plight of other hostages still being held down there. But as most Americans didn’t even know they were hostages until they were released I’m not sure how successful they will be.

So in news most Americans are interested in–Paris Hilton has made an election video in response to McCain’s ‘celebrity’ video of Obama and the insinuation that Obama is an empty suit (like Paris Hilton). You be the judge if this response is really a counter, or just proof positive of that fact.

(yes, there is satire in this post).

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die
]]>

War Surgery in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003-2007

The Government Printing Office has a new title out that’s actually quite a big seller apparently. ”War Surgery in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003-2007″ is written by military doctors and covers some incredibly gruesome casualties they’ve experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, both military and civilian victims. The book is being given to a number of hospitals (especially ER rooms who deal with gunshot wounds) and also to doctors arriving in country for the first time:

“The average Joe Surgeon, civilian or military, has never seen this stuff,” Lounsbury said. “Yeah, they’ve seen guys shot in the chest. But the kind of ferocious blast, burn and penetrating trauma that’s part of the modern IED wound is like nothing they’ve seen, even in a New York emergency room. It’s a shocking, heart-stopping, eye-opening kind of thing. And they need to see this on the plane before they get there, because there’s a learning curve to this.”

Amazon is sold out apparently. Unfortunately I suspect a lot of people are going to use this either for their own sick ‘glee’ and curiousity or for some sick political purposes (apparently the photos are pretty rough). The military tried to censor the book from coming out but doctors said it was needed and would save lives, so eventually the DoD relented.

War Surgery in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003-2007 (Textbooks of Military Medicine).

]]>

What was Collin McKenzie-Gude really plotting with rifles and maps of Camp David?

Collin McKenzie-Gude was arrested the other day with a bunch of assault rifles and the names and addresses of some teachers at his school. Nothing out of the ordinary in the world of the trenchcoat mafia (in fact trenchcoat.com is already talking about him). But today it took a bit of a weirder turn.

Police found a map of Camp David marked with a presidential motorcade route inside the Bethesda home of the teen at the center of a bombmaking probe, along with a document that appears to describe how to kill someone at a distance of 200 meters, a Montgomery County prosecutor said today at a court hearing.

The youth, Collin McKenzie-Gude, 18, also had fake identification, Montgomery Assistant State’s Attorney Peter A. Feeney said. According to Feeney, one of the ID’s held the 18-year-old out to be an employee of the CIA; the second, with McKenzie-Gude’s picture on it, identified him as a man named Michael K. Landry, purportedly a U.S. government contractor protected by the Geneva conventions.

A few things sound a bit odd. First, the President usually flies to Camp David, and when they do drive they kind of vary things from time to time. Second, I’m not entirely sure what sort of government ID would allow Geneva conventions protection.

But in this hate-filled political world (just go read the comments at Digg) is it possible some slightly off individual decided to plot some attack? Oh hell yeah.

I think the psychological testing will be coming soon.

]]>

Aafia Siddiqui turns up in Afghanistan and will soon be extradited to the US

Aafia Siddiqui, FBI Terrorist, MIT Grad, or matronly mother of three extraordinarily ‘renditioned’ to some remote place deep and forgotten, has now been found apparently, wandering about in Afghanistan and taking a shot some US officials (who shot back, wounding her). She’s now going to be extradited to the US on a slew of terrorism charges and basically a resisting arrest charge.

Is she a terrorist or a victim? Hopefully that will now come out, unless they send her to Gitmo where she’ll enter a legal maze that would make any lawyer’s head start to spin. Because the extradition is rather public, she may actually end up in court with a proper defense team.

Now I promise some tech stories…no more military stuff.

]]>

FARC leaders Cano and Jojoy surrounded by Colombian forces?

Ok, this is sketchy and there are some reports on Colombia TV as well.

Apparently the Colombian military has two of FARCs top rulers surrounded and in their sights.

Santos said military forces have surrounded the two highest commanders of the rebel group. “We have all the leaders in sight and their hope for survival is slim,” he said.

This would be as major as the Bettancourt rescue mission. We’ll get to translating some of the Spanish language press and see what’s what.

]]>

Best Mohammad Suleman assassination conspiracy theories

This is a great list of possible reasons a top Syrian general was assassinated.

1- Mr. Suleiman was killed by the Syrian regime because he knows too much about the coordination between Syria, Iran and North Korea on nuclear programs.

2- Mr. Suleiman was killed by the Iranians to revenge the killing of Imad Mughnieh 6 months ago in Damascus. This theory is especially credible considering the fact that it took place while Mr. Assad was in Tehran.

3- Mr. Suleiman was killed by the Iranians to warn the Syrian regime of getting too cozy with Israel.

4- Mr. Suleiman was killed by the Syrian regime because he’s connected to the Hariri assassination

5- Mr. Suleiman was killed by the Syrian regime as a show of goodwill to Israel, since the officer was rumored to be the liaison between the Syrian regime and Hezbollah.

6- Mr. Suleiman was killed by the Israeli intelligence as a way to put pressure on Mr. Assad to take action with regards to Hezbollah’s armament.

]]>

Iraqi Army to buy M1-A1 Abrams tanks

Just what they need (not). I guess some in the Pentagon are envisioning an Iraq without a couple of US Armored divisions playing in the sand.

The Defense Department agency said it has notified Congress of the proposed sale of 140 M1A1s to Iraq. Under the project, the United States would then upgrade the M1A1s to M1A1M configuration in a $2.16 billion deal.

Using a brick to stomp on ants if they use them against the insurgents. So I wonder what they might be used for?

They aren’t going to have that much luck in the inner cities of Iraq with their narrow roads and whatnot, but maybe out in the open desert against another tank force they might have a little better time. Hmmm…let’s see. Kuwait to the South. Been there, done that, lost the t-shirt. Saudis to the South, which already have M1s of their own. Jordan to the West. Not much of a threat there. Syria and Turkey to the north. The former a paper shell, the latter filled with mountains. So I guess that leaves by ‘default’ Iran to the East. Wonder what they might need tanks for against Iran?

]]>

Syrian General Mohammad Suleiman who ran guns to Hezbollah found dead.

Well not really that much of a surprise, given his alleged role in shipping weapons to Hezbollah.

A Syrian general shot to death at a beach resort over the weekend was a top overseer of his country’s weapons shipments to Hezbollah, according to opposition Web sites and Arab and Israeli news media.

Syria by late Monday had issued no reaction to widespread reports of the assassination of Brig. Gen. Mohammad Suleiman near the Syrian port city of Tartous on Friday night.

Apparently he was shot four times by a man on a yacht, who apparently escaped.

Now before you go blaming the Mossad, there is already some information (or disinformation) in the Israeli press. The Jerusalem Post is citing anti-Syrian dissidents of saying ‘he knew too much’:

Suleiman, 49, was responsible for “sensitive security files” in the Syrian president’s office and in charge of the financing and reform of the Syrian army, the source said. But he added that it was too early to know whether the assassination had to do with particular files Suleiman handled.

Maybe when the spin calms down we’ll get a better idea why this happened.

]]>

Children in South Ossetia being evacuated before war starts

The BBC is reporting on more preparations for the Russian Georgian war of 2008. Bus loads of children from the border area are being put on buses and sent to Russia to escape the fighting (that may take place). Not surprisingly, both sides are blaming the other for increased tensions.

]]>