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Showing posts from July 5, 2009

Taliban infiltrate once-peaceful Afghan north

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The BBC  reports indicate the infiltration and occupation as well as strengthening of the Taliban in the peaceful north Afganistan This farmer says his stolen oxen were returned when the Taliban arrested the thieves By Bilal Sarwary BBC News, Char Dara district, Kunduz province The northern Afghan province of Kunduz is renowned for its mouth-watering melons, rice and almonds. Kunduzis are likely to remember their province as "the bread basket of Afghanistan" - it was the country's main source of cotton and fruit exports in more peaceful times. But those memories might be fading fast. A recent spate of attacks by the Taliban and al-Qaeda has altered the face of Kunduz beyond all recognit

Tribal police killed in Pakistan

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The BBC Reports the blast in a series of deadly killings in NWFP this one on the tribal police At least three local tribal policemen have been killed after militants in north-west Pakistan attacked a security checkpoint, officials say. The attack took place in the tribal region of Bajaur close to Afghanistan. A large number of militants are reported to have targeted a checkpoint near Khar, Bajaur's main town, the AFP news agency says. Pakistan's army says that its operation against the Taliban in the neighbouring Swat valley is almost over. On Thursday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called on those displaced by the fighting in the area to go home. He said that militants had been "cleared" from Swat, Buner and parts of Upper Dir. But the army is still in the early stages of an operation against Taliban militants in the tribal territory of South Waziristan. There has been sporadic violence in the region. On Friday at least one s

Nigeria rebel Okah 'to be freed'

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Henry Okah has been facing treason and gun-running charges The BBC today reported the release of Henry Okah a one time Mend Millitant Nigeria is to release militant leader Henry Okah because he has accepted a government amnesty offer, the presidential spokesman says. But spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi said details of the release still needed to be worked out. Henry Okah is a leader of the Mend militant group in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. The government recently offered an amnesty to members of any militant group which laid down its weapons. Speaking on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Italy, Mr Adeniyi said: "The president is delighted to hear that he [Mr Okah] has accepted the amnesty offer. With his acceptance, he will be released when the formalities are concluded." A senior spokesman for the Mend rebels, General Boyloaf, confirmed to the BBC that, if Henry Okah was set free, the organisation would lay down its arms. But he said the release of Hen

Expert: Xinjiang riot an act of terrorism

 Chinese administration has started branding the protests in the Urumqi as terrorism ( chinadaily ) The riot in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi, which killed more than 150 people and injured about 1,000, is an act of terrorism, an expert said Thursday, according to a local magazine in Beijing. Li Wei, a professor at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said the Xinjiang riot was “completely different from other riots” triggered by ordinary mass incidents. "In China as well as in foreign countries, the most prominent feature of riots triggered by ordinary mass incidents is property loss," Li said, adding: "However, in Xinjiang, more hoards of people were killed and injured," Li added. "The human casualties show this incident is an organized, violent action against the public," he said. Li said the Rebiya Kadeer-led World Uyghur Congress would have found ways to initiate the riots even if the fight in the factory in Shaoguan had no

[Editorial] The Cyber Terrorism Threat is Real

This edit piece in the Donga speaks of Cyber attacks and south korea As cyber attacks targeting the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, the Defense Ministry and the U.S. White House continued for the third day, even a mutated malicious code emerged to expand the targets of the attacks. Experts warn that since technology used in cyber terrorism is so well orchestrated and thorough, it is even difficult to estimate the damage. South Korea is in a dire situation that is tantamount to cyber war. The government, investigators and private think tanks are scrambling to handle the situation but are having a hard time. South Korea`s main spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, told the parliamentary intelligence committee Wednesday, “The attacks are believed to have been waged by North Korea or pro-North Korea groups.” The North, which is conducting nuclear weapon development and missile tests, is apparently trying to acquire the means to wage a high-tech cyber war. This is another

Afghan Children Killed in Bomb Blast

SoS children reports  9/7/2009 - Another incidence of violence in Afghanistan has left 25 people dead, including both civilians and police officers. More than half of the victims were children on their way to school. Early this morning, explosives planted in an overturned truck in the Afghan province of Logar exploded. 25 people were killed, 15 of them children. As of current information, 3 other children are reported missing. Witnesses say that the truck had been overturned either last night or in the wee hours of the morning. When police officers arrived at the scene to investigate, the explosives were detonated - most likely by remote control, reports the Globe and Mail. The timing of the blast was likely planned strategically for when the streets would be most crowded with morning traffic. The motive behind the attack is still unclear. One government official even suggested that the explosives had detonated accidentally and that the militants had actually aimed to smuggl

