The Terrorist Round-up for 5/27/06

05/27/06

[Straight Vermonter]

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

Army	Navy
U.S. Army Pfc. Chris Smith secures the perimeter while his patrol leader talks to local Iraqis during a patrol through the streets of Ameriah, a suburb of Baghdad, May 21, 2006. Smith is assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. (U.S. Air Force photo by TSgt. Jeremy T. Lock)	A Sailor assigned to Mobile Security Force Detachment Two Two (MSD-22) scans the horizon aboard Al Basrah Oil Terminal. MSD-22 is currently providing security for the ABOT as part of a joint effort between United States and coalition forces to provide security against terrorist attacks to Iraq's oil platforms. (U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 1st Class Wes Eplen)
Air Force	Marines
Senior Airman Michael Matysiak, crew chief with the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, checks the flux coupling for fuel and water in a KC-135 Stratotanker before the refueling mission. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff. Sgt. Suzanne M. Jenkins	Cpl. Corporal Christopher Kyle, attached to 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO), advances across a street under enemy fire to gain a better position to engage insurgents while on patrol in the city. (Photo coutresy of USMC)

Thank You to Those That Make it Possible

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Afghanistan & Pakistan - Large Map

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10 Taliban, four police killed in fresh Afghan fighting

Four policemen and 10 Taliban were killed in a fresh battle in Afghanistan Friday as a rights group said the civilian death toll from a coalition strike this week was more than double the official estimate.

In the latest violence, militants attacked a police vehicle in Ghazni province, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang said.

"This attack sparked a police operation. After a one-hour exchange of fire, and the arrival of reinforcements, at least 10 Taliban where killed," he said.

The incident took place in Giro district where Taliban militants had taken refuge in a village and were besieged by police, Sarjang said.

"Coalition and Afghan troops were called in for assistance," coalition spokeswoman Lieutenant Tamara Lawrence said. "When they arrived the fighting had ended."

Afghanistan has in the past 10 days seen some of the worst fighting since the fall of the Taliban as the militia steps up its four-and-a-half-year insurgency, backed by other Islamic outfits including Al-Qaeda.

A Helmand provincial government official meanwhile reported Friday that 12 Taliban were killed on Wednesday in a battle in the province's Sangin district. The area has seen regular clashes between Taliban and Afghan and international security forces.

A member of Reconnaissance Platoon, 1st Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry provides cover during a long range patrol in northern Kandahar.(AFP/File/John D McHugh)

British forces deployed to the province were called in to lend medical assistance after an 11-year-old boy was wounded during an exchange of fire between by Afghan forces and Taliban in Sangin on Thursday, a spokesman said Friday. The boy died of his wounds, Lieutenant Dave Downie told AFP.

Helmand and neighbouring Kandahar provinces have seen some of the worst fighting of the past week.

There have been several encounters in Panjwayi in Kandahar, which Afghan and coalition officials have said were aimed at an important band of Taliban. Witnesses and the main Afghan human-rights body said 34 civilians, many of them children, were killed in a massive US-led coalition strike on the area late Sunday. Authorities have said that only 16 civilians died.

Warm weather traditionally brings an upsurge in fighting in Afghanistan but the violence has been particularly severe this year with some military officials saying it shows the Taliban is more organised.

The attacks come just weeks before a NATO force is due to take command of the southern Afghanistan region from a US-led coalition of around 20,000 troops that has been based there for more than four years to hunt down insurgents.

NATO's supreme commander said Thursday the Taliban's spring offensive appeared aimed at discouraging the expanded NATO-led force, which will include troops from Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, Romania and the United States.

General Jim Jones predicted, however, that the NATO troops will be able to quickly bring the region under control once they complete their move into the south by July. The expanded forced would put more military forces into the region than have been there until now, he said in Washington.

"The ratio will be very favourable to our side, and ... very quickly we will establish order in parts of the country that have not known that," he said.

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EU warns Taliban of ‘bloody nose’

The European Union's Afghan envoy warned Taliban militants in Afghanistan to be prepared for a “bloody nose,” as additional European NATO forces deploy in the insurgent-wracked country.

The envoy, Francesc Vendrell, said Western forces were prepared to “take the bull by the horns” in confronting the rebels and would not withdraw until they stabilise the security situation in Afghanistan.

“There is larger Taliban activity than there was a couple of years ago. It is not good news. If the Taliban persists in such attacks they will get a bloody nose,” he told a news conference after meeting US officials.

There has been a spike in Taliban-linked violence this year and analysts believe the more organised and aggressive rebel force is making a stand before the impending expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces into the south of the country.

