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Kick Assiest Blog
Sunday, 10 June 2007
Deja Vu
Mood:
 sharp
Topic: Odd Stuff
 I just know I've read this somewhere before... Origin of Deja Vu Pinpointed By Dave Mosher -- LiveScience Staff Writer, LiveScience.com The brain cranks out memories near its center, in a looped wishbone of tissue called the hippocampus. But a new study suggests only a small chunk of it, called the dentate gyrus, is responsible for “episodic” memories—information that allows us to tell similar places and situations apart. The finding helps explain where déjà vu originates in the brain, and why it happens more frequently with increasing age and with brain-disease patients, said MIT neuroscientist Susumu Tonegawa. The study is detailed today in the online version of the journal Science.
Like a computer logging its programs’ activities, the dentate gyrus notes a situation’s pattern—it’s visual, audio, smell, time and other cues for the body’s future reference. So what happens when its abilities are jammed?
 When Tonegawa and his team bred mice without a fully-functional dentate gyrus, the rodents struggled to tell the difference between two similar but different situations.
“These animals normally have a distinct ability to distinguish between situations,” Tonegawa said, like humans. “But without the dentate gyrus they were very mixed up.”
Déjà vu is a memory problem, Tonegawa explained, occurring when our brains struggle to tell the difference between two extremely similar situations. As people age, Tonegawa said déjà-vu-like confusion happens more often—and it also happens in people suffering from brain diseases like Alzheimer’s. “It’s not surprising,” he said, “when you consider the fact that there’s a loss of or damage to cells in the dentate gyrus.”
 As an aging neuroscientist, Tonegawa admitted it’s a typical phenomenon with him. “I do a lot of traveling so I show up in brand new airports, and my brain tells me it’s been here before,” he said. “But the rest of my brain knows better.” Visit LiveScience.com for more daily news, views and scientific inquiry with an original, provocative point of view. LiveScience reports amazing, real world breakthroughs, made simple and stimulating for people on the go. Check out our collection of Science, Animal and Dinosaur Pictures, Science Videos, Hot Topics, Trivia, Top 10s, Voting, Amazing Images, Reader Favorites, and more. Get cool gadgets at the new LiveScience Store, sign up for our free daily email newsletter and check out our RSS feeds today!
Yahoo News ~ Live Science.com - Dave Mosher ** Origin of Deja Vu Pinpointed
Posted by yaahoo_
at 3:17 AM EDT
Updated: Sunday, 10 June 2007 3:21 AM EDT
Gin
Mood:
 spacey
Now Playing: LIBTARD EDUCATION ALERT
Topic: Lib Loser Stories
 How Dumb Can A Teacher Be?  School Defends Serving 6th-Graders Gin
 AKRON, Ohio -- An Ohio charter school that emphasizes African history and culture served gin to sixth graders at a graduation ceremony and state education officials said they plan to investigate.
Four students were given a teaspoon of gin mixed with water in a ceremony modeled on a Ghanian rite of passage event, said Kwa David Whitaker, a Phoenix Village Academy official. The ritual was intended to teach truthfulness, said Whitaker, who oversaw the Tuesday ceremony. The students were blindfolded, giving them the uncertain feeling that goes with moving from one stage of life to another, he said. Each student was given a teaspoon of water and a teaspoon of the gin-water mix, and then asked to identify which contained water.  The students recognized that the gin wasn't water and spit it out before swallowing, Whitaker said. The point is to teach the children to be honest, he said.
The Ohio Department of Education plans to investigate and will be contacting school officials, agency spokeswoman Karla Carruthers said. Charter schools are privately run schools that receive public money. Parents at the graduation ceremony saw the gin bottle and knew students would be served a small amount of alcohol, Whitaker said. Whitaker said alcohol would not be used in future ceremonies. "We could have put pepper in the water," he said. "If someone is concerned about it, obviously it is not the best thing to do."  Candie Nelson, whose 13-year-old son participated in the ritual, said she had no objection.
