KABUL, Afghanistan - A roadside bomb killed a NATO soldier and wounded four others in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, while a Taleban ambush left eight Afghan security personnel dead, officials said.
The NATO soldiers were patrolling in the countrys volatile south when an explosion ripped through their vehicle, the alliance said in a statement. 'They were immediately evacuated for medical care ... (but) sadly one died of wounds inflicted by the explosion, it said.
NATO did not identify the nationalities of the dead and wounded soldiers, or the exact location of the blast.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) — The Afghan army and Afghan police arrested several insurgent commanders during two days of operations in southeastern Afghanistan, officials claimed on Sunday.
A statement from the coalition Bagram base here said the operation was conducted in Sabri district of Khost province. Sabari district has been a main insurgent safe haven in Khost province for some time, said the statement.
The major insurgent facilitator nabbed was affiliated with the Hizb-e-Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and was believed to have also ties to the Haqqani network, the Taliban, and al-Qaeda.
"He is suspected of directing IED attacks, antagonizing feuding tribes in the area, and facilitating other insurgent activities detrimental to the positive development of Afghanistan," said coalition forces' spokesman Maj. Chris Belcher.
The Afghan police assisted by Afghan commandos also arrested a suspected deputy Taliban commander during the operation. Several other insurgents were captured, including a suspected insurgent responsible for providing financial support to IED cells in the Sabari district.
Separately, the forces arrested a "key insurgent leader" and two suspected improvised explosive device facilitators in Sherzad district in the country's eastern Nangarhar province.
Acting on credible intelligence, Afghan National Police Unit 03 conducted a security patrol in the area and searched a compound that served as a suspected insurgent safe-house. During the search, security forces arrested Zabid Zahir, the suspected commander of the Hizb-e-Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar." "The arrest of these suspected insurgents will result in a positive change for the eastern Nangarhar province," said a coalition forces commander in the statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- At least 10 people, including two civilians, two policemen and six security guards of a private company were killed in separate attacks in Afghanistan on Sunday. The two civilians died as a roadside bomb struck their vehicle in the southern province of Helmand, a provincial police chief said. The bomb was planted by enemies of the country - the term Afghan officials used for Taliban militants - to target the Afghan and foreign troops, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Hussain Andiwal told KUNA. Taliban militants so far did not claim responsibility for the attack.
Separately, six security guards of a private security company and two policemen were killed as Taliban attacked their convoy with rockets in the central Maidan Wardak province, located some 40 kilometers south of the central capital Kabul. Police chief of the province Brig. Gen. Muzaffaruddin confirmed the attack and the casualties, adding that the security men and policemen returned fire and wounded four of the assailants.
Meanwhile, a Taliban commander, who was reportedly sacked by the militants' fugitive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, said he was still the commander of Taliban in Afghanistan. Mansoor Dadullah, the brother of dreaded Taliban commander Mulla Dadullah, who was killed in a military action a few months back, was removed from his post, a Taliban statement had said on Saturday. However, Mansoor Dadulla said he was still the commander of Taliban in southern Afghanistan. This is the first revolt in the ranks of Taliban since their ouster as a result of US-led invasion in late 2001.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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A landmine killed the spokesman for Mogadishu's mayor on Saturday, the latest casualty in a vicious Islamic insurgency in Somalia's bloodstained capital, officials said.
Mohammad Muhu Al Deen Ali was headed to his car when the mine exploded, said Abdul Rashid Ahmad, a regional officer. "He left his house and was heading to a nearby garage when a landmine went off," Ahmad said, adding that police believe he was targeted because he was a government official.
Thousands of Somalis have been killed in fighting this year between Islamic insurgents and Ethiopian troops supporting shaky Somali government forces. The Islamists vowed to fight an Iraq-style insurgency after the Ethiopians dislodged them from power one year ago. They had taken control of the capital and much of southern Somalia.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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The army killed seven suspected militants when they emerged from their remote hideout to stock up on supplies, a report said on Saturday. The suspected militants were holed up in a home near Tebessa and soldiers killed them after receiving a tip-off, L'Expression newspaper reported. The group included a local leader named Chaib Khmisi, it said. L'Expression said the men were members of cell called Al Feth Al Moubine, which is part of Al Qaida in North Africa.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has threatened to target Rally Paris-Dakar race, when crossing Mauritania as by next month. It takes origins in the fact that the Mauritanian army has relationships with Israel.
