August 2008

Terror: Shocking CIA report on blast

Ten years to the day a massive al-Qaeda bomb exploded in Nairobi, fresh details show that previously undetected, complex planning by terrorists who had plotted to use a device twice as big as the one that exploded.  Confidential documents from American intelligence service, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), obtained by The Standard also show that terror suspect Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who is being hunted for the Nairobi and Kikambala bombings, was not even the one initially picked by terror kingpin Osama bin Laden for the operation…….(Standard, 7 Aug 08)

Kenya Police find vital information on terror suspects

On January 12, 2007, two men and three women sent word to Kenyan authorities at Hulugho on the Kenya-Somalia border that they wanted to surrender.  The drab town that had been teeming with soldiers, police and members of the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) looking for al-Qaeda suspects was suddenly on high alert.

The security forces thought they had finally smoked out Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, the principal target of a US raid on Ras Kamboni forest on Somali side of the border…But rather than finding Fazul, one of the world’s most wanted terrorism suspects, the forces discovered that one of the women in the group that turned itself in was his wife, Mariam Ali Mohammed… Because they had expected to find masterminds of the al-Qaeda Somalia cell, the team was very surprised to find Fazul’s wife and his eight children aged from eight months to 12 years.

The two other women were identified as Sofia Abdinassir, 20, and Mulki Abdinassir Omar, 21. Although the raid did not result in the capture of Fazul, it did produce his wife and children--and a laptop, five mobile phones, a Somali and a Swedish passport and a DVD with Islamic information in Arabic……(Nation, 2 Aug 08)

'Diary of a terrorist'

To mark today's 10th anniversary of the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper this week has been publishing what it claims are excerpts from the diary of the man that the FBI says planned those attacks and others: Fazul Abdullah Mohammed. The newspaper says the diary, written in Arabic, was found on a laptop carried by Fazul's wife in January 2007, when she was arrested on the Kenya-Somalia border. He’s reportedly evaded capture in Kenya several times -- and over the weekend Kenyan authorities said they again narrowly missed capturing him in the coastal town of Malindi, where he was staying with friends. Kenya has since arrested several people believed to be his associates. U.S. officials (who have a $5 million bounty on his head) accuse Fazul of being many things: al Qaida's main man in East Africa, a master of disguise, a computer whiz, a habitual wearer of baseball caps. But his memoir, if we assume it to be authentic (and I have my doubts), also presents Fazul as a racist, a would-be physician, a bit of a mama's boy, a xenophobe, a writer of run-on sentences, and rather surprisingly weak-stomached for an alleged terrorist mastermind……(McClatchy Newspapers, 7 Aug 08)

Use al Qaeda’s frozen assets to pay blast victims, US court urged

A legal battle over Sh462 million thought to be al Qaeda money has started in the US with lawyers saying the money should be used to compensate the forgotten Kenyan victims of the American embassy bombing in Nairobi.

The money, which is about $7 million, is part of al Qaeda’s frozen assets.  A preliminary hearing on how to calculate the damages could take place later this year, said Mr Philip Musolino, a Washington attorney representing hundreds of the 6,000 Kenyans injured, blinded or bereaved by the Nairobi blast 10 years ago…….(Kenyan Daily Nation, 7 Aug 08)

Kenyan Daily Nation - Diary of a terrorist: Fazul's journey to Pakistan

 

Kenyan Daily Nation - Diary of a terrorist: Fazul's military quest lands him in Afghanistan

 

Kenyan Daily Nation - Diary of a terrorist: Fazul joins camp to begin Jihad

Al-Qaeda’s war in Yemen

A leading Al-Qaeda figure in Yemen has threatened to execute armed attacks “at larger scales” if the Yemeni government doesn’t release his detained colleagues from prison. This comes a day after a government announcement that it is interrogating suspects in the July 25th suicide bombing that targeted a camp in Hadramout governorate’s Sayoun city, 794 kilometers east of Sana’a. In a taped recording, Yemeni Al-Qaeda leader Hamza Al-Quaity stated, “Your worries are our worries, your sorrows are ours and your grief is our grief. We’ll never forget you, Allah willing. As for you, oh [Ariel] Sharon of Yemen, [Political Security director] Ghalib Ba Gumesh, you’ll see how our colleagues will be freed from your prisons, Allah willing.”…..(Yemen Times, 7 Aug 08)

Roadside bombs now less sophisticated, more vexing

A US Army official says roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan have gotten less sophisticated and as a result harder for troops to find or avoid. And while the number of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, found and troops injured or killed have plummeted in Iraq, they spiked recently in Afghanistan. That trend reflects the escalating combat in Afghanistan……(AP/Jerusalem Post, 7 Aug 08)

Anti-US cleric links truce to security agreement

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will call on his fighters to maintain a cease-fire against American troops but may lift the order if a planned Iraq-U.S. security agreement does not include a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces, a spokesman said Thursday. The statement by Sheik Salah al-Obeidi comes as al-Sadr plans to reveal details of a formula to reorganize his Mahdi Army militia by separating it into an unarmed cultural organization and elite fighting cells……(AP, 7 Aug 08)

Sadr, Power Waning, Plans Moderate Course; Retaining Militia

Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- long a thorn in the side of the U.S. military and Iraqi government -- intends to disarm his once-dominant Mahdi Army militia and remake it as a social-services organization.

The transformation would represent a significant turnabout for a group that, as recently as earlier this year, was seen as one of the most destabilizing anti-American forces in Iraq. For much of the past several years, the Mahdi Army, headed by Mr. Sadr, a Shiite cleric, controlled sizable chunks of Baghdad and other cities. Its brand of pro-Shiite activism had the side effect of pitting Iraqis against each other, helping to stir worries of civil war……(Wall Street Journal, 7 Aug 08)

Philippines warns rebels to vacate towns

The Philippine government has accused Muslim rebels of occupying several southern villages and displacing about 6,500 people, and has given them until Friday to vacate the area or face attack. Top military and police officials, speaking to reporters Thursday, were responding to complaints from Christian leaders in the southern Philippines who accused the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels of stealing cattle and burning homes in at least three townships. The tensions come at a sensitive time for the peace process……..(AP, 7 Aug 08)

Harsh justice under resurgent Taliban

As the two women hunkered down in the dark, enveloped in blue burkas, they thought the gun-toting Taliban might free them despite accusations they had run a prostitution ring for a U.S. base. "I hope they release us tonight so we can go home," one said.  "There must be some reason they have brought us here," the other responded.  Soon after, they were shot dead… The Taliban are not as powerful as before the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 when they regularly staged executions to stadium crowds. But the Taliban have once again gained control of significant parts of the country where the central government has little authority. …..(AP, 7 Aug 08)

Abu Bakar Ba'asyir quits Indonesian Mujahidin Assembly

Militant Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir announced on 6 August that he was resigning from the Indonesian Mujahidin Assembly (Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia, or MMI) due to an internal dispute. The MMI, with Ba'asyir as its emir, or leader, has been campaigning to turn Indonesia into an Islamic state. Its hard-line views have led many in the media to call it the overt face of Jemaah Islamiyah. Ba'syir has left MMI because he disagreed with the leadership system the assembly has adopted. Under the current system, its top members are chosen by vote. Ba'asyir condemned such a democratic method as "un-Islamic," and instead said that the emir should be the only authorized decision-maker…….(Counterterrorism Blog, 6 Aug 08)

A Dangerous Neighbor - How Pakistan's deterioration harms Afghanistan.