Dozens killed in Iraqi bombings

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Source: BBC NEWS Aftermath of the bomb attacks in Sadr City, Baghdad At least 34 people have been killed in a double suicide bomb attack in northern Iraq, police and medics say. They say about 60 people were injured when two bombers detonated their explosive vests in the town of Talafar, near Mosul. The attacks are the deadliest since the withdrawal last week of US combat troops from Iraqi towns and cities. In Baghdad, at least seven people were killed and nearly 20 injured in two bomb explosions in Sadr City. In the capital's central Karrada area, a roadside bomb blast killed one civilian, police say. They say the attack targeted a convoy of Iraq's Central Bank governor, who was unhurt. 'Policeman targeted' The attacks in Talafar, which is populated mainly by members of the Turkmen ethnic minority, happened at about 0730 (0430 GMT) and in quick succession. First, a suicide bo

New 'cyber attacks' hit S Korea

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Source: BBC NEWS By John Sudworth BBC News, Seoul This is the third wave of attacks on corporate websites in South Korea South Korea is experiencing a third wave of suspected cyber-attacks - co-ordinated attempts to paralyse a number of major websites. One of the country's biggest banks, a leading national newspaper and the South Korean spy agency appear to have been targeted. Some reports suggest the attacks might be the work of North Korea. South Korea and the US reported similar attacks earlier in the week, with the White House and the Pentagon targeted. The South Korean government, and the country's internet service providers, are still trying to fight off what appears to be a delibe

Pakistan nurtured terrorist groups: Zardari

Source: Live Mint Pakistani President Zardari has admitted that the nation’s terrorist groups were created and nurtured by the government. To get an analysis of the issue at hand, we speak to Siddharth Singh, Deputy Editor of Mint’s Views section Siddharth Singh New Delhi: Yesterday Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari addressed a group of former senior civil servants in Islamabad, stating that terrorist groups in Pakistan arose not because of government weakness, but because of conscious policy decisions made to achieve national objectives. “Let us be truthful to ourselves and make a candid admission of the realities,” he stated. “The terrorists of today were the heroes of yesteryears until 9/11 occurred and they began to haunt us as well.” Two of Pakistan’s leading newspapers, The Dawn and The Daily Times, issued editorials in response to Zardari’s statements. The Dawn in an editorial titled ‘Jihad and the state’ said,“The president is right, and we wo

Major crackdown in Kashmir; over 320 booked for rioting

source: The Hindu Srinagar (PTI): In a major crackdown in Kashmir Valley, the Jammu and Kashmir police has arrested over 320 people for allegedly indulging in stone pelting or fomenting trouble. As many as seven people have been booked with charges under the Public Safety Act being slapped on them, official sources said. After chalking out a list of anti-social elements, police teams carried out a late night swoop that lasted till early this morning, picking up people who had been disturbing peace in various districts of the valley, they said. The sources said maximum number of people have been picked up from Baramulla district in North Kashmir followed by Kulgam and Anantnag districts in South Kashmir. Shopian, which has been witnessing frequent strikes over alleged rape and murder of two women, was also been brought under the ambit of the drive and over three dozen people from this district were picked up. Police has slapped minor charges of disturbing peace to serious offe

Militancy-infested Pakistan, Afghanistan top priority for G-8

Source: Zeenews Bureau L'Aquila (Italy), July 09: The G8 declaration on counter terrorism Thursday denounced the scourge in all its forms and said that militancy-infested Pakistan and Afghanistan remained a top priority for them. The G-8 Declaration on Counter-Terrorism, adopted after a summit of leaders, including US President Barack Obama, in this mountain town, said terrorism continued to represent one of the greatest challenges to international peace, stability and security. "We reiterate, in the strongest terms, our firm condemnation of this phenomenon in all its forms and manifestations. All acts of terrorism - by whoever committed - are criminal, inhumane and unjustifiable, regardless of motivation, especially when they indiscriminately target and injure civilians," it said. In their resolution on 'Political Issues', the highly developed countries said Afghanistan and Pakistan remained a top priority for them as both were presented with grave challe

