Today's Pic's. - Dec. 30

[He219]

http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/03312000/news.lycos.com/news/ot_getImage.asp?op=img&id=504930

An Indian Army ambulance, foreground, waits to be loaded onto an Air Force IL-76 transport plane as part of relief supplies for Iran, at an airport in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. The plane carrying relief materials for earthquake victims in Iran will be the first to fly over rival Pakistan in two years. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)

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Indian Army soldiers load relief supplies onto an Air force plane in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. The plane carrying relief materials for earthquake victims in Iran will be the first to fly over rival Pakistan in two years. (AP Photo/ Ajit Kumar)

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Indian Army soldiers load bamboo poles, to be used to build tents, onto an Air Force IL-76 transport plane at an airport in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. The plane carrying relief materials for earthquake victims in Iran will be the first to fly over rival Pakistan in two years. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)

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Iranian soldiers unload food aid from a United Arab Emirate military aircraft at Kerman airport in Iran, December 30, 2003. Some 50,000 people may have died in Friday's Iranian earthquake, officials said Tuesday, as relief workers pleaded for more aid for survivors of one of the deadliest natural disasters of modern times. *******/Mohamed Azakir

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Iranian soldiers next to aid consisting of medicine, tents and food, unloaded from a Lebanese plane at Kerman airport, December 30, 2003. Some 50,000 people may have died in Friday's Iranian earthquake, officials told ******* on Tuesday, as relief workers pleaded for more aid for survivors of one of the deadliest natural disasters of modern times. *******/Mohamed Azakir

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Tents from foreign aid agencies are loaded in a truck for distribution in Bam, December 30, 2003. The death toll from Friday's earthquake in Iran may reach 50,000, government officials said Tuesday as relief workers called for more blankets, clothing and medicine for tens of thousands of survivors. *******/Morteza Nikoubazl

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Iranian police officers walk passed a distorted office building in the destroyed ancient Silk Road city of Bam in southeast Iran, December 30, 2003. The death toll from Friday's earthquake in Iran may reach 50,000, government officials said Tuesday as relief workers called for more blankets, clothing and medicine for tens of thousands of survivors. *******/Wolfgang Rattay

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Italian rescuer Fiorenzo Fasoli follows his dog Iron as they search for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building in Baravat, on the outskirts of the ancient city of Bam, about 1,000 kilometers (630 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2003. Aid workers sifting through the ruins of Iran's devastating earthquake said Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003 their operation had shifted from searching for survivors to treating the injured and homeless, and burying the corpses still being pulled from the rubble. (AP Photo/Luciano del Castillo)

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Italian physician Franco Alberti of the International Red Cross checks on a girl in the Italian field hospital of Baravat, on the outskirts of the ancient city of Bam, about 1,000 kilometers (630 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2003. Aid workers sifting through the ruins of Iran's devastating earthquake said Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003 their operation had shifted from searching for survivors to treating the injured and homeless, and burying the corpses still being pulled from the rubble. (AP Photo/Luciano del Castillo)



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Honor guards carry the coffins of two Thai soldiers at a military airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. The two Thai soldiers were killed while on guard duty when a car exploded after ramming the wall of their camp, Saturday, Dec. 27, in the Iraq city of Karbala. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Thailand would remain committed to its humanitarian mission in Iraq despite the deaths of the troops. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

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Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov bows down to a coffin of one of the five Bulgarian soldiers killed in Iraq at Sofia airport Tuesday morning, Dec. 30, 2003. Five Bulgarian soldiers were killed and 26 wounded in a terror attack on their camp in Karbala, Iraq, on Saturday. The attack, which appeared to be the biggest since the Dec. 13 capture of Saddam Hussein, left a total of 19 dead and almost 200 injured. (AP Photo/Dimitar Deinov)


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Bulgarians line up in front of the Military club in downtown Sofia Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003, as they wait to pay their respects alongside the five coffins of the Bulgarian soldiers, who were killed in a bombing attack in the Iraqi city of Karbala Sunday. The Karbala attack was the worst Bulgarian military loss since World War II, and brought the country's first deaths during the deployment in Iraq. (AP Photo/Dimitar Deinov)