"It's part of an ancestral African tradition," she said. "It's not like you're drinking 100 proof alcohol here." The year-old Phoenix Village Academy has about 40 students in kindergarten through sixth grade and is operated by the Cleveland-based Ashe Culture Center, which is headed by Whitaker. Associated Press Customwire ** School Defends Serving 6th-Graders Gin  Giving a child gin, even a small amount is not only against the law, it's incredibly stupid. And I don't give a red rat's ass if it's an "ancestral African tradition", or not. We're not in Africa.
Africa also has traditions calling for a boy to kill a lion before he can be called a man. Does that mean that a trip to the zoo is in order? This school should lose its charter. It has no business teaching children, especially with the attitude of the 'principal'. If they had swallowed the gin would that make them untruthful? What if it was orange juice they used and had mixed it with vodka? Ah-hah. Now I understand where that Snoop-Dog song "Gin and Juice" came from.
Posted by yaahoo_
at 2:48 AM EDT
Updated: Sunday, 10 June 2007 2:56 AM EDT
Iraqi Scouts
Mood:
 chatty
Topic: Yahoo Chat Stuff
More Good News From Iraq: Amid death and chaos,
the Scouts revive an idea of fun for children A cordon at the camp protects them from unexploded bombs but the tradition lives on 80 years after it was introduced by the British  By Deborah Haynes in BaghdadArmed with rakes and wheelbarrows, a group of Iraqi Scouts and Guides is clearing a patch of Baghdad woodland. For many it is their first “normal” outing with friends in more than four years of violence. The concrete bunker and taped cordon that guard them from unexploded bombs give this Scout camp a slightly edgier feel to jamborees in Britain, where a grazed knee or getting lost represent some of the biggest hazards. For 13-year-old Fahad Abdul Sammed, however, it offers a rare chance to leave his house and play with his friends. “For the last few years I have not had any fun. This is the first time I have gone away from my family,” Fahad said. He is one of about 40 Iraqi boys and girls who teamed up yesterday to clear away dead branches and shrubs from the unused land in Baghdad’s fortified green zone -- the slightly more secure area of the city that also houses Iraqi government buildings and foreign embassies.  Supported by American funds and aided voluntarily by US soldiers, the clean-up is part of a drive to revive Iraq’s esteemed Scouting past -- introduced to the country by Britain in 1921.
“We want to teach the children about team spirit and how to be a good person,” Abdul Salam, chairman of the Iraqi Scouts, said. Joining the Scouts provides an opportunity for children to come together, whatever their ethnic background, he said, hoping that this would eventually help to ease the sectarian tensions that have fuelled the chaos in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion. “We would like every boy and girl in Iraq to join the Scouts -- whether they are Shia, Sunni, Christian or Kurd,” Mr Salam added.  The green zone youngsters, aged 12 to 17, signed up only two days ago but Scout clubs have re-emerged across Iraq over the past four years, with the total number of boy and girl Scouts rising from, in effect, zero to about 150,000.
At the prospective campsite in Baghdad, the Iraqi girl Scouts clambered out of a minibus and stood in a line wearing brand-new blue shirts and skirts topped off with a bright-green necktie and a baseball cap -- worn on occasion over a headscarf. The boys were less well turned out because there were not enough new uniforms to go around but once all the children had assembled the Scout leaders instructed everyone to change into cleaning gear -- namely football shirts.  “We are going to have lots of fun today,” First Lieutenant Sharon Burns, one of the American military volunteers, shouted through an Iraqi translator.
“We have rakes and we are going to use them to clean up this place so we have somewhere to play. This is your camp so let’s make it the best we can.” The boys marched off to one corner of the site -- which was about the size of a football pitch -- and the girls took their rakes to another. Within minutes clouds of dust puffed into the air as the children dragged branches, picked up leaves and raked twigs. About ten American soldiers also pitched in with the effort -- made particularly tough by the punishing morning sun. Leaning on her rake, 14-year-old Batoul al-Timimi said that she was glad to be part of the action. “I decided to join the girl Scouts because I did not want to stay in my house during the summer,” she said.  Many parents in Baghdad are afraid to let their children play in the street -- even inside the green zone, where these children live -- because of the threat of bombs and kidnapping.