While the insurgency traditionally heats up as the weather warms, this year has seen some of the heaviest fighting since the Taliban were toppled in 2001, with nearly 300 people, most of them rebels, killed in a week of intense battles and suicide attacks. Vendrell also cautioned that European NATO forces should be prepared to take bigger casualties with the stepped up attacks by the Taliban.

“I have to say that it is possible that there will be greater casualties in this coming summer than there have been in the past,” he said.

“We are going to have a difficult summer but I think it is important that European countries realise ... that when we send military forces to difficult or dangerous areas, there may be casualties - much as we all try to avoid them.”

The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in a report that NATO forces were likely to come under increased attack as the United States withdraws some of its troops from Afghanistan. “The Taliban, taking advantage of what they perceive to be an opportunity during the switch from US to NATO deployments, are likely to continue to increase their operational tempo - not least because they know that casualties amongst European NATO member states may mobilise domestic opinion in those states against 'the war',” the report said. Vendrell said “there is widespread but mistaken feeling” among the Taliban that the Europeans were going to be “softer” than the American troops and that “we will easily withdraw.”

He said NATO countries, including Britain and the Netherlands, had decided to send their troops to southern Afghanistan “to take the bull by the horns.”

“I think therefore that the good news is that at a time when in other post-conflict situations, the international community is looking for the exit, we are not looking for an exit in Afghanistan,” he said, in an apparent reference to Iraq. “In UN terms, this means ISAF is not only a peacekeeping force but also (with) peace enforcement powers,” he said, expressing regret that some had wrongly interpreted that ISAF could not use force if attacked.

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Coalition strikes targeted dangerous band of Taliban: Official

Two major coalition strikes in restive southern Afghanistan, which left at least 16 civilians and dozens of rebels dead, were targeted at a particularly dangerous group of about 100 Taliban, an Afghan official said.

The offensives on May 17 and 21 followed information that the group was massing in Kandahar province's Panjwayi area under a commander named Aziz Agha, the high-ranking government official said on condition of anonymity.

Agha, said to have been critically wounded in the first strike, was responsible for a raft of suicide attacks, bombings and assassinations, including of a senior religious leader in 2005 at whose funeral a bomb exploded killing the Kabul city police chief and many others, the official said.

He had no other details about Agha's background or history within the Taliban movement. The US-led coalition could not confirm the information about Agha, although it said earlier the operations targeted known Taliban.

"The individuals which we have been tracking for a period of time were active members of the Taliban network who had been involved in numerous terrorist activities that resulted in the death and injuries of innocent civilians," coalition spokesman Colonel Tom Collins said this week.

The Afghan official said the band of fighters came to the attention of the US-led coalition after intelligence reports showed they were behind almost all Taliban activity in the province.

The coalition descended on them on May 17 sparking a clash in which Agha was believed to have been seriously wounded and taken to a hospital in Pakistan 200 kilometres away, the official said, citing intelligence information.

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Afghan, Coalition forces capture two suspected Taliban in Panjwayi District

By COMBINED FORCES COMMAND - AFGHANISTAN, COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police, together with Coalition Forces, conducted successful operations in the Panjwayi District of Kandahar Province yesterday.

The operations involved a series of cordon and searches of suspected enemy compounds. The ANP detained two suspected Taliban during the searches.

Following the searches, the combined force continued towards the village of Pashmul. Later that evening, Afghan and Coalition forces fought a sizable force of Taliban which retreated into a house and continued fighting.

Sporadic fighting continued through the night.

Coalition forces have no assessment of Taliban killed or wounded. One Coalition vehicle was destroyed in the fighting.

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Iraq - Large Map

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Iraqi man chosen to lead Qaeda’s global operations
By Nidhal al-Laithi

The al-Qaeda organization has selected Abdulhadi al-Iraqi, an Iraqi national from northern Iraq, as the new commander of its global operations. The appointment comes following the seizure of Abu Faraj al-Libi by Pakistani forces in May.

Al-Qaeda has a large following in Iraq particularly among Sunni Muslims. It operates through different organizations under various nomenclatures. But it first surfaced among Iraqi Kurds in the north where it operated from the inaccessible mountains east of Sulaimaniya and close to the borders with Iran.

Known then as Ansar al-Islam, the militant group had destabilized most of the Kurdish north and was planning to control Sulaimaniya, the second largest Kurdish city. Fearing the onslaught, Kurdish leaders sought military assistance from their tormentor former leader Saddam Hussein who was reported to have supplied them with arms and men to contain the group.