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IRAQ BOUND — Ground crews load a 66-ton Abrams tank onto a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The aircraft, from the 17th Airlift Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., delivered the Army's main battle tank to an air base in northern Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed

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Two US soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 22nd Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division, wait for their commander before going on a mission in Tikrit(AFP/Jewel Samad)

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US soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 22nd Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division, prepare to leave their base for a mission in Tikrit(AFP/Jewel Samad)

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U.S. soldiers stand guard in Baghdad's densely populated area of Karada Tuesday, Dec . 30, 2003 after their convoy was targeted with a roadside bomb. No U.S. troops were injured, but bomb killed one Iraqi and wounded another. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

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A U.S .Army soldier of 1st Battalion, 22nd Regiment, of the 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit, sleeps on a chair inside in his headquarters in Tikrit's military base, a former presidential palace in Iraq, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

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U.S. Army Spc. Craig Pippin, from San Diego Cali, of the 235th engineering team controls the ball as he plays soccer with Iraqi teenagers in Tikrit's military base, Iraq, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia


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An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team member exits Schiphol Airport's departures hall, as a remote controlled robot enters to examine an abondoned suitcase in Amsterdam Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003. Dutch police cleared the main departure terminal at Amsterdam Airport Tuesday after finding a suspect suitcase, an airport spokesman said. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)


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Heavily-armed New York Police Department Emergency Service Unit officers stands guard outside the New York Stock Exchange, December 30, 2003. The leader of a U.S. congressional panel on homeland security said Sunday the current 'one-size-fits-all' nature of the security alert system needs to be limited to particular areas under threat rather than the whole nation. *******/Jeff Christensen

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Former Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan speaks during a news conference in Phnom Penh in this Dec. 29, 1998 file photo. Samphan acknowledged Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003 for the first time that his regime committed genocide, ahead of his expected appearance at a U.N.-sponsored tribunal. (AP Photo/Ou Neakiry)

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A Palestinian woman walks among pieces of concrete used to build the so called "security barrier" in the village of Abu Dis in the outskirts of Jerusalem Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003. The wall is part of the controversial security barrier Israel is building made up of concrete walls, razor wire, fences and trenches and is meant, according to Israel, to keep suicide bombers out. Palestinians condemn the barrier, which dips deep into the West Bank in some areas, as a land grab. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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The golden shrine of the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem's Old city can be seen behind the so called "security barrier" being built in the village of Abu Dis in the outskirts of Jerusalem Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003. The wall is part of the controversial security barrier Israel is building made up of concrete walls, razor wire, fences and trenches and is meant, according to Israel, to keep suicide bombers out. Palestinians condemn the barrier, which dips deep into the West Bank in some areas, as a land grab. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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Israeli soldiers take up position as their comrades search a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Nablus, December 30, 2003. Israeli soldiers posted eviction orders on Tuesday at four unauthorized Jewish outposts in the West Bank slated for removal under a U.S.-backed 'road map' for peace. Israel says the planned removal of four settlements built without government approval is in line with its commitment to the plan, but Palestinians dismiss it as a publicity stunt. Only one of the outposts in occupied territory is inhabited. Photo by Abed Omar Qusini/*******

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Afghan loya jirga, or grand council, delegates pray for the Bam earthquake victims at the beginning of a session in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. Hundreds of Afghans died in the devastating earthquake in neighboring Iran, and authorities were assisting desperate Afghans trying to return home, a government spokesman said Monday. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)


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Abdul Shukoor Wakif, an Afghan loya jirga or grand council delegate, expresses his opposition to the amendments in the constitutional draft during a session in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. Afghanistan's grand council called Tuesday for voting on a post-Taliban constitution, hoping to settle rows over sharing power and respecting Islam that are clouding the nation's march toward stability. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)


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Simulation of a hijacking at a tactical training of candidates for the program at the FAA (news - web sites) Technical Center in Pomona shows a US federal air marshal (far L) moving up and firing on a hijacker (C).(AFP/File/Tom Mihalek)