Woroud al-Kanani, another 14-year-old girl, said: “I would prefer for the camp to be outside the green zone. It would be more dangerous but I think it would be more fun. “Unfortunately the other girls are scared because of the bombs and explosions.” There are two other Scout campsites in Baghdad, but they have been “borrowed” by the Ministry of Interior to use as land to train the Iraqi security forces.  Scouting in Iraq became hugely popular after it was introduced by the British military.
During Saddam Hussein’s time, however, many Scout camps were used to train boys to use weapons rather than to do a good deed every day, while girl Scouts were largely neglected. As a result Iraq was ejected from the World Organisation of the Scout Movement in 1999. With clubs re-forming across the country -- holding twice-weekly meetings at schools and arranging camping trips when possible, depending on the security -- Iraq hopes to regain its full membership to the movement next year. It also plans to send ten Scouts to England next month to take part in the World Scout Jamboree in Chelmsford, Essex.  Despite the progress, there are setbacks, as is often the case in Iraq since the invasion.
By lunchtime there was mutiny among the boys at the green zone Scout camp. Instructions about the day’s activities had been lost in translation and everyone thought that they were supposed to be on the camping trip for four nights -- rather than spending only a morning clearing up a plot of land to build a campsite next month. “They are big liars. This is just a game for them,” Ali Haider, 13, said with tears in his eyes. He had been left stranded as a result of the mix-up because his entire family had gone away to Hilla, south of Baghdad, and left him on his own. Saef Mohammed, 16, vowed never to go on another Scouting trip. “This is very bad. I will not come back,” he said. First Lieutenant Burns said that the boys had unfortunately been misinformed by their Iraqi Scout leader about the plan but assured them that the site would be up and running in a couple of weeks.  Crisis resolved, the girl Scouts picked up their rakes again and went back to work, while the boys decided to have a game of football, using orange plastic cones as goalposts, until it was time to go home.
UK Times Online ~ Deborah Haynes in Baghdad **
Amid death and chaos, the Scouts revive an idea of fun for children Okay, screwups happened, as this illustrates -- but it also happens where the scouts, the leaders, and the sponsors all speak the same language. It's understandable, especially since real scouting is new to Iraq. But the fact that scouting, for both boys and girls, is a positive sign for Iraq.  Of course, the fundmentalist fucktards will do whatever they can to destroy this effort. Not because there is anything inherently wrong with scouting... but because it's not "Islamic" enough for them, unless it's dedicated to teaching kids how to kill.
But if it can weather the attacks that are sure to come against it, Scouting can be for the children of Iraq as it is for millions of kids world-wide, a life-changing, life-affirming experience. I hope that it can persevere. What would be really good is if the scouting troops were organized such that children of different sects were in it together. Often times the best way to defuse tensions and stop people from hurting each other is to get them to get to know each other and see each other as human beings rather than generic "others".
Posted by yaahoo_
at 1:19 AM EDT
Updated: Sunday, 10 June 2007 2:20 AM EDT
Saturday, 9 June 2007
Fred
Mood:
 special
Topic: Yahoo Chat Stuff
Fred Thompson Steamrolls Other Candidates in Dallas Poll... Fred Thompson Wins Republican Presidential Poll in Dallas  This week, the Dallas County Republican Party (DCRP) Executive Committee held the first 2008 GOP Presidential Poll of grassroots Republicans in Dallas County. All DCRP Precinct Chairs had the opportunity to vote for their favorite candidate.
 Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson led all Republican candidates with 45.7%. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney tied for second place with 14.8%.
