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| 5/23 |
| 2006/10/30-31 [Politics/Domestic/911, Politics/Domestic/President/Bush] UID:45034 Activity:high 93%like:45040 |
10/30 http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/zawahiri_was_ta.html (perhaps not a) Surprise! - Pakistani major general says Pakistani attack helos fired 4-5 missiles into terrorist training school, killing ~80, and that no women or children were at the school during the attack. - U.S. major says assault was "completely done by the Pakistani military". Attack comes on day that peace deal between region's tribal leaders and Pakistan govt was to be signed. - ABC News reports U.S. Predator UAV(s) actually conducted attack, and that Zawahiri, 2nd in command to Osama, was primary target. - Opposition political leader says 30 children were killed, school was not terrorist training center, and U.S. planes were used. (I kind of don't believe the children part, because kids' bodies are easily shown to the camera, and these haven't appeared. Young adults, okay; a few kids, certainly possible) \_ Which part is the "Surprise!"? \_ yeah, the ABC News report is suspect. The standard Hellfire 1-2 missiles that Predators carry isn't enough to kill 50-80 people normally. -op \_ I wondered about this too. A couple of Predator drones "completely destroyed a compound" and "killed 50-80 people?" Yeah right. \_ it also doesn't make sense that 4-5 rockets/missiles from from attack helos did it either. Weird. -op \_ Attack helos carry more than 1 rocket each. It depends on if they meant that 4-5 rockets were fired or some unknown number of helos each fired 4-5 rockets. But, no, I agree with you that 4-5 rockets total would be unlikely to directly kill 80 people. Perhaps the building was multi-story and collapsed and burned and that killed ~80 people? \_ the Pakistani major general was pretty clear: 4-5 rockets/missiles total. Maybe it was an anti-personnel Hellfire variant (just add Al powder), first tested in Iraq in '03. -op http://csua.org/u/hbq (globalsecurity.org) |
| 5/23 |
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| blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/zawahiri_was_ta.html Pakistan_rubble_zawahiri_nr Ayman al Zawahiri was the target of a Predator missile attack this morning on a religious school in Pakistan, according to Pakistani intelligence sources. ABC News has learned the raid was launched after US intelligence received tips and examined Predator reconnaissance indicating that al Qaeda's No. Despite earlier reports that the missiles had been launched by Pakistani military helicopters, Pakistani intelligence sources now tell ABC News that the missiles were fired from a US Predator drone plane. Click Here to Check Out More of the Brian Ross Page Between two and five senior al Qaeda militants were killed in the attack, including the mastermind of the airliners plot in the UK, according to Pakistani intelligence sources. No word yet on whether or not Zawahiri was killed in the raid, but one Pakistani intelligence source did express doubt that Zawahiri would have been staying in a madrassa, which is an obvious target for strikes against militants. That source, however, did express confidence that Pakistani intelligence is closing in on Zawahiri's location. One of the clerics who is believed to have been killed today, Maulana Liaquat, was one of the two main local leaders believed to be protecting Zawahiri. Pakistani intelligence sources tell ABC News they believe they have "boxed" Zawahiri in a 40-square-mile area between the Khalozai Valley in Bajaur and the village of Pashat in Kunar, Afghanistan. They hope to capture or kill him in the next few months. Barrett | Oct 30, 2006 1:16:46 PM If they've got Zawahiri "boxed" in an area less than 7 miles to a side, why would it take "months" to find and kill him? This is another example of how not enough resources are being directed to this effort. Bush has put all our troops in Iraq in a misguided effort to seek out terrorists, while the terrorist masterminds walk free. Tom | Oct 30, 2006 1:27:26 PM I can only imagine the immense pressure placed upon Pakistan officials to take some action prior to the election. The Bush White House is supporting a policy that will not work. Death is touching so many in iraq,Afghanistan and Pakistan. So we haven't had an attack on our home land, yet how can we be proud of the carnage and destruction that we have brought to the homeland of other human beings. Are we so selfish that we look past the fact that tens of thousands of iraqi civilians have been killed just so we can be safe here in the states. I would propose that honor in death is simply a construct of the living. Justifying