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The Tsarnaevs' recruitment by US intelligence as penetration agents against terrorist networks in southern Russia explains some otherwise baffling features of the event:

1. An elite American college in Cambridge admitted younger brother Dzhokhar and granted him a $2,500 scholarship, without subjecting him to the exceptionally stiff standard conditions of admission. This may be explained by his older brother Tamerlan demanding this privilege for his kid brother in part payment for recruitment.
2. When in 2011, a âoeforeign governmentâ (Russian intelligence) asked the FBI to screen Tamerlan for suspected ties to Caucasian Wahhabist cells during a period in which they had begun pledging allegiance to al Qaeda, the agency, it was officially revealed, found nothing incriminating against him and let him go after a short interview.

He was not placed under surveillance. Neither was there any attempt to hide the fact that he paid a long visit to Russia last year and on his return began promoting radical Islam on social media.
Yet even after the Boston marathon bombings, when law enforcement agencies, heavily reinforced by federal and state personnel, desperately hunted the perpetrators, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was never mentioned as a possible suspect

3. Friday, four days after the twin explosions at the marathon finishing line, the FBI released footage of Suspect No. 1 in a black hat and Suspect No. 2 in a white hat walking briskly away from the crime scene, and appealed to the public to help the authorities identify the pair.

http://www.debka.com/article/22914/The-Tsarnaev-brothers-were-double-agents-who-decoyed-US-into-terror-trap

The Israeli intelligence community has stated it's viewpoint. http://www.debka.com/article/8742/ They don't want the Russians to sell this weapon on the market. Whatever your thoughts on the Israeli intelligence community, it is always good to read and understand their opinion. (And usually it's best to incorporate their opinion into your own, that is, if you enjoy your freedoms in the Western hemisphere.)

They actually did use satellite phones. http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5748

Sigh, another case of the authorities grabbing more power and trying to make sure every packet on the internet has a traceable owner

http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=6031

The treatment Hamas has recieved from the EU & US clearly demonstrates what western leaders think about the spread of democracy.

Yeah, because Hamas has been behaving in a really calm, rational, and democratic way recently.

DEBKAfile was always incisive, accurate, and very up-to-date during the Iraq and Afghan wars and September 11, so I'll trust their reporting on this story!

Its not that simple. Yes Iran is an economic midget sitting on billions of barrels of oil reserves. Much of the poverty is cultrually/structurally induced. And the poverty and illiteracy serve the Iyatollahs quite well so don't look for great leaps forward any time soon. And that is such a shame. Iranians are as smart as anyone. The web presence in question in the article is NOT something being put up by the peasants. MOST college educated Iranians are necessarily expatriates, if only for 4 years. No one with the resources to study abroad would lack $4 a month to put up a modest web site with e-mail service. And trust me, the modest bourgeoisie that grew up around the Shah had a few billions and neither they nor their money were completely liquidated. And if we suppose instead that the "students" are a front for the Imam's? I bet they could pry a few bucks loose from their Nuclear Weapons budget to inform or disinform as they please via the web.

No, money is not the real problem for any of the players here.

BBC World is on at 6 EST, but I am a Groening addict so I get my Beeb from news.bbc.co.uk ... and for the ever vigilant news junkie, you can follow the Israeli view of the middle east conflict at debka.com

According to debkafile Al Qaeda's next attack "will consist of a series of surprise attacks that will cut America off from communication with its armies in Muslim countries."

Then I see this news.

I dont think people realize how big of a threat poor computer security can truly be. I hope that this is fixed before a "wakeup call."

Yikes.

if this site is right, theres a reason for him to invade a small resort in Syria.

You can count on Al Jazeera TV and web site to promote the viewpoint of the "Arab Street." These are the same people you saw dancing in the streets on 09/11/2001. Get a clue folks. For real, objective analytical reporting of the middle east, there is only Debka file.

I'm Jewish, It was a joke dipshit! Or couldn't you see the link to www.landofisrael.info right under my handle?

In other news:

IST 20:45 US cruise missiles slam into Baghdad, start fires Thursday night. Heavy anti-aircraft fire lights the skies as city rocked by explosions. Wave of 10 F-15 and F-16 warplanes took off from US military base in Qatar. 1st Marine Expeditionary unit crosses into Iraq from Kuwait.

