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Philippine police said they have intercepted a 1,000-kilogram shipment of chemicals believed to be intended for bomb attacks by the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants. The shipment of ammonium nitrate was divided into 20 sacks and hidden in the hold of a ferry that docked in the southern port city of Zamboanga from the nearby island of Jolo, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold, police said.

Ammonium nitrate is a highly volatile chemical compound largely used in making fertilizer and is the main ingredient used by the Abu Sayyaf to produce powerful bombs, official said. 'We had received information that the chemicals will be used by the Abu Sayyaf for their terror attacks,' said port police chief Major Frank Clavencillas.

The seizure came as five Marines were wounded in a fresh clash with Abu Sayyaf gunmen near the town of Patikul on Jolo, where they are on the run from a massive military operation that began last month. Meanwhile, the military announced it also captured an Abu Sayyaf member identified as Yunus Anding, who was arrested last week in the island of Basilan, across the strait from this port city. Yunus took part in the kidnapping of three Americans and 17 Filipino tourists and resort workers in 2001, the military said.

Taliban: 500 Suicide Bombers Ready to Attack

ABC News In a rare interview, the Taliban's top military commander told ABC News he has 500 suicide bombers at his disposal and could launch them at any time. Speaking by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location, Mulla Dadullah Akhund told ABC News the suicide bombers will target Kabul, the capital, because it is the headquarters for U.S. and NATO forces.

"They attacked us. We didn't go to the U.S. to fight them. We are fighting for our religion and homeland," he said. Mulla Dadullah, who lost a leg in earlier fighting, said he also commanded 12,000 Taliban fighters, which he claimed were actively engaging U.S.-led forces in four southwestern Afghan provinces.

"We have no shortage of fighters," he said. "In fact, we have so many of them that it is difficult to accommodate and arm and equip them. Some of them have been waiting for a year or more for their turn to be sent to the battlefield," Mulla Dadullah contended. According to Mulla Dadullah, the Taliban would be launching new and bigger attacks in Afghan cities in spring next year.

Al-Qaida Joins Algerians Against France Washington Post/AP

Al-Qaida has for the first time announced a union with an Algerian insurgent group that has designated France as an enemy, saying they will act together against French and American interests. Current and former French officials specializing in terrorism said Thursday that an al-Qaida alliance with the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, known by its French initials GSPC, was cause for concern.

"We take these threats very seriously," Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said, adding in an interview on France-2 television that the threat to France was "high" and "permanent," and that "absolute vigilance" was required. Al-Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, announced the "blessed union" in a video posted this week on the Internet to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. France's leader have repeatedly warned that the decision not to join the US-led war in Iraq would not shield the country from Islamic terrorism. French participation in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon could give extremists another reason to strike.

Iraq al-Qaida: Pope, West Are Doomed MyWay/AP

An al-Qaeda-linked extremist group warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that he and the West were "doomed," as protesters returned to the streets across the Muslim world to demand more of an apology from the pontiff for his remarks about Islam and violence.

The Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni Arab extremist groups that includes al-Qaeda in Iraq, issued a statement on a Web forum vowing to continue its holy war against the West. The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified.

The group said Muslims would be victorious and addressed the pope as "the worshipper of the cross" saying "you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere...

We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword." Islam forbids drinking alcohol and requires non-Muslims to pay a head tax to safeguard their lives if conquered by Muslims. They are exempt if they convert to Islam.

Paintball Terrorists CBN News

Some call it a high-tech version of tag. Others say it's the modern day equivalent of hide-and-seek. Paintball has only been around since the 1980s, but more than 10 million people of all ages now play it worldwide. If you haven't played, it's pretty simple: players hunt their opponents, take aim, and splatter them with paint-filled "bullets." it all makes for a fun and competitive afternoon. It's also safe, thanks to the protective gear players are required to wear.

Paintball is one of the fastest growing sports in the US, with everyone from church groups to young Republicans getting together for fun-filled weekend outings. But some radical Islamists are using paintball for a far more sinister purpose: as a training ground for jihad.

