Thursday Winds of War: May 26/05

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

• Is Zarqawi wounded? Bill and Dan look at what his condition might be, and where he might have gone, as well as the repercussions of his death.

• Mystery Achievement has a translation of an Italian article, in which Iyad Allawi claims that Zawahiri was invited to Iraq in 1999.

• Operation Charm Offensive Towards Islamists. The U.S., now, not just the Europeans.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran diplomatic wrangling; Egypt's reforms; Hezbollah admits to rocket arsenal; PA rejects prisoner release offer; Hitler to run in PLO elections; Syria quits co-operation with U.S.; Zarqawi guys nabbed; Iraq legalises alcohol; Roggio analyses; Hezbollah in the U.S.; U.S. looking to protect Europe from Islam; central America terror alert a false alarm; ETA bomb wounds 50+; Bosnian police chief retracts 3/11 detonator claim; E.U. improving Hezbollah, Hamas ties; petrol bombs thrown at Syrian embassy in Berlin; three dead civilians in Kashmir; Taliban commander caught; Thai A-Q teacher and students arrested; Taylor recieves A-Q cash; West Africa a potential al-Qaeda base; and much more.

IRAN

• Iran-EU talks are back on...

• ...and Europe is going to offer Iran a new deal in order to break the deadlock. I guess reports of Europe putting down the carrot and picking up the stick were premature.

• Condi has reacted cooly.

• Students taking part in a hunger strike have been attacked by Iranian security forces.

THE MIDDLE EAST

• What's going on in Egypt - surface reform or real change? Pro-democracy protestors were beaten by riot police on referendum day, if that helps swing you.

• An Egyptian convert to Christianity is being held in a mental hospital, and won't be allowed to leave until he converts back to Islam.

• Is Ariel Sharon having health problems?

• Hezbollah admits to having more than 12,000 rockets aimed at Israel, and declined calls to disarm in pretty plain speech: "Any hand that reaches out to our weapons is an Israeli hand that will be cut off".

• Meanwhile, the IDF is waiting for Nasrallah to overstep the mark.

• Israel is building ties with Hamas city leaders.

• The PA has rejected an Israeli offer to free 400 convicted terrorists.

• The democratic process in the PLO is such that even Hitler will run for office.

• A former head of the Israeli army intelligence desk on Lebanon says that Syria doesn't need an army to control Lebanon.

• Israeli officers at the Philadelphi corridor are incredulous that Sharon would turn over control of the Gaza-Egypt 'border' to Egypt.

• Syria says it has stopped co-operating with the United States.

• There is a crackdown underway in Syria. The 8 members of the country's only active political forum have been arrested.

IRAQ AND THE GULF

• The Carnival of the Liberated is up. Interesting controversy about Spirit of America; Hammorabi claims Syrian regulars are fighting alongside terrorists; and Saddam in his underwear.

• Two more Zarqawi aides have been arrested.

• Uday, al-Jazeera and oil - how Iraq made al-Jazeera their station.

• Iraq abolishes Saddam's alcohol restriction law.

• Kim du Toit has pointed to a new blog by an American soldier serving in Kuwait/Iraq.

• Saudi scholars want those involved in the Koranic flushing case to be tried by an Islamic court.

• New Winds regular Bill Roggio has done a great job keeping track of things in Iraq. Check out Back to the Wild West of Anbar Province, Infiltrating the Iraqi Insurgency and Operation New Market Commences in Haditha.

THE AMERICAS

• A non-Muslim American has been charged with trying to build a bomb and sell it to al-Qaeda.

• The Washington Times has a look at the Hezbollah network in the United States.

• Here's an interesting report from al-Watan: the U.S. is looking at ways on protecting Europe from Islamisation.

• Al-Arian's case will stay in Florida.

• An alert in El Salvador and Nicaragua for two al-Qaeda suspects was a false alarm.

EUROPE

• An ETA carbomb in Madrid was wounded 53 people.

• Are the Bosnians against us?

• Oriana Fallaci has been charged with defaming Islam in Italy.

• A Gaza-born Spaniard has been arrested for designing rockets for Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

• London's IISS thinktank says U.S. policy viz. the war on terror appear increasingly effective, though they maintain that the Iraq war is helping terrorists recruit.

• The E.U.'s improving ties with Hamas and Hezbollah is causing Israel concern.

• The Bosnian police chief has retracted his claim that the 3/11 detonators were made in Bosnia.

• Petrol bombs have been thrown at the Syrian embassy in Berlin. There were no injuries and only minimal damage, but the Syrians have words for the perpetrators: "If this was the work of any Syrian groups then these people are documenting that they have not understood the current modernisation and development transformations going on in the entire country." The arrest of every member of the Al-Atassi Forum for National Dialogue is what, exactly?

ASIA & AUSTRALASIA

• Pakistani journalist Khawar Mehdi Rizvi (imprisoned for anti-Taliban reporting) says that regional Islamic groups are going to organise more protests, despite the Newsweek retraction.

• Who are those dead Afghans? WorldNetDaily tried to find names, but could not.

• Three civilians and a terrorist were killed in Kashmir.

• A key Taliban commander has been arrested in a joint U.S.-Afghan operation.

• Thai authorities have detained a teacher and three students for ties to al-Qaeda.

• In the Phillipines, terrorists holding a bus full of hostages have released them and fled. MILF denies involvement.

• An Abu Sayyaf courier will take the stand - for the prosecution.

AFRICA

• Charles Taylor recently recieved money al-Qaeda. Taylor, by the way, is still trying to destabilise West Africa. See below for why...

• A declassified Canadian intelligence analysis is warning that West Africa has 'significant potential' for Islamist groups like al-Qaeda.

• The absurd superstitions of Nigerian imams has led to a 'a major epidemic' of polio. Scientists have confirmed that the polio strains found in Asia originated in Nigeria.

Something a little different:

• The Uncyclopedia - The Free Encyclopedia Of Politically Incorrect Non-Information.

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