[EvanL]

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Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada and Commander in Chief of the Canadian Forces, speaks with Cpl Kelly Noble while reviewing the Guard of Honor at Camp Julien in Kabul, Afghanistan (news - web sites) December 30, 2003. The Governor General is in Kabul to spend time with members of the Canadian Forces deployed on Operation Athena, the United Nations (news - web sites) sponsored peace keeping mission in Afghanistan. *******/DND MCpl Brian Walsh EDITORIAL USE ONLY
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Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada and Commander in Chief of the Canadian Forces, is met by a Guard of Honor from the Afghan National Army upon her arrival at Kabul International Airport, December 30, 2003. She is flanked by the Afghan Minister of Women's Affairs Mrs. Sarobi (L), her husband John Ralston Saul, and the Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Sherzoi (R). The Governor General is in Kabul to celebrate the New Year with members of the Canadian Forces deployed on Operation Athena, the United Nations (news - web sites) sponsored peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan (news - web sites). *******/DND MCpl Brian Walsh EDITORIAL USE ONLY

[SFontaine]

http://75thrangers.us/~fontaine.s/dec2403.gif

Friend of mine JJ McCullough draws the hilarious political comic Filibuster (http://www.filibustercartoons.com/) and had these thoughts about our Governer General



I don't know why she is going, as opposed to say someone like the Prime Minister. I think Ms. Clarkson likes to pretend that people actually know who she is and are impressed by her office.



I tend to agree. Our PM should be going and not some woman who wasn't even elected to the position, and whom your average Canadian (or Canadian soldier for that matter) hardly even knows about.

[Falco]

Cool pictures :D

[mustamato]

Every developed country should have a couple of Il-76´s or something similar. If countries like Finland and Sweden and so forth would only have the transport capabilities more help could have been offered to Iran, or other countries when disaster strikes.

[Falco]

Every developed country should have a couple of Il-76´s or something similar. If countries like Finland and Sweden and so forth would only have the transport capabilities more help could have been offered to Iran, or other countries when disaster strikes.

You should go say that to our PM here in Canada :|

[ArmedPacifist]

http://75thrangers.us/~fontaine.s/dec2403.gif

Friend of mine JJ McCullough draws the hilarious political comic Filibuster (http://www.filibustercartoons.com/) and had these thoughts about our Governer General



I don't know why she is going, as opposed to say someone like the Prime Minister. I think Ms. Clarkson likes to pretend that people actually know who she is and are impressed by her office.



I tend to agree. Our PM should be going and not some woman who wasn't even elected to the position, and whom your average Canadian (or Canadian soldier for that matter) hardly even knows about.

Tell your friend I have bookmarked his site.

[Marxist203]

http://75thrangers.us/~fontaine.s/dec2403.gif

Friend of mine JJ McCullough draws the hilarious political comic Filibuster (http://www.filibustercartoons.com/) and had these thoughts about our Governer General



I don't know why she is going, as opposed to say someone like the Prime Minister. I think Ms. Clarkson likes to pretend that people actually know who she is and are impressed by her office.



I tend to agree. Our PM should be going and not some woman who wasn't even elected to the position, and whom your average Canadian (or Canadian soldier for that matter) hardly even knows about.

Well if you look back, before Jean Cretien left office he payed a visit to our troops in Afghanistan. As you can understand Paul Martin has just gotten into office so he probably doesn't have much time to head out to Afghanistan while he's getting his office into order.

But, he probably will go considering what he has to say about the armed forces...the whole funding thing. Swear to god, they better get that 500 billion or Im gonna start bombing mail boxes! p-)

[EvanL]

http://75thrangers.us/~fontaine.s/dec2403.gif

Friend of mine JJ McCullough draws the hilarious political comic Filibuster (http://www.filibustercartoons.com/) and had these thoughts about our Governer General



I don't know why she is going, as opposed to say someone like the Prime Minister. I think Ms. Clarkson likes to pretend that people actually know who she is and are impressed by her office.



