Terrorism Watch

Dozens killed as security forces claim victory over drug gangs for control of the biggest shantytown in Rio de Janiero. Last Modified: 26 Nov 2010 06:05 GMT The drug gangs sprayed machine gun fire on police posts and torched vehicles during the deadly crackdown [AFP] Police say they have retaken a sprawling slum area from drug gangs in Brazil's second-largest city after a five-day assault that killed more than two dozen people. The government sent armoured military vehicles with high-calibre machine guns into Vila Cruzeiro, a major shantytown in northern Rio de Janeiro, in a concerted crackdown on drug gangs on Sunday. Police said armoured vehicles backed by helicopters, snipers and thousands of heavily armed men from the military police and navy, with another 17,500 reinforcements were "on alert" for the operation. At least 30 suspected drug traffickers were reportedly killed since the operation began on Sunday. "At this moment, Vila Cruzeiro belongs to

Source: DAWN German magazine Der Spiegel said in May 2009 that Hezbollah was implicated in the former prime minister for Lebanon Rafik Hariri (gravesite seen here) murder through the discovery of two linked networks of mobile phones. – AP Photo World Israel pullout stirs fear in Lebanon border hamlet Marital bliss or mockery? UNITED NATIONS: UN investigators have overwhelming proof that Hezbollah militants carried out the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, Canadian broadcaster CBC said Monday. The United Nations expressed concern that leaks of the special tribunal on Lebanon's inquiries could influence its work on the 2005 bomb blast. CBC said evidence gathered by Lebanese detectives and UN investigators “points overwhelmingly to the fact that the assassins were from Hezbollah.” The broadcaster, which was to show a documentary on the killing

Source: pakistani tribune The famous bridge at the LoC, which the organisers plan to cross. Photo: express MUZAFFARABAD:  Azad Kashmir-based militant organisations have initiated a joint campaign with the support of different politico-religious parties to mobilise the people for an en masse breaching of the Line of Control to protest India’s refusal to grant the right of self-determination to the people of Indian Kashmir. The Line of Control (LoC) is the de facto border that separates Indian and Pakistani parts of the disputed Himalayan state. Militant outfits and politico-religious parties have already stepped up their efforts to mobilise the people for what they call ‘an unprecedented’ move in the face of continuing Indian atrocities in the region. These parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, the Azad Kashmir chapter of PML-N, Muttahida Jihad Council and refugees’ organisations believe that the Indian troops would not be able to confront when tens

Source: TOI While emphasising the involvement of Pakistan in any initiative on Jammu & Kashmir, Centre-appointed interlocutors recently expressed a desire to involve the people and leadership of Pakistan-administered J&K (PAJK) in the resolution process. It is an idea that has remained integral to several official as well as civil society initiatives between India and Pakistan. While the Indian side of J&K has hogged international attention for the recent youth unrest, there seems to be a paucity of scholarship and information about the political, ethnic and economic aspects of PAJK. The region known as 'Azad Kashmir' in Pakistan has a population of more than three million and comprises one-third of the erstwhile princely state of J&K. At the world stage, the region has come into focus during the 2005 earthquake or as one of the bases of militant outfits like the Lashkar. However, the region's impact on South Asian politics and even ou

CHARLOTTE MCPHERSON c.mcpherson@todayszaman.com source: Todayszaman The headlines read, “More women to enter workforce if headscarf ban lifted.” Many Turkish women are pleased to hear this. It is a sign of hope.   The NGO Women for Afghan Women (WAW) took a step of hope in taking a strong advocacy stance against US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan on the grounds that this would lead to a total takeover by the Taliban and a massive human rights crisis. Are there any signs of a better future? No real political solutions are in sight. When working with Afghan refugees in the 1980s in Pakistan, I realized that many Afghan men -- brothers, husbands and fathers -- actually wanted a better life for their female relatives. They appreciated that a group of foreign women had come to offer free primary health care for their wives, mothers and daughters. Back then, few Afghan women rare

Source: AP on Yahoo AP – A man pays homage in front of portraits of police officers killed in the Mumbai terror attack outside … Play Video Terrorism Video: Scanning Opt Out CNBC Play Video Terrorism Video: Belgium breaks up Chechnya-linked Islamic network AFP Play Video Terrorism Video: Invasion of the Body Scanners? CNBC

