Terrorism Watch

Source: gulfnews Seven-year old student and 34-year old wife of Scottish oilman released from kidnappers Manila: A seven year-old student and a 34-year old business woman married to a Scottish oilman were both released from their kidnappers, following clashes with Muslim bandits in two separate places in restive southern Philippines late Monday, belated reports said Tuesday. Elsie Navarro, 7, and her mother Elsie Navarro, a public school teacher, were reunited at 9:45 Monday night, one hour after Delia Sultan, a provincial board member, found the kidnap-victim in a far-flung area between Balong and Kabasalan Villages, Pikit town, North Cotabato, following a phone instruction from unidentified kidnappers, a source told Gulf News. Ransom payment was not made, Sultan was quoted as saying. Her husband Sumulong Sultan, mayor of Pikit, formed a crisis committee composed of several local village officials and residents in Balong Village to negotiate for the release

Source: Reuters ) - At least six people were killed on Tuesday in a third day of violence in Yemen's capital, medics said, and Reuters reporters saw snipers positioned on the upper levels of buildings as protesters took to the streets. Four soldiers, part of a defected brigade which supports the demonstrators, were killed in fighting with government forces, medics at a field hospital said. Two people had died earlier on Tuesday when at least three shells hit a protest camp. Violence has shifted from a crackdown on protesters seeking an end to the 33-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh to a military confrontation between government troops and soldiers who have defected to the opposition. It was not immediately clear who were the snipers who appeared on buildings. Pro-Saleh snipers had shot several protesters on Monday. Soldiers loyal to defected General Ali Mohsen were also on the streets

Source: gulfnews Attack targets head of Karachi's crime investigation department Islamabad: A massive suicide car bomb attack yesterday in Pakistan's violence-plagued port city of Karachi, targeting the house of a senior police officer, killed eight people including six policemen and two civilians, police said. The bomber rammed his explosive-laden double cabin vehicle into the gate of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Chaudhry Aslam's house located in the seaside Defence Housing Authority area, a high security zone, said provincial police chief Wajid Ali Durrani. The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) reportedly claimed responsibility for the blast. Aslam, head of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), survived unhurt but some family members received minor injuries. Nearby buildings and vehicles in the area were severely damaged by the explosion in which, according to Durrani, more than 300 kilograms of explosive was used. T

( Reuters) - A bomb blast rocked the center of the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday and some media reports said two people were killed, while a local mayor said nobody was dead but three people were seriously wounded. Police were not immediately available for comment, but a TV station reported that the explosion had occurred in a minibus. Television images showed several parked cars ablaze in front of a local state authority's offices, while a plume of thick smoke rose over the area. Ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene. The state-run Anatolian news agency said police set up a security cordon at the site in case of a secondary explosion. Dogan News Agency quoted police sources as saying the blast was caused by a bomb and fire service officials as saying that two people had died. It also reported that police had detained a woman near the scene. Cankaya Mayor Bulent Tanik said nobody was killed but three people had been seriously wounded, while broad

Source: canadafreepress The people who have given us bagels and lox, potato latkes, and chicken soup, in addition to the Old Testament, Albert Einstein, and a list of Nobel Prize winners as long as your arm, are in for yet another interesting week. Last week, Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced that the Palestinian Authority would not make a bid for statehood at the United Nations. That may have had something to do with massive pressure from the United States, Europe, and Saudi Arabia. You can always trust a Palestinian’s word, right? Wrong. The next day, September 15, Abbas said the PA had changed its mind and would go to the UN Security Council to ask that it grant statehood to Palestine, admitting it as a full-fledged member.  He must have gotten a call from Turkey’s Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogen, who has been spoiling for a war with Israel and has been urging the Arab League to join in. It might have something to do with Erdog

