40 Al-Q Fighters Killed By The Plague....and actually, yeah.

[MKSheppard]

Link

By ALEX WEST
Published: Today

ANTI-TERROR bosses last night hailed their latest ally in the war on terror — the BLACK DEATH.

At least 40 al-Qaeda fanatics died horribly after being struck down with the disease that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages.

The killer bug, also known as the plague, swept through insurgents training at a forest camp in Algeria, North Africa. It came to light when security forces found a body by a roadside.

The victim was a terrorist in AQLIM (al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb), the largest and most powerful al-Qaeda group outside the Middle East.

It trains Muslim fighters to kill British and US troops.

Now al-Qaeda chiefs fear the plague has been passed to other terror cells — or Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

One security source said: “This is the deadliest weapon yet in the war against terror. Most of the terrorists do not have the basic medical supplies needed to treat the disease.

“It spreads quickly and kills within hours. This will be really worrying al-Qaeda.”

The al-Qaeda epidemic began in the cave hideouts of AQLIM in Tizi Ouzou province, 150km east of the capital Algiers. The group, led by wanted terror boss Abdelmalek Droudkal, was forced to turn its shelters in the Yakouren forest into mass graves and flee.

The extremists supporting madman Osama bin Laden went to Bejaia and Jijel provinces — hoping the plague did not go with them.

A source said: “The emirs (leaders) fear surviving terrorists will surrender to escape a horrible death.”

AQLIM boss Droudkal claims to command around 1,000 insurgents. Training camps are also based in Morocco, Tunisia and Nigeria.

AQLIM bombed the UN headquarters in Algiers in 2007, killing 41. Attacks across Algeria last year killed at least 70 people.

In an interview last July, Droudkal boasted his cell was in constant contact with other al-Qaeda “brothers”.

[Count Chocula]

Great news! Even Mother Nature wants these stains gone.

[Samuel]

Great news! Even Mother Nature wants these stains gone.

On the bright side, this will truly decimate them, but..
What happens when these men go to ground in civilian populations?

[Shroom Man 777]

Isn't The Sun some kind of tabloid rag?

It'd be nice if those Mohammedians end up believing that they were being smited by god.

[Count Chocula]

OT but I've sometimes wondered how the Catholic Church survived beyond the Black Plague as an institution. If anything would shake a peasant's belief in God, I'd imagine 1/3 of your neighbors and family dying would do it.

[General Zod]

OT but I've sometimes wondered how the Catholic Church survived beyond the Black Plague as an institution. If anything would shake a peasant's belief in God, I'd imagine 1/3 of your neighbors and family dying would do it.

Or it could reaffirm your belief that your way was the only correct one and your neighbors clearly weren't truly faithful.

[Broomstick]

Great news! Even Mother Nature wants these stains gone.

On the bright side, this will truly decimate them, but..
What happens when these men go to ground in civilian populations?

Plague is easily treatable with antibiotics IF you got a doc early enough. Generally, if you spike a really high fever and your armpits and groin swell up like there are basketballs under the skin go to your local hospital emergency department for a checkup.

The US gets several to a dozen or so cases of plague every year. Few die from it, anymore (though it's certainly possible). No epidemics for decades.

[Count Chocula]

Zod, you're a demon without cloven hooves! Now I'm speculating on the origin of the phrase "There but for the grace of God...."

I imagine, if the story is true, that it will indeed spread wherever the AQ fighters go. The Third World, especially those parts of it where terrorists are likely to hide, will undoubtedly have very limited access to medicine and doctors who can diagnose and treat a plague.

[ray245]

Other than the Sun, Shep, is there any other articles from other news sources saying the same thing? The Sun is not a credible news source you know.

[Invictus ChiKen]

Well I have been on a Massive War of the Worlds kick so....

The Martians Al-Qaeda had no resistance to the bacteria in our atmosphere to which we have long since become immune. Once they had [strike]breathed our air,[/strike] started to turn there homes into wastelands germs, which no longer affect us, began to kill them. The end came swiftly. All over the world, their machines fighters began to stop and fall. After all that men could do had failed, the Martians were destroyed and humanity was saved by the littlest things, which God, in His wisdom, had put upon this Earth.

Shit can someone tell me how to do a strike-thru code?

OT but I've sometimes wondered how the Catholic Church survived beyond the Black Plague as an institution. If anything would shake a peasant's belief in God, I'd imagine 1/3 of your neighbors and family dying would do it.

You'd be surprised MiLordship, fear of sudden death and abject poverty is good for many religions, it isn't that many that can survive close contact with comfort and easy living.

[Broomstick]

I imagine, if the story is true, that it will indeed spread wherever the AQ fighters go. The Third World, especially those parts of it where terrorists are likely to hide, will undoubtedly have very limited access to medicine and doctors who can diagnose and treat a plague.

The thing is, bubonic plague (arguably the most common) doesn't spread that easily between humans. The thing spreads by flea bites. I can easily see a crude camp in the desert acquiring fleas, not so much urban dwellers with access to anything like sanitation and corner chemists with fleacide. No flea bites, no Yersinia pestis

Now, pneumonic plague spreads like the common cold, THAT's the one you really don't want....

[Lord of the Abyss]

OT but I've sometimes wondered how the Catholic Church survived beyond the Black Plague as an institution. If anything would shake a peasant's belief in God, I'd imagine 1/3 of your neighbors and family dying would do it.

Not really. When you've been taught that humanity is all a bunch of sinners and life and the world are all about suffering, something like the Black Death just feeds into that belief.