…Insurgent activity in Afghanistan has spiked in recent months. According to Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, the U.S. commander of NATO forces in the region, there were about 40 percent more attacks in eastern Afghanistan over the first five months of 2008 than during the same period a year ago. Schloesser has also described the attacks as "increasingly complex." A mid-July ABC News/Washington Post poll found that a surprising 45 percent of Americans "do not think the war in Afghanistan is worth fighting," despite the attacks of 9/11. A critical factor behind Afghanistan's deteriorating state is the turn of events in Pakistan, where the Taliban and al Qaeda have found a safe haven in recent years. After the October 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan felled the Taliban, most of al Qaeda's senior leadership relocated to Pakistan's federally administered tribal areas, the remote and mountainous regions that border Afghanistan, and set about finding allies within tribal society……(Weekly Standard 6 Aug 08)

Some Afghan MPs back Taliban, drugs trade: official

A senior Afghan intelligence official has accused a number of parliamentarians of supporting Taliban insurgents, Afghan newspapers said on Wednesday. Afghan and foreign troops are struggling to contain the growing Taliban insurgency while President Hamid Karzai's government is also coming under increasing international pressure to rein in rampant corruption fed by the booming drugs trade. The deputy head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Dr. Abdullah, told parliament on Tuesday that a "number of delegates" in the parliament "supported drug traffickers and terrorists," several newspapers reported on Wednesday……(Reuters, 6 Aug 08)

Evidence that Africa Matters for al Qaeda

Recently, two people on whom I did extensive reporting because of their ties to al Qaeda in West Africa have again surfaced in the news, a useful reminder that sub-Saharan Africa was and is a target of opportunity for radical Islamist movements.  In Kenya, there is an an intense manhunt underway for Fazul Adallah, one of the masterminds of 1998 East Africa embassy bombings… The second is Aafia Siddiqui, who may have been involved in the West African diamond trade as well. She is expected in a New York court today on charges of attempted murder... Fazul and others remain in the region because they feel safe enough to operate there, and there is work to be done. Otherwise, senior operatives would not hang around, but would move on to the next job……(Douglas Farah, 6 Aug 08)

Mehdi Army 'stops carrying arms'

A spokesman for Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr says his militia will no longer carry weapons, but he stopped short of declaring an end to violence.  In a BBC interview, Salah al-Obeidi said future decisions about the Mehdi Army's strategy would depend on the long-term status of US troops in Iraq.  Iraq and the US are negotiating a status of forces agreement to decide the future role of US troops in Iraq. "Resistance" would go on if a timetable for US withdrawal was not set……..(BBC, 6 Aug 08)

France Frees Sick Italian Terrorist

No matter how French officials ultimately resolve the problem posed by Marina Petrella, it's certain to outrage someone. Sought by Italy for her 1992 conviction on charges of murder and kidnapping, the former Red Brigades terrorist was ordered free on bail by a French appeals court Tuesday over concerns about Petrella's perilous health. But with a government order for Petrella's extradition to Rome still pending, French authorities now face a harrowing decision: whether to hand over a convicted killer likely to die if her imprisonment continues; or release a woman with an irreproachable record during her 15 years in France, and thereby spark the fury of Italian officials and the families of her victims who still demand justice……(Time Magazine, 6 Aug 08)

Al-Qaida Acknowledges "Martyrdom" of "Abu Khabab al-Masri"
The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a copy of the statement from Al-Qaida leader Mustafa Abu al-Yazid acknowledging the “martyrdom” of most wanted Egyptian Al-Qaida commander “Abu Khabab al-Masri” (a.k.a. Midhat Mursi al-Sayyid Umar) in a U.S. airstrike targeting a lawless region of northwestern Pakistan. According to the communiqué, the airstrike also killed Abu Mohammed Ibrahim Bin Abu al-Faraj al-Masri, the son of the former Chief Shariah Judge of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad Movement. The document further threatened, “Although Abu Khabab has departed from us, he has left behind him-by the mercy and grace of Allah-a generation of honorable young men who will cause you torment and avenge him and his brothers, with the support of Allah. Although an expert has left us, he has left in his wake-thanks to Allah-new experts who have trained under him and learned from him over the years to volunteer, to sacrifice, and to be patient and tolerant on the path of righteousness.”…..(NEFA, 6 Aug 08)

A Ragtag Pursuit of the Taliban

The United States has spent about $6.2 billion since 2002 to transform Afghanistan's national police into a bulwark against the Taliban and other Islamist fighters. About 730 American military advisers have been deployed to help train and equip the force. But as of this spring, not a single one of the 433 police units that have received the training has been judged fully capable of handling its mission or the Taliban threat, according to a Government Accountability Office report. Across Afghanistan, meanwhile, roadside bombs have become more frequent and firefights have grown fiercer. In May and June, more foreign troops were killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq. Seven years after the United States began its fight against the Taliban, the insurgency is proving more resilient.  While U.S. officials say the Afghan army has improved markedly since the war began, the poorly trained, ill-equipped national police force has lagged behind…..(Washington Post, 6 Aug 08)

Terrorist Suspect Denies She Tried To Kill Americans

An American-educated Pakistani neuroscientist is denying charges that she tried to murder Americans in Afghanistan.  Federal prosecutors in a New York court accused the defendant, Aafia Siddiqui, of attempting to shoot a group of Americans after seizing one of their rifles while she was detained at an Afghan police station. Her attorneys said the idea that a 90-pound woman could get the better of six trained soldiers and FBI agents is "ridiculous." Her attorneys also claimed that America has secretly kept Ms. Siddiqui in custody for the last five years……(New York Sun, 6 Aug 08)