Al Qaeda has linked the terrorist attack to the fact that regime in Mauritania is still the agent of crusaders it arrests Muslim youth and starves the Mauritanian people. The release signed on the behalf of Communication Commission of the terrorist organization said that the Mauritanian system is providing infidels all suitable circumstances for the Rally race, and fights against mujahideen with the crusaders». CT experts consider Al Qaeda statement as a determination to target the race in its part crossing Mauritania in the period between 11 and 19 of next January.
Furthermore, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed the military operation that caused the death to 4 soldiers in addition to taking over of their weapons and vehicles. The Terrorist organization release claimed many armed operations like Sunday market attacks in Boumerdès and Lakhdaria departments last Thursday, against National Gendarmerie and judicial police, in addition to other attacks happening the same day.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Nothing more than old-fashioned bandits, really, albeit bandits with computers and cell phones.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
12/31/2007 6:01 Comments ||
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#3
I once had the distinct pleasure (?) of having witnesses a section of the Paris - Dakar, in TanTan, Western Sahara. [Don't ask what I was doing there since I had no good reason except to see the race while staying in Morocco]. It was a blur, albeit a sandy, dusty, swirling blur. These guys are driving so fast and so recklessly that the incompetent morons know as AQ wouldn't even know how to set up an ambush. The route is unpredictable and variable as long as you get from one stage to the other. I watched bikes going over 100 mph and on the most rugged, sandy terrain imaginable. The only target is going to be the stage terminals and layovers. But I still doubt AQ has enough muscle in Mauritania to overcome the local special police.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
12/31/2007 10:16 Comments ||
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#4
Unless they choose to swarm a pitstop area, i expect the worst that can happen is the cars will smash thru them like a flock of birds; expect the radiators and grilles to get clogged with AQ-bits. Could be a bit dicier for the bikes however.....
Dutch SWAT teams (called DSI) have arrested three men in Rotterdam. The arrested suspects were planning a possible terror attack on the short term. Two of the three men have the Dutch and Moroccan nationality (immigrants can have 2 nationalities in The Netherlands)the third suspect is Sudanese. Further details ere not released by the authorities, there is now reason to raise the terror threat level in the Netherlands at the moment.
Posted by: Elmaling Pholuque8267 ||
12/31/2007 12:32 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Europe
#1
They moved very fast to round up these three...they must have been very close to the attack.
#2
Hopefully these three will lead to more. The Dutch have some very clever people who've been quietly working very hard to keep the citizenry safe from jihadis.
Turkish authorities on Sunday formally arrested five people, including a high school English teacher, for alleged links to Al-Qaida, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
The five were detained following a sweep against suspected Al-Qaida militants conducted simultaneously in four Turkish cities on Saturday, the agency said. A total of 19 people were detained in the sweep.
Authorities on Sunday formally ordered five of them jailed, the agency reported. They included an English teacher at a high school in the central Turkish city of Aksaray. The other suspects were freed pending trial.
Police in Ankara did not comment on the report. Anatolia said police arrested the 19 in simultaneous operations in Aksaray, Istanbul, the capital, Ankara, and the southern city of Adana. Police also seized firearms, bullets, fake ID cards and other documents, the agency reported.
Daily Milliyet newspaper said the group were members of an Al-Qaida "sleeper cell" that police had been watching for a while. Authorities decided to move against the group over concerns that they may have been preparing an attack, the paper reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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Tension gripped the forest villages in Yellandu and Gundala mandals as a Maoist sympathiser was gunned down reportedly by underground cadres of the CPI (ML New Democracy) in retaliation to the killing of their party leader, Pulusu Venkanna, in Polaram village late on Saturday night.
According to reports, armed members of the Madhu dalam of the New Democracy whisked away Banothu Kolia, a tribal youth from his farm around midnight and fired three rounds into his chest killing him in the forest. Kolia was reportedly identified with the Maoist activities in the area and had been at loggerheads with the New Democracy activists for quite some time.