As well, the Church offered hope in a time when people didn't have any. False hope of course, but they offered it.

[Wicked Pilot]

Other than the Sun, Shep, is there any other articles from other news sources saying the same thing? The Sun is not a credible news source you know.

What do you find particularly outlandish or incredible about the story? This sort of thing happens in third world countries all the time, that's why militaries are so hard up on vaccines and other preventive health measures before and during deployments to these places.

[ray245]

Other than the Sun, Shep, is there any other articles from other news sources saying the same thing? The Sun is not a credible news source you know.

What do you find particularly outlandish or incredible about the story? This sort of thing happens in third world countries all the time, that's why militaries are so hard up on vaccines and other preventive health measures before and during deployments to these places.

I'm not saying the story is outlandish, because it is plausible.

However, being plausible is different from it being factual for instance. Sure, plausible things can happen, but that does not mean it actually took place.

[Edi]

If you have any evidence that the Sun is actually lying about that particular claim, present it right fucking now, Ray, or shut the fuck up. It may not be the most reliable news source of all time, but when the news it reports is plausible, there is no reason to suspect foul play.

[Ender]

allow me to edit

... Ray, ...shut the fuck up. ...

tha'ts the gist. listen to it.

[Zac Naloen]

Are there any other sources at all?

Ray has it right in that The Sun regularly just makes shit up.

[Prometheus Unbound]

The Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... geria.html


Mail on Sunday: (I wouldn't elevate this above "The Sun", though):

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/worl ... -camp.html

[The Romulan Republic]

If you have any evidence that the Sun is actually lying about that particular claim, present it right fucking now, Ray, or shut the fuck up. It may not be the most reliable news source of all time, but when the news it reports is plausible, there is no reason to suspect foul play.

If a source has a reputation for making shit up, is it unreasonable to demand a second source?

[Siege]

*newspapers*

Both The Telegraph and the Daily Mail in turn report they've got the story from The Sun however, so that's not really much in the way of confirmation.

[Prometheus Unbound]

*newspapers*

Both The Telegraph and the Daily Mail in turn report they've got the story from The Sun however, so that's not really much in the way of confirmation.

Sorry, didn't read all of them, just did a google news search...

Well, I'd hope at least the Telegraph would double check.. Reuters got anything perhaps... ?


EDIT: nope, nothing showing on Reuters under "plague" search. Thing is, I could sit there for hours typing "black death" or "Bubonic" and not find the specific word they're using. Ok, 2 minutes, but I'm not the one that's asking for more sources.

If whoever thinks the Sun is not being accurate, by all means keep an eye on Reuters and news.google.com and we'll find out.

[Edi]

If you have any evidence that the Sun is actually lying about that particular claim, present it right fucking now, Ray, or shut the fuck up. It may not be the most reliable news source of all time, but when the news it reports is plausible, there is no reason to suspect foul play.

If a source has a reputation for making shit up, is it unreasonable to demand a second source?

Read up on the history of plague sometime. The contents of the article are not suspicious in and of themselves. The yersinia pestis plague exists all around the world, so this story is not that remarkable. I see no reason to assume this is made up, because it is completely plausible without any hint of something being wrong or manufactured to fit some agenda. But you can bet that big screaming headlines about plague striking down Al-Qaeda makes for a good attention grabber, which in turn sells newspapers.

Usually when these rags manufacture a controversy out of nothing, there are a lot of clues to point why they're full of shit. I see no telltales of that anywhere in the article.

[The Romulan Republic]

If you have any evidence that the Sun is actually lying about that particular claim, present it right fucking now, Ray, or shut the fuck up. It may not be the most reliable news source of all time, but when the news it reports is plausible, there is no reason to suspect foul play.

If a source has a reputation for making shit up, is it unreasonable to demand a second source?

Read up on the history of plague sometime.

Why assume ignorance on my part? I know that the plauge is still around, and that the events described could have happened.

The contents of the article are not suspicious in and of themselves. The yersinia pestis plague exists all around the world, so this story is not that remarkable. I see no reason to assume this is made up, because it is completely plausible without any hint of something being wrong or manufactured to fit some agenda. But you can bet that big screaming headlines about plague striking down Al-Qaeda makes for a good attention grabber, which in turn sells newspapers.

Usually when these rags manufacture a controversy out of nothing, there are a lot of clues to point why they're full of shit. I see no telltales of that anywhere in the article.

I agree that, as far as I can see, their's nothing impossible or particularily implausible about the story itself. What is a little suspicious is that I haven't heard about it elsewhere on a more prominant source like CNN, since as you say its an attention-grabber. However, that proves nothing either way.

However, I'm not sure what you find so unreasonable about demanding a second source for something if the source we have is notoriously unreliable. You could view it as overly paranoid/picky, I suppose, but not particularily offensive or unreasonable.

[ray245]

If you have any evidence that the Sun is actually lying about that particular claim, present it right fucking now, Ray, or shut the fuck up. It may not be the most reliable news source of all time, but when the news it reports is plausible, there is no reason to suspect foul play.

I never accuse them of lying at all Edi...I'm just want more reliable information and news source. Being suspicious and accusing people lying is two separate thing right?

Anyway, I'll keep quiet for now and let the more knowledgeable members discuss about it.

[Broomstick]

I checked my usual American, British, French, and Chinese news outlets - I can't find this story in any of them (I didn't check Mail and Telegraph since those were already done)