the death of any human being is just a method of justifying our unwillingness to standup for honoring life. And I would remind all americans that we are all one nation. remember how it feels to stand united with your fellow american. This is what makes some Presidents great, the ability to care for the concerns of all the citizens equally. al | Oct 30, 2006 1:32:57 PM Surprise, 2 days before the election. Your president is once again using fear and terrorist for political gain. They have been doing this for years, It's sad it is taking the American people this long to see it. jace | Oct 30, 2006 1:35:02 PM "October Surprise" falls short? I guess any news generated between now and election day that is not directly in support of the purported unstoppable Democratic party takeover of Congress, is a Bush/Cheyney/Rove/Mehlman/Rumsfeld conspiracy to deflect Americans attention, correct? Did you ever think by continuing with the never-ending (and ridiculous) media drum beat about how the democrats are going to win that you are actually encouraging more conservatives to vote? Tatiana DeSouza | Oct 30, 2006 1:35:08 PM So Zawahiri just lost one of his two local sponsors. That should prove highly motivating to the current and any future ones. It would be huge to see the Pakistanis work with us to net the operational brains of Al Qaeda. Hopefully this doesn't lead to seeing Zawahiri killing an American or Westerner on CNN. If you feel we have no one there, go to your local enlisting station and get ready to fight! I might vote this next presidential election Democratic, but not because I am. I bet if all you negative Nelly's could, you would place blame on every natural disaster on him! Stop complaining, come up with ideas to help this world! XXX | Oct 30, 2006 1:53:14 PM Yes Brian, that is infact all they have; I'm so looking forward to getting to the polls next week and giving Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean a metaphorical kick in the teeth. I hope none of you are being fooled by the BS media polls. Paul | Oct 30, 2006 2:03:08 PM The most despicable betrayal of the American people in the history of this great nation continues. Why do we not have 150,000 troops in Pakistan searching for the men responsible for 9/11? Paul | Oct 30, 2006 2:06:02 PM To the people saying we don't have enough troops - they are missing the whole point. We have about 60-80 thousand coalition troops in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has a much lower population an much more uninhabitable areas than Iraq. Stop being blinded by your hatred for Bush and get a clue. Also, was it just an "October Surprise" when we killed Zarqawi? Aaron | Oct 30, 2006 2:06:56 PM Why don't you guys that want to reason with the islamic terrorists go over there and give it a try. They'll love reasoning with you as they slice your head off. Warmonger | Oct 30, 2006 2:07:37 PM To actually belive this Zawahiri -or Bin Laden had anything to do with 9/11, is just sad. It's just amazing how gullable, fearful and stupid the American populace is. A bunch of sheeple believing anything Fox News tells them to. Randolf | Oct 30, 2006 2:07:59 PM If only conspiracy theorists like yourselves were considered to be the foolish loonies you are. Unfortunately, a large portion of the country thinks the government was involved in creating the 9/11 terrorist attacks. There's also zero evidence of the other garbage you conspiracy nuts spout. Canof | Oct 30, 2006 2:08:20 PM The reason it will take months to capture this man is because you don't understand the terrain and the local mentality. The local population are either in agreement or in fear of the Taliban. keepinitreal | Oct 30, 2006 2:10:42 PM Isn't it funny how things that are good for the USA are bad for Democrats and things that are bad for this country are good for Democrats? Dave | Oct 30, 2006 2:11:43 PM For those claiming we're in an illegal it's apparent that the war began as a result of inaction by the UN who would rather keep collecting their kickbacks in the Food for Oil schemes. Not to mention certain European and Asian countries that were selling clandestine materials and arms to Saddam. L-fitzgerad | Oct 30, 2006 2:12:09 PM It is clear to me that if all our resources weren't bogged down in Iraq, we could have stabilized Afganistan by now. We could then send our marines into the Afgan mountains and our special forces into pakistan and finally make the masterminds of 9/11 pay before it is too late. Everyone who voted for the Iraq war, democrats & republicans, should be out of office and new guys should be in to replace them. Hope you sleazy politicians made enough money because your time is up! asdf | Oct 30, 2006 2:14:34 PM