The long lull in the tribal habitations was shattered with the two killings. A ninth standard girl, Mukti Soujanya, and another tribal youth Vankudothu Venkanna sustained received bullet injuries in the Maoist attack on Polaram village on Saturday. While Soujanya was battling for life in a private hospital in Khamam, Venkanna was shifted to NIMS as his condition was deteriorating.
The New Democracy cadres geared up to defend themselves in their partys strongholds as their Polaram village committee secretary, Pulusu Venkanna, was shot dead by the Maoists.
A police outpost was put up in the village and additional forces were deployed in the area.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/31/2007 09:40 ||
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#1
CPI (ML New Democracy)
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist New Democracy)
Good grief
Posted by: john frum ||
12/31/2007 10:08 Comments ||
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#2
"Manolo! Bring me my mandals!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/31/2007 13:15 Comments ||
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US special forces snatch squads are on standby to seize or disable Pakistan's nuclear arsenal in the event of a collapse of government authority or the outbreak of civil war following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The troops, augmented by volunteer scientists from America's Nuclear Emergency Search Team organisation, are under orders to take control of an estimated 60 warheads dispersed around six to 10 high-security Pakistani military bases.
Oh great, let's just broadcast this one a little louder, shall we? Why not get it above the fold in the New York Times?
Ten nuke sites? Hmm.. didn't the MX Peacekeeper carry 10 MIRVs? Just saying.. in case the NEST teams can't penetrate
Military sources say contingency plans have been reviewed over the past three days to prevent any of Pakistan's atomic weapons falling into the hands of Islamic extremists if the administration of President Pervez Musharraf appears threatened by civil unrest.
Some of the special forces are already believed to be in neighbouring Afghanistan and on alert for the mission. It is also understood that satellite surveillance of Pakistan has been stepped up to keep track of the possible movement of nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems.
According to a US Congressional report published in November, Pakistan's nuclear deterrent consists of warheads for missiles and bombs dropped from aircraft. To maintain security, the weapons are not stored fully-assembled. Warheads, detonators and missiles are kept separately, but able to be married up "fairly quickly" in the event of a national crisis such as confrontation with India.
While the US has stated publicly its confidence that Pakistan's military has the weapons "under effective technical control", Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted two years ago that if there was a radical Islamic coup, the US was "prepared to try to deal with it".
Internal security at Pakistan's nuclear storage sites is the responsibility of a 10,000-man security force commanded by a two-star general. Every member of the force is vetted with the aim of weeding out sympathisers of the Taliban and al Qaeda or anyone with extreme Islamic views.
So was Benazir's security detail ...
US diplomatic and military initiatives since 2001 have concentrated on trying to ensure that pro-western commanders were in charge at the most sensitive sites. There has also been pressure to keep Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency, thought to contain a number of high-ranking pro-Taliban supporters, out of the nuclear loop.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
As a former war plans officer at several staff levels, I can assure the UK journalists that the US routinely creates at least preliminary contingency plans for every threatening eventuality that our military leadership can imagine.
I'm sure that there has never been a day since Chagai-I on May 28, 1998 that the US didn't have SOF teams planning raids on Paki nuke sites.
It would be criminally negligent if the US military WASN'T dusting off its contingency plans to respond to an impending loss of control of nuclear release safeguards in Pakistan.
Whether small raiding teams (or even a full-up Ranger Regiment operation) could actually disable the full Pakistani arsenal is another question. With assistance from friendly Pakistani military contacts, its is probably doable. Spotter teams stand off and designate targets for USAF strikes.
But - as per the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: âWhen you strike at a king, you must kill himâ, if you go after a nation's nuclear arsenal, its rather bad form to be only partially successful. "Payback's a bitch"
#2
Containment Level, would be the 1st desire; Neutralization is the final option. The US would destroy all locations confirmed and suspected should level 1 breach. Since the Pakistani government refused the encryption storage and initializing procedured electronic 'packages'; the US's options were at that point clarified. Avoiding a "Dr. Strangelove Scenario" where no one man would be able to initiate a fail-safe, the PAK military signed there own death warrant barring on-site verification of active status by US or IAEA representatives.
