Afghan and U.S. soldiers raided a Taliban compound used by over 80 Taliban terrorists to launch attacks in the region and killed nine Taliban.

American helicopters pounded the site with rockets before ground forces moved in. Several AK-47 assault rifles, rockets, as well as tents, kettles and other camping equipment were scattered around the area, the governor said.

A U.S. military statement said nine suspected militants were killed. Khan said the rest of the rebels fled during Tuesday’s attack on the camp, which had been set up in several adjoining mountain caves.

Offensives in Afghanistan are on the rise as both the Coalition and Afghanistan are trying to find and eliminate as many terrorists as possible prior to the Afghan elections in September. Unfortunately due to the terrain and the many, many tunnels used by Taliban and Al Qaida terrorists, it is virtually impossible to block off all exit points. The good news, other than killing nine and disrupting one camp, is that the Coalition knows where one tunnel system is and most likely it has been caved in with explosives.

Hugo Chavez is not only a ruthless dictator taking the lands away from his own people, he’s also a bona fide idiot scoring political points over a natural disaster. He runs out of originality calling President Bush a cowboy, then has the following to say:

“That government had no evacuation plan, it is incredible, the first power in the world that is so involved inIraq … and left its own population adrift,” Chavez said in a cabinet meeting broadcast live on television.

Take your oil and shove it. Furthermore, Pat Robertson grows more reasonable by the day. There were a pleathora of calls to evacuate New Orleans. Residents were even ordered out. A city of 1.2 million was all but a ghost town before Katrina hit. You simply cannot convince everyone to leave.

Tell me friend in Tampa Bay who has hurricane parties to leave during a hurricane. Sorry, it’s not going to happen.

From the Washington Post:

LOS ANGELES — The head of a radical Islamic prison gang and three others were indicted Wednesday on federal charges of planning terrorist attacks against U.S. military facilities, the Israeli Consulate and other Los Angeles-area targets.

The four conspired to wage war against the U.S. government through terrorism, kill armed service members and murder foreign officials, among other charges, according to the indictment.

Named in the indictment were Levar Haley Washington, 25, Gregory Vernon Patterson, 21, Hammad Riaz Samana, 21, and Kevin James, 29.

Prosecutors contend the plot was orchestrated by Washington, Patterson and Samana at the behest of James, an inmate at the California State Prison-Sacramento who founded the radical group Jamiyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh.

According to the indictment, Washington pledged his loyalty to James “until death by martyrdom” and sought to establish a JIS cell outside prison with members with bomb expertise.

Washington, Patterson and Samana _ who attended the same Inglewood mosque _ allegedly conducted surveillance of military facilities, the Israeli Consulate and synagogues in the Los Angeles area as well as Internet research on Jewish holidays. Law enforcement officials have previously said that the military facilities included National Guard sites, though the indictment does not specify.

Previous Posts:
Second California Terror Cell Might Be Part of Prison Group
Home-Grown Jihadis in California

From the “you got to be kidding me” file:

London, Aug 31 (PTI) A controversial Muslim scholar, who was banned from the US and France, has been appointed by the British government to an elite task force to combat the rise of Islamic extremism among educated British youth.

Tariq Ramadan, author of books like ‘Western Muslims’ and ‘Future of Islam’, is one of the 13 members appointed by the government to the task force formed to formulate proposals to deter Muslims from flirting with extremism, a media report said today.

The grand son of Hassan al Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Ramadan faces a ban in both the US and France,which have accused him of “double talk — spreading radicalism through his inflammatory speeches in Arabic, while delivering gentler messages in French and English”.

“He speaks with two voices, one for his European audience, which appears moderate, and one for his Arab hinterland where he voices many of the demands of Islamists,” Mike Whine, spokesman for the Jewish Community Security Trust, which monitors alleged Muslim terrorits, told ‘The Guardian’.

Ramadan has already held talks with the Home Office on the workings of the group, which will report to Prime Minister Tony Blair and Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

Chechen terrorist leader Shamil Basayev has pinned the blame of the Beslan School Massacre on Russian special forces who allowed terrorists into the school. Not only is this a deflect of blame, it is a lie said to try to damage Russia’s influence over this region.

In an announcement on a Web site that frequently posts his statements and videos, Mr. Basayev said he had deceived Russian intelligence services, who believed his terrorists would attack a government center in the regional capital and thus cleared a route at the border in hopes of ambushing them along the way.

The statement was immediately denounced by the Russian authorities, who dismissed it as “total nonsense” and the assertions of a “child murderer.”