I tend to agree. Our PM should be going and not some woman who wasn't even elected to the position, and whom your average Canadian (or Canadian soldier for that matter) hardly even knows about.

Well if you look back, before Jean Cretien left office he payed a visit to our troops in Afghanistan. As you can understand Paul Martin has just gotten into office so he probably doesn't have much time to head out to Afghanistan while he's getting his office into order.

But, he probably will go considering what he has to say about the armed forces...the whole funding thing. Swear to god, they better get that 500 billion or Im gonna start bombing mail boxes! p-)
CSIS does monitor threats directed at the PM you know ;)

[mustamato]

Every developed country should have a couple of Il-76´s or something similar. If countries like Finland and Sweden and so forth would only have the transport capabilities more help could have been offered to Iran, or other countries when disaster strikes.

You should go say that to our PM here in Canada :|

http://www.ilmavoimat.fi/filebank/89-kalusto_ff1.jpg

Picture 1. The largest ones in the Finnish Defence Forces are the Fokkers used to drop paratroopers and transport material short distances. Usually civilian aircrafts are used (in case of war a lots of aircraft from the state-owned Finnair air company would probably be used by the military), or from other countries. When Finland recently flew in 3 armored Land Rovers to Afghanistan for their troops there, it had to be done with bulgarian Antonov 12´s.

Picture 2. Sweden has atleast Hercules. These can take quite a load and fly longer distances. But still not big enough.

http://www.ludd.luth.se/users/antenna/t2k/af/tp84.jpg

[Vance]

Picture 1. The largest ones in the Finnish Defence Forces are the Fokkers
Is that ****ounced how it's spelled? p-)

[Falco]

Every developed country should have a couple of Il-76´s or something similar. If countries like Finland and Sweden and so forth would only have the transport capabilities more help could have been offered to Iran, or other countries when disaster strikes.

You should go say that to our PM here in Canada :|

http://www.ilmavoimat.fi/filebank/89-kalusto_ff1.jpg

Picture 1. The largest ones in the Finnish Defence Forces are the Fokkers used to drop paratroopers and transport material short distances. Usually civilian aircrafts are used (in case of war a lots of aircraft from the state-owned Finnair air company would probably be used by the military), or from other countries. When Finland recently flew in 3 armored Land Rovers to Afghanistan for their troops there, it had to be done with bulgarian Antonov 12´s.

Picture 2. Sweden has atleast Hercules. These can take quite a load and fly longer distances. But still not big enough.

http://www.ludd.luth.se/users/antenna/t2k/af/tp84.jpg

We use civilian aircraft or the USAF. After the Kosovo air campaign, we sent our heavy equipment back to canada by boat. When the captain didn't receive his pay, he refused to come back to canada and remained at sea with a considerable part of the canadian army's armored vehicle fleet. It took a boarding party deliverd by a seaking (that's another story) to take control of the ship so that it could finally come back to canada

[He219]

http://www.shanaberger.com/images/fokker_logo.gif
Vance: Fokker (http://www.wwiaviation.com/designers/designer_fokker.shtml) designed the best fighters of WWI, the legendary D-VII as well as the DR-1 tri-plane. The D-VII was singled out in the Treaty of Versailles.

The Dutch company is strong today. American Airlines and US Airways operate F-100's..

http://www.shanaberger.com/airlines/american_f100sm.jpg



Some more pic's....

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German police officers block off a road leading to a German military hospital in Hamburg, northern Germany, Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003. Authorities in Hamburg said Tuesday they received a tip-off that Islamic extremists planned car bomb attacks on the Bundeswehr German military hospital in the city, prompting them to shut off several streets around the building. (AP Photo/Joerg Sarbach)

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U.S. Army Spc. Craig Pippin, from San Diego, Cali., of the 235th engineering, battles for the ball as he plays soccer with Iraqis in Tikrit's military base, Iraq, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)


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A 1st Armored Division soldier keeps watch after his convoy was targeted with a roadside bomb Tuesday in Baghdad, Iraq. No troops were injured when the bomb exploded between two Humvees, but the bomb killed one Iraqi bystander and wounded another.