But the Ansar group expanded operations across Iraq following Saddam Hussein’s downfall and the occupation of Iraq by U.S. troops. The group has changed its name into Ansar al-Sunna and is currently, with other rebel groups, spearheading anti-U.S. operations in the country and the campaign of bombings directed against government troops and installations.

The new Iraqi-born al-Qaeda leader is married and with children and is believed to be in his forties. His wife is said to accompany him during his travels across the country. Sources, speaking to Azzaman on condition of anonymity, said Ansar al-Sunna currently has many followers among Iranian Sunnis and is mainly based in central and northern parts of the country.

The group includes mainly Sunni Muslims and is a mixture of Arabs, Kurds and Turks.

Ansar Al-Sunna is currently led by Wariya Arbili, a Kurd, who is reported to be in good relations with other anti-U.S. groups but has been trying to distance himself from the Majlis Shura al-Mujahiddeen, a group purportedly headed by Abu Musaab al-Zarqawi.

Hundreds of Iraqis are believed to have joined al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and many of them had returned to Iraq to fight the regime of Saddam Hussein. But when U.S. troops invaded Iraqi in 2003 and toppled Saddam, they turned their guns against the occupiers, transforming Iraq into a battlefield to settle scores with Washington.

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Iraqi Security Forces Taking Larger Role in Southern Baghdad
By Kathleen T. Rhem

More and more Iraqi national police are working alongside U.S. soldiers in securing southern Baghdad, a U.S. Army colonel working there said today. Terrorists would like the American public to believe violent groups are winning the fight in Baghdad, Army Col. Michael Beech, commander of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, said from Forward Operating Base Prosperity in central Baghdad. "But, of course, that's not what's happening here," he said.

Beech's brigade includes 4,400 U.S. troops, a battalion of soldiers from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, and about 2,000 Iraq soldiers and police. They are responsible for security in central and southern Baghdad as part of Multinational Division Baghdad. He spoke to reporters in the Pentagon via teleconference this morning.

"We have a great opportunity right now, with the new government of Iraq taking charge here in Baghdad, with the inauguration just several days ago," Beech said. "And with that opportunity and the Iraqi security forces that gain in capability every day, that presents us an opportunity in order to neutralize this insurgency."

Cooperation among all the friendly forces in Baghdad will be the key to stopping the insurgency. "I meet with my Iraqi security force counterparts every week, and we look at the problems holistically," Beech said. "We look at how we can partner to solve these problems."

He spoke of recent trends in the Dora section of Baghdad, which is within Beech's area of responsibility. Civilian murders had been on the rise in recent months, Beech said.

The situation was further complicated because authorities had a hard time determining if the deaths were from terrorists, criminals or secular violence. But officials redoubled efforts in the area, and the number of murders -- previously six or more a day -- has gone down over the past two weeks, Beech said.

"We refocused our efforts -- both the Iraqi security forces' and the U.S. forces' -- in this area," Beech said, adding that the forces implemented new tactics and techniques.

"I think what we're doing is right on target, and we're going to continue to employ those techniques, as well as incorporate some others to make sure that we can bring those attacks on the population down even further," he said.

Iraqi security forces were invaluable in dealing with local leaders, Beech said.

The colonel said a "successful end state" in Baghdad will be for Iraqi security forces to "take the lead in counterinsurgency operations and to create an environment which enables the Iraqi government to establish the rule of law."

"They are stepping up with more pride and confidence every day," he said. "They are earning the respect of the population they protect.

"Because of the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, we are not doing more with less, but we are doing more with more. The (Iraqi security forces) know the people, they know the street, and they know what 'right' looks like."

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USA

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Feds say Padilla may have been higher in Al Qaeda
By Chuck Goudie

Federal investigators say they have evidence that former Chicago street gang member Jose Padilla was a higher ranking member of Al Qaeda than first thought.

Four years ago this month when Jose Padilla was arrested at O'Hare Airport, federal agents considered him a Chicago street gang member who had been recruited by Al Qaeda terrorists to scout potential American targets, but now U.S. prosecutors believe Padilla was operating at a much higher level than just an advance man for Al Qaeda.

Jose Padilla was not just a Chicago street gang stooge as some in law enforcement portrayed him at the time of his arrest. Federal authorities say evidence now shows that Padilla had had risen in Al Qaeda's ranks to have personal relationships with the top planners of the September 11th attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.

Padilla has told authorities that his direct Al Qaeda supervisor was Ammar al-Baluchi who obtained flight simulators that the 9/11 hijackers used in training. According to Padilla, Baluchi was the right-hand man of Khalid Sheihk Mohammed---considered the architect of the 9/11 attacks.