Pakistani Woman-Aafia Siddiqui Faces Assault Charges

…The FBI said in March 2003 that it wanted to question Siddiqui about possible connections to terrorism, including ties to Adnan G. el Shukrijumah, a suspected al-Qaeda member who was born in Saudi Arabia and once lived in suburban Miami. Siddiqui's name reportedly came up during interrogations of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, after he was captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003.  In 2004, the FBI described Siddiqui as "an al-Qaeda operative and facilitator" who was among seven people being sought in connection with potential terrorist attacks in the United States. American intelligence also said Siddiqui worked with an al-Qaeda operative known as Ammar al-Baluchi and married him shortly before he was arrested in Pakistan in late April 2003. Baluchi, a nephew of Mohammed, is being held at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba……(Washington Post, 6 Aug 08)

Siddiqui arrest brings attention to the 'disappeared' issue in Pakistan

The high-profile arrest of a Pakistani woman suspected of Al Qaeda links casts a spotlight on an issue her nation's fledgling civilian government has been slow to confront: years of official secrecy surrounding the fate of hundreds of people rounded up as terrorism suspects. Some human rights activists believe that Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani-born neuroscientist who appeared Tuesday in federal district court in New York, was originally "disappeared" by Pakistani authorities five years ago, possibly at U.S. behest… Pakistan's civilian government, which took office in March after dealing a stunning electoral defeat to the party of President Pervez Musharraf, has said it wants to move ahead with resolving missing-persons cases such as Siddiqui's. But the governing coalition, beset by infighting, has had a difficult time establishing any significant authority over Pakistan's intelligence establishment.
Most of the missing are thought to be held under the auspices of the military or security agencies such as the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence.……(LA Times, 6 Aug 08)

Algeria: Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for suicide attacks

Al-Qaeda's branch in North Africa has claimed responsibility for two recent suicide attacks that wounded 25 people including four police officers, according to a statement posted on Islamist forums on Wednesday.
The suicide attacks, carried out by the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, targeted a police station in Tizi Ouzou, near Algiers on Sunday and a military convoy on 23 July in Lakhdariya, east of the capital.
According to the web statement, the suicide attack in Tizi Ouzou was carried out by a young man named Abu Mariam…..(AKI, 6 Aug 08)

Child suicide bombers ready to strike across Pakistan

According to the Taliban in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province boys and girls are ready to launch attacks in the name of “jihad”. The terrorists seek to take over whole regions along the border with Afghanistan and threaten more slaughter if the government does not stop its military operations...Leaders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have warned that their boys and girls aged 10 to 20 are ready for a “Jihad against the infidels.” Addressing a press conference on Tuesday in Anayat Kalley, a few kilometres from the headquarters of the Bajaur Agency, a tribal area near the Afghan border, Tehrik’s deputy chief Maulana Faqir Mohammad and spokesman Maulvi Omar said that “a ‘fidayeen squad’(suicide bomber squad) comprising 10- to 20-year-old boys and girls, was ready to carry out attacks if the government did not immediately stop its operations in the Swat Valley and reverse its decision to launch military operation in other tribal areas. In the meantime arrangements have been made to effectively wage a “Jihad against the infidels”…..(Asia News, 6 Aug 08)

Restructuring al-Qaeda’s Algerian Insurgency

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the North African branch of al-Qaeda, has been driven to the wall. Despite a new suicide attack that injured 25 on Sunday morning in Tizi Ouzou, Kabylie, the Algerian-based group is facing difficulties that could endanger its very existence (AFP, August 3; for Tizi Ouzou, see Terrorism Focus, April 22). The number of militants is shrinking due to continuous military operations and difficulties in recruiting new volunteers. International anti-terrorism cooperation is also drying up sources of financing.  Since the beginning of 2008, Algerian authorities, with the help of neighboring countries, have arrested or killed more than 200 AQIM members, according to security sources. The great majority of these individuals were affiliated to support networks, while about thirty were active terrorists……(Jamestown, 5 Aug 08)

Istanbul Bombings Suggest PKK Insurgency May Be Entering a More Ruthless Phase

…Menderes Caddesi is a pedestrian-only street. At the time of the bombings, it was crowded with people strolling in the relative cool of the summer evening. Turkish media quoted unnamed members of the anti-terrorism branch of the Turkish police as saying that both devices used TNT and were detonated by cell phone rather than a timing device, suggesting that the perpetrators were deliberately trying to cause significant civilian casualties (Hurriyet, August 2; Radikal, August 2). The difference in the size of the IEDs and the ten minute gap between the explosions would appear to indicate that the first device was primarily intended to attract and concentrate bystanders drawn either by a desire to help those injured in the first blast or by simple curiosity, so as to maximize casualties when the second, larger IED was detonated. Although numerous militant groups have long been active in Turkey, the Gungoren bombings were the first in recent history to seek solely the death of as many Turkish citizens as possible. Even though the tactic has been frequently employed in other countries, it is also the first time that a militant group in Turkey has used a small IED to attract and concentrate people and then a second, much larger, IED to kill them.……(Jamestown, 5 Aug 08)

Lebanese Jihadis Accuse Sunni Shaykhs of Acting as Agents for Shiite Hezbollah

A Lebanese jihadi forum member posted a letter addressed to Osama Bin Laden entitled “An Open message from Beirut to Osama Bin Laden,” supposedly on behalf of Lebanese Sunnis. The message details the sectarian politics of Lebanon, highlights Hezbollah’s continuing attempts to take over Lebanon and describes the misfortune of the Salafi-Jihadi Fatah al-Islam organization (al-ekhlaas.net, July 21).  The core of Omar al-Bayruti’s message to Bin Laden revolves around Lebanese Shiites and their alleged attempts to undermine Sunni Muslims and take control of Lebanon with the help of Iran and Syria to form a “Shiite Crescent” through the Arab Middle East. Before examining Lebanese political details, al-Bayruti praises al-Qaeda, saying the group became the symbol of defiance for the Sunni Muslim community after 9/11. Al-Bayruti adds that Shiite militias have, for the second time in the last quarter century, invaded and vandalized Beirut, this time with the collaboration of “Sunni agents” in an attempt to hide the “heinous face” of Shiite occupation.……(Jamestown, 5 Aug 08)

Syrian General Who Oversaw Arms Shipments Assassinated

…Syria by late Monday had issued no reaction to widespread reports of the assassination of Brig. Gen. Mohammed Suleiman near the Syrian port city of Tartous on Friday night. Maher al-Assad, head of Syria's Republican Guards and a brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, attended Suleiman's funeral Sunday, the Reuters news agency said, citing unidentified sources. The Syrian president is on a state visit to Iran. His government enforces rigid secrecy about security matters…….(Washington Post, 5 Aug 08)