“Investigators have no evidence suggesting that special services were in any way involved in the seizure,” Russia’s deputy prosecutor general, Nikolai Shepel, told the Interfax news agency.

But the statement, timed to appear in the news as residents of Beslan prepare for the one-year anniversary of the school seizure exploited the uncertainties and lingering questions surrounding the terrorist act.

This is just radical Islamic propoganda that we see daily by various terrorist groups and nothing more. To try to assert Russian special forces share some of the blame for sending 20 terrorists into a school to hold children hostage is ridiculous. Basayev has the blood of over 300 children on his hands as well as the public sentiment in the region against his group of murderous thugs.

I breifly mentioned the deaths of close to now 1,000 Iraqis in the stampede (I hate that word but I can’t find a better fit) during a Shia festival in Iraq. Apparently threats of suicide bombers scared the people celebrating and they ran onto a bridge over the Tigris River where a railing collapsed. My prayers are with their families.

Iraqi blogger Hammurabi adds more to the mix. We knew there were mortars fired in by an unknown group at the time, giving rising fears to the mix, but Hammurabi dictates there were rockets fired above those gathered as well. How did the fatal movement occure?

First they were firing rockets over the crowds away from the bridge then they pushed a thug between them over the bridge who shouted ‘terrorist, terrorist; there is bomber over the bridge ‘. The people when heard that run to catch him. The others tried to run away. Whether or not there was a suicidal or not the tool of death reached about 900 people.

So were there suicide bombers in the mix? DEBKA reports three men with suicide bomb vests were found in the area immediately after the incident. The interrogations of these three men tabbed Al Qaida in Iraq as the culprit of this scene. They were also likely the group launching mortars during a Shiite religious festival.

I am going to try and stay clear of talking about Hurricane Katrina non-stop. Mac or Mike may talk about the hurricane, but I personally feel there is other news worthy of discussion as well. There are numerous other blogs covering the aftermath of the hurricane and since I have no inside knowledge of the damage nor how best to deliver funds to the victims, I will defer the talk to other people.

That said, I do have a running talley of contributions from foreign countries to see if our nation’s support for various natural disasters can be returned. I do not mean returned in dollar for dollar either, only a return of help. By all means please help contribute to the talley if you see or hear of news of a foreign nation stepping in and donating some money.

Americans are very generous people, but historically we have been more generous to other nationals than our own. I am confident the spirit of the American people will help out victims of Hurricane Katrina. So by now you’re asking what you could do to help. I have a graphic on the left side-bar that links directly to the American Red Cross. By all means, please hit that up and throw in a few dollars. I personally took money out of the Chad Evans Scholarship fund and threw it to the victims of Katrina. I hope you will do the same.

Michelle Malkin has a running list of companies within the United States donating to the Katrina relief effort and other ways in which you can contribute. I encourage my readers to go there to see other agencies in which you can donate to other than the American Red Cross if you so choose.

Speaking of the American Red Cross though, according to the Associated Press, $21 million has been raised by the American Red Cross thus far. $15 million from individual donations. This is extraordinary.

As with every natural disaster, there are people which will take the low road and interject politics into the mix. Of course you also have radical Islamists which are celebrating Hurricane Katrina as being some sort of punishment and hoping a barrel of oil will reach $100, which is strangely Osama Bin Laden’s efforts to increase gas prices to this exact figure.

Many are stating global warming is the cause for devestating hurricanes. Joern Ehlers, a spokesman for World Wildlife Fund Germany, said global warming increased the intensity of hurricanes. Who better to ask then a spokesman for the WWF. A German politician of the outgoing Social Democratic Party said the following:

“The Bush government rejects international climate protection goals by insisting that imposing them would negatively impact the American economy. The American president is closing his eyes to the economic and human costs his land and the world economy are suffering under natural catastrophes like Katrina and because of neglected environmental policies.”

Of course when you look at the actual data on hurricanes, this is far from the truth. Did we ever blame the so-called American obesity on the German export of bratwurst? Perhaps we should.

Update:
Thanks to No Parasan, I’ve found out Hurricane Katrina is not the first natural disaster caused by the United States. A storm which “hammered France” in 1999 was because of a CIA conspiracy.

Note: No Parasan does not add to this insanity, only comments on it. They are the good guys.

Like clockwork, Al Qaida in Iraq responds to the Sunni-led militia backed by a United States airstrike yesterday that killed an estimated 56 terrorists (covered here).

“The American crusader forces, enemies of God, carried out an odious crime against the Muslims of Al-Qaim,” said a statement in the name of the Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Land of Two Rivers.

