European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 21, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 s tars and stripes wednesday March 21 2007 Detainee admits to uss Cole bombing plot by Pauline Jelinek the associated press Washington Waleed Mohammed bin attach Long suspected of plotting the bombing of the uss Cole confessed to planning the attack during a hearing at Guantanamo Bay Cuba Accord ing to a Pentagon transcript re leased monday an alleged chief operational planner for Al Aida bin attach also said he helped organize the bombings of the us embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 that killed More than 200 the Tran script said bin attach is latest suspected terrorist to confess at Gizmo seventeen sailors were killed and dozens injured when suicide bombers steered an expo Siv Sladen boat into the guided missile destroyer Cole on oct 12 2000 i participated in the buying or purchasing of the explosives bin attach said when asked what his role was in the attacks on the Cole and the embassies i put together the plan for the operation a year and a half prior to the operation buying the boat and recruiting the members that did the operation the release of bin at tasks Tran script came five Days after the Pentagon released the record of hear Ings held for three other so called High value suspects at Guantanamo bin attach said he met with the Man who did the Africa embassy bombings just a few hours before the operation took place i was the link Between Osama bin Laden and his Deputy sheikh Abd Alrahim a Nashiri bin attach said marines conduct combined arms live fire exercise stars and stripes Seoul members of the Okinawa based 31st Marine expeditionary unit conducted com bin Darms live fire exercise late last week at South Korea Rodriguez live fire Complex we dont have the Opportunity to do that often and so were taking every advantage of this facility to improve our capabilities col John Mayer 31st Meu commander said in a Marine news release the training was part of their preparation for the upcoming foal Eagle exercise an annual Peninou la wide joint combined Field training that focuses on rear area Security and stability operations Onward movement of equipment and other issues using Light armoured reconnaissance vehicles 81 my mortars and ah1w super cobra and uh1n Huey aircraft marines engaged targets with sur facet air munitions during the exercise the re lease said exercise participants said their training was the first of its kind in More than a year this Range allowed us to practice our firing com mands and communications Between vehicles while engaging targets said Lighta Mored vehicle gun Ner Cpl Spencer Steffey at one Point we were Able to let another vehicle know when we had a jammed gun so they could pick up the fire support email the Korea Bureau at Eric of the us Marine corps an 81 my mortar launches a projectile during a combined arms live fire exercise Friday at the Rodriguez live fire Complex in South Korea marines with the 81 my mortar platoon weapons company battalion Landing team 2nd battalion 1st Marine regiment launched the projectiles during drills on suppression of enemy air defense Willard nominated to be Pacific Fleet commander Navy adm Robert f Willard has been nominated to become the new commander of us Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor Hawaii the defense department announced monday in previous assignments Wil lard has served As Deputy com Mander of Pacific Fleet and com Mander of 7th Fleet headquartered on the uss Blue Ridge based in Yokosuka Japan Willard is currently serving As vice chief of naval operations in Washington a defense depart ment news release says As an f14 aviator Willard has served aboard the aircraft Carri ers uss Kitty Hawk uss Constellation and uss Ranger according to the Navy he later commanded the amphibious assault ship uss Tripoli and the Carrier uss Abra Ham Lincoln in support of operations in Somalia and the persian Gulf since becoming a Flag officer Willard has served As commander of Carrier group five the Kitty Hawks strike group Willard would replace adm Gary Roughead who has been nominated to become head of Fleet forces command in nor Folk a from staff reports bin attach also said he was with bin Laden when the Cole was at tacked said to be an Al Aida operation Al chief he also is known As Taw fit bin attach or Tawfiq attach Hallada or simply Hallad us intelligence documents Al lege that bin attach a yemeni who was born and raised in saudi Arabia is a scion of a prominent terrorist family that includes his father Mohammed who was close to bin Laden and younger brother Hassan who has been held at Guantanamo since 2004 arriving at the age of 17 in the late 1990s bin attach allegedly alternated Between serv ing As bin Laden bodyguard and fighting Afghanistan Northern Alliance Force he lost his right leg in a Battlefield Accident in 1997 us intelligence says bin Laden wanted bin attach to be one of the hijackers on sept 11 2001 but that plan was foiled when bin attach was arrested in Yemen in april of that year and briefly imprisoned after attempt ing to get a us visa 3rd Meb rebuilds school in Philippines stars and stripes Camp Foster Okinawa marines and sailors from the 3rd Marine expeditionary brigade Are putting roofs Over the Heads of students in a disaster stricken town in Albay province Philip Pines last weekend they held a Dedi cation ceremony after finishing work on the roofs of two buildings at the Marcial o Ranola memorial school in the Village of Guinola Tan the buildings were damaged last year when super typhoon reming Tore through the area leaving thousands homeless the storm left the school with room for Only half of its students we do this from the True feel Ings of Good will from me to you Brig Gen Joseph v Medina commanding general of the 3rd Marine expeditionary brigade said saturday at the dedication ceremony according to a Marine corps press release time and again it has been proven that when the Philippines Are facing a crisis the americans Are always the first to come to our Aid said town mayor Juan Gar Cia according to the release in addition five pallets of Relief supplies donated by Okina abased marines and sailors and their families were delivered to occupants of the nearby trave Sia transition Camp the Camps residents lost their Homes and their possessions during the typhoon in addition to the work at Guino Batan school the marines and sailors repaired facilities at an elementary school in Legazpi City and provided medical care at six evacuation and transition Camps throughout Albay province the civic action projects were part of last weeks operation Goodwill in which the 3rd Marine expeditionary brigade and sailors from the san Diego based uss Comstock participated Daniel r of the us Marine corps Brig Gen Joseph v Medina left commanding officer of the 3rd Marine expeditionary brigade Speaks with Juan Garcia the mayor of Guino Batan Philippines at Marcial 0 Renola 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