Is that all you guys ever have - suspicion, conincidence, conspiracy? Don't believe the polls - they're not asking the right people. The November surprise is coming and the MSM is going to be caught - yet again - . brian | Oct 30, 2006 2:15:07 PM Once this man is captured he can and should be useful for the capture of bin Laden. Interrogating Zawahiri to the whereabouts of bin Laden should be known to the public so that the Bush administration can no longer say, "We just don't know where he is." I believe once he is captured more top Al Qaeda leaders will be brought to justice or killed. Also, the cheating the has caused all of this terror must stop at some time, but to benefit the middle east. The US government should now focus on matters here at home if bin laden is captured. The mission therefore, will be completed for going over to the middle east in the first place. For some people, good news for the US on the War Against Islamic Fascists is ba... |
| csua.org/u/hbq -> www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/agm-114n.htm af7f223d AGM-114N Metal Augmented Charge (MAC) Thermobaric Hellfire The improved, Metal Augmented Charge (MAC) thermobaric warhead for the AGM-114 Hellfire missile dramatically increased effectiveness against enclosed targets. The chemical mix selected for the AGM-114N Thermobaric Hellfire warhead fill is substantially more effective in attacks against enclosed structures than the current Hellfire blast and fragment variants. The thermobaric Hellfire missile can take out the first floor of a building without damaging the floors above, and is capable of reaching around corners, striking enemy forces that hide in caves or bunkers and hardened multi-room complexes. Coalition military planners use a sophisticated computer model to determine the precise direction, the angle of attack, and the type of weapon needed to destroy desired targets, while sparing nearby civilian facilities. Unlike conventional warheads, which have a sharp pressure spike that decays rapidly, the MAC has a sustained pressure wave. That pressure propagates throughout a structure to extend the lethal effects of the warhead detonation. The DoD Combating Terrorism Technology Task Force (CTTTF) has been structured to continually strive to derive new capabilities from S&T programs, as well as attempt to anticipate future capabilities needs. The original CTTTF model was conceived within a week of the attacks of September 11, 2001, when the Department established CTTTF. In Phase II, the CTTTF reacted to a broad set of operational issues that emerged leading up to and including support for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Technologies were accelerated to fielding for several specialized, unique weapons which focused on specific, anticipated threats. Notable among the CTTTF efforts was the AGM-114N Thermobaric Hellfire which built upon previous efforts supported by the CTTTF in development of thermobaric weapons which were employed in Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom. DTRA worked in coordination with the Army and Navy, on the AGM-114N Hellfire development effort. Several candidate thermobaric warhead fills were tested and assessed during final development. In FY 2003 DTRA delivered 65 Hellfire AGM-114N missiles with improved warheads for increased blast lethality for US Marine Corps Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT). In 2002, the DTRA tasked NAVAIR to develop a new Hellfire warhead. The requirements had been established by the Marine Corps Department of Aviation (APW-72) to make the Hellfire more suitable for Military Operations in Urban Terrain. The number one requirement was that the new warhead increase the probability of personnel lethality or incapacitation. Additionally, the warhead had to maintain lethality equivalent to the AGM-114M against the remainder of the Marine Corps target set, possess the same flight performance and accuracy as the 114M, keep the same interfaces with the Hellfire missile system and be compatible with the Hellfire logistical cycle. The MAC technology used in the new warhead has its roots at China Lake where, as early as the 1960s, Navy scientists were conducting basic research into fuel-air explosives (FAEs). China Lake scientists and engineers subsequently developed these concepts into tactical weapons: surface-launched FAE (SLU-FAE) and the CBU-55/72 FAE family. In the 1990s, the Energetics Materials and Ordnance Components Branch worked with China Lake and others to develop nonliquid FAEs containing aluminum particles. The goal was a solid FAE with a greater impulse (pressure over time) than conventional explosives. They were successful in developing a class of