In documents filed during the recent death penalty hearing for Al Qaeda terrorist Zacharias Moussaoui, Moussaoui described Baluci as a "key travel and financial facilitator for the Sept. 11 hijackers."

Padilla's connection to Al Qaeda provided his marching orders as well. Federal agents say Padilla has told them that Baluchi gave him $10,000 cash before flying from the Middle East to O'Hare, provided travel documents, gave him a U.S. cell phone and an email address to notify Al Qaeda operatives of his arrival in Chicago.

But authorities say Padilla's connection to the upper crust of Al Qaeda is best found in his activities with three of the organization's top terrorists. The night before leaving for Chicago they threw him a bon voyage dinner -- hosted by the men considered to be the 9/11 masterminds.

Baluchi, a native of Pakistan, was himself arrested in April of 2003. He has used several aliases, including Ali Abdul Aziz Ali; Habib; Mustafa; and "Losh." His bombing targets were to be east coast gas stations.

Baluchi is believed to be held by the U.S. military at Quantanomo, Cuba.

Padilla was originally held by the military as an enemy combatant. He has since been charged criminally and is at the federal lockup in Miami.

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Israel & Palestinian Territories  - Large Map

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Islamic Jihad member, brother die in Sidon car bomb
By Leila Hatoum and Mohammed Zaatari

A leading member of Islamic Jihad and his brother were assassinated in Sidon Friday by a bomb placed in the trunk of a car outside their home. Mahmoud Majzoub, 27, a Lebanese citizen who joined Islamic Jihad under the nom de guerre Abu Hamza in 1998, was targeted by a remote-controlled bomb planted in a stolen Mercedes detonated when the men passed the car after exiting their home.

Majzoub was severely injured in the explosion and died two hours afterward, while his brother Nidal, 32, was killed instantly by the blast in Sidon's al-Bustan neighborhood. The bomb was estimated by security sources to be made up of 500 grams of highly pressurized explosives that would pack the punch of 5 kilograms of conventional explosives.

These sources identified the car's original owner as "Suleiman Abdo Jaber, the son of one of late President Camille Chamoun's bodyguards," and said Abu Hamza had bought the car "eight days ago." The car was sold to Abu Hamza "with the explosive inside to kill him," they said.

However, separate security sources told The Daily Star the car had been sold four times, the last of which was to a Jordanian citizen two weeks ago.

According to the first sources, police have detained two of the car's previous owners and are "looking for the third person who bought it before Abu Hamza."

Abu Hamza was the target of a bombing in 1998, but he was able to walk away from the attempt with minor injuries with his wife and daughter.

The second security sources said "a surveillance camera in a nearby building shows that the car was parked near Abu Hamza's house around six in the morning, but the identity of the perpetrators is not clear.

"The Lebanese police might send a request to the country that manufactured the camera in an attempt to get a better reading of the [footage]."

Internal Security Forces, forensics experts, judiciary police and members of Hizbullah's security apparatus inspected the blast site shortly after the bomb detonated.

According to the first sources, Friday's bomb resembled those used to kill former Communist Party leader George Hawi and journalist Samir Kassir in separate car bombings last year.

"The shrapnel and iron balls found extensively around the explosion site indicate that the bomb was a special mine [designed] to assassinate individuals, and it is similar to Hawi's and Kassir's explosives," the sources said.

Lebanese officials and several Sidon MPs were quick to the scene and condemned the attack.

Every Lebanese official and Palestinian faction in Lebanon blamed the killing on Israel, with Islamic Jihad's leader in the South Shakib al-Aein saying: "Israel has made a mistake."

Amal and Hizbullah also condemned the attack.

"This cowardly crime clearly holds Israel's signature," Amal said, adding that Israel "is trying to tamper with [Lebanon's] national security and hit the stability in Lebanon because we have managed to resist it and break its legendary army."

Hizbullah highlighted the "extent of Israel's breach of the Lebanese arena," adding that such a crime "will not deter us from defending our country against the occupation."

Hamas condemned the "criminal explosion which targeted the leader martyr Abu Hamza and his brother," adding the bombing was a "unique and dangerous escalation from the enemy, who is trying to widen the base of confrontation to include other territories."

Sidon MP Bahia Hariri, sister of former Premier Rafik Hariri who was assassinated last February in a massive car bomb, called upon the Lebanese and Sidon residents in particular "to foil the attempts by Lebanon's enemies by standing united against such treacherous crimes."

She added: "This matter calls upon us to be more careful and take precautions ... to be more aware and united."