Other than typical news sites...

-- Debka (Middle East News)
-- Official Iraqi News
-- Where is Read? - Iraqi Blog
-- Kuwait Blog
-- Back to Iraq Blog
-- Iraq today
-- Warblogs.cc
-- Kevin Sites
-- Sky.com
-- BCC News Live Feed
-- Agonist

CBSnews also has a beautiful high detail webcam without all the crap on the bottom of the screen.
God bless our soldiers.

Davak

Hamas blamed it on Israel, issuing a statement saying that the men had been working on a small remote-controlled plane, which they evidently planned to use in an attack, but that Israel had booby-trapped the planes before they got to Gaza.

The more you know... These folks had a story last month about the ordering of the toys "for Palestinian children in hospitals" but finding that the planes never reached the children.

I realize you said it in jest, but there have been reports of anti-Israeli terrorists planning on using remote-control model planes as flying bombs. See here.

You could always visit Singapore. They have a brand new airport which is even bigger and badder than Denver's new airport.

Singapore also is a huge shipping hub. I've heard stories about mile after mile of huge transport ships moored off the coast and connected with floating catwalks. Reminds me of the Raft out of Snowcrash. International shipping is fascinating -- did you know there are still piracy problems, particularly in Malacca Straight off of Singapore? Most of the boats are almost fully automated. [Piracy Article], [piracy stats]

Another good place would be Iceland. They've got some of the highest per capita tech adoption rates in the world. They've also got a vibrant electronic music scene with plenty of commonly known and underground artists.

Finally there is Russia (St. Petersburg or Moscow). Here is another similar Sterling article. I was in Moscow and surrouding cities in 95. It was crazy. You would literally see black Mercedes E class sedans driving the wrong way down the street and everyone rushing to get out of the way (the mob). You would see the 24 hour mini mart in the corner of an old KGB building with an armed guard outside. Some of the old "closed cities" where they did secret military research are now open. Russia is a crazy, chaotic place.

The Drudge Report - Hey, he links to the important and interesting stuff in the mainstream media and breaks the stuff they won't report. What's not to like?

Stratfor.com - Great, clean analysis that is hard to find elsewhere. Drawback - has one free article each day on their site; full access requires a subscription of $80-$120. Still cheaper than ignorance or Jane's.

Debka.com - Provides interesting intel on the Middle-East from an Israeli perspective.

Anyone else have any favorite newshound/intel links?

Chinese-Made Ammo in al Qaeda Caves Confirms DEBKAfile's October 6 Expose of Chinese Aid to Bin Laden
17 December: DEBKAfile was the first publication to reveal that China had sent thousands of armed men into Afghanistan in support of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. Our first story came out on October 6, 2001, one day before the US went to war in Afghanistan.
Monday, December 17, Pentagon officials aboard the plane taking US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld to Brussels, revealed that large quantities of Chinese-manufactured ammo were discovered in the Tora Bora cave hideouts of al Qaeda.
They were speaking to CNN's senior defense correspondent James McIntyre, who ran the story with close-up shots of the cache. It was shown to include mortar shells, anti-tank rockets and ammunition for various types of automatic rifles and machine guns of Chinese manufacture, abandoned by fleeing al Qaeda men.
DEBKAfile continued to run with the story through different stages of the Afghanistan War.
Follow-ups, verified by other media, appeared on October 20 and November 15. In the first, we reported 15 Chinese fighters found dead in Kandahar. They were part of an escort convoy for one of bin Laden's senior lieutenants, Basir al Masri, commander of the Arab contingents in Jalalabad, which came under US bombing as it left Kandahar.
In the second, David Chater of Sky television attested to the presence of Chinese fighting alongside the Taliban and al Qaeda in the battles of Konduz and Khanabad in northern Afghanistan.
Now comes the CNN report, which confirms that Beijing sent to bin Laden, not only men but also quantities of weapons.
Click here for three articles in DEBKAfile's China section
John Stanton, in a feature article in the December issue of National Defense Magazine, reports that "DEBKA caused a stir several weeks ago when it published an unconfirmed report that Chinese troops were fighting alongside the Taliban..."