US military had limited authority and mission to operate within domestic boundaries in 2001. It still does have limited authority and mission, but we have created the North American command and the Bush administration has been trying - in the face of resistance and sabotage from the left, much of Congress and many in State Dept. - to create legal, effective ways for military forces to address domestic threats in cooperation with law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
#9
In further news, the sky is blue and splinters hurt....
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
12/31/2007 11:05 Comments ||
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#10
I would hope our liason officers stationed outside the gates of each Pak facility are so loaded down with electronics that they are buzzing and glowing. That's our minimum starting point.
The solution, though, is mostly political, and really depends on aligning the Chinese and Indian positions - namely the Chinese don't want the Russians near this, and the Indians need to decide how many "enemies" they'd like and where they are.
"Pakistan" is now growing more fictional by the day, as opposed to by the year, month or week.
There's probably a very small chance that US military action will be needed, considering the other local and regional interests interposed before we even require consideration.
The Chinese silence is as expected, but the Indian activity is curious. Perhaps it's time to surf over to their media for a visit and quick check.
#12
Lone Ranger - as an Air Force photo intelligence analyst, I know exactly what you mean. I'm sure the folks at RAF Molesworth, at Hickam, in Omaha, and at the Navy Yard are VERY busy right now. Nor will they let down their watch anywhere else while this pot comes to a boil. I would expect Iran to take advantage of the turmoil, however, to see what it can do to destabilize Pakistan even more, and to infiltrate into Afghanistan. I hope someone's watching that border.
I love Google Earth - I can revisit some of my favorite sites around the world, play tourist from 25,000 feet (again!), and, with Rantburg and a couple of other sites, at least partially keep abreast of what's going on in the world these days. Once a spook, always a spook - Right, Old Spook? 8^)
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/31/2007 18:52 Comments ||
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#13
Wouldn't it be funny if the SEALs had already been there and gone! You know what fun-loving scamps they are. Ha Ha ha.
Channel 4 News has exclusively obtained dramatic new footage which shows in clear detail the moment of Benazir Bhutto's death. Three bullets are heard being fired before a suicide bomber then detonates his device.
A firearms expert has told this programme that the video shows what appears to be a concussion strike, the possible moment of impact when a bullet struck the former Pakistani prime minister. It contradicts the official Pakistani government account that Mrs Bhutto died from hitting her head on the sun roof as she ducked into the car.
#2
First she was shot. Then, when she dropped she hit the bloody handle, possibly assisted by the explosion rocking the van. There was another picture of a clean handle, but that was the left one in this picture, I think. I can't see that it makes any difference; security failed whether the gunman missed or not. It's dumb for the authorities to lose credibility over this, they have nothing to gain by lying about it. Dig her up. Morticia rises from the grave to tell the truth.
Unknown attackers killed a journalist here in the Yakatoot Police Station jurisdiction on Sunday, police said. Yakatoot Police Station duty officer Tahir told Daily Times that unknown attackers opened fire on Kamil Mashadi, a journalist working for TV One at around 8.30pm. He succumbed to his injuries while on the way to the hospital, he added. He said his heirs had not contacted the police yet, adding that when they do, the police would register a FIR.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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A rocket hit the boundary wall of an empty plot situated just beside the Garden Police Headquarters.
SHO Garden told Daily Times that no loss of life or property had been reported. The rocket hit the wall of an empty plot of around 1,500 square yards, which is situated just next to the Garden police headquarters. It could be an attack on the police headquarters but it was premature to declare from where it had been fired and which kind of rocket it was. Initial reports suggest that rocket might have been fired from Dohbi Gath, Usmanabad area, Lyari, and that it was a Russian-made rocket.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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Sectarian clashes continued on Sunday in Kurram Agencys Parachinar district for the eighth consecutive day, witnesses told Daily Times.
They said rival groups were targeting each others positions in several areas including Balishkhel, Ghoz Gahri, Sangeena, Sadda, Makhizai, Tangi and Alizai with heavy weapons. So far around 73 people have been killed and another 100 injured in clashes since last one week. On Saturday, four people from the Masozai tribe died and another eight were injured.