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Rebels detonated a roadside bomb as a US convoy drove by in Baghdad Tuesday, killing one Iraqi and wounding another, police said. Elsewhere, US troops captured three suspected members of an al-Qaida linked group and arrested three former army and intelligence officers.No US troops were injured in Tuesday's bomb attack in central Baghdad, police Maj. Khatan Jabir said(***** Images)

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http://photo.worldnews.com/PhotoArchive//uploads/2003/12/30/uploaded-41005_large.jpg


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Iraqi civilian steel worker, Mudhfer, who was contracted by the United States army, cleans up around a 5-ton truck after adding steel plates around the cab Monday, Dec. 29, 2003 at the Anaconda logistical service area in Balad, Iraq. With convoys coming under attack by roadside bombs or mortars, the transportation units have been forced to add armor and defense weapons to their trucks to shield drivers from injury. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)


SIGNIFICANT WEAPONS CACHE CONFISCATED (http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/news_release.asp?NewsRelease=20031278.txt)
December 30, 2003
Release Number: 03-12-78

TIKRIT, Iraq – Task Force Ironhorse Second Infantry’s Arrowhead Brigade soldiers discovered a significant weapons cache southeast of Samarra in the morning of Dec. 29. Some of the items located were found in a false wall.

The cache consisted of 43 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 79 rocket-propelled grenades, 19 AK-47 assault rifles, one machine gun, one 40mm grenade launcher, six 60mm mortar tubes with base plates, 7,920 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, more than 160 mortar rounds, 34 100mm BMP rounds, six rifle grenades, 40 82mm fuses, two 40mm grenades, 25 fragmentary grenades, five pounds of artillery propellant, 16 mortar primers, a significant amount of C4 and TNT, one assembled improvised explosive device and materials to make additional devices.

Al Qaeda literature and videotapes were also found as well as a British made ceramic body armor plate with a bullet hole. This is an indication that the enemy faction was testing the personal protection plate’s ability to withstand expended anti-personnel ammunition.

http://www.defendamerica.mil/images/photos/dec2003/index/ii123003f.jpg


Iraqi firemen and Civil Defense Force personnel from the Al-Salhya fire station in Karkh, Iraq, search through rubble to locate unexploded ordnance. The firefighters are using newly acquired training and equipment from coalition forces for members of the 422d Civil Affairs Battalion and representatives from the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. John Houghton


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Piles of munitions, left in disarray at a weapons cache in Tal Ghaiyah, Iraq, stand ready to be sorted and counted by local Iraqi workers and soldiers from the 21st Chemical Company, 82nd Airborne Division. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Charles B. Johnson

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Local Iraqi workers unscrews the charging fuses from munitions found at a weapons cache in Tal Ghaiyah, Iraq, while working with soldiers from the 21st Chemical Company , 82nd Airborne Division. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Charles B. Johnson

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Aerial view of the main cemetery in Bam, Iran Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003. Some 28,000 bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the earthquake devastated city. In Bam's cemetery, where thousands have already been buried, workers dug 130-foot trenches for corpses wrapped in white shrouds. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)



Hamas Calls Off Attacks Inside Israel (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031226/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_031210190241)
Fri Dec 26, 4:59 PM ET

JERUSALEM - Hamas, the Islamic group responsible for most suicide bombings during three years of violence, has called off attacks inside Israel, and a full ceasefire could come in a matter of weeks, Israel's military chief said in comments published Friday.

In response, Israel will hold off targeting Hamas leaders but will still go after other Palestinian militants in retaliation for a suicide bombing this week, security sources said.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz decided in a meeting Friday with top commanders that Israel will strike at Palestinian militants, mainly those responsible for the suicide bombing, security officials said. Hamas leaders will not be targeted, they said on condition of anonymity.