Chinese-Made Ammo in al Qaeda Caves Confirms DEBKAfile's October 6 Expose of Chinese Aid to Bin Laden
17 December: DEBKAfile was the first publication to reveal that China had sent thousands of armed men into Afghanistan in support of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. Our first story came out on October 6, 2001, one day before the US went to war in Afghanistan.
Monday, December 17, Pentagon officials aboard the plane taking US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld to Brussels, revealed that large quantities of Chinese-manufactured ammo were discovered in the Tora Bora cave hideouts of al Qaeda.
They were speaking to CNN's senior defense correspondent James McIntyre, who ran the story with close-up shots of the cache. It was shown to include mortar shells, anti-tank rockets and ammunition for various types of automatic rifles and machine guns of Chinese manufacture, abandoned by fleeing al Qaeda men.
DEBKAfile continued to run with the story through different stages of the Afghanistan War.
Follow-ups, verified by other media, appeared on October 20 and November 15. In the first, we reported 15 Chinese fighters found dead in Kandahar. They were part of an escort convoy for one of bin Laden's senior lieutenants, Basir al Masri, commander of the Arab contingents in Jalalabad, which came under US bombing as it left Kandahar.
In the second, David Chater of Sky television attested to the presence of Chinese fighting alongside the Taliban and al Qaeda in the battles of Konduz and Khanabad in northern Afghanistan.
Now comes the CNN report, which confirms that Beijing sent to bin Laden, not only men but also quantities of weapons.
Click here for three articles in DEBKAfile's China section
John Stanton, in a feature article in the December issue of National Defense Magazine, reports that "DEBKA caused a stir several weeks ago when it published an unconfirmed report that Chinese troops were fighting alongside the Taliban..."

Chinese-Made Ammo in al Qaeda Caves Confirms DEBKAfile's October 6 Expose of Chinese Aid to Bin Laden
17 December: DEBKAfile was the first publication to reveal that China had sent thousands of armed men into Afghanistan in support of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. Our first story came out on October 6, 2001, one day before the US went to war in Afghanistan.
Monday, December 17, Pentagon officials aboard the plane taking US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld to Brussels, revealed that large quantities of Chinese-manufactured ammo were discovered in the Tora Bora cave hideouts of al Qaeda.
They were speaking to CNN's senior defense correspondent James McIntyre, who ran the story with close-up shots of the cache. It was shown to include mortar shells, anti-tank rockets and ammunition for various types of automatic rifles and machine guns of Chinese manufacture, abandoned by fleeing al Qaeda men.
DEBKAfile continued to run with the story through different stages of the Afghanistan War.
Follow-ups, verified by other media, appeared on October 20 and November 15. In the first, we reported 15 Chinese fighters found dead in Kandahar. They were part of an escort convoy for one of bin Laden's senior lieutenants, Basir al Masri, commander of the Arab contingents in Jalalabad, which came under US bombing as it left Kandahar.
In the second, David Chater of Sky television attested to the presence of Chinese fighting alongside the Taliban and al Qaeda in the battles of Konduz and Khanabad in northern Afghanistan.
Now comes the CNN report, which confirms that Beijing sent to bin Laden, not only men but also quantities of weapons.
Click here for three articles in DEBKAfile's China section
John Stanton, in a feature article in the December issue of National Defense Magazine, reports that "DEBKA caused a stir several weeks ago when it published an unconfirmed report that Chinese troops were fighting alongside the Taliban..."