Source: Indian Express The US considers lumberjack Bajram Asllani one of its most wanted men but, because of Kosovo’s unusual international status, it is unable to extradite ands interrogate him. Unlike others on the most wanted list, Asllani is not hiding out in a distant desert or rugged mountain range. The 30-year-old lives openly with his family in Kosovo, a pro-US Balkan country where about 800 US soldiers help preserve peace between majority ethnic Albanians and minority Serbs, formerly the rulers. A friendly local policeman even pointed the way to his street when a journalist recently tried to find Asllani's home in Mitrovica, one of the country's largest cities. Asllani's case is caught up in the legal system of Kosovo, whose own weak judicial system leaves European Union prosecutors to handle major terror cases. Kosovo, whose independence was recognised by all but a handful of countries three years ago, wants to join the EU but remains an internati

Source: Indian express ASSOCIATED PRESS LAHORE, NOVEMBER 24 MILITANTS in Pakistan are going to reap a cash bonanza worth millions from selling skins of animals slaughtered on Eid al-Adha, a Muslim sacrifice day, with hundreds of thousands of dollars expected to reach a group linked to the 2008 Mumbai attackers, according to an ex-member of the group and leather industry workers. Vo lunteers for Jamaat-u-Dawa, suspected of having served as a front for the group behind the Mumbai attacks, were collecting bloodied skins across the country after this year’s Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice. Their work shows the deep roots it and other banned groups have in Pakistan. Militants behind attacks in Pak istan and across its borders get funds from extortion, drugs, kidnappings and donations from foreign sympathisers. But some of the money comes by way of charities, including those collecting hides to raise funds. Over this year’s holiday, which fell last week, Pakistanis killed

Source: WSJ blog Counter-terrorism police across Europe have rounded up 10 suspects accused of planning attacks on targets in Belgium. By Duncan Gardham , Security Correspondent 3:47PM GMT 23 Nov 2010 The individuals were detained in swoops on addresses in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Belgian prosecutors said those arrested were suspected of planning a possible attack in Belgium, but no targets were specified. Others were suspected of involvement in recruiting for a Chechen terrorist group called the Caucasus Emirate. The suspects were of Belgian, Dutch, Moroccan and Russian nationality. Other arrests have previously been made in Spain, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Belgian prosecutors said "there was talk of plans for an attack in Belgium by an international jihadist organization" which used the website Ansar al-Mujahideen, a leading jihadi forum. The police also targeted "the recruiters, candidate

Source: WSJ By ALISTAIR MACDONALD The U.K. faces its most dangerous stretch in the fight against terrorism since two failed attacks in the summer of 2007, Britain's most senior police official said, reflecting increased worries of terrorist attack across Europe. The pronouncement by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson—in a London speech at the Royal United Services Institute, a security and defense think tank—comes at a time when officials across the continent are concerned about the prospect of an attack, including a possible "commando" style attack like the one staged in Mumbai in 2008. A British security official said Wednesday there is genuine concern that such an attack could take place in Britain and is "something we worry about." U.S. and European intelligence agencies have picked up increased talk—from eavesdropping and through agents—that attacks in Europe are being plotted. The point was underscored again by

Source: meria By Matthew A. Levitt Political terrorism has long been a key feature of Middle Eastern politics given the high degree of conflict, relative ineffectiveness of direct military means, ideological rationalizations, and willingness of states to sponsor such activities. The aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and the subsequent American war against terrorism have focused attention on the financing of such movements and operations. The lines of political influence follow those of economic assistance. This article analyzes the state of knowledge regarding this issue. Political terrorism, often sponsored by states, has long been a major factor in Middle East politics. Terrorist groups' ability to act more frequently and effectively is closely linked to financing. Such patronage today, however, is proportionately less in the hands of state sponsors. While Iran and Syria continue to back international terrorism, groups increasingly finance their

How a fresh debate on multiculturalism in Germany clashes with the country’s need for more immigrants Source: The economist HOW well does Halime Cengiz fit into Germany? A “typical guest worker’s child”, she wears a hijab and spends much time at the Mevlana mosque in Gröpelingen, a Bremen neighbourhood with many immigrants. She has a German passport but “would never say I’m German” (or Turkish). She calls herself “a Bremer with Turkish roots”. Yet she also speaks flawless German. Neither her marriage nor her veil was forced on her. Part of her mosque work is with churches, lowering barriers between Muslims and Christians. She urges parents to send their children to kindergarten to improve their German. The parents fret about their children becoming “too German”, but Mrs Cengiz allays such fears. She may be a model migrant after all. Good immigrants and bad, how many and of what kind are all worrying Germany just now. A book claiming that Muslim immigrants and the