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A Palestinian security man passes a destroyed car after an Israeli helicopter gunship fired missiles into it, in Gaza December 30, 2003. The attack in a Hamas stronghold in Gaza City on Tuesday wounded one of the car's passengers and some nine bystanders, medics and Palestinian security officials said. *******/Suhaib Salem

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Palestinian police officers inspect the wreckage of a car belonging to Hamas militants after Israeli Apache helicopters fired missiles at it in Gaza city, Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003. An Israeli helicopter fired two missiles at a car in the Gaza Strip late Tuesday, wounding at least 11 people, Palestinian witnesses said. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

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Palestinian medical workers and unidentified relatives wheel in a wounded man to the treatment room at Shifa hospital in Gaza city, Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003. An Israeli helicopter fired two missiles at a car carrying Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip late Tuesday, wounding at least 11 people, Palestinian witnesses said. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

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Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin speaks to journalists at his house in Gaza city Tuesday Dec. 30, 2003 shortly after an Israeli helicopter fired two missiles at a car carrying militants of the group wounding at least 11 people. Yassin said Israel would pay a heavy price for the attack. "These massacres and crimes prove that Israel is seeking violence and not looking for peace, security and stability," he told Associated Press Television News. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

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A lawmaker from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party has been invited to Syria to discuss a recent proposal by Syrian President Bashar Assad to renew peace talks between the bitter foes, Israel Radio reported Tuesday.The lawmaker, who was not identified, will visit Egypt to discuss the Syrian invitation with officials there, the radio said(***** Images)

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JERUSALEM Dec. 30— Israeli forces re-entered Nablus early Tuesday, exchanging gunfire with Palestinian militants and clamping a curfew on the heavily populated ancient quarter of the West Bank city, Palestinian witnesses said(***** Images)

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Israeli soldiers place an explosive device to destroy the entrance of a Palestinian building during an Israeli army operation in the West Bank city of Nablus, December 28, 2003. *******/Abed Omar Qusini

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Sgt Dave Stewart, (right) of Parachute Company, Third Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battalion Group guides General Ray Henault, Chief of Defence Staff, on a dismounted patrol in Kabul, Afghanistan. General Henault is in Kabul to visit with Canadian soldiers deployed on Operation Athena over the Christmas period.

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Dutch bomb squad members make final preparations before dismantling the bomb sent to Eurojust inside the agency's 16-story office building in the Hague, the Netherlands on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003. Authorities intercepted a package bomb sent to the European law enforcement agency, the latest in a spate of explosives sent by mail to pan-European organizations. The parcel was the fourth sent to a European official since Saturday, when a package burst into flames at the Bologna, Italy home of Romano Prodi, president of the European Union Commission. (AP Photo/Serge Ligtenberg)


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Central Command Area of Responsibly (Dec. 14, 2003) -- A Marine from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13th MEU) Tank Platoon BLT 1/1 stationed at Twentynine Palms, Calif., directs an M1-A1 Abrams tank during a training exercise. 13th MEU is assigned to USS Peleliu (LHA 5) Expeditionary Strike Group One (ESG-1). An ESG constitutes a new naval strike force designed to equip amphibious forces with added firepower and operational capabilities. ESG-1 is currently deployed to the Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet Area of Responsibility in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Ted Banks. (RELEASED)

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Central Command Area of Responsibly (Dec. 14, 2003) -- Marine’s assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13th MEU) 1st Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion Landing Team (1st LAR BLT 1/1) perform maintenance on Light Armored Vehicle’s (LAV). 13th MEU is assigned to USS Peleliu (LHA 5) Expeditionary Strike Group One (ESG-1), deployed out of Twentynine Palms, Calif. An ESG constitutes a new naval strike force designed to equip amphibious forces with added firepower and operational capabilities. ESG-1 is currently deployed to the Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet Area of Responsibility in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Ted Banks. (RELEASED)

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Central Command Area of Responsibly (Dec. 14, 2003) -- Marines assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13th MEU) 1st Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion Landing Team (1st LAR BLT 1/1) stationed at Twentynine Palms, Calif., conduct live a fire desert training exercise. 13th MEU is assigned to USS Peleliu (LHA 5) Expeditionary Strike Group One (ESG-1). An ESG constitutes a new naval strike force designed to equip amphibious forces with added firepower and operational capabilities. ESG-1 is currently deployed to the Commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet Area of Responsibility in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Ted Banks. (RELEASED)

