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.
The Thursday Winds of War briefing is compiled weekly by Colt of Eurabian Times and Steve Schippert (aka USMC_Vet) of The Word Unheard.
Top Topics
- The three-day siege on terrorists holed up in a villa in Dammam, Saudi Arabia has ended. Saudi security forces wanted the terrorists alive, but after 3 days patience wore off and the building was stormed and none of the nine al-Qaeda suspects left alive. Four Saudi security members also died in the siege.
- Within the same context, there’s an online poll that you may actually want to make note of: Militants Support Expansion of Jihad in Iraq to Saudi Arabia. 3 out of 4 Jihadi dentists recommend sugar-free Jihad for Saudi Arabia immediately over waiting until after Iraq.
- Word has it that last month a captured terrorist had plans for London attacks on a thumb drive just north of Qaim. Questions: What was the date/timestamp on the file saved to the thumb drive? Did it pre-date 7/7? What were this fine gentleman’s whereabouts for the 60 days prior to his August capture? Is he another terror import or is he an Iraqi? The proximity to the border with Syria and his established connection with al Qaeda may initially cause many to assume he is of the ‘imported’ variety, but consider this statement from an Iraqi spokesman: "This does not surprise me. We are noting a pattern of involvement by [Iraqi hard-liners] in terrorist plots abroad." Last question: Does it really matter whether he grew up in Fallujah, Damascus or Karachi?
- While many seem to be panting heavily over Islamist terrorist [temporary] control over Qaim, it is important to view Tal Afar and Qaim in proper context. The sign posted outside Qaim that read “Welcome to the Islamic Republic of Qaim” was obviously for public consumption. When Zarqawi & Crew pop their heads up in an asserted effort like this, the hammer is swung…and the significance cannot be overstated regarding the fact that among those swinging the hammer are local Sunni tribes like the Albu Mahal tribe.
Other Topics Today Include: Saudi Arabia’s oil-revenues windfall is ‘good for fighting terror’; Kurds have their house in relative order; China warned over Iranian ‘energy’ quests; Spain on a Palestinian state; Sometimes Category 5 Hurricanes simply win, DHS or no DHS; Iran Defines Charity; Pakistan hunting AQ/Taliban tunnel systems and much, much more.
THE MIDDLE EAST & IRAN
- The Washington Times notes that the surge in Saudi oil income is aiding the fight on terror. Maybe for the Saudi’s…in the Saudi Arabian “War on Terror”. Elsewhere? Rasheed Abou-Alsamh fails to note that the ‘surge in American oil expense’ certainly isn’t helping the efforts of the Global War on Terror anywhere outside the kingdom. Nor does he note that the same surge in revenues the Saudis are gleefully experiencing is shared by other actors in the Global War on Terror, most notably the mullahs of the Iranian regime and the cash pipelines into their largely clandestine nuclear program and, of course, Hezbollah. Context, Mr. Abou-Alsamh. Context.
- With all of that being said, have you ever wondered what a Saudi Arabian Counterterrorism Scorecard looks like? Well, of course, that’s an internal scorecard.
- Iran may need every bit of the windfall added oil revenues, as Middle East Newsline says that their nuclear program has encountered technical setbacks and resultant delays that may push their weapons realization date as far as 5 to 10 years from now. That said, if this indeed turns out to be the case, it is no cause for relaxation. It merely opens a new window of opportunity. It does not roll out the daybed.
- Why Iran does not fear the UN Security Council. Any Questions?
- Colt considers the future of Palestinian Arab terrorist groups, turf battles, in-fighting and the looming Palestinian civil war.
- And as if on Colt’s cue regarding turf battles & kidnapping among rival Palestinian terror groups: Major General Mousa Arafat Killed and His Son Kidnapped by Gunmen. You can read More here.
- Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli at MEMRI has a great rundown of Arabic print translations summarizing the stark differences, outlooks and opportunities for the relatively calm and organized Kurdish northern areas of Iraq as opposed to the largely sectarian Shia south and terrorist-plagued Sunni center.
- Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Greyhawk catches up on a week of missed news of nabbings, nettings and general 'chalk one up for the good guys' Iraqi developments.
AMERICAN DOMESTIC SECURITY & THE AMERICAS
- President Bush has promised an investigation into how the Federal Government responded to Hurricane Katrina and FEMA Director Michael Brown is taking some earned heat. Forgive the editorializing, but while there is enough blame to go around for certain regarding response times and actions, let’s remember that sometimes Class 5 Hurricanes sometimes simply win. That said, the governor is responsible for calling up the Louisiana Nat’l Guard (or not) and the mayors are responsible for acknowledging (or not) that school buses don’t float.
