Monday Winds of War: June 13/05

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. In addition, we also have our in-depth Iraq Report today.

Today's Winds of War briefing is brought to you by Bill Roggio of the fourth rail and evariste of Discarded Lies.

Top Topics

• Three more suspects are arrested in Lodi/al Qaeda sleeper cell case, raising fears that more cells are out there. Dan Darling reminds us that we shouldn’t be shocked that terrorist training camps exist in Pakistan, as the LeT is still open for business. Pakistan denies terrorist camps exist within their borders. The Counterterroism Blog weighs in as well.

• Bill Gertz reports that China analysts have missed a significant buildup in China’s military capabilities, and calls into question the policy of depending on area specialists.

• The humanitarian/authoritarian crisis in Zimbabwe worsens. Where is the UN? The opposition planned a strike, but it was a 'flop'. More from Joe, who wants to arm the Zimbabwean opposition. Also, there are rumors Mugabe’s health is not so good (or very good, depending on your perspective).

• Salon.com states the Bush administration is trumping up "false" charges against the Assad Regime ala Iraq to precipitate an invasion. Syria's Ambassador repeats the charges.

Other Topics Today Include:

Bombs in Iran; Iranian protest babes fight sexual discrimination; al Qaeda in Iran; Saudi Religious Police on the outs?; Syria not complying with Lebanon withdrawal; PATRIOT Games; Bolivian blowup; American prisons = Islamists breeding grounds; Africans high percentage of terrorists in Iraq; Darfur update; Resolution in Kashmir?; al Qaeda whereabouts; Thailand terror; Russian train derailed by bomb; ETA at it again; foreign jihadis swell the ranks of Iraqi insurgency; and much more...

IRAN REPORTS

• Iranian women protest protesting sex discrimination. Protest babes alert!

• Bombs are detonated outside of government buildings in 7 locations, killing 10. Here are some possible suspects.

• Michael Ledeen asks will any Western governments or human rights groups will “proclaim the Iranian elections a fraud” and denounce their treatment of political prisoners? The United States answers the call.

• According to al Qaeda military commander Sayf al-Adel, Iran is a base of operations and jump-off point to Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, with the help of the Iranian security forces.

• Regime Change Iran has the weekly roundup.

THE MIDDLE EAST

• Strategy Page (June 10 entry) reports the Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Suppression of Vice (AKA Mutawwain, religious police) are losing influence in the Magic Kingdom.

• The US says Syria has not complied with removing all of its intelligence assets from Lebanon, and is backing a UN monitoring team to follow up. Kofi Annan is sending a team. Also, there is information the Syrians are planning on further assassinations of political figures in Lebanon.

THE AMERICANS

• The Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee walks out of a hearing on the Patriot Act after groups such as Amnesty International USA and the American Immigration Lawyers Association continued to discuss the unrelated topic of prisoner rights at Guantanamo Bay.

• Austin Bay looks at the turmoil in Bolivia. Joe Katzman has a links roundup and map.

• American prisons are becoming a breeding ground for radical Islam.

• A newly released year-old FBI report tells us something we already knew: the FBI missed an opportunity to follow up on reports that al Qaeda was training to use airliners for terrorist attacks.

AFRICA

• US Special Forces are training with African troops to battle against Islamist terrorists. Adnkronos International is reporting a US battalion is being stationed in Mauritania (unconfirmed). Mauritania claims it has evidence GSPC conducted last week's attacks which killed 15 soldiers.

• Ethiopian’s Prime Minister defends the troops that opened fire on protestors, killing over twenty.
• Sub-Saharan Africans are making up a significant portion of foreign jihadis fighting in Iraq.

• Negotiations move forward in Darfur as the UN declares a town in southern Darfur a no-go zone and suspends operations.

• The Marburg outbreak in Angola appears to have peaked.

ASIA & AUSTRALIA

• Pakistan is hopeful that conflict with India over Kashmir will be resolved in the future.

• US and Pakistani intelligence believe they have a clearer picture of where al Qaeda may be hiding along the Afghani-Pakistani border.

• Interesting developments in cooperation in the Straits of Malacca. More from Eaglespeak.

• More terrorist bombings in Thailand. “Over 600 deaths in less than two years as a result of Islamofascist style terrorism and barely a mention in the MSM.”

• Indonesian sailors are rescued from al Qaeda affiliate Abu Sayyaf.

EUROPE

• A Russian train inbound from Chechnya was derailed by a bomb blast; 15 are injured. Russian authorities suspect Chechen terrorists are responsible.

• ETA detonates another bomb, this time at a Spanish airport.

THE GLOBAL WAR

• Foreign fighters are making up a higher percentage of the Iraqi insurgency.

• Marine Recon is training to become more like Army Special Forces.

• Global Guerrillas looks at "effects based operations" in relation to the Iraqi insurgency.

We try to end on a lighter note if possible?

Seperated at birth? Dude, that's my skull-covering, I'm so wasted.

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