2008 Republican Presidential Candidate Poll Results Sam Brownback 2.5%
Jim Gilmore 0.0%
Newt Gingrich 1.2%
Rudy Giuliani 14.8%
Mike Huckabee 3.7%
Duncan Hunter 6.2%
John McCain 1.2%
Ron Paul 1.2%
Mitt Romney 14.8%
Tom Tancredo 6.2%
Fred Thompson 45.7 %
Tommy Thompson 0.0 %
Undecided 2.5% Dallas GOP.org ** Fred Thompson Wins Republican Presidential Poll in Dallas  Laura Ingraham said Friday morning that Fred Thompson raised $352,000 in 3 three days on his new website from small contributions of $25 & $50... I'm With Fred.com
Related: AP-IPSOS: Fred Thompson Shakes Up GOP Race...
Breitbart.com ~ AP - Alan Fram, Trevor Tompson ** Poll: Thompson Shakes Up GOP Race
Posted by yaahoo_
at 7:53 AM EDT
Updated: Saturday, 9 June 2007 4:03 PM EDT
Enviro-tards
Mood:
 silly
Topic: Lib Loser Stories
A snapshot of America, June 2007 (Libtard)
Store turns off A.C. due to global warming: customers pissed  Thanks to online shopping, I rarely head into bookstores, but today I needed to buy a gift in a hurry and so I ventured into one - the place was empty and I found what I needed quickly and then browsed a bit. While the temperature outside was only about 73 degrees, the day was humid and the store felt very warm to me. We don’t have central air in the house, just ceiling fans, and they pretty much do the trick, but when I’m shopping, I like to feel cool and comfortable, not oppressed. With no air moving, the store seemed unbearably stuffy, so I said the hell with further shopping and headed to the checkout.
At the checkout counter I found the rest of the shoppers - there were 8-10 of us in all, diverse in age, gender, race, and I’m sure in other ways, and every one of us was trying to get outside and catch a breeze, so some were becoming impatient. While waiting I tied my hair back with a scrunchy and a woman behind me said, “good idea,” and tied hers back, too…no kidding, it was warm. When I reached the checkout, I asked the cashier if the a/c was broken. “No,” she informed me. “We keep the a/c temperature up because of global warming. Doing our part to save the planet!”  A male voice groused, rather loudly, “Well, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! If you’re running an a/c but still not cooling the building then you’re wasting energy. Either turn it off all together, or turn the temperature down, but don’t run a huge unit without without cooling the building down; that’s like running a car engine in a driveway. This is typical Al Gore liberal nonsense, make everyone suffer the same while they feel noble because they care so much about the environment!”
The other warm woman behind me piped up, “this is freakin’ ridiculous. If I have to come here to sweat, I’ll just stay home and order somethin’ online! I don’t need to be here sweating for the privilege of givin’ you my money!”  The girl behind the counter said, “in third world countries, people don’t have air conditioning!”
“America is not a third-world country!” A new voice bellowed. “Not yet, anyway, but if Gore and his rock star friends get their way his way, we will be! Hot stores, sweating! Not them, just us! We’re the ones made uncomfortable! Tell your manager to buy a freaking carbon offset and turn on the a/c!” “America will be a third-world country by next year if Bush has his way and keeps the Mexican border opened,” someone else said. I collected my change and headed out, in no mood for a hot-angry mob scene. The last thing I heard was the cashier muttering, “Bush - moron!” and the woman saying, “screw this, I don’t need this book, I’m leavin’, and I’ll tell you somethin’ else - George Bush keeps you safe, and he isn’t telling us to sweat without air conditionin’, either!” Gonna be a long, hot summer, and global warming may indeed have something to do with it…but not as you might think. Filed under rants, America, Hoo-Ha
The Anchoress Online.com ~ TheAnchoress ** Store turns off ac due to global warming
Posted by yaahoo_
at 3:25 AM EDT
Updated: Saturday, 9 June 2007 4:04 AM EDT
CNN Lies
Mood:
chatty
Now Playing: LIBTARD MEDIA BULLSHIT ALERT
Topic: Lib Loser Stories
CNN'S BAD NEW$ ROMEO 'PAID FOR STORIES' JEFF KOINANGE, "I have my 'fame.' "  The steamy e-mails that landed a CNN reporter in the news and out of a job detailed more than his adulterous affair - they revealed that the Africa correspondent apparently admitted paying militiamen to help him stage a story, according to several sources. For months, Jeff Koinange had been dogged by allegations that in February, he paid off gunmen to put on a show for a story about Nigerian resistance. The accusations from Nigerian government officials were so strong that CNN gave a denial during a February broadcast. "CNN did not pay for or stage any part of the report," anchor John Roberts said. "CNN does not pay for interviews." But a Swiss author - in an e-mail to Koinange's boss, CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton - details a months-long romance with Koinange, and quotes the correspondent as saying he traded cash for the story.  "Of course I had to pay certain people to get the story," Koinange says, according to the e-mail.