Al-Qaida leadership in Pakistan's FATA: US

9 Jul 2009, 0626 hrs IST, PTI Source: TOI WASHINGTON: Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said the Al Qaida leadership resides in the federally-administered tribal areas (FATA) of Pakistan and the United States is determined to defeat them. "The top priority, with respect to that strategy, is to defeat al Qaida, whose leadership resides in the FATA -- in the federal areas, the tribal areas -- in Western Pakistan," Mullen said in his remarks at a luncheon held at the National Press Club in Washington yesterday. Referring to the recent developments in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Mullen said things are now moving in the right direction and the United States now needs to remain engaged in both the countries. "A year ago, not many people would have said that the Pakistani military could pull that (Swat) off, and yet they have made an awful lot of progress," he said. "Then that kind of both effort and the cooperation that we&#

LeT’s marine wing planning repeat of 26/11, warns US think tank

Source: ET 8 Jul 2009, 0433 hrs IST, ET Bureau NEW DELHI: Confirming a fresh terror threat from marine wing of the Lashkar-e-Taiba to vital installations along the coast in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, a US-based think tank has drawn attention to the Pakistan-based outfit’s widespread use of Gulf countries as a link to fund and plot terror attacks against India. According to a report in the Terrorism Monitor, a periodical published by the Virginia-based Jamestown Foundation, intelligence authorities have revealed that LeT’s marine wing is planning a repeat of 26/11, and is on the lookout for an incursion into India via the western seacoast. The report, which claims that the Indian intelligence agencies have confirmed the Gulf link to terror in India, mentions 26/11 and last year’s blasts in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Surat as LeT’s operations that were financed by its Gulf cells and masterminded by its Gulf-based operatives and carried out in collusion with IM and SIMI.

China asks Pakistan, other countries to unearth links with Urumqi violence

8 Jul 2009, 2045 hrs IST, Saibal Dasgupta, TNN Source: TOI BEIJING: Even as additional security personnel and machinery poured into Urumqi, the Chinese foreign ministry has got into action asking several countries including Pakistan to prove their friendship by taking a stand on the issue. Beijing wants several countries to unearth the links between their citizens and the World Uyghur Congress. A worried Hu Jintao, secretary-general of the Communist Party of China and the country's president left the G8 summit in Italy and rushed back to Beijing on Tuesday night as it dawned on Chinese authorities that the Urumqi violence might set off a chain reaction and eventually affect the party position. The Communist Party boss of Urumqi said the local government will seek death penalty for those involved in the killing of 156 people during the orgy of violence on Sunday. Li Zhi, the local party boss, said the streets of the city are totally under the control of security forces. T

Nigerian Militants Claim Pipeline Strikes

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Source: VOA By Gilbert da Costa Abuja 08 July 2009 An undated photo of a Shell Oil rig in the Niger Delta, Nigeria Nigeria's main militant group says it bombed two oil pipelines in the restive southern Niger Delta as part of its campaign against the oil industry.  The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, said its fighters attacked two major pipelines belonging to Royal Dutch Shell and the Italian group Agip. The rebel group said in a statement it destroyed the pipelines in predawn attacks in Bayelsa state. There was no immediate comment from Agip, but Shell officials said they were investigating the report. A spokesman for the Nigerian military in the Niger Delta, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, told VOA that security forces will crush any further threat to the oil industry. "I am telling you that these guys who are committing these sabotage activities are in the communities. We are 100 percent on top of the situation and we will

Cyber Attack Targets US, S. Korean Government Web Sites

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Source: VOA By VOA News 08 July 2009 S. Korean president and defense ministry home pages were "unavailable" on July 8, 2009 U.S. and South Korean government Web sites have been disrupted in what officials are calling a widespread and coordinated cyber attack. U.S. officials said the attack targeted U.S. government Web sites including that of the White House, departments of Homeland Security, Defense, and Treasury, and The Voice of America. The officials said the attacks began July 4. In South Korea, the attacks affected Web sites for the presidential office, the ruling party, the defense ministry and others. South Korea's National Intelligence Service reportedly said it suspects North Korea could be involved, saying such a coordinated attack is likely the work of a large organization or state. Computer experts describe this kind of attack as a "distributed denial of service." A computer virus spreads from one personal comput