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Arabian Gulf (Dec. 27, 2003) -- A C-2A Greyhound assigned to the “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron Four Zero (VRC-40) home ported in Norfolk, Va., makes a logistics run to USS Enterprise (CVN 65) from military installations in Bahrain. VRC-40 and the elements of the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group (ESG) are currently operating in the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the continued war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Aaron Peterson. (RELEASED)

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Manama, Bahrain (Dec. 27, 2003) -- Flight deck personnel conduct maintenance on an F-14 Tomcat assigned to the Checkmates of Fighter Squadron Two One One (VF-211) on the flight deck aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65), while a U.S. Navy coastal patrol boat maintains a security perimeter around the aircraft carrier. Enterprise and Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) are currently deployed conducting missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the continued war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Milosz Reterski. (RELEASED)


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Hi-Res (http://www.af.mil/media/photodb/photos/031229-F-9629J-010.jpg)

OVER IRAQ -- A KC-135 Stratotanker leads a formation of an F-15 Strike Eagle, two F-16 Fighting Falcons and two British GR4 Tornados on Dec. 29. The aircraft and crews are supporting operations here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Jenkins)

[Falco]

Again, nice pics :D

[Haiw]

http://www.shanaberger.com/images/fokker_logo.gif
Vance: Fokker (http://www.wwiaviation.com/designers/designer_fokker.shtml) designed the best fighters of WWI, the legendary D-VII as well as the DR-1 tri-plane. The D-VII was singled out in the Treaty of Versailles.

The Dutch company is strong today. American Airlines and US Airways operate F-100's..
Actually, Fokker (in English you'd ****ounce it as 'Focker' indeed :P) went bankrupt a few years back...

[Groove]

I asking myself why Mossad dont send this guy to allah ? Maybe afraid of some riots or something ?

http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/03312000/news.lycos.com/news/ot_getImage.asp?op=img&id=505347

[S'13]

I asking myself why Mossad dont send this guy to allah ? Maybe afraid of some riots or something ?

http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/03312000/news.lycos.com/news/ot_getImage.asp?op=img&id=505347

Actually the IAF tried to give him a one way ticket to hell but he had already left the building, but we will get him next time...

[Javehn]

What the world do without Santa Claus then ?
http://a1112.g.akamai.net/7/1112/492/03312000/news.lycos.com/news/ot_getImage.asp?op=img&id=505347

[S'13]

By MARGOT DUDKEVITCH AND THE JERUSALEM POST INTERNET STAFF

Hamas leaders are "marked for death" and won't have a moment's rest, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned Sunday, following an assasination attempt on Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza City on Saturday.

Security forces were on high alert Sunday morning, following Saturday's targeted strike against Yassin.

Yassin and some 15 others were lightly wounded in the attack when an IAF F-16 fighter jet dropped a quarter-ton bomb on a residential building. Following the strike, the security establishment imposed a closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip and denied Palestinians entry to Israel for work.

The army said however, that entry to those seeking humanitarian assistance will be considered Security forces also increased their presence in shopping malls, central bus stations and other areas.

The security establishment Saturday registered 36 warnings of terror attacks against Israelis.

Yassin and senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya were the targets of the attack.

Yassin and Haniya were visiting the home of Marwan Abu Rass, a Hamas terrorist and lecturer at the Islamic University in Gaza.

According to reports, an Israeli warplane fired a bomb into the third-floor apartment belonging to Rass.

Witnesses said Yassin and Haniya had left the building seconds before the bomb hit and were in their car, suffering only light injuries from the blast. Fifteen other people were injured in the attack, including Rass.

In order to avert civilian casualties the airforce opted to use a smaller quantity of explosives rather then risk international criticism by using large amounts of explosives that would have led to fatalities not only among the Hamas leadership that was targeted but also among the civilian population an official said.

Bodyguards spirited the Hamas leaders away from the building in the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City.

"In an operation launched in Gaza city the air force attacked a building where the senior Hams leadership were in the midst of planning attacks against citizens of Israel," the IDF told The Jerusalem Post.

