Today's Photos Thursday, January 8th, 2009

[VAMAN]

An Israeli soldier raises his arms as a mobile artillery unit fires a shell into Gaza before the commencement of a temporary cease fire on January 7, 2009 along the Israeli, Gaza border in Israel. Israel has agreed to a daily three hour cease fire in order to open a humanitarian corridor into Gaza following a day of significant conflict and an increasing death toll. (Photo: Spencer Platt)

Soldiers rested on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza during the three-hour cease-fire. The afternoon lull in the fighting suggested Israel might be responding, if only tentatively, to diplomatic pressure, a day after Israeli mortar shells killed as many as 40 Palestinians, among them women and children, outside a United Nations school in Gaza. (Photo: Moises Saman)

Palestinians who fled their homes at a United Nations school in Jabaliya on Wednesday, January 7, 2009. International relief agencies have warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is increasingly dire. Three-quarters of the 1.5 million residents are currently without power, and hundreds of thousands are without running water, international agencies have said. (Reuters / Mohammed Salem)

Military personnel and members of Cambodian People's Party (CPP) participate in a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime at the National Stadium in Phnom Penh on January 7, 2009. Tens of thousands of Cambodians cheered for the 30th anniversary of the ouster of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime at an elaborate stadium ceremony mounted by the country's powerful ruling party January 7.

Italian peacekeeping troops from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol the zone of the launching ground of rockets at Israel in the village of Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon on January 8, 2009. Several rockets slammed today into northern Israel from Lebanon with the army returning fire, as the Jewish state entered the 13th day of a massive offensive on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Indian police detain Kashmiri Shia Muslim mourners during the religious Ashura procession in Srinagar January 8, 2009. Indian police detained over a dozen Kashmiri Shia mourners who took part in the procession in the Kashmir's main city to mark the death of the Prophet's Mohammed's grandson, police and witnesses said. (Reuters)

[Lancero]

Nice start!

A security personnel uses explosives detector as he inspects the route of a Ashura mourning procession, in Hyderabad Pakistan, 08 January 2009. Shiite Muslims are observing the holy month of Muharam the climax of which is the Ashura festival commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed in the Iraqi city of Karbala in the seventh century

Pakistani Police arrest a man (C) after a pistol was allegedly recovered from him, on the route of a Ashura mourning procession, in Peshawar the capital of restive North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Pakistan, 08 January 2009. Shiite Muslims are observing the holy month of Muharam the climax of which is the Ashura festival commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed in the Iraqi city of Karbala in the seventh century

Smoke rises as an Israeli missile strikes in the east of Gaza City, 08 January 2009. The Israeli military said it would cease hostilities for three hours on 08 January afternoon to allow Palestinians to stock up on basic necessities, for the second consecutive day.The lull is expected to go into effect at 1 pm (1100 GMT).The military said the lull would also enable humanitarian agencies to carry out their duties, as their movement has been hampered by the fighting

Lebanese soldier stand guard next to a rockets stand at the zone of their launching in the village of Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon, 08 January 2009. Several rockets slammed today into northern Israel from Lebanon with the army returning fire, as the Jewish state entered the 13th day of a massive offensive on Hamas in the Gaza.

A Palestinian protester from the West Bank village of Billin, carrying a mock body, faces Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in solidarity with Gaza, 08 January 2008. Israel pressed on with both its air and ground offensive in Gaza, as government officials were due to travel to Cairo to discuss Egyptian-French truce proposals

Oakland Police Officers clash with demonstrators while attempting to clear the streets of Oakland, California, USA, on 07 January 2009. Demonstrators took to the streets of Oakland protesting the New Years eve shooting of 22-year-old unarmed black man Oscar Grant by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police officer

Government troops carries out a massive search operation in the northern Sri Lankan district of Vavuniya (212 kms from Colombo) 8 January 2009. Government troops wrested control of Kilinochchi which the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam) called their de facto capital after ten years and are now in full control of this large city. The military success prompted the government to designate the LTTE as a banned organization in the country on Wednesday night. The reasons for the banning the LTTE was attributed to the Tigers for committing acts of terrorism and other forms of violence ,engaging in armed conflict with the Security Forces and the Police and threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic with the aim of establishing a separate state in the Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka

A photograph supplied by the Isralei Defense Forces (IDF) shows Palestinians taken as prisoners inside the Gaza Strip during the the war on Hamas on 07 January 2009. Israel welcomed 07 January a Franco- Egyptian proposal to end 13 days of fighting between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, which has left hundreds dead and thousands more injured. Israel also instituted a three-hour lull in the fighting in the salient, to allow Palestinians living there to stock up on necessities. "Israel welcomes the (Franco-Egyptian) initiative and is working on it and is interested in its success," government spokesman Mark Regev said

Belgian co pilot Jean-Paul Forthomme (C) and his compatriot and pilot Christian Lavieille (L) next to their burning Dessoude vehicle after an accident during the Rally Dakar Argentina-Chile 2009 in Dunas del Nihuil, Mendoza province, Argentina, 07 January 2009. The rally goes until next 18th January with 230 bikes, 30 quadriclycles, 188 cars and 82 trucks, that try to finish a track of 9.574 kilometers between Argentina and Chile

Albanians use a wire to transport a freezer across Shkumbini river near Elbasan, Albania on 08 January 2009. The nearest bridge for the more than 4,000 people in the area is at some 18 km walking distance

[He219]

Nice pix guys!