Karachi City Council divided over ‘Talibanization’

Define the term ‘Talibanization’ argued Opposition members in the City Council Monday as Treasury members remarked that it was spreading in Karachi at the cost of prosperity and development. It was important to define the word because much of this talk of Talibanization was just propaganda against the Pukhtoon community, the Opposition cautioned. As the proceedings were started, Al-Khidmat Group leader Rafiq Ahmed pointed out that just as the Sindh chief minister had said, there was no chance of Talibanization spreading in the city and it was just a wild guess. “Innocent people are being killed in Swat and other parts of the NWFP in the name of the ‘War on Terror’,” he commented, “and now this barbaric game is spreading to other parts of the country like Karachi?” Ahmed suggested that instead of fanning fears of Talibanization, the government should identify the real issue and avoiding creating unease among the citizens……..(Daily Times, 5 Aug 08)

Report: U.K., Mahdi Army in secret pact

British soldiers in Iraq were prevented from coming to the aid of their American and Iraqi allies during battles in Basra because of a deal between British forces and the Mahdi Army militia, The Times reported Tuesday. The newspaper said that under the terms of the deal — which it said was aimed at encouraging the Shiite movement back into the political process — no British soldier could enter Basra without the permission of Defense Secretary Des Browne… Britain's Ministry of Defense denied there had been any "accommodation" with the Mahdi Army, and said British troops had not been able to join the battle because no plans had been made……(Reuters, 5 Aug 08)

US accused of backing terrorism in Pakistan

Pakistan has accused the US of backing militancy within the country, saying this goes against the grain of the Washington-led global war against terror. Quoting "impeccable official sources", The News reported on Tuesday that "strong evidence and circumstantial evidence of American acquiescence to terrorism inside Pakistan" was outlined by President Pervez Musharraf, army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen. Nadeem Taj in separate meetings with two senior US officials in Islamabad on July 12…..(Hindustan Times, 5 Aug 08)

Philippines' peace accord blocked

The Philippine government was due to sign Tuesday a landmark accord with an Islamic rebel group that would create an expanded Muslim homeland on the southern island of Mindanao. But in an unexpected setback, the Philippine Supreme Court on Monday blocked the signing and ordered a court hearing on Aug. 15 into claims that the proposed deal was unconstitutional. The pact had been expected to pave the way for the two sides to ink a comprehensive peace deal to end a decades-old insurgency that has stunted economic development on resource-rich Mindanao and incubated lethal terrorist networks across Southeast Asia. The eleventh-hour judicial intervention jolted negotiators from both sides, who had traveled to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, for Tuesday's signing ceremony……(Christian Science Monitor, 5 Aug 08)

Israel Alerts Country on Terrorism

The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Moshe Ram, has told the Inspector General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro, of plans by Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, to attack a West African country, possibly Nigeria.

Ram, who made this claim yesterday in Abuja when Okiro paid him a courtesy visit in his office as part of his tour of embassies in Nigeria to ascertain their true security needs, said the plot was uncovered by the Israeli media……(Abuja, 5 Aug 08)

Pakistan demands access to al Qaeda suspect in U.S.

Pakistan has demanded consular access to a Pakistani woman with suspected links to al Qaeda who is due to be arraigned in New York on Tuesday on charges of attempting to murder U.S. troops and FBI agents in Afghanistan.
The New York Times newspaper said Aafia Siddiqui, a U.S.-trained neuroscientist, has links to at least two of 14 suspected high-level al Qaeda members held at Guantanamo Bay. The story of her arrest is one of the strangest to emerge since the Sept. 11, 2001 al Qaeda attacks on the United States. Siddiqui was brought to the United States on Monday and is due to be formally accused before a New York court of trying to kill U.S. soldiers and FBI agents at an Afghan police station last month…..(Reuters, 5 Aug 08)

Al Qaeda 'Associate' Arrested in  Afghanistan After Shootout With Questioners

…According to the FBI and the US Attorney, the woman, Aafia Siddiqui, is scheduled to be arraigned before a federal magistrate in Manhattan Tuesday. The FBI had sought her for questioning in connection with assisting key al Qaeda operatives now detained at Guantanamo Bay. The day after her arrest by Afghani authorities on July 17th, Siddiqui was shot twice in the torso, US officials said, when she grabbed a US soldier's M-4 carbine and attempted to shoot another officer as a team of US soldiers and FBI agents prepared to question her. A US interpreter threw off her aim when he pushed the gun. She then was shot twice with a .9 millimeter handgun, authorities said. According to the US Government, despite her wounds, she shouted that she "wanted to kill Americans," and struggled with her captors before they subdued her… According to a government statement on Siddiqui issued a few years ago, Siddiqui allegedly aided Majid Khan in obtaining documents to re-enter the United States. The New York Times reports "the statement said Mr. Khan was directed by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the chief organizer of the Sept. 11 plot, to conduct research on poisoning reservoirs and blowing up gas stations in the United States. The statement also said Mr. Khan had delivered money for terrorist attacks to another Qaeda operative and discussed a plan to smuggle explosives into the United States."…..(ABC, 5 Aug 08)  Video

Pakistani terror suspect due in U.S. court

…Aafia Siddiqui, whom the FBI had sought for several years for terrorism, faces federal charges of attempted murder and assault of a U.S. officer and U.S. employees, federal authorities said.  The 36-year-old American-educated neuroscientist is a suspected member of al Qaeda. If convicted, she faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each charge…Since 2003, Siddiqui's whereabouts were the source of much speculation. She and her three small children were reportedly apprehended in Karachi, Pakistan, in March 2003 after the FBI issued an alert for information about her location earlier that month, according to Amnesty International.  It was the first time the FBI issued a worldwide alert for a woman in connection to al Qaeda.  Several reports indicated that Siddiqui was arrested in Karachi in 2003 and was in U.S. custody at a base outside Kabul, Afghanistan. And initial reports from U.S. officials said Pakistani officials indicated she was in custody there…..(CNN, 5 Aug 08)

Pakistani Suspected of Qaeda Ties Is Held

…The scientist, Aafia Siddiqui, who studied at Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was transferred to New York on Monday, and is to be arraigned Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York… Ms. Siddiqui, 36, disappeared with her three children while visiting her parents’ home in Karachi, Pakistan, in March 2003, leading human rights groups and her family to believe she had been secretly detained. But in interviews Monday and in a criminal complaint made public later Monday, American officials said they had no knowledge of Ms. Siddiqui’s location for the past five years until July 17, when Ms. Siddiqui and a teenage boy were detained in Ghazni, Afghanistan, after local authorities became suspicious of their loitering outside the provincial governor’s compound…..(New York Times, 5 Aug 08)