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Hamas withdraws forces from Gaza

The Hamas government on Friday recalled a controversial paramilitary force from the streets of Gaza on the second day of cross-party talks to resolve deadly Palestinian feuding and political crisis.

The move came one day after Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas threatened to call a referendum to end the deadly rivalry between Hamas and his former ruling Fatah party that has focused on security control.

Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya, who has resolutely backed the force that was vetoed by Abbas, however, downplayed the withdrawal as a “redeployment” that was intended only to “consolidate unity and alleviate tension”.

Ismail Haniya

Ten people have been killed in recent clashes between Hamas and the Abbas-controlled security services, which spiraled in the 11 days since the Islamists deployed the new paramilitary force sparking talk of possible civil war.

“We have withdrawn our forces from all locations after a decision from interior minister Said Siam,” a commander of the force, Yussuf al-Zahar, announced, as regular security forces deployed in their place. But Haniya vowed Hamas would not scrap its plans for the force, which numbers between 3,000 and 4,000 officers, as a wing of the regular police service.

“The cause of tension is not the creation of this force,” he said. “It is a police force which will wear police uniforms. We will not renounce it or retreat,” the premier told Hamas supporters in the Jabaliya refugee camp. The streets of Gaza City were calm on the Muslim day of rest, with the bearded paramilitaries of Hamas nowhere to be seen as regular security officers took their place.

Nearby, however, hundreds of the withdrawn gunmen gathered on a field next to a Gaza City mosque. They marched in formation and conducted training exercises, with commander Zahar in the lead, waving an M16 in the air.

“These forces will be totally ready to support the security forces when called upon to do so,” Zahar said. The withdrawal of the force, drawn principally from Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, was welcomed by Fatah and Abbas’s office.

“Their presence was illegal and illegitimate to begin with, but we welcome this move to help the Palestinian people by removing of one of the central reasons of the tension,” said Fatah spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khussa. Friday’s announcement came as cross-party crisis talks convened for a second day in order to discuss a way out of the political quagmire and resolve a crippling fiscal debt.

Meanwhile, a member of the movement’s exiled leadership said on Friday Hamas would not be “blackmailed” into accepting President Mahmoud Abbas’s proposal for Palestinian statehood that implicitly recognises Israel.

Mohammad Nazzal did not reject the proposal outright, but he criticised Abbas for threatening to put it to a referendum if it was not agreed by Palestinian factions within 10 days. “We see this referendum as a tool of pressure on Hamas,” Nazzal told Reuters in Damascus.

“Although this is a document drawn up by prisoners for whom we have high respect, it cannot be used as a way to blackmail Hamas,” Nazzal said. agencies

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India & Kashmir  - Large Map

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Top Hizb Militant Killed

A top Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed in an encounter with troops in Pahalgam on Friday. Reports said Munawar Shah was killed in Sessan area of Pahalgam after an encounter broke out during a search operation Friday evening.

Shah was active in South Kashmir from past many years. Searches were going on in the village till reports last came in.

Suspected militants tossed a grenade at a CRPF picket at Dargah Hazratbal near National Institute of Technology on Friday. Reports said no damage was caused in the blast for which no outfit has claimed responsibility so far.

Troops detected an IED near the outer wall of Harwan garden causing panic among the visitors. Police immediately sealed the area and called the Bomb Disposal Squad, which diffused the bomb enveloped in polythene.

Police said a woman Zainab Begum sustained injuries when an encounter took place between troops and militants at Rawali Lamcha area, Gool in Udhampur district on Friday. She has been hospitalized.

Troops engaged in a gunfight with militants at Damhal Hanjipora in Islamabad district on Friday when they were on a routine patrol. Further details are awaited.

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Ready to talk to militants if they shun arms, says Manmohan
Shujaat Bukhari

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday that his Government was "ready to talk to militant groups if they shun the path of violence."

Stating that "our armed forces are not the forces of occupation," he said reduction in troops could be considered if the terrorist violence came down.

"Anybody who shuns violence and gives up the path of terror, we are willing to find ways and means to interact with all such groups," Dr. Manmohan Singh told a press conference shortly before returning to New Delhi.

He expressed the hope that those who did not attend the round table conference this time would change their stance. Responding to a question on the Hurriyat Conference boycotting the conference he said "I have not lost hope and I am confident that all those who are for a peaceful solution to the problem faced by the State will work together."

He said that during his meeting with the Hurriyat leaders he got the impression that they were in favour of this conference and would consider attending. "We all must put wisdom and knowledge together to put an end to this chapter."

The Prime Minister ruled out immediate reduction in troops as demanded by some political parties and said "our troops are here to protect the life and liberty of our citizens. If the basic cause for their presence is removed, we can consider all these options."

