Several killed in hotel blast in Jordan

[Cypros]

This is the kind of attitude that makes me love Jordanians. Let's just hope they can continue to be strong and united while under tremendous pressure with a destabilized iraq next door.

Two towns come together to condemn terrorist attacks

The people of the neighbouring towns of Fuheis and Mahas united on Saturday afternoon to condemn Wednesday night's attacks in Amman.

Children waving flags and banners twice their size led the march from predominantly Christian Fuheis to Hassan Circle, where demonstrators from neighbouring Mahas, which has a Muslim majority, joined them.

Local leaders and citizens from both Fuheis and Mahas spoke out against the recent attacks in front of a crowd of around 1,000.

The event was organised by City Hall, NGOs and the people of the two towns who are proud of their longstanding relationship.

“The Christians and Muslims are united all the time and we stand togetherat this time because we feel that some people from outside attacked us and invaded our country. We are more united and stronger than ever before,” said Mayor of Fuheis Fuad Smeirat.

http://www.jordantimes.com/sun/homenews/homenews3.htm

My favorite restaurant is in Fuheis, a small Christian community just west of Amman. From my experience, most Jordanians have Christian and Muslim friends and I have never seen or experienced anything that suggested discrimination or strife between the religions.

 

[Marthatex]

There is a CNN special tonight that will show the woman confessing live on film; it shows her explosives under her outerclothing. It's 10:00 ET.

We could learn alot about the way Zarqawi operates.

 

[Cypros]

Amman would-be bomber had 3 brothers killed in Iraq

An Iraqi woman who dramatically confessed on JTV to her role in the deadly multiple bombings on Amman hotels last week had three brothers and a brother-in-law killed by US forces in Iraq, officials and family sources said Tuesday.

...

Another security source said Samer Rishawi, a right-hand man of Iraq's most wanted man Abu Mussab Al Zarqawi, was among the three brothers killed by US forces battling insurgents in the west of the country.

Samer was a cell leader for Zarqawi, Al Qaeda front man in Iraq, for the volatile Anbar province, the source said.

Sajida, whose explosives belt failed to detonate, had two other brothers killed by US troops in Iraq, Ammar and Yasser, according to officials.

She has told investigators that Ammar and Yasser died in Ramadi, while Samer was killed in the former rebel stronghold of Fallujah, the security source said.

Other sources disclosed that Sajida's sister had been married to a Jordanian explosives expert, Nidal Mohammed Arabiyat, also killed by US forces in Iraq.


http://www.jordantimes.com/wed/homenews/homenews3.htm

 

[Marthatex]

That's interesting. But her brothers were definitely insurgents, one an operative of Zarqawi. They are definitely warring against U.S. presence in Iraq, and peace in Iraq.

What Zarqawi did, lowlife that he is, is take that political war to innocent people in Jordan.

On the other hand, if Al Quaeda were a "fire", the U.S. has definitely thrown more coals onto it by being in Iraq.

Sometimes I wonder if the theory might be true that if we begin to withdraw U.S. troops and show we are going to let Iraq "stand up" and decide things, if indeed the insurgency might lessen.

I have no idea though.

 

[Cypros]

Al-Zarqawi's family cuts ties to terrorist
He will no longer enjoy the protection of his tribe

Family members of Jordanian-born al Qaeda in Iraq chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi have renounced the terror leader, telling King Abdullah II on Sunday that they would "sever links with him until doomsday."

Al-Zarqawi, whose real name is Ahmed Fadheel Nazzal al-Khalayleh, claimed responsibility for the November 9 deadly attacks on three Amman hotels, which killed 60 people.

In half-page advertisements in Jordan's three main newspapers, 57 members of the al-Khalayleh family, including al-Zarqawi's brother and cousin, also reiterated their strong allegiance to the king
...
"As we pledge to maintain homage to your throne and to our precious Jordan ... we denounce in the clearest terms all the terrorist actions claimed by the so-called Ahmed Fadheel Nazzal al-Khalayleh, who calls himself Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," the family members said.

"We announce, and all the people are our witnesses, that we -- the sons of the al-Khalayleh tribe -- are innocent of him and all that emanates from him, whether action, assertion or decision."

The statement is a serious blow to al-Zarqawi, who will no longer enjoy the protection of his tribe and whose family members may seek to kill him.

The statement said anyone who carried out such violence in the kingdom does not enjoy its protection.

"A Jordanian doesn't stab himself with his own spear," they wrote. "We sever links with him until doomsday."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/20/alzarqawi.family.ap/index.html

This kind of thing is taken VERY seriously in tribal societies.

 

[Rocky]

when I heard yesterday they thought they killed Zarqawi, I was thinking his family had taken him out...

when I heard they missed him by minutes, it became obvious he doesn't have many friends left, and now family waiting with open arms...

or should I say, the safety off on their arms...