Aafia Siddiqui Complaint & Other Documents
Last week NEFA added several documents referencing Al-Qaida facilitator Aafia Siddiqui. Those historical documents have been released by the FBI, Special Court of Sierra Leone, Director of National Intelligence, and federal prosecutors. It has now emerged that she was allegedly arrested on July 17, 2008, by the Afghanistan National Police outside the Ghazni governor's compound. When she was searched, police "found numerous documents describing the creation of explosives, as well as excerpts from the Anarchist's Arsenal. Siddiqui's papers included descriptions of various landmarks in the United States, including in New York City. Siddiqui was also in possession of substances that were sealed in bottles and glass jars." While in custody......(NEFA, 5 Aug 08)

Aafia Siddiqui Arrested for Attempting to Kill United States Officers in Afghanistan   (DOJ)

Criminal Complaint: Affia Siddiqui

Al-Sadr Plans to Turn Militia Into Civic Organization

Anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is planning to disarm the Mahdi Army by turning the militia into a civic and social service organization, a significant strategic shift, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

In a brochure obtained by the paper and confirmed by Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, Sadr's chief spokesman, the Mahdi Army will now be guided by Shiite spirituality instead of anti-American militancy. A new guiding principle will also be introduced: al-Mumahidoon, indicating that his supporters will be the foot soldiers of the Shiite messiah, Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, who Shiite Muslims believe will return to rid the world of evil……(Fox, 4 Aug 08)

Hezbollah Strengthens Its Grip in Lebanon

Lebanon didn't exactly miss having Samir Kuntar around during the 30-odd years he spent in an Israeli jail after being convicted of killing a young Israeli girl and her father in a 1979 infiltration into northern Israel. His background—a Communist member of the Druze sect who joined with Palestinian militants in the 1970s—had left him without much of a constituency, except for one person who mattered: Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon's radical Shiite group Hezbollah, long had vowed to win the release of Kuntar, Israel's longest-held Lebanese prisoner, as a matter of national pride. It was with Kuntar in mind that Hezbollah undertook the infamous July 2006 operation to kidnap two Israeli soldiers along the border with Lebanon, setting off the 34-day war that saw more than 1,000 Lebanese killed, thousands more wounded, and tens of thousands left homeless…..(US News, 4 Aug 08)

Al-Jazeera and the Released Terrorist's Birthday Party

On August 2, 2008 the UAE English-language daily The National (www.thenational.ae ) published an article critical of Al-Jazeera's coverage of the release of Samir Kuntar*, and on Al-Jazeera's influence in the Arab world, specifically among its academic elite. The author, Sultan Al-Qassemi, is a Sharjah-based businessman, a graduate of the AmericanUniversity of Paris, and founder of Barjeel Securities in Dubai……(MEMRI, 4 Aug 08)

Al-Qaida's Opportunistic Strategy: Part 1

…Al-Qaida has been expecting and awaiting a U.S.-Iran war over the nuclear issue. It is in fact one of the major tenets of al-Qaida's master plan. According to the late Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, the very likely collision between the United States and Iran over the nuclear issue is going to help al-Qaida advance its plan. Indeed since Iran is going to be less focused on exerting its control on Syria and Lebanon, al-Qaida will easier penetrate these two countries. Jordanian journalist Fouad Hussein in his 2005 book, "Al-Zarqawi: Al-Qaida's Second Generation" delved extensively into that issue. Thanks to his personal connection to Zarqawi – many years ago, they spent time together in prison – Hussein was able to interview him along with other major al-Qaida leaders, including Seif al-Adl, the Egyptian terrorist allegedly behind the attacks against the two U.S. embassies in West Africa in 1998.  Unsurprisingly, Hussein explains that al-Qaida's final goal is to establish an Islamic Caliphate in 20 years through seven phases.

• The first phase called, "The Awakening" really started on Sept. 11, 2001 when al-Qaida attacked New York and Washington D.C.

• The second phase called "Opening Eyes" lasted from 2003 to 2006 and was supposed to recruit armies of young men for the cause, especially in Iraq.

• The third phase, which we are currently in, is called "Arising and Standing Up." It is supposed to have started in 2007 and will last until 2010. Al-Qaida's focus will be on Syria and Turkey, but also on Israel…Also this third phase advocates heavy attacks against Israel, because it will then force the world to acknowledge al-Qaida as a major power, and negotiate with it.

After 9/11, we learned the hard way that al-Qaida needed to be taken seriously. That is why this third phase is not at all far-fetched in light of the recent infiltration in Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Also an al-Qaida attack on Israel would only add fuel to the fire. In fact, this could have major geopolitical implications, including the destabilization of a whole region. And that is exactly what al-Qaida has planned for the fourth phase……(Middle East Times, 4 Jul 08)

How Terrorist Organizations Work Like Clubs

…"The generic problem is the question of why people having useful knowledge can't be bribed to reveal it," said David Laitin, a political scientist at Stanford University who has studied why terrorist groups that specialize in suicide attacks are so rarely undermined by defectors and turncoats. Along with Eli Berman, a political scientist at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Laitin has developed a theory to explain why the Hamdans of the world tend to stay loyal to the bin Ladens.  Laitin and Berman argue that it is because a group such as al-Qaeda is really an exclusive club.  Most people think of clubs as recreational groups, but Laitin and Berman are using a more subtle definition. Clubs are groups that tend to be selective about their members. Unlike political parties and book-reading groups, which allow anyone to join, clubs make it difficult for people to sign up. And once admitted, members must make personal sacrifices to stay… The "club model" of terrorism explains why cogs such as Hamdan stay loyal. Across all kinds of clubs, when members make sacrifices, they are much more likely to become intensely loyal to fellow members. Berman and Laitin think this is because the sacrifices that members make to join a club reduce their value outside the club. If you devote years to learning a religious text, that knowledge can give you social cachet within your club, but your effort counts for little outside the club……(Washington Post, 4 Aug 08)

Spanish police discover al-Qaeda internet handbook

Spanish police have discovered an internet handbook for al-Qaeda's European cells on the use of remote-controlled bombs against international troops in Lebanon and Afghanistan, the radio station Cadena Ser reported Monday. The eight-page handbook dating from early July contained detailed instructions on how to stage non-suicide bombings using auto-piloted light aircraft and cars. The instructions included three different ways to set off aircraft bombs by remote control……(DPA, 4 Aug 08)