[snip]

“We tell you, adorers of the cross, you will not escape,” according to the website statement whose authenticity could not be verified.

We should rattle the enemy. As I’ve noted before, the interrogation of Khalid Sheikh Muhammed revealed Al Qaida did not have the time to regroup and further plan for another attack after the start of Coalition bombing of Afghanistan following 9/11. The best way to combat radical Islamic terrorism is through aggression, something in which we have done very well.

Debbie emailed me the following:

Not that I really expected it, but where are the offers of help from other nations during our time of crisis? I have not heard even one other nation offer a word of sympathy or prayer for our loss of life and property from Katrina. Yet, after the tsunami no matter how much money we sent, how many ships, how many people we sent . . . according to the rest of the world it was never enough. Not that I think we ‘need’ outside help or that we would even ‘welcome’ help from just any country, but it would be nice to hear an ‘offer of help’ or a ‘kind word or prayer’. But that’s not going to happen.

Make this the start of a running count of donations from other countries. Personally I don’t care for condolences, but I’d like to see other nations reach out and donate. The devestation caused by Hurricane Katrina may likely be well over the tsunami in terms of dollars. Thank God the loss of life was far, far less, but there was more infrastructure in place.

We as a nation are a nation of generous people who donate through private funds, but during the tsunami that didn’t seem to ever matter to the naysayers who thought we were stingy. Those naysayers were also here in the States. They obviously do not seem to understand the benefits of a “low” tax system are.

What do I need from readers? Help make this a running countdown of dollars donated for the relief effort by nations and not individual contributions. If you read of any article or hear any story regarding a foreign nation donating to the hurricane relief effort, let me know and send me the link if applicable.

If you are a fellow blogger or site owner and want to help push people to donate to the American Red Cross, Jim Lynch of Bright & Early has created a corner banner with the code. Go here to see the banner.

Update:
What can you do to help and who is proud of the hurricane?

Running Count:
Venezuela fives oil and water. Thanks Mell.
Israel sends condolences and offers unspecified assisstance.
More Condolences listed in an AP article from France, Pope Benedict XVI, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Queen Elizabeth II and Swiss individuals and businesses offering support and money.
British indifferent? I’ve yet to hear anything from Blair, but this article comes from comments from readers of The Guardian, a Leftist British rag.
Saudis send condolences and say they may ease oil strain.
Canada is offering medical aid
Russia is offering “to provide any necessary help“
More Canada including trouble with flights
UN is starting to try to help out

Both Canada and Russia links come via Junk Yard Blog, who asks the same question of “Where is the International Community?“

Update:
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said the United States will accept foreign donations. Hopefully the Canadian donation of medical aid will be in the Gulf Coast shortly.

More committments, but no amounts given:

The State Department said offers so far had come from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Russia, Japan, France, Germany, Britain, China, Jamaica, Honduras, Greece, Venezuela, the Organisation of American States, NATO, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, South Korea, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Update 09/02:
It is hardly just me who has noticed the lack of foreign aid. According to Newsmax, only 25 nations have offered assisstance. I’ve listed nations above and will continue to update this post as news merits. Also, please continue to email me news that I have missed. Kofi Annan had the following to say:

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan acknowledged the extent of the disaster, saying through a spokesman: “The damage is far worse than any of us imagined at first. The American people – who have always been the most generous in responding to disasters in other parts of the world – have now themselves suffered a grievous blow.”

But he went on to add: “Of course the United States is also the country in the world best prepared to cope with such a disaster.”

Both statements are certainly true, without question, however that does not mean we do not need help to rebuild cities and help the estimated 1.2 million residents of New Orleans alone. It’s a huge undertaking and the devestation has not yet been realized and presumably will not until New Orleans is drained.

SFGate though reports over 50 nations have offered assisstance. Australia has pledged $8 million to the American Red Cross, Japan another $500,000 to the American Red Cross and other charities. The countries offering aid according to SFGate are the following:

By Friday, offers had been received from Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, Jamaica, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Guatemala, Paraguay, Belgium, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Italy, Guyana, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Austria, Lithuania, Spain, Dominica, Norway, Cuba, Bahamas, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Iceland, India, Jordan, Luxembourg, the Philippines, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey.

It is a remarkable list, but thus far I’ve only seen two nations which have followed words with action. Many countries on the list above have very little to give, therefore any donation they do give means twice as much if not ten times as much.

Update 09/03:
The United Nations has pledged aid. Most likely the aid coming from the UN will be in the form of expertise over money, but I think we’ll take any aid given period.