It was not clear whether a helicopter gunship or a fighter jet had carried out the attack.

Senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi confirmed that Yassin and Haniya were in the targeted building, and said they were both targeted for assassination.

Rantisi added that both Yassin and Haniya were injured in the attack.

"The Gates of hell are open," Rantisi added.

"Following this attempt there is no more room for negotiation. Now there is only room for our response.
The Hamas movement does not weaken when its senior activists are killed, and its responses will come. Israel does not differentiate between militant and political leader, between a handicapped man and every other man.
Therefore there will be no differentiation from our side between any Zionist target," Rantisi said.

Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of the militant group, is a quadriplegic.

Reacting to the strike on Yassin, Hamas threatened to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"We warn Sharon that his head is now wanted by our troops," leaders of Hamas' military wing said via loudspeaker at a Gaza City hospital where Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was treated for a hand injury.

Israeli security officials confirmed that IAF warplanes attacked a Gaza City building in which Hamas leaders were meeting to plan further attacks against Israelis.

The attempt on Yassin's life is an escalation of the campaign to target all of the Hamas infrastructure, its top leaders and field activists as one.

"The target wasn't Ahmed Yassin but the senior Hamas leadership who were meeting in the apartment to plan strategy, upgrade heir capability and plot further rocket and terror attacks against Israeli citizens," a senior security official told The Jerusalem Post.

"No one is immune, and as in recent weeks security forces have thwarted numerous attacks and captured and killed terrorists. We will continue until the Hamas infrastructure is destroyed, "the official added.

Senior diplomatic officials said that Israel would continue to target the heads of the terrorist organizations, and that Ahmed Yassin was no different from the rest of them. The officials said that as long as the Palestinians do not act against the terrorist infrastructure, Israel would act, at every moment and in every place necessary, reported Israel Radio.

Hamas officials said Saturday that the attempted assassination of their spiritual leader had put an end to the negotiations between Palestinian groups, with the help of Egyptian mediation, to obtain a new ceasefire with Israel.

The officials also said that the Yassin assassination attempt was a "quick Israeli translation of the EU decision to include Hamas' political wing on its terrorist groups list." After the strike, a large crowd rushed to the building.

The bomb tore a large hole into the ceiling of the apartment. Rescue workers searched through the rubble. Hospital officials said nine people were wounded, among them children.

A grocer, Raouf Abu Khaled, 52, helped carry the wounded to ambulances.

"I was sitting outside my shop when I saw the jeep of the sheik coming from the side of the street and five minutes later there was a huge explosion. I saw the F-16 jet leaving the area."

It's unclear where Yassin was taken.

He was not being treated at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital.

Abdelsalam Hanieh, 22, a son of the Yassin Aide who was with the sheik during the strike, said the two men were well.

"I just contacted my father, and he told me that God protected his life and the life of the sheik," he said.

"They are doing very well. The Zionists have failed in this crime, and he and the Sheik are in a safer place."

Rantisi said Yassin suffered injuries to his hands. Yassin is the highest-ranking Hamas official to be targeted by Israel, which has killed 12 members of the group in six missile strikes in the past three weeks.

(Margot Dudkevitch and The Associated Press contributed to this report)

[simple jumper]

I don't know why she is going, as opposed to say someone like the Prime Minister. I think Ms. Clarkson likes to pretend that people actually know who she is and are impressed by her office.



I tend to agree. Our PM should be going and not some woman who wasn't even elected to the position, and whom your average Canadian (or Canadian soldier for that matter) hardly even knows about.[/quote]


WOW, you are talking from your ass!!! :bash: I'm pretty sure everybody in Canada knows who the GG is, and she doesnt need to be elected it's not political, she's appointed by the queen because shes her representative in Canada, and soldiers know her very well, i mean there are 2 regiments (Governor General's Foot Guard, and Governor General's Horse Guards)
And the GGFG is the firts militia infantry regiment to be sent into battle after the regular force, so other regiemtns know them well, and if they odnt you just mention the "red guys on parliament hill"