Source: VOA Rising tensions with Israel, Turkey’s turn to the East raise questions about Ankara’s ambitions, future course Photo: AP Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the headquarters of his Justice and Development Party in Ankara (file photo) Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in North Africa this week in what he is calling an expression of partnership with the emerging democracies of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. His trip coincides with a critical decline in relations with Israel and an attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo - as well as next week’s Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations. Erdogan’s “Arab Spring” tour and recent public statements have raised concerns in some quarters that Turkey is looking to create an alliance with Egypt that could be hostile to Israel - and, in a much more general sense, is indicative of what some have termed “neo-Ottomanism.” Until

Source: VOA Photo: Reuters Doctors at a drug rehabilitation clinic check for any signs that Ha Van Canh, 19, has been injecting himself with drugs in this file photo taken on July 30, 1997. Rights advocates in Vietnam are criticizing a form of treatment used by the government to rehabilitate illegal drug users and sex workers. Click here to hear Marianne Brown's report In a newly released report , the international human rights group Human Rights Watch says the so-called therapy is little more than forced labor.  Surrounded by fences or walls and watched over by guards, Vietnam’s drug rehabilitation centers provide what the government calls labor therapy to treat thousands of addicts every year. But this week's report by Human Rights Watch contests how much good the camps actually do, with accusations of forced labor and torture from former detainees . There are more than 100 drug rehabili

Source: bendbulletin CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — John Brennan, the top counterterrorism adviser to President Barack Obama, on Friday defended a broad conception of where the United States can use military force against members of al-Qaida and its allies. Brennan also denounced a proposal in Congress to mandate military detention of terrorism suspects, even those captured on U.S. soil. His remarks were part of a speech on the administration’s counterterrorism policy and the rule of law, delivered before a conference at Harvard Law School. Brennan’s remarks about the ability to use military force came against the backdrop of a debate, reported Friday by The New York Times, between lawyers at the State Department and the Pentagon over the limits of military force in places like Yemen and Somalia. In that region, the State Department has argued, the United States may — as a matter of self-defense — lawfully kill high-level militants who are involved in plots to attack the United

Source: VOA South African President Jacob Zuma has ordered an inquiry into a controversial 12-year-old arms deal, intended to modernize the country's military, that has been plagued by charges of corruption and malfeasance almost from its inception.  There has been widespread reaction to the announcement. Twelve years ago this month, Patricia De Lille, then an opposition legislator, alerted parliament in Cape Town to allegations of corruption and malfeasance in the country’s so-called Strategic Defence Procurement Package - now commonly known simply as "the arms deal."  She followed with a call for a commission of inquiry into the deal. Since then, Shabir Shaik, Zuma’s former financial adviser, and one other person have been convicted on charges related to corruption in the arms deal.  Between 2005 and 2009 Zuma was also charged with corruption and racketeering in connection with the deal.  In 2009 the National Prosecuting Authority, NPA, controversially

Source: BBC An Irish man has been arrested in Brazil with almost a kilo of cocaine hidden in his gut, police there say. The 20-year-old suspect was detained as he tried to board a flight from Sao Paulo to Brussels. Officers said they became suspicious because he looked nervous. When questioned, he admitted having swallowed sealed capsules of cocaine. He was rushed to hospital, where he expelled 72 capsules containing 830g (1.8lb) of the drug. The hospital released a scan showing the man's gut filled with the oval-shaped capsules. The suspect is being held on suspicion of international drug smuggling. If found guilty, he could face five to 15 years in prison. Risk Brazil is a major transit point for smugglers moving South American drugs into Europe's lucrative drugs market. Neighbouring Bolivia, Colombia and Peru produce almost all the world's cocaine. Every year hundreds of people - kno