The Prime Minister said if terrorism decreased, "there is no reason for us to keep the armed forces in the same number" and the matter was being constantly looked into by the Government.

While responding to a question on disappearance of thousands of Kashmiri youths during the 16 years of militancy, he said there was no specific discussion on the issue at the round table. "But I think there are possibilities of taking on board this issue in one of the working groups (set up by the Government on Thursday) dealing with confidence-building measures."

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Three HUJI Militants Killed in J&K

Three militants belonging to Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami were killed by Hizbul Mujahideen ultras in a gunbattle in Doda district on Friday, official sources said.

The three HUJI militants, who were about to surrender to security forces in Kishtar belt of Doda district, were intercepted by a group of HM militants in Lohi Dhar area of Chatroo belt in the district at pre-dawn, they said.

They were asked not to surrender, the sources said adding after their refusal to comply there was a gunbattle between the two sides in which the HUJI militants were killed by those belonging to HM.

Two of the slain militants have been identified as codenamed Ismail and Mahviya, they said.

In the Doda-Kishtwar belt, as many as 23 HUJI militants have so far surrendered to the security forces in a major setback to the strength of militant outfits in the area.

While HM with its strength of 200 to 300 militants operating in Doda-Udhampur belt, HUJI comes next with its strength of nearly 130 to 140 militants and Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) over 100 operating in the area, they said.

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Three ATTF militants surrender in Tripura

Three militants of banned All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) surrendered to the officer-in- charge of Kalyanpur police station in West Tripura district, police said on Friday.

Acting on a tip-off police and CRPF launched a search operation at Bashikobrapara, a tribal hamlet and neighbouring areas of the district on Thursday and during search operation a group of three militants of the outfit surrendered to the police.

The ultras who joined insurgency in 2001 told police that they were fed up with the jungle life and fled from their hide out at Sidhai in the district and were looking for an opportunity for surrender.

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Russia - Large Map (Caucasus)

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Forty nine terror acts prevented (After Beslan)

Forty nine planned terrorist attacks were averted in South Russia during the investigation into the Beslan case, Russian Deputy Prosecutor-General Nikolai Shepel told reporters on Friday.

The case of Kulayev is only an episode of the main case of the Beslan attack, the investigation into which is continuing, he said.

The identities of about 30 people involved in terrorist attacks were established in the course of the investigation. The cases of 26 of them are under investigation. Ten cases separated from the Beslan case are turned over to Chechen and Ingushetian courts, Shepel said.

A case of an international terrorist network operating in South Russia was also separated from the main Beslan attack case. Members of the network were involved in the attacks in Nalchik and Ingushetia, he said.

Cases of detained members of a so-called reserve group, who were to cover attackers in Beslan, are also considered separately.

Two criminal cases of policemen charged with negligence (that resulted in possibility for attackers to gather in Ingushetia and then get to North Ossetia) were turned over to court.

A huge amount of arms was discovered and seized during the investigation -- more than 60,000 ammunition units, 15 explosive devices, 334 pistols, 12 machine guns and other arms. According to specialists, it allowed together with the Federal Security Service and the Interior Ministry to prevent many other terrorist attacks, Shepel said.

"We grieve with all the Beslan residents and now see the main task in carrying out of the president's directions to ensure security in South Russia. The number of averted acts of terror indicates we are on the right path," he noted.

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BESLAN SIEGE: SOLE DEFENDANT SENTENCED TO LIFE

The sole surviving suspect from the Beslan school siege has been found guilty of murder and terrorism by a court in southern Russia. Nurpashi Kulayev, a Chechen carpenter, was sentenced to life in prison. Public prosecutors and many relatives of the victims of the 2004 siege had called for the death penalty. Judge Tamerlan Aguzarov told the court Kulayev "deserves the death sentence but because the Russian government has introduced a moratorium on carrying out death sentences, I sentence him to life imprisonment."

Kulayev, the only survivor from a group of 32 Chechen separatists involved in the siege, had denied the charges relating to the attack in which they held more than 1,000 children parents and teachers hostages in a school for three days.

Aguzarov rejected Kulayev's claim that he had been forced to take part, and said witnesses' evidence contradicted his insistence that he had never threatened or harmed any hostages.

More than 330 people died, more than half of them children, when the siege ended after a battle between Russian special troops and the hostage takers.

The verdict is the culmination of a year-long, highly emotional trial and took several days to read.

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Egypt - Large Map (Sinai)

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Man wanted for Sinai bombs gives self up to police

A man wanted in connection with bombings that killed 20 people in the Sinai resort of Dahab last month has turned himself in, state news agency MENA said on Friday.