Several rockets and mortar shells were fired from the Ibrahiam Zai area in Sadda. Two rockets hit the wall of Sadda Civil Hospital, causing panic among patients. The latest clashes started on December 22, four days after the Shia Turi and Sunni Mengal tribes signed a ceasefire agreement following weeks of fighting which left more than 100 people dead, AFP reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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Unknown assailants on Sunday fired rockets at a police checkpost several kilometres away from Mardan, resulting in serious damage to its main gate and boundary wall. According to details, rockets were fired at the check post during the early hours of Sunday morning, however no loss of life was reported. Police retaliated by opening fire, but the culprits managed to escape. Separately, unknown assailants on Sunday blew up Mian Kunda Khuzdar post in Mohmand Agencys Halamzai Tehsil with explosives, damaging rooms of its barracks. However, no loss of life was reported. The political administration has confirmed the incident and lodged a case against the assailants, adding that investigations would be carried out.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD, Iraq Coalition forces captured a suspected Special Groups leader during operations to disrupt criminal element networks today in the Al-Husayniyah area.
The targeted individual was reportedly the Special Groups recruiter for the Karbala Province. He allegedly helped facilitate the training of numerous criminals in activities including explosively formed penetrators, improvised explosive devices, operational security and computer security training. He is assessed as an associate of several other senior-level criminal element leaders who were involved in attacks on Coalition forces.
When Coalition forces approached the target area, an unidentified man exited a building and displayed hostile intent. The unidentified man ignored verbal and visual warnings to cease movement. Responding in self defense, ground forces engaged the unidentified man, wounding him. The Coalition forces medical team administered on-site treatment to the individual. Ground forces continued on to the target area and captured the targeted individual without further incident. During the operation, Coalition forces also discovered a large amount of American currency.
BASRA, Iraq - The police chief of Iraq's second-largest city, Basra, survived a roadside bomb attack on Sunday, the first attempt on his life since British forces handed the city to Iraqi control on Dec. 18, police said.
Abdul-Jalil Khalaf had already survived six assassination attempts since he was placed in control of Basra's police force in June, with orders to battle the Shia militias who held sway in the citys streets. One of Khalafs bodyguards was wounded when two bombs exploded near the police chiefs convoy in the northern part of the city, police said. Khalaf himself was not hurt.
He has often been praised by US and British commanders as one of the most able leaders of Iraqs security forces.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- US forces have captured on Saturday a wanted leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, after a raid operation.
A source in the Iraqi joint multi-national forces and coordination told KUNA that a joint force including Iraqi police raided Hawaija area south west of Kirkuk during which Jasim Muhammad Ali, also known as Mullah Jasim, who's name appeared in the multi-national forces wanted list was captured. Jasim is also alleged to be the mastermind of major terrorist attacks in Hawaija, including car bomb blasts, kidnappings, civilian killings and assaults on Iraqi and US troops.
This article starring:
JASIM MUHAMAD ALI
al-Qaeda in Iraq
MULLAH JASIM
al-Qaeda in Iraq
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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U.S. troops killed six suspected al Qaeda terrorists and captured 14 others in operations Saturday and Sunday in central and northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.
One of those captured west of Mahmudiya on Saturday was believed to be responsible for opening a center to train women to be suicide bombers in Yusufiya, the military said. He was also wanted for coordinating attacks against coalition forces, the military said. Coalition troops, targeting al Qaeda's network in the northeast Diyala River valley, killed four terrorists in a firefight Saturday. After the battle near Muqdadiya, they found machine guns, roadside bombs, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and rounds, the military said.
When coalition forces returned to the Muqdadiya area Sunday to follow up, they engaged insurgents in a battle that ended with two terrorists killed and seven captured, the military said. One of those killed was wearing a suicide bomb vest, the military said. They also found two weapons caches, including rifles, grenades and ammunition. Coalition forces targeting al Qaeda in Mosul detained six suspected terrorists Sunday, the military said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq
#9
The violence erupted less than two hours after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for a "new page" in relations between the bitter enemies.
ahh... Golly The new page just like the old page, LOL... deadly!
plz Shabak give Hamas and Fatah some 0-fused RPGs and spread around some salted cases of ammo for the Happy New Year and we'll all watch the videos!
Anniversary celebrations for the Fatah movement turned violent in the southern in the Gaza city of Khan Yunis after nightfall Monday, and medics said three people were killed.
