Monthly Archives: May 2007

Israel Arrests Scores of Hamas Officials

Hamas is starting to feel some pain:

In the continued crackdown on Hamas in the wake of Kassam rocket attacks from Gaza, the IDF conducted a massive arrest sweep of senior Hamas leaders in the West Bank overnight Wednesday, arresting the Palestinian Authority education minister, three parliament members and several mayors.

In total, the IDF said it had arrested 33 Palestinians, the most senior of which was Hamas Education Minister Nasser al-Shaer. Other detainees included three parliament members, the head of the Wakf in Nablus, a top official in the PA Interior Ministry, the mayors of Nablus, Kalkilya, Bidya and El-Bireh, and 21 Hamas operatives and other officials.

The army also shut down 10 Hamas offices in towns throughout the West Bank, includin Jenin, Ramallah, Nablus and Bethlehem.

Body of Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr. Recovered

There have been a lot of rumors and speculation, none of which I’ve posted, but this sad story has been confirmed:

The body of a U.S. soldier found in the Euphrates River in Iraq was identified Wednesday as a California man who was abducted with two comrades a week and a half ago, a relative said.

Military officials told the family of Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr. of Torrance that a commanding officer identified the body, but that DNA tests were still pending.

“They told us, ‘We’re sorry to inform you the body we found has been identified as Joe,’” said the soldier’s aunt, Debbie Anzack. “I’m in disbelief.”

AP has a photo of Pfc. Anzack that was taken back in February. His friends and family remember him as a “man among boys”

Flynn, his high school friend, said the two became fast friends on the football team. Anzack played nose guard, while Flynn was a defensive back.

“He was very positive. He was a guy you could look to and say ’I’m OK. I’ve got Joe right there,”’ Flynn said. “He was a man among boys when we were in high school. You don’t realize that until something like this happened.”

Anzack’s father told his hometown newspaper, The Daily Breeze, that several family members gathered in his home for a vigil led by an Army chaplain after hearing the devastating news about his son.

“We said a prayer for the other two boys, then sat around and talked about Joseph,” said Joseph Anzack Sr., “just sharing the love of my son and why we all loved him.”

Thoughts and prayers to the family.

Terrorist Video: The Islamic State of Iraq’s March Towards Washington

al qaeda mtw Terrorist Video: The Islamic State of Iraqs March Towards Washington

 
The latest on Al Qaeda’s new splash from The Blotter:

Al Qaeda has a new opening graphic for its propaganda tapes: the U.S. Capitol under “attack.”

“The Islamic State of Iraq…March Toward Washington” reads the headline in English superimposed over a digitally created scene of the U.S. Capitol under attack in the introductory sequence of one tape released on the Internet this week.

Another from al Qaeda’s “as Sahab” production arm announces “Holocaust of the Americans in the Land of Khorasan” and shows an image of the U.S. Capitol to introduce a short clip of al Qaeda fighters.

“This is a disturbing new trend,” says Laura Mansfield, an Arabic expert who monitors jihadi videos on the Internet.

It’s just impossible to know what this means. It isn’t a positive development but there’s no way to know for certain if the artwork carries any significance beyond the usual threat. All we really know after looking at this is that their graphic artist sucks.

I’ll add a link to the video when it becomes available.