The report named the man as Mohamad Khadr Salam, 26, who was also wanted for other attacks on resorts in the Sinai peninsula.

The report said tribal elders convinced Salam to go to the authorities after police released his brother, who was being held on similar accusations but was found to have no involvement. Salam also says he is innocent.

He is the latest in a series of suspects to have turned himself in. Four men did so earlier this month.

Salam is from the middle of the Sinai peninsula. Authorities have blamed a group of Sinai bedouin with militant Islamist views, named by Egypt as Tawhid wal Jihad (One God and Jihad), for a series of bomb attacks in the region.

The group has never issued a statement or claimed responsibility for attacks. The Interior Ministry has said police have killed a total of seven suspects since the Dahab bombings, most in gunfights in northern Sinai.

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Europe - Large Map

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Al-Qaida suspect loses appeal to block UK extradition to Spain
Joshua Pantesco

Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas

The Court of Appeal in London [official website] Friday refused to grant a stay of extradition to Farid Hilali, an alleged UK contact for the September 11 hijackers who is being deported to Spain to face terrorism charges for associating with convicted Al-Qaida member Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas [Washington Post report]. Yarkas is suspected of leading an al-Qaida cell in Spain [JURIST report], and Hilali has been directly linked to the Sept. 11 attacks by a Spanish judge for allegedly contacting [BBC report] Yarkas during the weeks preceding the attacks.

More..

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Southeast Asia - Large Map

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JI planned Holocaust gas attack in buildings
Natalie O'Brien

Indonesian terrorists planned to attack Western targets by spreading hydrogen cyanide, a deadly gas used during the Holocaust, through the air-conditioning systems of large buildings. Details of the method of the proposed attack, designed to maximise the number of victims, were revealed in a 26-page training manual produced by members of Jemaah Islamiah, the terrorist group blamed for the Bali bombings.

Hand-written in the Indonesian language Bahasa, the document expresses optimism that victims exposed to the poison gas will die within 30 seconds. But the plans went awry when police raided a JI safe house in the southern Philippines and discovered the training manual.

The details have been revealed for the first time by Rohan Gunaratna, of the International Centre for Terrorism and Political Violence Research's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies. Dr Gunaratna said the document discussed several chemical gases, pesticides, narcotics and biological toxins. Among them were hydrogen sulfide, phosgene, chlorine and arsenic.

"The chemical weapons section of the manual discusses fairly accurately the production of several highly potent agents that theoretically could cause the death of a large number of people," Dr Gunaratna said.

"The document surveys several agents of disturbing potency and expresses considerable optimism and fascination with regard to how minuscule amounts of the respective agent are needed to kill a large number of people."

In particular, when discussing one toxin, it said: "30ml of the agent can kill 60 million people, God willing.'

The manual carried the most detail about hydrogen cyanide, also known as Cyclone B, which was used to kill millions of Jews during World War II. It suggested hydrogen cyanide be the killing agent of choice because of its ease of production and delivery. It was also easy to produce.

Dr Gunaratna said the production and delivery methods described in the manual for chemical attack were accurate.

The Australian Federal Police is setting up a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear data centre, which will be responsible for collating and co-ordinating the latest information on such threats, as well as strategies to combat them.

Dr Gunaratna said a faction of JI that embraced al-Qa'ida leader Osama bin Laden's ideals could be expected to search for "increasingly destructive means in order to keep escalating their struggle". But he said the manual revealed that JI was nowhere near ready for a chemical or biological attack.

"At best the group may be able to mount a small-scale hydrogen cyanide attack that may succeed in killing a handful of individuals," Dr Gunaratna said.

But he warned that it was just "a question of time" before they acquired the capability.

[Straight Vermonter]

Let me know if you want on/off the terrorist roundup ping list

Proud member of the:

[Straight Vermonter]

Ping

[Sundog]

Thanks for the ping.

I so appreciate this good news.

[Valin]

Al-Qaida suspect loses appeal to block UK extradition to Spain


Shameless Plug
Terror suspect's appeal rejected
Guardian Unlimited ^ | 5/26/06
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1638946/posts
/Shameless Plug

[Straight Vermonter]

Many of you reading this are familiar with the work of Bill Roggio. He is on his way to Afghanistan right now to embed with Canadian troops there. Bill has done a fantastic job covering the war on terror. I know I have learned a great deal from his posts.

You can read more about what he is doing here.

What I'd like to ask is if you are at all able to, please send some money to Bill since he is doing this on his own dime. The link to donate is on the page I linked above.