Indian and Afghan leaders decry terrorism

The leaders of India and Afghanistan on Monday decried last month's bombing of New Delhi's mission in the Afghan capital _ but made no mention of the country both hold responsible for the attack: Pakistan. India and Afghanistan _ and, reportedly, the United States _ believe Pakistan's powerful spy service, the Inter-Services Intelligence, orchestrated the bombing that killed 58 people in an effort to undermine growing ties between New Delhi and Kabul. Instead, it may have only strengthened them…….(AP, 4 Aug 08)

Purpose of Taliban is to outlast NATO and US Forces

The strategy of a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan is not to control territory but to outlast NATO and U.S. forces, the militant group's leaders assert. The militants' tenacity and ferocity seen from their increasing attacks in the country have raised alarms in Kabul and in NATO capitals, The New York Times reported Monday. Taliban leaders say their new strategy to outlast Western forces in the country is helping them draw a steady stream of recruits, the report said. Many of these recruits come from across the border in Pakistan……(UPI, 4 Aug 08)

German espionage chief: Osama bin Laden is Al-Qaeda's Che Guevara

Osama bin Laden is not planning the attacks any longer but he is now Al Qaeda's Che Guevara who keeps the organization united, German espionage chief Ernst Uhrlau declared for the German Bild publication. Uhrlau added that bin Laden is a true leader of the organization who inspires its members and is a real model to follow......(Hot News, 4 Aug 08)

German Intelligence Chief: Bin Laden Won't Plan More Attacks

In an interview published Monday, Germany's intelligence chief said that Osama bin Laden, the "Che Guevara of Al Qaeda," no longer personally plans attacks. Ernst Uhrlau, the head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND), spoke with Bild newspaper reporter Monday about terrorism and the BND's efforts to combat it. In the interview, which includes a brief discussion on the recent bombing in Istanbul, Uhrlau was quoted as saying that he knew that "Islamist terrorist" forces were at work in Turkey as part of a global jihad movement……(Deutsche Welle, 4 Aug 08)

Elections Bill in Iraq Stalls On Kirkuk

Iraqi lawmakers on Sunday failed to settle a dispute over the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and pass a provincial elections bill viewed as vital for national reconciliation, despite intense pressure from the United States and the United Nations. The political stalemate came as a car exploded in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood of northern Baghdad, killing 12 and wounding 22, according to police. Later Sunday, a car bombing in front of a coffee shop in the southern city of Hilla killed one person and injured 12, police said. The attacks underscored Iraq's fragile security, even as levels of violence across the country fall to four-year lows…..(Washington Post, 4 Aug 08)

Philippines supreme Court halts Muslim land deal

The Philippines Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on Monday to halt a territorial deal between the government and Muslim separatists, the latest setback for peace in the nation's volatile south.

The agreement between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country's largest Muslim rebel group, was to be signed in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday after more than 10 years of stop-start talks.

Catholic politicians in the south had asked the Supreme Court to halt the signing ceremony, arguing they had not been consulted on the deal…..(Reuters, 4 Aug 08)

How Karadzic stirred global Islamic terror

Radovan Karadzic's demeanor at The Hague is unlikely to satisfy his remaining admirers. A fantasist who entertained ideas above his station, he will be easily broken by the prosecution. Yet if Karadzic, the poetaster and quack healer, seems absurd, the ideology that he embodied was serious enough to have catastrophic and continuing effects. Western diplomats and soldiers preferred to ignore the nature of the Greater Serbian program that Karadzic and his colleagues implemented in the early 1990s. The reason is simple: that program was manifestly and inherently genocidal. Had this been acknowledged, the agreed international strategy of neutrality would have been unsustainable. The principal intended victims of the program were Bosnian Muslims. In the eyes of Serb propagandists, the Muslim population of Bosnia was doubly contemptible, both for their religion and because they were historically seen as renegade Serbs. Karadzic's deputy and then successor, Biljana Plavsic, has explained: “It was genetically deformed material [among the Serbs] that embraced Islam. And now, of course,” she lamented, “with each successive generation, this gene simply becomes concentrated. It gets worse and worse...” But a well-crafted final solution was at hand, and 100,000 Muslims paid the price of such “deformity” with their lives. …..(Times Online, 4 Aug 08)

Al-Qaida admits death of four leaders

Al-Qaida confirmed in a Web statement Sunday the death of a senior commander known as a top explosives and poisons expert, who is believed to have been killed in a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan last week. The statement said Abu Khabab al-Masri and three other commanders were killed. It did not give details on when or how they were killed, but Pakistani authorities have said they believe al-Masri died in an American airstrike last Monday on a compound near the Afghan border. Pakistani officials have said six people were killed in that strike, in the country's lawless South Waziristan tribal region…….(AP, 3 Aug 08)

As the Fighting Swells in Afghanistan, So Does a Refugee Camp in Its Capital

On a piece of barren land on the western edge of this capital, a refugee camp is steadily swelling as families displaced by the heavy bombardment in southern Afghanistan arrive in batches. The growing numbers reaching Kabul are a sign of the deepening of the conflict between NATO and American forces and the Taliban in the south and of the feeling among the population that there will be no end soon. Families who fled the fighting around their homes in Helmand Province one or two years ago and sought temporary shelter around two southern provincial capitals, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, said they had moved to Kabul because of growing insecurity across the south……(New York Times, 3 Aug 08)

FACTBOX-Hunted al Qaeda militants in Africa

One of Africa's most wanted al Qaeda operatives, accused of a role in the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, has narrowly escaped capture in Kenya, police said on Sunday.  Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is among five al Qaeda operatives or associates Washington says have been in Somalia……..(Reuters, 3 Aug 08)

US officials deny knowing whereabouts of Dr.Afia

Five years after her disappearance, an MIT-trained Pakistani neuroscientist, accused of belonging to an al-Qaeda cell based in Boston, is alive and in custody in Afghanistan, her family attorney said. “It has been confirmed by the FBI that Aafia Siddiqi is alive,” said Elaine Whitfield Sharp, a lawyer for Siddiqi’s family told Geo News, who said she spoke to an FBI official on Thursday. “She is injured but alive, and she is in Afghanistan.” For five years, the US and Pakistani authorities have denied knowing her whereabouts. But human rights groups and Siddiqi’s relatives have long suspected that she had been captured in Karachi and secretly taken into custody. If Siddiqi was arrested in Pakistan and turned over to the United States, it would highlight a crucial instance of intelligence cooperation between the two countries during a historic low point in their relations……(Pakistan Link, 3 Aug 08)

FBI Seeking Information Notice on Siddiqui

Warning on al-Qaeda's new female recruits

European intelligence chiefs have launched a major investigation into the threat posed by female Islamic militants within the EU, whose involvement runs from logistics or propaganda activity to suicide bombing, they say… The moves follow a spate of attacks in the Middle East conducted by women bombers and increasing concerns among European security services about increased radicalisation of female militants. The officials specifically cite the UK and North Africa as problem areas. Women's involvement in recruiting volunteers is a key concern. Though the only known European female suicide bomber was Muriel Degauque, a 38-year-old convert from Belgium who killed herself in Iraq in 2005, European security officials told The Observer that services were monitoring dozens of women involved in logistics or propaganda. There are also fears of women bombers being sent from overseas, particularly north Africa…….(Guardian, 3 Aug 08)

Pakistani Taliban deny Zawahri death report

A Pakistani Taliban spokesman denied on Saturday a U.S. media report that al Qaeda number two, Ayman al Zawahri, might have been killed or wounded in a U.S. missile strike in Pakistan's border region last Monday.