Hires

GULFPORT, Miss. (Jan. 6, 2009) Religious Program Specialist 3rd Class Shaun-Michael Vanasselberg, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 74, assembles a modular tactical vest during a training class onboard Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport. The class covers the proper wear and maintenance of the vest to prepare Seabees for an upcoming field exercise and deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John Hulle/Released)

Hires

NORFOLK, Va. (Jan. 7, 2009) Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier Pre-commissioning Unit George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) walk beside the ship during a rehearsal for the ship's commissioning ceremony. The ship is scheduled to be commissioned Saturday at Naval Station Norfolk. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joel S. Kolodziejczak/Released)

U.S. Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division scan for suspicious activity during a patrol of the Diyala River Valley in Iraq Dec. 27, 2008. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist Walter J. Pels, U.S. Navy/Released)

a.jpg]Hires

U.S. Army 2nd Lt. William Atwell and Sgt. Steve Torres from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, investigate a hole during a route clearance mission outside Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, Jan. 3, 2009. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Wendy Wyman

Hires

British Royal Marine Commandos take part in Operation Sond Chara, the clearance of Nad-e Ali District of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan by Afghan National Security Forces and troops deployed with the International Security Assistance Force 42-Commando, Dec. 29, 2008. The operation's goal was to bring stabilzation to the district, increase security for Lashkar Gah and set safe conditions for voter registration later this year. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. John Scott Rafoss

[He219]

Smoke from the launch of Palestinian militant rocket (back) and from an Israeli bombardment billow from the northern Gaza Strip on January 8, 2009 as seen from the Israeli Gaza-border. The Red Cross today accused Israel of failing to help wounded people in an area of Gaza where its rescuers found four small children huddling next to their dead mothers, too weak to stand up.

An Israeli Apache helicopter fires a missile while flying over the central Gaza Strip January 8, 2009. Several rockets fired from Lebanon struck northern Israel on Thursday, slightly wounding two people, police and medics said, in attacks seen as linked to Israel's war on Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip.

An Israeli Apache helicopter fires on a position while deploying a flare over the central Gaza Strip January 8, 2009. Several rockets fired from Lebanon struck northern Israel on Thursday, slightly wounding two people, police and medics said, in attacks seen as linked to Israel's war on Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip.

A bird flies near an Israeli Blackhawk helicopter heading to evacuate wounded soldiers at the border with the central Gaza Strip January 8, 2009. Several rockets fired from Lebanon struck northern Israel on Thursday, slightly wounding two people, police and medics said, in attacks seen as linked to Israel's war on Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip.

An injured Israeli soldier is taken off an army helicopter at the Soroka Hospital in the southern Israeli town of Beersheeba, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into northern Israel early Thursday, striking a crowded nursing home and threatening to open a second front for the Jewish state

In this photo released by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud olmert, second right, visits a military base in southern Israel, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009.

A member of the Palestinian security forces (R) kicks a Palestinian stone-thrower, protesting Israel's offensive in Gaza, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem January 8, 2009.

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[He219]

An Afghan Army soldier carries a rocket grenade launcher on a patrol from Combat Outpost Lowell in eastern Afghanistan January 7, 2009.

A U.S. Marine (C) talks with Afghan soldiers during a patrol near Combat Outpost Lowell in eastern Afghanistan January 7, 2009.

Captain Frank Hooker (2nd L) with the US Army's 6-4 Cavalry talks to elders in the village of Kamu during a weekly meeting near Combat Outpost Lowell in eastern Afghanistan January 8, 2009.

Village elders listen during a weekly meeting with US and Afghan Army officers in Kamu near Combat Outpost Lowell in eastern Afghanistan January 8, 2009.

Soldiers with the U.S. Army's 6-4 Cavalry prepare to leave on a patrol from Combat Outpost Lowell in eastern Afghanistan January 7, 2009.

[oldsoak]

[/IMG]

erm - wheres the magazine/link ? He's not even loaded up.

[Kaaskop]

A Dutch Cougar helicopter picking up soldiers from the Dutch army after a patrol in Afghanistan.

Crew of a Royal Netherlands Airforce C-130 Hercules at Kandahar Air Field.

[flanker7]

Must have been a powerfull kick!

[m.i.t]

could it be BALL which carried by last guard ?

[Battlebuds]

Awesome pics today, love the ones from A-stan, thanks for posting.

[varusmies]

[/IMG]
He is peacekeeper in UN.. that's why he has't load he's gun..??

[zema_06]

[/IMG]
He is peacekeeper in UN.. that's why he has't load he's gun..??

it's typical for italian troops involved in un missions. some time ago the mg gunners in lebanon had to cover the mgs with a cloth and doesn't carried ammunition for it, as the sight of a mg could upset the population

[Macs.]

Ashura "festivities"

[asta]

[/IMG]
He's Italian. Only needs the single round in the chaimber

[Dalamar]

090108-N-0780F-001: Souda Bay, Crete, Greece (Jan 8, 2009): The Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Laramie (T-AO 203) arrives in Souda Bay for a routine port visit. Laramie is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting Persian Gulf and anti-piracy operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Paul Farley/Released)