Medics identified the three as two Hamas police officers and a Fatah backer. Hamas said the two officers were shot by gunmen on rooftops. About 30 people were wounded, the medics said.
There were also exchanges of fire in Gaza City, where one person was killed, hospital officials said. He was not immediately identified. Hat off to Barbara Skolaut who has started to warm-up the popcorn machine yesterday
(KUNA) -- Two Palestinians, allegedly armed, were killed on Sunday by the Israeli Army, an army spokesman reported. The spokesman told Radio Israel the incident accrued near the Palestinian-Israeli boarders, near Karm Abu Salem Crossing, eastern Gaza Strip. He further pointed out the two "were attempting to plant an explosive device when they were caught," and that they were killed on the spot. Meanwhile, Palestinian medical sources denied knowledge about the incident, noting there are efforts to verify this report.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Due Paleo In flagrante delicto = Due Paleo mori
Congrats IDF!
:)
thee RB Lawyers or Jesuits may want to correct my Latin
Five bombs planted by suspected terrorist separatist rebels rocked Thailand's troubled south early Monday, injuring dozens of people in a town on the Malaysian border, police said. Explosives planted at entertainment venues across Sun Ngai Kolok town in Narathiwat province wounded 27 people, two of them seriously, police said.
"It was likely done by terrorists militants who target innocent people during new year," local police chief Colonel Prabphan Meemongkon told AFP. He said police managed to defuse one bomb at a hotel in the Muslim-majority region, where jihadis rebels are waging a bloody battle for a separate state, but five devices struck two other hotels nearby.
The first blasts hit at about 00:40 am Monday (1740 GMT Sunday), sending people fleeing into a hotel car park, where another bomb was hidden. A police officer in Narathiwat said that explosives had been packed into cigarette packets, which were planted inside a hotel disco. Another blast hit a hotel karaoke bar, he said.
A 70-year-old villager was shot dead while clearing weeds in an orchard in Muang district on Saturday as police and military stepped up security in nearby Sungai Kolok ahead of New Year's Eve. The victim was identified as Yagoh Awae. His body was riddled with bullets.
Police said he rode a motorcycle alone from his house to work at the orchard, two kilometres away. While he was clearing weeds, a group of assailants opened fire, killing him. Police believe the ambush was the work of a local terrorist insurgent group.
Elsewhere in the same province, a security plan code-named ''Kolok Protection 51'' was introduced in preparation for any possible violence in Sungai Kolok during the New Year celebrations. A combined military and police force has been mobilised to ensure greater safety for all revellers.
Meanwhile, Abdul-ayee Samaeng, the deputy chairman of the Yala provincial administration organisation, said he was satisfied with arrangements made by Thai officials in Saudi Arabia to help Thai Muslims who went on the Haj to Mecca. The only problem was a shortage of medical professionals to attend the large number of ailing pilgrims, he said.
The Malaysian government has released four alleged members of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah after holding them for nearly five years, a rights group said on Saturday. "The government freed the four alleged JI members last week," Yap Swee Seng, the executive director of the campaign group Voice of the Malaysian People, said.
The men were arrested in December 2002 under the criticised Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows indefinite detention without trial, after the government launched a crackdown on JI, the rights group said. The militant group, previously thought to have links to Al-Qaida, has been blamed for deadly attacks that have killed hundreds of people in south-east Asia. Yap said that the men were released from Kamunting detention camp in northern Perak state on December 19, but that their movements have been curtailed. "They still have to report to police and remain indoors at night," he said.
Security officials could not be reached for comment. But intelligence officials have previously said that detention under the ISA was extended only if there was evidence that a militant remained a security threat.
The released men were Bakkery Mahhamud, Mohamad Zamri Sukirman, Sabri Jaafar and Zamzuri Sukirman, said GMI, another rights group, adding they had been detained between December 2002 and January 2003.
GMI wants the ISA abolished and said a persistent public campaign had led to their release. But it criticised the selective release of people held under the act. "GMI calls on the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to immediately release all those who have been detained in Kamunting or charge them in court," it said.