"Zawahri has been killed by them several times. But once again this claim is wrong. This is baseless," Maulvi Omar told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location……(Reuters, 2 Aug 08)

British Muslims aid Taliban in attacks on UK soldiers in Afghanistan

British Muslims are actively supporting the Taliban and al Qaida in attacks on UK soldiers, the former commander of Britain’s forces in Afghanistan said today.  Brigadier Ed Butler, 46, claimed his troops also uncovered evidence that militant Islamic groups in Helmand Province are suspected of assisting terrorist plots in the UK. Earlier this year suspicions were raised that the Taliban were recruiting an increasing number of fighters from Britain after RAF experts overheard secret transmissions spoken in broad Midlands and Yorkshire accents…….(Times Online, 2 Aug 08)

Child soldiers trained by the Taliban to kill British soldiers

The pictures come from a video filmed at an al-Qaeda training camp in Pakistan, where Taliban warlords are turning boys as young as FIVE into trained killers. Recorded only weeks ago, it captures a dozen nervous-looking boys in camouflage uniforms with headbands which say: There is no God but Allah. The boy soldiers stand in line before being handed rifles and taught to fire rocket-propelled grenades. They spend their day being brainwashed to kill their Jihad training caught on film as part of an al-Qaeda recruitment drive. The bewildered children, barely old enough to go to school, are forced to stand in circles stretching and exercising to try to give them strength to carry heavy ammunition……(Mirror, 2 Aug 08)

Forgotten Investigation, Emails Offer Insight into IIIT Probe

A Northern Virginia think-tank is suspected of being a pivotal cog in the Muslim Brotherhood's high command in America, newly released federal law enforcement records indicate. The Investigative Project on Terrorism obtained 596 pages of records from a closed FBI investigation through a Freedom of Information Act request. Dozens of the pages released are redacted. But other sections show that International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) board members Jamal Barzinji and Yaqub Mirza are listed among "members and leaders of the IKHWAN." Barzinji was identified as the secretary general for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) at that time. The Ikhwan is an Arabic reference to the Muslim Brotherhood.  The FBI records date back to 1987-88. But today, similar suspicions seem to be at the heart of the pending criminal contempt trial of convicted Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist Sami Al-Arian. In recent court filings, defense attorney and George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley released a series of emails he received from federal prosecutor Gordon Kromberg about the investigation.….(IPT, 1 Aug 08)

Pakistani FM: The U.S. May Not Carry Out Military Operations in Pakistan

In the past few years, Taliban militants have been using Pakistan's tribal districts as a base for attacks on the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan. This has prompted NATO attacks on targets in Pakistan, which has in turn put a strain on U.S.-Pakistan relations. The tension peaked recently, following a U.S. air strike on an Al-Qaeda target in Pakistan during which Pakistani soldiers were killed…….(MEMRI, 1 Aug 08)

Iraqi MP Mithal Al-Alousi Blasts Neighboring Countries and Declares: "Iraq Will Be an Ally of the West"

The following are excerpts from an interview with Iraqi MP Mithal Al-Alousi, which aired on Al-Salam TV on July 17, 2008.…….(MEMRI, 1 Aug 08)

U.S. Officials: Pakistani Agents Helped Plan Kabul Bombing

U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that elements of Pakistan's military intelligence service provided logistical support to militants who staged last month's deadly car bombing at the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan's capital, U.S. officials familiar with the evidence said yesterday. The finding, based partly on communication intercepts, has dramatically heightened U.S. concerns about long-standing ties between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI, and Taliban-allied groups that are battling U.S. forces in Afghanistan, according to two U.S. government officials briefed on the matter. The July 7 bombing at the Kabul embassy has been linked to fighters loyal to Jalaluddin Haqqani, an ethnic Pashtun militant who has led pro-Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and has been associated with numerous suicide bombings in the region…..(Washington Post, 1 Aug 08)

Pakistan denies spies behind Indian embassy attack

Pakistan angrily rejected a New York Times report on Friday that said U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded members of Pakistan's spy agency helped plan the suicide bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul this month.

"We reject it. No one has given any evidence to us. It's just an allegation," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said.  "There's no proof for this…..(Reuters, 1 Aug 08)

Pakistanis Aided Attack in Kabul, U.S. Officials Say

American intelligence agencies have concluded that members of Pakistan’s powerful spy service helped plan the deadly July 7 bombing of India’s embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to United States government officials.

The conclusion was based on intercepted communications between Pakistani intelligence officers and militants who carried out the attack, the officials said, providing the clearest evidence to date that Pakistani intelligence officers are actively undermining American efforts to combat militants in the region.  The American officials also said there was new information showing that members of the Pakistani intelligence service were increasingly providing militants with details about the American campaign against them, in some cases allowing militants to avoid American missile strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas…..(New York Times, 1 Aug 08)

Hamas arrests more Fatah leaders in Gaza

Hamas forces seized the leaders of Fatah in Gaza early Friday, Fatah officials said, upping the stakes in a week of tit-for-tat arrests between the bitter Palestinian rivals. Hamas security officers seized around 15 senior Fatah members from their homes in the roundup, the Fatah officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for their safety in Hamas-controlled Gaza. The men arrested Friday included three Fatah-affiliated district governors and the two highest Gaza representatives of the Palestinian president, Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas…..(AP, 1 Aug 08)

Aid warning over Afghan violence

Aid agencies in Afghanistan have warned they may become unable to operate in parts of the country once seen as safe, because of the intensifying conflict.  A statement by 100 aid agencies pointed to a 50% increase in insurgent attacks compared to last year. Aid agencies were increasingly becoming targets, they said. Kabul blamed the rise in insurgent attacks on a truce between Pakistan's government and militants in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan…..(BBC, 1 Aug 08)