"But everything was done in agreement with CNN and in accordance with their usual standards. But you do not get such a story without bribing ... You have to have financial resources. But at the end, it was worth it. CNN has its story and I have my 'fame.' " Marianne Briner shared the alleged admission on a blog she launched after her romance with the married correspondent went sour. Briner said she began writing to Koinange last August, about a book she'd written on the killing of a Kenyan government minister. "Soon after, he started to call me and things changed to very private and personal matters," Briner said in the e-mail to CNN.  A meeting apparently led to sex and then to a long-distance correspondence. Sources said Koinange used his CNN e-mail address to communicate with Briner.
Koinange said he was scolded for talking dirty through company e-mail. "I have been reprimanded by CNN from e-mailing anything other than the basics," he wrote to Briner. On her blog, "Distant Lovers," Briner wrote: "Jeff should have known that this could one day create a problem. But obviously, he did not regard this [as] serious." Neither Koinange nor CNN executives could be reached for comment. leonard.greene@nypost.com
New York Post ~ Leonard.Greene ** CNN's Bad New$, Romeo 'Paid for Stories'
Posted by yaahoo_
at 3:10 AM EDT
Updated: Saturday, 9 June 2007 4:07 PM EDT
Deployment
Mood:
special
Topic: Yahoo Chat Stuff
 Dad, daughter deploy together with Guard unit  MINOT, N.D. -- Jeff Barta knows he has someone watching out for him during his deployment with the National Guard to Iraq. His daughter, Heather, will be deployed with him.
Jeff and Heather Barta are members of the Minot-based 164th Engineer Battalion Security Forces unit leaving this week for training in Mississippi. Jeff Barta has been in the military for 26 years, and Heather spent most of those years looking at her father’s service as an inspiration. “Even from being little and watching him come home in his uniform, or hearing about him going to Honduras or Germany — different stuff like that — and I just see how the military has shaped him as a person and as a leader,” she said. “It is definitely what influenced me to join.” Jeff had planned to deploy with a unit from Bismarck earlier in the year, but asked to change that so he and his daughter could serve at the same time. Heather can see only a minor drawback. “My dad is there, so maybe if I get in a little trouble, Dad will know,” she said. A sendoff ceremony was held Wednesday for the 164th. The 119 soldiers are headed first for training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi, and then to Iraq for the next year.  Guard officials say the soldiers range in age from 19 to 51, with the average age at 31. They represent 29 towns in North Dakota and several other states.
Kathy Barta prepared to say goodbye to both her daughter and her husband. She declined comment at the ceremony, but Heather said, “It would probably be a lot more difficult if we were going at separate times.” Added Jeff Barta, “It would be tough for her for one person to leave and come back, then the next person to leave. So she’s glad we’re both going at the same time.” Army Times ~ Associated Press ** Dad, daughter deploy together with Guard unit
Posted by yaahoo_
at 2:52 AM EDT
Friday, 8 June 2007
Taliban dead
Mood:
 party time!