explosives that demonstrated greater impulse than non-augmented explosives. The work received a classified US Patent and was the basis for the MAC warhead. The new warhead contains a fluorinated aluminum powder layered between the warhead casing and the PBXN-112 explosive fill. When the PBXN-112 detonates, the aluminum mixture is dispersed and rapidly burns. The resultant sustained high pressure is extremely effective against enemy personnel and structures. NAVAIR managed the MAC warhead project through its first two phases. Six warhead-fill candidates were considered in phase 1, and the top three were selected to proceed into phase 2, where the down-select process was completed. The warhead design was finalized in September 2002, and the PBXN-112/MAC warhead proceeded into phase 3, qualification testing. It went from development to deployment in less than one year. The demonstration program developed weapons in approximately one year with an initial delivery of approximately 60 residual assets. An urgent request was received from the Marine Corps to begin immediate fabrication of 65 warheads. Five of these were to be used for a Quick Reaction Assessment (QRA). The balance would be destined for field use by Marine Corps operational units. The 65 warheads were built and integrated into the armament sections at NAVAIR WD. It involved tests against a bunker and cave on China Lake's Land Range and against a multi-room structure at White Sands Missile Range. COMOPTEVFOR directed the QRA, and VX-9 provided the helicopters and crews who did the shooting. All tests were completed successfully, verifying the performance of the MAC warhead. Multiple missiles were deployed and successfully employed in the opening of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since that time, the Department has invested additional funds in the AM-114N and will deliver over 100 units to USMC and SOCOM by June 2005. The AGM-114N transitioned to production with a significant increase in fielded units planned over the following two years. It was revealed in mid-May 2003, by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that US forces had for the first time used a new thermobaric variant of the Hellfire missile during the conflict in Iraq. No additional details were revealed as to how and where the weapon had been used. DefSec Rumsfeld cited this weapon as a case of high-speed research and development executed to meet a critical battlefield need, with the project going from development to deployment in less than one year. Navy JAG (Code 10) JAO commented in late 2002 on a legal review of the Hellfire PBXN-112/MAC warhead missile. The missile provides increased effectiveness against targets typically encountered in Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) by creating increased blast over-pressure and impulse to defeat multi-room structures. The missile is also effective against caves, light armor, trucks, radar vans, buildings, light bunkers, command and control sites, patrol boats, light ships, the superstructure of heavy ships, deck mounted weapons systems and troop concentrations. Based on JAO comments, Navy JAG revised the review to include discussion of the BLU-118 and the thermobaric SMAW, two weapons systems already in the inventory which also rely on over-pressure as the killing mechanism. |
| globalsecurity.org HOT TOPICS * Ukraine: Election * Iraq: US Casualties * RNEP Nuclear Penetrator * WMD Civil Support Teams * DPRK: Succession * Target: Iran * Iran: Shahab-3 * Russia: Topol-M Missile * NASA: X-43 Hyper-X * Palestine: Leadership * CHICOM: Senkaku Islands * Iraq: Free Iraqi Forces * Iraq: Urban Ops * Iraq: White Phosphorus * Iraq: Occupation * Iraq: Pacification Ops * Iraq: Abu Musab Zarqawi * Iraq: US Forces * Ivory Coast Conflict * Sudan Civil War: Darfur HOT DOCUMENTS * Russia on Ukraine Election * Powell Brief on Ukraine * CIA on WMD Acquisitions * Fallujah Reconstruct. Brief * Fallujah Imagery * Opposition: Iran Nukes * IAEA Report/Iran Nuclear * Iran-EU Nuclear Agreement * IAEA Report/ROK Nuclear * GTMO Tribunals Opinion * Iraqi Survey Group Report * 9/11 Commission Report * On Point: US Army in OIF News Archive * Iraq Troop Extensions * Iraq President/Elections * SUDAN / LAND LAW * SERBIA/ATTACK * DRC/Troubled east * UNSC/Great Lakes peace * MNF Ops in N Iraq * N Babil Ops Gains * Afghan Aircraft Accident * UKRAINE/CRISIS * Ukraine/Parliament vote * US/Nuclear/Iran * CHINA/TAIWAN * BUSH / IRAN * Iraq/Turkomans * POWELL-HAITI * US/RED CROSS/GTMO * RIDGE RESIGNS * DHS Sec. Ridge Resigns * Ridge to Leave DHS * INTELLIGENCE REFORM * US/CWC Meeting * ROMANIA/ELECTIONS * Ft. In the News * Rising costs of Iraq at home * Intelligence impasse/control * Dr. |