Colt's Winds of War: Dec 16/04

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday's Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• A yet-to-be-authenticated message from Osama Bin Laden calls upon followers to attack oil targets in the Gulf and Iraq.

• Musharraf says he will not tolerate Jaish, Sipah or Lashkar or organisations like them.

• Will al-Qaeda focus more on Arab governments and Israel? According to these guys, yes

• The hijackers of an Athens bus were bluffing when they threatened to blow it up unless their demands were met.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran plots to attack NH reactor; Hezbollah in P.A.; Israel-Syria talks?; Hamas vs PIJ; U.S. looks at Syria insurgency; Israeli airport security; the carnival of the liberated; Al-Manar = terrorists; A-Q responsible for anthrax?; LAX guards against SAMs; FSB report on A-Q; Belgian link to Van Gogh murder; 3/11 arrests; 10 years for Strasbourg plotters; LeJ prisoners in Karachi; Jaish & Sipah 'neutralised'; LeT hang villager; spawn of Bashir denies terror role; New Year's Eve plot thwarted?; and much much more.

IRAN

• Iran will abide by their agreements with Europe.

• Jack Straw praises the deal made with Iran as showing the reality of the EU's common foreign policy.

• The mullahs will negotiate with the U.S. over their nuclear program.

• The Iranians want Russia to be more willing to get involved in their nuclear industry.

• A U.S. congressman is warning of an Iranian plot to crash an airliner in to a New Hampshire nuclear power plant.

• A rather optimistic (from the mullahs' perspective) look at how Iran would fight back.

• Al-Watan daily says the Iran is trying to increase its influence in the P.A. Quoting P.A. officials, the newspaper says that Iran has given Hezbollah $22 million to use to attack Israel.

• The situation in Iran is becoming so dire that converting to Judaism and making aliyah looks like an attractive option. Which is saying something when you consider the less-than-favourable view of Jews taken by the Islamic Republic.

THE MIDDLE EAST

• A-Shark al-Awsat claims that the U.S. will host talks between Israel and Syria in February.

• Despite an attack that killed five Israeli soldiers, the Israeli government will not delay the good-will release of over 100 prisoners.

• The P.A. will not condemn the attack mentioned above. P.A. media are praising the heroic martyrs as we speak.

• A fight between Hamas and Islamic Jihad is becoming more and more likely.

• Via Discarded Lies, a fascinating look at Israeli airport security.

• An attack on Gush Katif wounds 6 Israelis. On Tuesday, a mortar killed a Thai worker.

• The U.S. is denying that it made contact with Hamas.

• The U.S is looking at insurgent sponsorship in Syria.

• With thanks to Dave Schuler: Dean Esmay's Carnival of the Liberated.

THE AMERICAS

• The U.S. is adding Al-Manar, or Hezbollah TV, to its list of terrorist organisations. For more on Al-Manar: All Intifada, All The Time.

• Was Abderraouf Jdey the Anthrax Mailer?

• Apparently Canada's security net is full of holes.

• LAX is guarding against surface-to-air missiles.

EUROPE

• Russia announces some of the results of its investigations in to al-Qaeda's network within the country.

• Dutch police are looking at a Belgian link to the murder of Theo Van Gogh.

• The British Law Lords have decided that the detention without trial of suspected terrorists is illegal.

• The terrorists who plotted to blow up Strasbourg market have been sentenced to up to ten years in prison.

• Five suspected terrorists have been arrested in Spain, including one thought linked to 3/11..

ASIA & AUSTRALASIA

• A Buddhist teacher has been murdered by jihadists in Thailand.

• Five Lashkar-e-Jhangvi terrorists have been taken prisoner in Pakistan.

• An aide to Dawood has been arrested in India. The Crime Branch can't wait to get their hands on him, as he is thought to be involved in numerous terrorist attacks.

• A Pakistani minister says that Musharraf and the army have made Jaish-e-Mohammad, Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi irrelevant.

• The Pakistanis have arrested who they believe to be responsible for the kidnapping of three UN workers in Afghanistan.

• In J&K, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists have hung a villager from a tree.

• A Turkish engineer has been kidnapped in Afghanistan.

• Bashir's son claims that he isn't a terrorist.

• Willi Brigitte plotted with a man named Faheem Lohdi to attack electricity and military targets in Sydney.

• Aussie police think they may have uncovered a crude plot to attack New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney.

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