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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 09/12/2006 : 01:08:35
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CNN is saying that there has been some kind of attack upon the US Embassy in Syria's capital of Damascus, and that the attack may still be ongoing. There have been reports of gunfire and explosions around the embassy, and one report (later denied) that the embassy was burning.
As I listen, the latest reports are saying that a car bomb was possibly used outside the embassy, followed by an exchange of gunfire between at least two gunmen and Syrian security guards, with the attack being repelled.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2006 : 02:01:10 [Permalink]
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CNN is showing video which shows a white van loaded with several propane tanks, each about the size of those used for BBQ grills. Each tank has several pipe bombs taped around it. From this, it appears that the terrorists were trying to use improvised fuel-air bombs, and were unable to explode all their munitions. One burned-out car was also shown. One Syrian security mam is said to have been killed.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2006 : 02:26:23 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by HalfMooner
CNN is showing video which shows a white van loaded with several propane tanks, each about the size of those used for BBQ grills. Each tank has several pipe bombs taped around it. From this, it appears that the terrorists were trying to use improvised fuel-air bombs, and were unable to explode all their munitions. One burned-out car was also shown. One Syrian security mam is said to have been killed.
This is hairy. That slimy fuckwit in the White House is just looking for an excuse, and you can bet that he'll try and take it.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2006 : 02:45:28 [Permalink]
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Aljazeera's take on it: quote:
At least four armed men have attacked the US embassy in Damascus according to a witness.
A Syrian official said the attack has been repelled and that all diplomatic staff are safe.
The official said that all four attackers were killed along with one Syrian guard.
No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
An embassy guard said the mission came under attack on Tuesday as heavy gunfire and explosions were heard from the city's diplomatic quarter.
Evidently, no one knows yet exactly what's going on; or if they do, they're not saying. So far, it looks like some free-lancers, rather than an al Qa'da attack. The bomb(s), if as described, would have been pretty ineffecent. Lots of noise and flame, but never reaching potential.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Ghost_Skeptic
SFN Regular
Canada
510 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2006 : 07:34:02 [Permalink]
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| Sounds like a bit of an non-event, but it may be part of a growing trend of El Queda inspired but unaffiliated attacks, like the attempt to put together a fertilizer based truck bomb in Canada. |
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. / You can send a kid to college but you can't make him think." - B.B. King
History is made by stupid people - The Arrogant Worms
"The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism." - William Osler
"Religion is the natural home of the psychopath" - Pat Condell
"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter" - Thomas Jefferson |
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Paulos23
Skeptic Friend
USA
446 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2006 : 08:20:05 [Permalink]
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I heard about it on the radio this morning. They where claiming it was Islamic Militants, but they didn't say what orginization they where with. But they had a different body count. Three of the attackers where killed, one wounded, and one Syrain guard was killed.
Sloppy reporting IMO.
But I agree with filthy on this, they where most likely freelancers that desided to do their own thing with little if any planning and poor equipment. |
You can go wrong by being too skeptical as readily as by being too trusting. -- Robert A. Heinlein
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. -- Aldous Huxley |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2006 : 11:58:04 [Permalink]
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A few observations:
Though I don't doubt that the Bush bunch would use a new war to help them if that option was available, there are a couple of reasons to think that a war with Syria isn't on their agenda.
First, George has one or two wars more than he can handle already. The military is stretched to the breaking point in Afghanistan, and well past that state in Iraq. There is simply no way that another large military operation could be mounted. The generals, if not Rummy, know this. As I've suggested before, perhaps the only indication we'd have of an upcoming major war would be the sudden resignations or retirements, with or without revealing press conferences, of a number of high generals. I'm almost certain that this would be the indicator of a planned land war upon Syria, Iran, or North Korea.
Second, the US has thanked Syria for the effort of its security forces in foiling the embassy attack. A "thank you," in my opinion, is incompatible with the pounding of war-drums.
On the effects of crude fuel-air bombs such as I saw in the video, Wiki says: quote:
Fuel-air explosives represent the military application of the vapor cloud explosions and dust explosions accidents that have long bedeviled a variety of industries. An accidental fuel-air explosion may occur as a result of a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE), for example when a tank containing liquified petroleum gas bursts. Silo explosions, caused by the ignition of finely-powdered atmospheric dust, are another example.
Fuel-air explosives disperse an aerosol cloud of fuel which is ignited by an embedded detonator to produce an explosion. The rapidly expanding wave front due to overpressure flattens all objects within close proximity of the epicenter of the aerosol fuel cloud, and produces debilitating damage well beyond the flattened area. The main destructive force of FAE is high pressure. More importantly, the duration of the overpressure gives it an edge over conventional explosives and makes fuel-air explosives useful against soft targets such as minefields, armored vehicles, aircraft parked in the open, and bunkers.
There are dramatic differences between explosions involving high explosives and vapor clouds at close distances. For the same amount of energy, the high explosive blast overpressure is much higher and the blast impulse is much lower than that from a vapor cloud explosion. The shock wave from a TNT explosion is of relatively short duration, while the blast wave produced by an explosion of hydrocarbon material displays a relatively long duration. The duration of the positive phase of a shock wave is an important parameter in the response of structures to a blast.
CNN is saying that the group which launched the attack was likely an al Qaeda offshoot. I suspect that Syria knows who was behind the attack, or soon will know, since they captured at least one of the attackers.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 01:36:40 [Permalink]
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| It wasn't a non-event Ghost. It would have been pretty significant had they succeeded. Interesting to see the evil Syrians actually thwart the attack. I'm surprised we even have an embassy in that axis of evil. At first we got Conde actually complimenting the Syrians, but then they made sure Tony Snow came out with a, "Yeah, now if only they'd stop supporting terrorists" because heaven forbid we take the opportunity to drop the macho condescending approach and actually encourage dialog with these guys. |
| Edited by - beskeptigal on 09/13/2006 01:36:53 |
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Original_Intent
SFN Regular
USA
609 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 06:39:54 [Permalink]
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The only dialog that should be participated in with a terrorist sponsoring state like Syria is "Stop supporting Terrorism."
I don't believe thank yous are incompatiable with war drums. Our administration, although far from handleing foreign policy properly, is not nieve to think that Syria is, or is likely to be, our freind.
Peace
Joe |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2006 : 07:55:10 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Original_Intent
The only dialog that should be participated in with a terrorist sponsoring state like Syria is "Stop supporting Terrorism."
I don't believe thank yous are incompatiable with war drums. Our administration, although far from handleing foreign policy properly, is not nieve to think that Syria is, or is likely to be, our freind.
Peace
Joe
As you said: quote:
Officials: No Thaw In Relations Between US And Syria
September 13, 2006 10:00 a.m. EST
Joseph S. Mayton - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent
Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - Although the United States thanked Syria for foiling a plot to blow up the American embassy in Damascus, tensions between the two nations remain high. The US ruled out any possibility for an immediate improvement in relations between the two countries.
"The US government is grateful for the assistance the Syrians provided in going after the attackers," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. "We are hoping they will become an ally and make the choice of fighting against terrorism," Snow added.
A senior State Department official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters that he does not see any thawing of relations between Washington and Damascus despite the foiled attack on the embassy.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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