- U.S. Rejects Iran's Offer of 20M Barrels of oil for ‘Katrina Aid’…in exchange for the lifting of trade sanctions on Iran. In other news, Iran offered the Muscular Dystrophy Association $4.7 Million in exchange for a personal 5-year Tehran nite-club lounge tour by Jerry Lewis and the blueprints of the Hoover Dam. Mr. Lewis slept Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
- South American forces under UN banner execute Operation Iron Fist, targeting violent gangs in Haiti.
AFRICA
- Define Progress: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is all but certain to see a fifth 6-year term...but the first as the result of an actual Egyptian election. Of course it's not the cleanest. Of course there is corruption. You were asked to define Progress...not Perfection.
- More of the same in the Ivory Coast: Unlikely to meet election deadline.
ASIA
- Top French Terror Investigator warns of an impending al-Qaeda attack in Asia, specifically Japan.
- Deputy SecState Zoellick warned China of increased conflict with the US if it continues to persue energy deals with countries like Iran, a State Sponsor of Terrorism. China's nuclear assistance to the clandestine Iranian nuclear program has long been established.
- Speaking of China, read Grim's Hall for an intelligent analysis of China's Search for Stability With America by Wang Jisi. Shall we 'don the mask'? Grim advises an open, cautious approach.
EUROPE
- Twenty percent of Londoners were born abroad. #3 on the list: Pakistan.
- Immigrant Turkish Imam has been deemed a French security threat and is to be expelled from France.
- Spain announces that, in regards to any future Palestinian state, "Spain will only support a future Palestinian state that is "democratic and peaceful."
THE GLOBAL WAR
- Pakistani military has begun a hunt for reported al Qaeda/Taliban tunnel systems in northern Waziristan along the Pak-Afghan border.
- A new Rat Line has formed, from the northern Iraqi Kurd region, through Iran and into Afghanistan funneling Russian and Chinese shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles to Taliban fighters.
- Afghan, U.S. Forces Kill 12 suspected militants in Zabul Province raids Monday.
- Read Undermining Hamas and Empowering Moderates by Filling the Humanitarian Void. Then clip out Hamas and insert Hezbollah and any number of groups (including al Qaeda in the Balkans) and you will then understand the 'other prong' in the two-pronged approach to the Global War on Terror:
Heads on a platter from those who seek it for better security today, yet sincere compassion to those who would receive it for more assured security tomorrow.
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WELL, take this for what it's worth... the last time I checked, none of the terrorists in the 7/7 attacks were Iraqis, despite the UK having a very large number of Iraqi immigrants.
Correct. And as I said in disqualifying the entire train of thought, "Does it really matter where this guy was born?"
On Iraqi immigrants: Right now, the battle is with predominantly Sunni seekers of death in particular. Those who have immigrated from Iraq to Britain and other parts of Europe were largely non-Sunnis. Now, I don't know this for a European Immigration Statistical Fact, it's just a logical conclusion. Why would a large segment of the Sunni population leave when they recieved (very relative term) preferential treatment? The immigrants to Britain from Iraq are surely Shi'ite from the south and Kurds from the north. Neither really seems to identify with the current Sunni bloodlust. (This is not to blindly say that all Sunni's ahve a bloodlust, either.)
So, to draw the circle to a close, you are correct in that not a single one of the 7/7 Bombers (or 7/21 for that matter) were Iraqi's. Not a single one.
But...what were they each and every one?
Sunnis.
Predominantly immigrants from Pakistan or the African continent.
So, again:
Does it really matter where the captured wanderer was born?
On Iraqi immigation to Britain, I was refering to the Saddam-era immigrants, hence the (relatively) 'preferential treatment' assertion.
Apologies if that was unclear.
UPDATE: UN rules out Ivory Coast election
so the Taliban have a new source of missles and that Chinook that got shot down in Kunar June 26 was not from a "lucky hit with a RPG" I guess that must be why the second chinook with seals left the area so fast. I'd be more supportive of our government if they would tell the truth instead of spinning all the time. Main stream media also glossed over the second chinook leaving when the first was shot down.
John, got a source for that?
The report above doesn't draw the link exactly to that attack. It never really was very clear what happened, with some saying SA-18 and others RPG. Which is normal, given the difficulty of reconstructing such things. My guess was that we would be able to speculate but never really know - unsatisfying, but under the circumstances unsurprising.
What additional source completes the circle here from the new intel re: the missiles to the definite conclusion that this particular mission was a successful SAM strike?