Iraq: Shia leader warns against security pact with US

Radical Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr has pledged his "political and popular support" for the Iraqi government provided it avoids endorsing a long-term security agreement with the United States. "The Iraqi people must rally their ranks to stand up against this agreement through political and peaceful means," Sadr said in a statement released by his office and published by the news agency, Voices of Iraq, on Thursday. The government was supposed to sign a long-term security agreement with the US by the end of July regarding troop numbers in Iraq as well as broader political, military and economic relations. But the plan faced strong opposition from certain politicians and others……(AKI, 1 Aug 08)

Car bombs and license number game

The terrorists who used cars to blow up two hospitals in Ahmedabad were sure they wouldn't get noticed on the highway and expressway booths. Which is why investigators are startled to find a design in the licence plates of the original stolen cars of Maharashtra registration which, when they turned into 'car bombs' with Gujarat registrations, had the same four digit numbers…This TOI correspondent found none of the toll booths bothered to record the car licence plates and if they did, they only took down the last four digits. From Mumbai to Surat the toll booth attendants did not bother to note the registration number at all - blaming peak traffic hours. "This shows that the terrorist had conducted several reccess only to realize the callous attitude of attendants. They realized that only on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara expressway would they encounter a problem, where they note car numbers. We have procured all the records from NHAI. This was indeed a security lapse,"….(Times of India, 1 Aug 08)

Lebanese Christians Mull Damascene Conversion

Renewed fighting last weekend in Tripoli, in the northern Sunni-dominated region, demonstrates Lebanon's precarious peace, and a potential rise of Salafist-jihadi influence, in response to the seemingly irresistible will to power emanating from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's southern Beirut lair. Ahmad Moussali is professor of political science and Islamic studies at the American University of Beirut. He told Asia Times Online, "A lot of Saudi money has been put into the north to cultivate Wahhabi/Salafist ideology, to counter Hezbollah," reflecting wider Sunni-Shi'ite regional rivalries. "These radicals see the Lebanese army as weak, and [ruling coalition] March 14 Sunnis cannot stop them confronting Shi'ites or Alawites [a sect of Shi'ites]."…..(Asia Times, 1 Aug 08)

July 2008

Al-Qaeda’s chief poisoner appears to have been killed

Some of the most disturbing images to emerge from Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban were al-Qaeda’s in-house videos of dogs writhing, panting and finally collapsing as they were killed with chemicals, apparently a poison gas. These seemed to confirm some of the West’s worst fears: that al-Qaeda was experimenting with weapons of mass destruction, and might use them in future attacks. The man principally responsible for the grisly tests, and much else besides, was a 55-year-old Egyptian chemist called Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, better known by his nom-de-guerre, Abu Khabab al-Masri. He is reported by several sources to have been killed in the latest American cross-border missile strike on Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt on July 28th.  Caution is in order; Abu Khabab was reported killed in January 2006. But his would be an important scalp in America’s intensified campaign of assassination in the tribal territories where al-Qaeda has recreated a safe haven…..(Economist, 31 Jul 08)

Abbas: Release 200 Hamas prisoners in West Bank

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered release of all the Hamas prisoners his security forces have rounded up in the past few days.  His office says the order came late Thursday from Tunis, Tunisia, where Abbas is holding talks.  Abbas' Fatah security forces arrested about 200 Hamas activists in the last week….(AP, 31 Jul 08)

Terrorists develop ‘suicide underwear’

Would-be suicide bombers could be using explosives “underwear briefs” rather than explosives jackets to evade “conservative” body searches, sources said on Wednesday.  Sihala Police College forensic lab sources told Daily Times that the study of recent suicide attacks showed that suicide bombers used “explosives-laden” under-garments, briefs in particular, to carry out the attacks. The sources said that the explosives could weigh between five kilograms to seven kilograms, made deadly by adding glass splinters, metal ball bearings and bullets……(Daily Times, 31 Jul 08)

Haqqani emerging as new leader of a resurgent Taliban

He is a slightly built man with a flowing, grey-flecked beard. He has been a guerrilla for nearly three decades, except for a stint as a government minister. He is an Islamic scholar, equally comfortable firing shoulder-fired Stingers and negotiating with American or Saudi paymasters. Meet Maulana Jalaluddin Haqqani, 60, recognized as the emerging leader of a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan. Haqqani made his name in the jihad against the communists in Afghanistan much before the Taliban emerged out of Kandahar. He was credited with the first ever victory against the Najibullah government in 1991 when his Pashtun fighters dramatically seized the town of Khost, in eastern Afghanistan. His extensive contacts in Saudi Arabia helped him mobilize huge funds for the war…..(Times of India, 31 Jul 08)

Reps Accuse Niger Dock of Importing Arms for Militants

The House of Representatives has raised alarm over the alleged use of Niger Dock Nigeria Plc for illegal importation of arms and ammunition for militants in the Niger Delta. Chairman of the House Committee on Privatization and Commercialization, Hon Njidda Ahmed Gella who made the disclosure Wednesday while briefing newsmen in Abuja, also informed the press that the management of Niger Dock in collaboration with Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) locked out members of the committee from their premises, thereby preventing it from carrying out its oversight function on Tuesday, July 28, 2008…….(Abuja, 31 Jul 08)

Saddam-era security officers reinstated

An Iraqi government report shows 123 former intelligence and security officers have been quietly reinstated into their jobs since a law in February paved the way for thousands of Saddam Hussein-era officials to return to government jobs. A senior Iraqi official has shown The Associated Press a copy of the report, which indicates that the group includes 71 former members of the military intelligence service and 23 from Saddam's Fedayeen, a paramilitary force personally loyal to the late president……(AP, 31 Jul 08)

Indian agencies keep butting head against Interpol wall

Indian investigators are convinced terror attacks in the country, including last week’s blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore, are masterminded from Pakistan and Bangladesh. But every time they seek an Interpol ‘red corner’ notice so that the suspects are arrested wherever they are found, it is denied due to lack of “personal details”.

“We have clinching evidence that LeT, JeM and HuJI have formed a nexus and carrying out terror attacks in the country. HuJI militants travel to LeT bases in Pakistan for training and in turn provide logistic support in Bangladesh territory,”…..(IANS, 31 Jul 08)

Gaza summer camps teach kids to fire rockets

Palestinian children on annual vacation can choose between Hamas or Islamic Jihad summer camps, both of which boast militia-style training, Koran classes, lessons on political prisoners...Hamas alone is currently conducting no less tha