The government used the ISA in December to arrest five Hindu rights activists after they organised street protests to demand equal opportunities in Muslim-majority Malaysia. They are still being held by the authorities and critics charge that the ISA contravenes human rights. Malaysia has detained at least 85 people under the ISA, including alleged JI militants, according to the Voice of the Malaysian People. JI has been blamed for the 2002 bombings on Indonesia's resort island of Bali, which killed 202 people, mainly foreign tourists.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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LTTE Supremo V Prabhakaran will find it difficult to survive beyond six months, Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka has warned, vowing to eliminate the 3,000-strong tiger rebels from their stronghold of Wanni in the embattled north. "Security forces have occupied LTTE's Forward Defence Lines and surrounded the Wanni bases from all directions", he said on Saturday after his visit to the north. "The three armed forces are confident of wiping out the LTTE, which is now smarting its wounds due to the present military operations", Fonseka, who survived an assassination attempt by LTTE in April 2006, said.
"The LTTE may not be able to prevent losing their remaining 3,000 cadres and there is no assurance that outfit leader V Prabhakaran would survive for the next six months as the Sri Lankan Air Force plans to attack all the LTTE bases", he said.
The Army chief said he was highly satisfied with the successes against the militants in the current year and said that the prime target of the military was to destroy the LTTE's presence in the North completely. "Our daily target is to kill at least 10 LTTE terrorists and for the last few months over 500 LTTE cadre have been killed by the armed forces", Fonseka said. "We have weakened the LTTE by 50 per cent or more and we are confident we can go that extra mile in the coming year", he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/31/2007 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
(KUNA) — The Afghan army and Afghan police arrested several insurgent commanders during two days of operations in southeastern Afghanistan, officials claimed on Sunday.
(KUNA) -- At least 10 people, including two civilians, two policemen and six security guards of a private company were killed in separate attacks in Afghanistan on Sunday. The two civilians died as a roadside bomb struck their vehicle in the southern province of Helmand, a provincial police chief said. The bomb was planted by enemies of the country - the term Afghan officials used for Taliban militants - to target the Afghan and foreign troops, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Hussain Andiwal told KUNA. Taliban militants so far did not claim responsibility for the attack. 
A landmine killed the spokesman for Mogadishu's mayor on Saturday, the latest casualty in a vicious Islamic insurgency in Somalia's bloodstained capital, officials said.
The army killed seven suspected militants when they emerged from their remote hideout to stock up on supplies, a report said on Saturday. The suspected militants were holed up in a home near Tebessa and soldiers killed them after receiving a tip-off, L'Expression newspaper reported. The group included a local leader named Chaib Khmisi, it said. L'Expression said the men were members of cell called Al Feth Al Moubine, which is part of Al Qaida in North Africa.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has threatened to target Rally Paris-Dakar race, when crossing Mauritania as by next month. It takes origins in the fact that the Mauritanian army has relationships with Israel.
Turkish authorities on Sunday formally arrested five people, including a high school English teacher, for alleged links to Al-Qaida, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. 
Channel 4 News has exclusively obtained dramatic new footage which shows in clear detail the moment of Benazir Bhutto's death. Three bullets are heard being fired before a suicide bomber then detonates his device.
BASRA, Iraq - The police chief of Iraq's second-largest city, Basra, survived a roadside bomb attack on Sunday, the first attempt on his life since British forces handed the city to Iraqi control on Dec. 18, police said.
(KUNA) -- US forces have captured on Saturday a wanted leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, after a raid operation.
U.S. troops killed six suspected al Qaeda terrorists and captured 14 others in operations Saturday and Sunday in central and northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.
(KUNA) -- Two Palestinians, allegedly armed, were killed on Sunday by the Israeli Army, an army spokesman reported. The spokesman told Radio Israel the incident accrued near the Palestinian-Israeli boarders, near Karm Abu Salem Crossing, eastern Gaza Strip. He further pointed out the two "were attempting to plant an explosive device when they were caught," and that they were killed on the spot. Meanwhile, Palestinian medical sources denied knowledge about the incident, noting there are efforts to verify this report.
The Malaysian government has released four alleged members of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah after holding them for nearly five years, a rights group said on Saturday. "The government freed the four alleged JI members last week," Yap Swee Seng, the executive director of the campaign group Voice of the Malaysian People, said. 