I've just seen hell on earth: Four years after 7/7, a never before seen picture of the horror that confronted police on the Tube ripped apart by terrorists

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Source: Dailymail By Sam Greenhill Last updated at 11:03 PM on 07th July 2009 Comments ( 0 ) Add to My Stories Inching through debris and choking heat, police forensic officers comb the wreckage of one of the 7/7 tube trains in this never-before-seen picture. Hunting for particles of evidence, they toiled in searing temperatures in the Underground carriages where suicide bomber Jermaine Lindsay blew up 26 innocent people four years ago yesterday. Warped and blackened by the blast, this is the Piccadilly Line carriage where Jermaine Lindsay's bomb detonated at Russell Square station. A forensics officer in white rubber gloves inches his way along the floor - itself sheared away in the blast, exposing metal beams - searching for the smallest of clues The harrowing task took days of almost superhuman concentration to complete. Now, for the first time, their hellish mission can be glimpsed in this exclusive picture obtained by the Daily Mail. We publish it the d

100 local militants finish bomb training–GMA assistant

Source: Business mirror COTABATO CITY—The President’s assistant for Southern Philippines said some 100 bandits have recently finished training on bomb making in Mindanao. Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza told reporters after his visit at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center, where blast victims were confined, that people in Central Mindanao must unite to counter acts of terrorism. “This is no longer isolated but orchestrated. That’s the briefing to me by the military. Over the last period, they [military authorities] have monitored three training programs for [future] bomb makers. We don’t know what they will do…some will do test missions…we cannot tell,” Dureza said. “And from January to present, there were 56 cases of bombings in the region. So the incidents are orchestrated, not isolated. There’s a pattern. But I don’t want to speculate what groups are behind the attacks.” Dureza said with the number of new bomb experts, those behind the blasts can wreak more ha

More bombings: 2 killed

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Source: The philstar By Roel Pareño and Jaime Laude Updated July 08, 2009 12:00 AM Police examine the site where a bomb concealed in a motorcycle exploded near the Mount Carmel Church in Jolo. AP | Zoom MANILA, Philippines - Two people were killed and more than 50 wounded by bomb blasts yesterday in Jolo and Iligan City, in what officials described as coordinated attacks by al-Qaeda-linked militants. The blasts came two days after the deadly explosion outside a crowded cathedral in Cotabato City on Sunday. The first bomb exploded in a commercial area in Jolo, killing two people and wounding around 30, police said. It was followed around two hours later by a car bomb blast next to a parked military patrol jeep in Iligan City. The second blast wounded at least 24 people, including three soldiers, the military said. The names of the fatalities were

Two casualties in Mindanao bomb blasts; military alert raised

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Source: Businessworld online ILIGAN CITY/ZAMBOANGA CITY — At least two people died from separate bomb blasts in Mindanao yesterday in a string of terrorist attacks on civilian areas. Investigators look for evidence after a bomb blast at a commercial center in Jolo, Sulu province, on July 7. At least two people were killed and more than 40 others wounded by twin bomb blasts in the Philippines, Tuesday, in what officials described as coordinated attacks by bandits and Moro rebels. The first bomb exploded in a commercial area of Jolo. It was followed around two hours later by car bomb blast next to a parked military patrol jeep in Iligan City. — AFP Field reports said two died in Jolo in the southwestern island-province of Sulu while 18 others were injured in Iligan City in Northern Mindanao, said Carmelito Lupo, regional disaster coordinating council chairman. The explosions occurred two days after a powerful bomb exploded across a Catholic church in Cotabato City on Sunday, killi

Terrorists may be using Pak sats to plot against India

8 Jul 2009, 0032 hrs IST, Diwakar, TNN  Source: TOI ROME: Fresh evidence of continued collusion of Pakistan's official agencies with terrorist groups plotting attacks on India has cast a shadow on resumption of full-scale talks between the estranged neighbours. According to sources, state actors in Pakistan were seeking to help terrorist groups using Thuraya satellite phones to plot attacks on India by camouflaging the location of the phones. The deception game, spoofing in intelligence parlance, involves setting up transmitters near the terrorist bases to block the signals from Thuraya sets which can help pinpoint location of the users. The transmitters cannot be set up or remain hidden to Pakistan's own agencies. The finding shows Pakistan has failed to meet the condition set by India — credible steps to punish those responsible for the Mumbai terror attack and to destroy terrorist infrastrucuture — for the resumption of the composite dialogue. Thuraya phones are p

