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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GUSTAVE JAEGER who wrote (18035)	11/30/2002 6:59:24 AM
From: lorne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23908

you said....." LOL... Told you so!! Swiss scientists 95% sure that Bin Laden recording was fake "..... When and where did you tell me this? and what's funny about it I fail to see the humor.

To: GUSTAVE JAEGER who wrote (18035)	11/30/2002 7:13:15 AM
From: John Carragher	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 23908

American experts initially concluded that the voice on the tape was probably Bin Laden.. doesn't give you a lot of confidence in our specialists.... does it?

To: GUSTAVE JAEGER who wrote (18035)	11/30/2002 8:39:12 AM
From: lorne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23908

.....Belgium next stop?... Mossad takes over in Kenya. By Tim Butcher (Filed: 30/11/2002) Hundreds of Israeli troops and Mossad secret service agents poured into Kenya yesterday, effectively taking control of the investigation into the suspected al-Qa'eda bomb and missile attacks in the resort city of Mombasa. Israeli forensic experts at the site More than 300 heavily-armed soldiers, medical personnel and airmen flew in on five special flights, as Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister, promised to "hunt down" those responsible. Three Israelis, including two children, and nine Kenyans, died in the attack. Mossad agents took control of all aspects of the investigation. They secured the scene of the suicide bombing at the Paradise Mombasa Hotel and missile debris from the attempt to shoot down an Israeli charter flight carrying 271 people. Some personnel organised the evacuation of the Israeli wounded and holidaymakers seeking a swift return home. The deployment underlined Israel's sudden entry into the war on terrorism declared by President George W Bush after September 11. The Israelis are seeking high-grade intelligence information, allowing planners in Israel to establish who was responsible for the attacks and to organise retribution. Al-Qa'eda's first suspected attack against an Israeli target was widely interpreted as a bid to depict its leader, Osama bin Laden, as the chief representative of the Arab cause. Kenyan politicians condemned the attacks yesterday. But one prominent Islamic leader, Abubakar Awadh, an official of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, said: "If this was done to Israelis alone, it would be a worthy cause." Mombasa is a Muslim majority city with centuries-old links to the Arab world. Police said 12 people had been arrested following the attacks, 11 of them foreigners. Six Pakistanis, four Somalis, a Spaniard and a US national were questioned. But there were doubts whether all 12 were linked to terrorism. The American and the Spaniard, one described as Arab in appearance, were arrested after hotel staff reported them for "acting suspiciously". Security sources later said they had no involvement with the case. At least one suspect had been picked up simply because he was walking at night without identity papers. National Police Commissioner Philomen Abongo said: "At this early stage of the investigation no firm conclusions have been made, but we must wait for the work of the experts from Israel." A missile launcher and two scorched missile cartridges abandoned by the terrorists near the airport were left lying around for more than 24 hours. The Israelis later picked them up from waste ground where they were found. Mystery surrounds the take-off direction of the charter plane, Arkia airlines flight IZ582, which did not take off in the standard off-shore direction of Mombasa airport commercial flights. Instead it headed inland, allowing the terrorists an easy shot with the shoulder-launch weapon. The scene of the bombing at the hotel was also left unsecured until the arrival of Israeli experts yesterday. By mid-morning the plastic scene-of-crime police tape strung across the entrance to the hotel was standard Israeli issue, with Hebrew script. Prior to their arrival, journalists and bystanders were able to wander through the ruins, potentially contaminating important evidence. Police recovered the number plate of the four-wheel-drive vehicle used by three suicide bombers to smash into the hotel reception area. news.telegraph.co.uk

To: GUSTAVE JAEGER who wrote (18035)	11/30/2002 6:09:23 PM
From: lorne	Respond to of 23908

Israel plans to capture territory if attacked from North Friday, November 29, 2002 TEL AVIV — Israel's military is preparing for an offensive war against its Arab adversaries that would involve the capture of territory to ensure victory in any future regional conflict. Israeli military planners have been discussing and drafting strategies in response for a regional war that could take place in 2003. They said such a war is likely to begin with a Hizbullah rocket barrage from southern Lebanon in an attack supported by Syria, Middle East Newsline reported. "In the next war, we will be required to be decisive in a way that will include the capture of territory," Maj. Gen. Yiftah Ron-Tal, head of the Ground Forces Command, said. "So, we must preserve our offensive capability in the Israeli Defense Forces. Our maneuvers must take place outside the border of Israel and the ingredients of a decisive victory will be the ground forces. The burden will be placed on them." Later, military sources said Ron-Tal's assessment was that of the military's General Staff. They said the military has drafted scenarios and battle plans for the prospect that Syria would use Hizbullah to launch a massive rocket attack against northern Israel prior or during any U.S.-led war against Iraq. Such a war, military officials said, would be fought differently from the more than two-year-old campaign against Palestinian insurgents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They said Israeli aircraft, armor and troops would move rapidly to establish the battlefield outside of the Jewish state and capture territory required to achieve victory. Ron-Tal discussed Israel's war strategy during a conference on the "Land Army in the 21st Century" on Wednesday at Bar-Ilan University. Leading experts and former defense officials discussed Israel's need to restructure its ground forces to ensure that they absorb the latest military technology. [On Thursday, Hizbullah gunners fired 357 mm anti-aircraft shells toward Israeli aircraft in both the eastern and western sectors. Nobody was injured but officials expressed concern that Hizbullah would soon begin to use its new anti-aircraft missiles obtained from Iran.] The general said the ground forces, despite the increasing capability of the air force and navy, will be responsible for victory in any future Israeli war as well as deterring the nation's adversaries. He said Arab neighbors, particularly Syria, will use any peace arrangement to launch a massive armament program similar to that of Egypt over the last 20 years. "In many areas, Egypt is not less capable than we are," Ron-Tal said. "We will be in a nuclear Middle East and Israel will have second and third circle threats that will threaten its existence." The reference was to nonconventional, including nuclear programs, by such countries as Iran, Libya and Syria. The general said the Palestinians will continue to attack Israel even if a wall is built along the West Bank. Ron-Tal said the military could defeat the Palestinians in the next few months. He said that so far the military has scored impressive achievements against Palestinian insurgents, but they have responded with painful counter-attacks against civilians in Israeli cities. "If we can remove from the Palestinian consciousness that terror can achieve their strategic goals, then I would call this a decisive victory," the general said. "This can be achieved within months. It [the current insurgency war] is not something that fate has been imposed upon us. This is one of the main tthings that we need to do today." worldtribune.com