Source: vanguard Babakura Fugu , the representative of Mohammed Yusuf’s family that received former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Thursday, has been killed. He was shot dead yesterday. His assailants were said to have been led by his younger brother. Yusuf was the deceased leader of the now dreaded Ahlan Sunnah Lid Da’waati wal Jihad Yaanaa (brothers), popularly known as the Boko Haram sect, who was killed while in police custody in December 2009. Sources told Sunday Vanguard that members of the sect may have felt he (Fugu) shouldn’t have been the one to receive Obasanjo. It was learnt that “there may have been evidence of envy in the ranks of the sect members”. In addition, it was gathered that the former president gave a gift of cash to the family after his meeting. The money (the exact amount which could not be ascertained) is being rumoured to be a source of friction among the sect members. According to the sources, Boko

Source: dailytimes * Commission expresses concern over growing incidents of decomposed bodies of missing persons being found in province By Mohammad Zafar QUETTA: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Balochistan chapter, on Saturday, expressed its serious concern over the increasing number of decomposed bodies of missing persons being recovered from different parts of Balochistan. HRCP Quetta chapter Chairman Tahir Hussain Advocate and Zahoor Shahwani, while addressing a news conference, said that situation was going from bad to worse in the province, as security personnel themselves were not secure from attacks. They said that most of the people did not come forward to record their statements out of fear. “The hoardings displayed in Hindu dominated areas of the province demanding security for members of the community reflect the state of lawlessness and prevailing sense of fear,” they told the reporters. They said the number of mutilated dead bodies of missing

Source: opride Recently released Wikileaks Ethiopia files expose how Ethiopian security forces planted 3 bombs that went off in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on September 16, 2006 and then blamed Eritrea and the Oromo resistance for the blasts in a case that raises serious questions about the claims made about the bombing attempt against the African Union summit earlier this year in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In a report from 2006 marked “Secret ; Subject: Ethiopia: Recent Bombings Blamed on Oromos Possibly the Work of GOE [Government of Ethiopia]” “Classified By: Charge [d’Affairs] Vicki Huddleston”, “An embassy source, as well as clandestine reporting, suggests that the bombing may have in fact been the work of the GoE security forces.” (Cable reference id: #06ADDISABABA2708.) At the time, the western media reported the Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) claims that the bombs were “part of a coordinated terror attack

Source: IBTIMES A fourth victim has died after a series of three bomb attacks rocked Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district in southern Thailand near the border with Malaysia. 74 others were reportedly injured in the attacks as authorities dispatched two teams to hunt for the perpetrators along the Malaysian border. Forty of the injured remained hospitalized on Saturday, according to local newspaper The Nation. Seven were listed in serious condition, some with broken limbs and others with burns covering more than 50 percent of their bodies. Officials in Thailand are suggesting that the attacks may have been a form of retaliation by a drug syndicate for a recent anti-narcotics operation. The series of three bomb blasts tore through the town in southern Thailand Friday night. One went off outside a karaoke bar, another at the Tae Chiew Clan charity association, while the third struck the Merlin Hotel. The first two bombs appear to have been planted on motor

Source: washingtonpost KABUL — A political dispute over the expulsion of nine lawmakers has paralyzed Afghanistan’s parliament a year after Afghans braved a torrent of attacks to elect their representatives. The impasse has held up urgent legislative initiatives and exacerbated the sense of anxiety among Afghans about the country’s future at a time when U.S. troops are starting to draw down amid rising violence. More than half of the 249 members of the lower house of parliament have refused or failed to attend sessions after nine lawmakers lost their seats over allegations that they were elected as a result of widespread fraud. Members supporting the dismissed representatives say their bloc includes 160 lawmakers, a figure disputed by allies of President Hamid Karzai. The nine members were expelled after a months-long fight during which Afghan and Western officials accused Karzai of using the courts to force the removal of opposition figu

Source:Washingtonpost View Photo Gallery —  Home to a population that consumes 20 percent of the world’s energy, China sees the waterways as indispensable to its economic health. PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINES — When China’s largest offshore petroleum producer launched a $1 billion oil rig this summer from Shanghai, Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban, the commander of Philippine military forces 1,500 miles away in the South China Sea, began preparing for trouble. The drilling platform, said China, would soon be heading in the general’s direction — southward into waters rich in oil and natural gas, and also in volatile fuel for potential conflict. “We started war-gaming what we could do,” said Sabban, a barrel-chested, American-trained marine who, as chief of the Philippines’ Western Command, is responsible for keeping out intruders from a wide swath of sea that Manila views as its own but that