Topic: News
 30 Taliban suspects dead, wounded
  KABUL, Afghanistan -- Thirty suspected Taliban members were dead or wounded after fighting and airstrikes in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense said Thursday.
The battle took place Wednesday in the Garmser district of Helmand province, the world's largest poppy-growing region and site of fierce battles in recent months.  Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said officials could not say how many of the 30 reported casualties were killed or how many wounded. He said multiple sources were used to come up with the figure.
Elsewhere, suspected militants attacked a government compound in the southern province of Zabul's Daychopan district Thursday, killing a policeman and wounding three others, said a district police chief, Hakim Khan.   The suspected militants traded heavy machine-gun fire with police and Afghan soldiers for more than two hours, Khan said.
One policeman was killed, while two soldiers and a policeman were wounded in the clash before the Taliban withdrew, he said. An Afghan soldier was also killed in a mine explosion in Zabul province, a Defense Ministry statement said.  Meanwhile, in eastern Afghanistan, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops killed "an enemy militant" during a firefight in Nangarhar province's Khogyani district, a coalition statement said.
The troops had been approaching a suspected al-Qaida safehouse when they were fired upon, the statement said.  "Coalition and Afghan forces returned fire, killing the armed militant and quickly securing the scene," it said.
  The statement said three men were detained, and that troops discovered weapons, timers and grenades -- often used to make improvised explosive devices.
 In Zabul province, coalition and Afghan forces detained three militants early Thursday at another "suspected safehouse for al-Qaida foreign fighters," the coalition said in a statement. Weapons were found on site, and no shots were fired in the operation, it said.
CNN.com ~ AP ** 30 Taliban suspects dead, wounded
Posted by yaahoo_
at 1:19 AM EDT
Updated: Friday, 8 June 2007 1:31 AM EDT
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Iraqis
Mood:
chatty
Topic: News
Iraqi People Taking Stand Against Al Qaeda  WASHINGTON -- The Iraqi people are taking a stand against al Qaeda beyond Anbar province, Multinational Force Iraq's new spokesman said today.
Army Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, who spoke during a phone interview today, called the Iraqis' stance against the terror group the "Anbar Awakening." In the past six months, local tribal leaders and sheikhs in the Sunni province have disavowed the terror group's tactics and have turned to the Iraqi government. Violence in the province has plummeted, and local men are flocking to police and army recruiting stations. Now Iraqis outside Anbar are experiencing their own awakening, Bergner said. In Almariyah, a mixed neighborhood in Baghdad, local Iraqis are turning against al Qaeda following a series of horrendous attacks against local sheikhs and civilians there. "The locals standing up against al Qaeda and separating themselves from them," he said.  Bergner said Iraqi government and coalition officials are encouraged by the trend.
However, the general warned against jumping to conclusions or making premature assessments of the Baghdad security plan. "We're still positioning the forces committed to Baghdad," he said. Four of the five additional U.S. brigades planned for in the "surge" are in Baghdad with the fifth arriving. "In the next couple of weeks, we will see all five start their operations," Bergner said. Even with this, there will still be a delay as units assume their battle positions. "When there is a transition, even when the force is fully operational, there is a period of time ... as they master their environment and as they learn to work with the Iraqi security forces and local people and they really start to operate against the threat in their new sectors," he said. The general highlighted the role of the newly established joint security stations and combat outposts around Baghdad. "Where the Iraqi coalition forces are integrated in those stations, it's really a powerful result," he said. Bergner, who served in Mosul in 2005, spoke about a recent visit to Ramadi. He said coalition officials using reconnaissance assets were able to contact Iraqi policemen to investigate the situation. The general was amazed at the capability. The Iraqi police could not have done this when he was last in Iraq, he said. "It's a great improvement in our capability and in the way we interact with the Iraqis," he said.  Bergner said that the trajectory of the country has already changed. From January to today, the amount of sectarian violence has dropped. It has not been a straight drop, and in May it rose over April. "That is the nature of progress here in Iraq. It is non-linear. It's definitely uneven, so you're going to see those interruptions, corrections," he said.