Bangladesh nabs 'deputy chief' of new militant group

Source: TOI 7 Jul 2009, 1608 hrs IST, AFP DHAKA: Bangladesh's elite security force said on Tuesday it had arrested the second-in-command of a newly-formed Islamist militant group in a remote village in the northwest. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officers and frontier guards raided the village close to the Indian border and arrested Selim, 45, who uses one name, after he was shot and injured in a shootout, RAB spokesman Mohammad Kamruzzaman said. Kamruzzaman identified Selim as the number two of a new militant group known as Islam Muslim. "It's a mysterious group and we hope his arrest would lead to more information about them," he said. Newspaper reports have suggested Islam Muslim is an offshoot of the outlawed Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which was behind a violent bombing campaign that killed 28 people and injured hundreds in 2005. In 2007, the then army-backed government hanged six JMB figures, including its leader and his deputy, but police

Sri Lanka extends state of emergency

7 Jul 2009, 1908 hrs IST, AP Source: TOI COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's parliament extended a state of emergency on Tuesday as the government seeks to eliminate the remnants of the Tamil rebel force some two months after declaring an end to a decades-long civil war. The measures, which will in place for another month, gives the military and police wide-ranging powers to arrest terrorist suspects and detain them indefinitely. It has been in place for much of the past 30 years while government troops fought the Tamil insurgents. The government declared in May that its forces had crushed the rebel group, killing it's leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and many of his top commanders, to end the decades-long war. The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's minority Tamil population. Defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said the emergency powers were still needed so government forces could eliminate any remaining Tamil rebels, who could still prese

Philippines: 5 die in bomb blast near cathedral

Source: energypublisher Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato says a bomb attack in Cotabato City that killed five people and injured at least 43 did not target the cathedral, as earlier reports had claimed. He called for calm in a statement to media on July 5, the day of the blast in the southern city. “Violence does not achieve anything. Violence begets violence,” the bishop said. “Let’s all pray for the conversion of the bombers." The Oblates of Mary (OMI) prelate said he believed extortion was a motive, and he later reaffirmed to UCA News that the bombing "is not about religion, the Muslims' desire for ‘self rule’ or anything political.” He told UCA News said he had felt compelled to issue statements to e-groups and the media to correct reports that the cathedral was the target. There were no blasts inside the cathedral and the bomb was not set to go off as people were coming out of church, he clarified in his messages. Peace advocates praised Archbishop Qu

British cops foil plan to attack mosques

Source: Rediff July 06, 2009 10:49 IST The British police has foiled a plan to attack mosques in different parts of the United Kingdom and arrested 32 Caucasian men in raids in London [ Images ] . The men in custody had accumulated rocket-launchers, hand grenades and explosives for the attacks, a private TV channel reported. The channel quoted its sources as saying that the London Police raided 20 different places. Membership cards of the radical British National Party and hate literature were also seized in the raids. British parliamentarian Muhammad Sarwar praised the police and other law enforcement agencies for their timely action to prevent attacks on the places of worship. He told the channel that he would be in touch with the Home Secretary and other officials concerned on the issue, the Daily Times reported. Sarwar said it was the responsibility of the British government to protect the lives, property and religious places of all the communities living in th

Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Financial Network Targets India from the Gulf States

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Source: Jamestown Publication: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 19 July 2, 2009 04:12 PM Age: 4 days Category: Terrorism Monitor, Global Terrorism Analysis, Home Page, Terrorism, South Asia By: Animesh Roul Hafeez Muhammad Saeed, Founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba An impending threat from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist group has prompted security establishments to raise an alert along India’s western sea-coast. According to intelligence sources, the LeT’s marine wing is planning a Mumbai-type incursion to target vital installations in the three coastal states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. The group is also reported to have funneled huge amounts of money from its Gulf-based networks to fund jihad activities in India (Times of India, June 30).  This is not an isolated intelligence alert. The threat emanating from the LeT was partially revealed following the recent arrest of Muhammad Omar Madni, a close associate of LeT/Jamaat-ud- Dawa chief Hafeez Muhammad Saeed. The