"They're using paintball for paramilitary training," said Jeffrey Epstein, president of America's Truth Forum. America's Truth Forum is an anti-jihad organization.

Along with terrorism analyst Laura Mansfield, Epstein has been tracking what he calls a disturbing trend among Islamists. "They're tying paintball into a larger, more grand-scale mission...they're using it to network and bring other Muslims together for communication and to indoctrinate," Epstein explained.

Mansfield supplied CBN News with an al-Qaeda tape posted on a Muslim message board in the US. It begins with images of missiles taking out America, then moves on to a speech by Adam Gadahn, an American-born member of al-Qaeda. Next come scenes of two men playing paintball. But that's not all. The men also conduct mock suicide bombings, and practice explosives training.

Next Attack Imminent: Muslims Ordered to Leave the US New Media Journal/Hamid Mir, Dr. Paul L. Williams & David Dastych

Alan Note: An adult English Language course at a Southern California college had a strong continent of Iranian and other Moslem students among whom there were some University professors and Scientist from Iran as well as local residents (legal or illegal).

This semester starting in August, they all evaporated! Not one signed up for their ongoing classes except a couple of the women, who though they used to dress in Islamic traditional clothing for women, now appeared in totally Western attire without even a headscarf.

While the women were warned to dress this way not to focus attention to themselves and risk retaliation after the forthoming Al Qaeda attacks on the USA, the menfolk have apparently been sent to carry out activities to assist in the upcoming attacks.

If anyone finds this is a tip of an iceberg, rather than a localized South California abberation, please inform your local authorities.

Recently, Abu Dawood, one of the newly appointed commanders of the al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan issued some disturbing statements. Dawood stated: that final preparations have been made for the American Hiroshima, a major attack on the US; said that Muslims living in the United States should leave the country without further warning; indicating that the attack will be commandeered by Adnan el Shukrijumah ("Jaffer Tayyer" or "Jafer the Pilot"), a naturalized American citizen, who was raised in Brooklyn and educated in southern Florida;

that the al Qaeda operatives who will launch this attack are awaiting final orders, that they remain in place in cities throughout the country and that many are masquerading as Christians and have adopted Christian names;

that al Qaeda and the Taliban will also launch a major strike (known as the "Badar Operation") against the coalition forces in Afghanistan during the holy month of Ramadan;

and that the American people probably will be treated to a final audio message from Osama bin Laden which will be aired some time later.


Spotlight A Breakdown of Southern Thailand's Insurgent Groups Jamestown Foundation/Zachary Abuza

Thailand has faced an Islamist secessionist movement since 2001-2002 that has led to the deaths of more than 1,500 people. There have been nearly 400 successful bombings, many more attempted bombings and more than 400 arson attacks. Militants have assassinated more than 600 people.

Ten of the 33 districts in the deep south are "plagued by violence" according to the Thai Ministry of the Interior, and the number is increasing. Yet, little is actually known about the insurgents' structure and capacity.

To date, there has not been a single credible claim of responsibility, nor have the insurgents publicly stated their goals or political platform. Their unwillingness to disclose any details has worked to their advantage and left Thai intelligence in a quandary.

There are a number of insurgent groups working together, and unlike the insurgency in the 1960s to the early-1990s, when groups were sharply divided over their goals and ideology and proved absolutely incapable of working together, today's organizations share a common Islamist agenda and are demonstrating unprecedented coordination and cooperation.

No organization is trying to discredit another to build up its own power base.


Multi-Media Arab and Iranian Reaction to 9/11: Five Years Later MEMRI-TV

Since the attacks on September 11, 2001, The Middle East Media Research Institute has monitored, translated, and recorded what was said in the Arab and Iranian press about that day. Prominent journalists, members of academia, leading religious figures, and even Arab government officials helped shape conspiracies about what "really" happened.

A documentary film about the Arab and Iranian reaction to 9-11 incorporates footage from various TV and satellite stations in the Middle East. It was made with Interface Media Group and narrated by acclaimed actor Ron Silver.