Source: TOI JAMMU: Reiterating a call to separatists for taking part in talks for resolving Kashmir issue politically, the interlocutors appointed by the Centre said on Saturday that doors were open even now. However, they added separatists' non- participation would not have much affect on the final recommendations they would submit to Centre on October 12. To a question on whether the separatists' absence would leave their findings incomplete, chief interlocutor Dileep Padgaonkar candidly admitted that was possible despite their being exhaustive in this exercise. He added, "No big difference would be there in the report due to their (separatists') non-engagement in talks, as we have exercised great elaboration on the five points of view of Geelani and Mirwaiz along with those of others." Veteran journalist Padgaonkar, who was flanked by former chief information commissioner M M Ansari and academician Radha Kumar, also underlined that do

Source: TOI ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: The United States has evidence linking the Pakistan government to the Haqqani network, which was behind this week's attack on the American embassy in Kabul , US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter has said. A "lot of work" is needed to put Pakistan-US ties back on track and Islamabad must sever its links with militant groups like the Haqqani network, Munter said in an interview with 'Radio Pakistan'. "Let me tell you that the attack that took place in Kabul a few days ago, that was the work of the Haqqani network. And the facts, that we have said in the past, that there are problems, there is evidence linking the Haqqani network to the Pakistan government," he said in response to a question about the current state of bilateral ties. He did not give details about the evidence. "This is something that must stop. We have to make sure that we work together to fight terrorism. We have to make

Source: DNAINDIA Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will make a strong case for UN reforms and expansion of the Security Council at next week’s UN General Assembly session in New York. India would also be extending support to “the acceptance of credentials of the delegation of the Transitional National Council of Libya,” and the Palestinian statehood. Manmohan Singh will be visiting New York from 22 to 26 September to attend the UNGA Session, which commenced on September 13. The prime minister is scheduled to address the general debate in the UN general assembly on September 24 morning. Singh is also likely to hold bilateral meetings with a number of visiting heads of states and governments during his stay in New York. “India’s priorities...would include...continuing our efforts for reform of the UN with a view to creating an equitable system that is reflective of contemporary realities...unless comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council is undertaken, the

SourceWashingtonpost UNITED NATIONS — If there is one thing you can count on at the United Nations, it’s that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict never goes away. The struggle for land between Arabs and Jews has been the lone constant in the United Nations’ 66-year history, outlasting other major political crises of the 20th century, from the ending of the colonial era and the Cold War to the eruption of modern genocides in Europe, Asia and Africa. Next week the dispute will again take center stage as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas formally embarks on his long-anticipated bid to have the United Nations recognize a state of Palestine, a process that has already ignited a new round of recrimination and confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians. The drama will cast a spotlight on the failure of the United Nations to resolve a conflict that has weighed heavily on the organization since its birth, and often split U.N.

Source: TOI Blast at Agra hospital, several injured See photo LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI: At least 15 people were injured in a blast at Jai Hospital in Agra on Saturday evening. The explosion took place at the waiting room near the reception of the hospital. Three of the injured have received serious injuries. The place is barely 2.5kms from high-security Mughal monument Taj Mahal. According to sources, preliminary reports on the incident from Uttar Pradesh DGP and chief secretary to the Union home ministry indicated that the blast could be result of rivalries between two private hospitals. It, however, did not rule out the possibility of terror angle at this juncture. Anything concrete can be said only after some progress in the probe is made, it added. Forensic experts have recovered pieces of wire and a battery from the blast site, confirming the use of an improvised explosive device (IED). The explosive, believed to be black in colou