Thanks much.

[MEG33]

Thank you!

[Valin]

All Tripura Tiger Force

All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF)
Aliases: All Tripura Tribal Force (ATTF’s original name: 1990-1992)
http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=3550
Date Formed:
July 11, 1990
Strength:
Approximately 600 members
Classification:
Nationalist/Separatist
Last Attack:
Oct. 16, 2005

---

Financial Sources:
Extortion

---

Key Leaders

Debbarma, Chitta

Debbarma, Ranjit

Debbarma, Upendra

---

Related Groups
National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) • Rival

United National Liberation Front (UNLF) • Ally

Tripura Peoples’ Democratic Front (TPDF) • Political Wing

---

Base of Operation: Bangladesh; India

Founding Philosophy: The All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) is a terrorist group currently operating in India’s Tripura state. Tripura is one of the seven northeastern Indian states, sometimes called the seven sisters, which are home to numerous terrorist entities. Many of these groups are fighting for independence/autonomy from India, as well as increased rights for tribal people.

The ATTF, specifically, engages in terrorist attacks for the stated goal of independence for all tribal areas within Tripura. ATTF also proposes the expulsion of all Bengali-speaking immigrants who entered Tripura after 1956. Furthermore, ATTF wants to repeal voting rights for all immigrants, regardless of ethnicity, who entered the state after 1956. These three goals demonstrate the group’s principal beliefs, namely that tribal lands in Tripura should be granted independence from India’s federal government, and non-tribal people should be removed from the state or at least have reduced rights.

The ATTF is one of two primary terrorist entities in Tripura. The second group, the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), has more insurgent members, is better armed, and is devoutly Christian. ATTF and NLFT are rivals and have confronted each other in armed clashes. Both terrorist organizations are banned by the current Indian government. The ATTF’s terrorist activities have included the kidnapping of politicians and attacks on Bengali-speaking people, causing the Indian government to have banned the group since 1997.

Current Goals: On April 22, 2004, ATTF’s leader indicated the possibility for a negotiated end to the ATTF insurgency. Nevertheless, All Tripura Tiger Force remains an active terrorist organization.

[do the dhue]

Oct 10, 2002
The House voted 296-133 to give Bush the authority to use U.S. military force to make Iraq comply with U.N.

Oct 11, 2002
In a major victory for the White House, the Senate early Friday voted 77-23 to authorize President Bush to attack Iraq if Saddam Hussein refuses to give up weapons of mass destruction as required by U.N. resolutions.

Council on Foriegn Relations:
October 10, 2002
Pew Research Center

A sizable majority of Americans continue to support a war to oust Saddam Hussein, and most seem to believe the worst about possible links between the Iraqi leader and the Al Qaeda terrorists, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center For The People & The Press in collaboration with the Council on Foreign Relations.

Hello,

I supported and still support our decision to take Hussein out. I am proud of the outstanding job our Military and our leaders have done. A lot of us supported the idea of taking Hussein out. On the deck of our the USS Lincoln, Bush said that major combat operation are over and we still have a lot of work to do. What he said is true. We have not killed a tank, aircraft, or an Iraqi Soldier in a uniform. We have killed a lot of terrorist since then. We know the Zaqari works with Al Quada. We know that we are killing terrorist in Iraq. Killing terrorist is a good thing. Yes, we have faced tough times during the rebuilding process. But as Dr. Robert Schuler says, 'tough times never last. Tough people do.' All this trouble is part of what we have to deal with because we decided to take Hussein out. We have to deal with it because cutting and running is not an option. I want to see a new Kuwait, Japan, and/or Germany in Iraq. I want to see hope and a future for these people. I don't want to see terrorist camps. I say we get that yellow streak out of our spine and out of our belly and we suck it up. We make sure we finish this job right this time. I have never wavered, tired, faltered or failed. And I ain't gunna.

[do the dhue]

ping

[Smartass]

US Special Forces In Afghanistan

God Bless Our Great Military

[Cindy]

"God Bless Our Great Military."

DITTO THAT.

[SeaBiscuit]

God Bless Our Great Military

Bless all their Brave Souls

Our last Hope

[Kimberly GG]

God Bless Our Great Military!

(great AND handsome! :-)

[bitt]

bttt!

[Valin]

Well said!

[kstewskis]

HOOOOOORRAAAAH!

[JustPiper]

Absolutely Beautiful SA!!!

[Coop]

Thank you. May you and yours enjoy this Memorial Day weekend. I have no doubt that you'll remember what this holiday is all about.

[Northern Yankee]

Excellent!