Chinese-Made Ammo in al Qaeda Caves Confirms DEBKAfile's October 6 Expose of Chinese Aid to Bin Laden
17 December: DEBKAfile was the first publication to reveal that China had sent thousands of armed men into Afghanistan in support of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. Our first story came out on October 6, 2001, one day before the US went to war in Afghanistan.
Monday, December 17, Pentagon officials aboard the plane taking US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld to Brussels, revealed that large quantities of Chinese-manufactured ammo were discovered in the Tora Bora cave hideouts of al Qaeda.
They were speaking to CNN's senior defense correspondent James McIntyre, who ran the story with close-up shots of the cache. It was shown to include mortar shells, anti-tank rockets and ammunition for various types of automatic rifles and machine guns of Chinese manufacture, abandoned by fleeing al Qaeda men.
DEBKAfile continued to run with the story through different stages of the Afghanistan War.
Follow-ups, verified by other media, appeared on October 20 and November 15. In the first, we reported 15 Chinese fighters found dead in Kandahar. They were part of an escort convoy for one of bin Laden's senior lieutenants, Basir al Masri, commander of the Arab contingents in Jalalabad, which came under US bombing as it left Kandahar.
In the second, David Chater of Sky television attested to the presence of Chinese fighting alongside the Taliban and al Qaeda in the battles of Konduz and Khanabad in northern Afghanistan.
Now comes the CNN report, which confirms that Beijing sent to bin Laden, not only men but also quantities of weapons.
Click here for three articles in DEBKAfile's China section
John Stanton, in a feature article in the December issue of National Defense Magazine, reports that "DEBKA caused a stir several weeks ago when it published an unconfirmed report that Chinese troops were fighting alongside the Taliban..."

It's bad enough how commentary masquerades as news these days, but the biggest problem is the media quoting unreliable, heavily biased, or strictly speculative sources as fact. Just the other day I saw a segment on CNN on sites you might want to check out for more information, including Stratfor, an interesting but mostly speculative independent analysis group, and the perennial clinton-hating Drudge report.

More significantly, they also cited Debkafile, a right-wing Israeli affiliated rumor/news site with the bad habits of:

1) presenting "facts" that later prove to be false, and then not acknowledging them (i.e. they said terrorists shot down that russian plane, when it was later shown to be an errant ukranian missile - they changed the story but did not admit error)

2) basing their headlines and articles entirely on unnamed "Debkafile sources" which they make out to be deep within the upper eschelons of every government in the world (US and China included).

If you follow the TV news closely, you'll see how "news" is making if from web to TV in record time. This needs to stop.

We've evidently got these nifty microwave zappers for crowd control. Could these be useful in taking a city? In establishing a defense perimeter? How far can they project in a tunnel? How far can they be turned up? Are they a practical alternative to tactical neutron devices?

We have the technology to destroy every single terrorist base (including the fortified underground caves) without risking the life of a single American soldier (WIRED Story). The question is whether we will chose to employ this technology in the eradication of Al-Qeida or if Bush et al. won't have the courage to do so.

On an encouraging note, DebkaFILE reports that the Americans and Russians agreed that they would be willing to employ this technology in Afghanistan and Chechnya--we can only hope that our leaders will not needlessly put the lives of our armed forces at risk.

In evaluating the news, be aware that debka is based in Israel and is about as reliable as Drudge - sometimes is, sometimes not.

(Use the Preview Button! Check those URLs! Don't forget the http://!)

Corrected link: debka.com

But we forgot that King Fahd is sick, and his son is running the country. Anyhow, his son didn't want to rock the middle eastern boat. Kind Fahd has left the country for Switzerland supposedly.

Or maybe it's also because we don't have the support from ANY major Arab states in the region? The combination of the santions against Iraq, our support of Israel, and our extra long stay in Saudie Arabi have made America very unpopular. Turkey, Uzbek, and Tajikistan may be it. Egypt told us to go cry to the UN.

We may have the support of the governments, but no country at this point can really afford to be seen as helping America. The sentiment is so anti-american that there is a possibility of civil war in places that do assist us.

Let's face it.. we have never been successful in the ME. Clinton pulled most of our support channels in tha Caucus out of the region last year when they realized they could just drop an oil pipeline from Iran, to Russia, to Europe.

Personally, a full scale mulitary attack is useless. The people that are living there now might as well be Islam saints. As one clinton administration member said "When we bombed them last year, we bombed them UP to the stone age."

And one last thing.. lets say (for arguments sake) that the World Trade Center attack was an Irish suicide plot. Would we really hold the people of Ireland as responsible as we're holding the people of Afghanistan. Would France help us attack Ireland? Do you think the Germans would be harboring our men for an Attack like that? No, put it in our own perspective - and you can begin to understand the current perspective.

No government in their RIGHT MIND would be a launching base for the kind of open ended war we're talking about. If we're serious, then we should go carve out a little chunk of Afghanistan ourselves and do it from there.

Pan