“We don’t have money as the U.N., but we’ll come with some expertise and experience,” Annan told reporters in Stockholm soon after he arrived from New York on Friday for a private visit.

“We also believe that we may be able to share our experience in dealing with major crises around the world,” Annan said. “So I would urge all countries and any group that can help to assist.”

This is the exact reason, or one of them, why I like the idea of a United Nations. Hopefully President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton will be able to bring in the dollars. This will take a herculean effort to provide aid to the millions of victims displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The duo did well for the tsumani, and let’s hope they can work their strings with the hurricane. the victims deserve as much.

Update 09/04:
Qatar has pledged $100 million to the relief effort (via Blogs of War). Thank you Qatar.

Afghanistan has pledged $130,000 to the relief campaign. This is small in figure, but large in scope coming from Afghanistan.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Sunday the government would send 500,000 ration packs.

Germany and Italy sent flights of supplies, including food rations, bed supplies, inflatable dinghies and water purifiers.

The $500 million offer by Kuwait which owes its 1991 liberation from seven months of occupation by Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army to a U.S.-led coalition is the largest to date, surpassing the $100 million pledged by Qatar, another U.S. ally in the Mideast. (source)

More from Blackfive:

Australia – eight million dollars.

France – emergency supplies, including tents, blankets, cooking equipment and camp-beds.

Britain – 500,000 military (meals) rations.

Germany – 25 tons of food.

Italy – 15,000 First Aid Kits, along with infant food, blankets, pumps, water-purifying devices and inflatable rafts.

Kuwait – 500 million dollars in oil products.

Qatar – 100 million dollars.

Canada – thousands of camp-beds, blankets and medical supplies. A Canadian Coast Guard ship is bringing 1,000 troops.

Afghanistan (that’s right, Afghanistan) – 100,000 dollars.

Indonesia (one of the countries hit by the Tsunami) – 40 medical doctors.

Korea – 30 million dollars.

Norway – 1.6 million dollars.

Sri Lanka (one of the countries hit by the Tsunami) – 25,000 dollars.

China – five million dollars.

Cuba – doctors, 25 tons of medicine and emergency supplies.

Netherlands (Holland) – Inspectors/Engineers to inspect the levies (go figure).

Israel – sending doctors and military support.

Venezuela – doctors, oil products (at cost), and emergency supplies.

Japan – an emergency rescue team.

India – five million dollars, essential medicines and water purification systems.

The Philippines – a 25-member team of aid workers (doctors, nurses, sanitary engineers).

Mexico – 15 tons of water, food and medicine.

It seems to be coming together nicely.

Update 09/05:
Europe is stepping up with beds and food rations. I thank our friends in Europe.

Update 09/07:
Mexico has stepped up and is contributing “water treatment plants, mobile kitchens and supplies to feed victims.” Thank you Mexico. Israel is sending a plane with water and diapers instead of the previously mentioned doctors per request of the United States. Thank you Israel.

Update 09/09:
NATO will use ships and planes to transport needed supplies.

Update 09/14:
A great update by American Soldier indicating Iraqi soldiers are giving solidarity with the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Terrorism expert Rolf Tophoven is claiming that over 40,000 jihadis (10,000 in UK, 31,000 in Germany) are spread across Europe. He made the remarks at a seminar sponsored by the Institute of Regional Studies this week:

Rolf Tophoven, in his paper “The European Network of Al Qaeda”, said a relatively small minority of European Muslims were very much capable launching Jihad against their host countries.

Quoting a confidential British study and another by the German Verfassungsschutz (Office for the Protection of Constitution), Tophoven said that the study provided ample evidence of militant Islam getting firmly entrenched in Europe.

“Both figures demonstrate that militant Islam is firmly entrenched in the European heartland,” the Dawn quoted Tophoven as saying.

Besides these, Tophoven also pointed out an important branch of Al Qaeda under Zarqawi in Europe functioning under the name ‘Ansarul Islam’, which was, “increasingly promoting a pan-Islamic image.”

He said that European Intelligence agencies were also worried about the expansion of Islamic terror in the erstwhile Communist countries of Eastern Europe namely, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and the Czech Republic.

He said that while Austria was a hub for the communication among Islamic extremists, France had become a key recruitment groups for jihadis to fight Russian forces in the break-away republic of Chechnya.

London, he however said was the central logistic basis and the perfect hiding place for a large number of terror masterminds, adding that London was described by jihadis as the nerve centre for recruitment.