The final parts of the surge are moving in to position. "We really don't want to let expectations and assessments get out in front of the force that's still flowing," he said. "The fifth brigade is significant increase in our capability. It's going to create new opportunities for us, and so where we've been up til now is less interesting than where we're going to go." The bottom line for servicemembers is that the battle for Baghdad is going to be a tough fight, Bergner said. "We've seen the courage of the Iraqi people as they stand up to al Qaeda," he said. "The coalition forces have more troops going to more places, making more contacts, and we are contesting places we haven't been for some time. "It's going to get harder before it gets easier." Subscription e-mail from the U.S. Department of Defense news service
Subscription required:
American Forces Press Service ~ Jim Garamone ** Iraqi People Taking Stand Against Al Qaeda
Posted by yaahoo_
at 12:01 AM EDT
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Troops capture insurgents
Mood:
 celebratory
Topic: News
Troops disrupt operations, capture insurgents
BAGHDAD -- Coalition forces detained a number of suspects and uncovered an enemy mortar system in Iraq during operations that ended Tuesday. A local citizen tipped Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers to uncover a 60mm mortar system in Sadr City Sunday. The local approached paratroopers from 82nd Airborne Division’s 325th Airborne Infantry regiment and told them the location of a mortar system he discovered in the back of a truck. “We suspect this mortar system was used in attacks on Coalition outposts, based on the location and point of origin site in which it was found,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Oclander, the executive officer for the unit’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team. “Risking his own personal security, this man took action to get weapons used by criminal militias off the streets,” Oclander said. “(This is) a great example of how Iraqi citizens are working to take action in securing their neighborhoods.”  Coalition forces conducted several other operations across Iraq.
In raids targeting al-Qaeda Tuesday morning, Coalition forces detained 18 suspected terrorists by using intelligence based off information gained from previous successful operations. Coalition forces also raided four buildings associated with al-Qaeda northwest of Fallujah, rounding up an additional 13 suspected terrorists. Military officials said the suspects have ties to a cell, which carries out car-bomb, sniper and mortar attacks against Coalition forces and Iraqi civilians. In Mosul Tuesday, Coalition forces raided two buildings and detained two suspected terrorists, including an assistant to a senior terrorist leader who was captured May 29. Coalition forces also captured suspected key al-Qaeda leaders in Rustafa, Taji and Termiyah, Tuesday morning. “Our continuing operations are frustrating al-Qaeda in Iraq’s ability to operate,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman. “We are targeting them, detaining them, and in turn [they] are giving us information to disrupt the networks further.”  Coalition forces nabbed four suspected terrorists, including one suspected terror cell leader during raids in northeast Baghdad.
Military officials said the suspects are members of a secret terror cell responsible for moving explosively formed penetrators and other weapons to Iraq. The cell is believed to bring militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training. “Coalition forces continue to break apart the terrorist networks that attempt to bring instability to Iraq and inflict continued violence on the Iraqi people,” Garver said. The work of Iraqi citizens and Coalition troops has led to multiple arrests and the seizing of several weapons caches, disrupting operations and creating a safer environment for the people of Iraq. (Compiled from Multi-National Force-Iraq and Multi-National Corps-Iraq news releases) In other developments throughout Iraq:
• Coalition forces detained 18 suspected terrorists in raids targeting the al-Qaeda in Iraq network Tuesday morning based on information gained from previous successful operations. • Coalition and Iraqi forces captured a wanted insurgent during combat operations near the Karkh Oil Facility, northeast of Lutifiyah, Iraq June 1. Multi-National Force - Iraq ** Troops disrupt operations, capture insurgents
Posted by yaahoo_
at 7:02 PM EDT
Updated: Wednesday, 6 June 2007 7:05 PM EDT
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