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Showing posts from December 13, 2009

Blast in city, no loss to life reported: DCO

Source: Associated press of pakistan PESHAWAR Dec.19 (APP): A low intensity remote control roadside bomb blast in a suburban locality of the interior city Saturday partially damaged the police van of the Gulbahar police station Saturday morning, says DCO Peshawar. The explosive device planted along the roadside in Afridi Abad near Ring Road went off with big bang when a Police van with DSP on board was passing through the area. The vehicle partially damaged in the explosion while the DSP remained unhurt.The police has cordoned off the area after the blast.

Soldiers killed by bomb blast in South

Source: bangkok post Published: 19/12/2009 at 01:55 PM Three soldiers of a special team providing security for teachers were killed and two others injured by a bomb explosion in front of Yueroh school in Narathiwat’s Bacho district on Saturday afternoon, police said. The wounded soldiers were rushed to Bacho hospital. Police were inspecting the scene and hunting for the bomb attackers. They blamed separatist militants for the bomb attack.

US soldier killed in Afghan blast, seven Taliban killed in clashes

Source: Monster and critics Dec 19, 2009, 10:56 GMT Kabul - A roadside bomb killed a US soldier in southern Afghanistan, while security forces killed seven Taliban fighters in the country's northern region, officials said Saturday. The soldier, who became the 305th US military death in Afghanistan so far this year, was killed in a roadside bomb blast, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement. It did not provide further details. There are around 68,000 US troops along with around 40,000 forces from other NATO countries currently stationed in Afghanistan. An additional 30,000 US and up to 7,000 extra NATO troops are expected to arrive in Afghanistan by next summer to try to turn the tide against the Taliban insurgents. Afghan police and army forces, meanwhile, killed seven Taliban militants in two clashes in Kaltrash and Qerleq village in Archi district of the northern province of Kunduz on Friday night, Mohammad Razaq Yaqoubi, the provincial police chief,

10 killed, 28 hurt in Dir mosque blast: police 18 dec 2009

Myanmar accuses separatists over deadly bomb blast

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Source: AFP on Google (AFP) – 6 hours ago The Karen National Union has been fighting the Myanmar government for autonomy for more than five decades YANGON — Myanmar's government accused armed separatists Friday of a bomb attack that killed eight people and left 13 others injured at a market in the country's restive Karen state, state media and officials said. The bomb exploded late Wednesday as members of the ethnic Karen minority celebrated their New Year at a bazaar in the eastern state bordering Thailand, an official told AFP. Six people died at the scene and two died later in hospital. "The New Year's ceremony had already ended so there were not many people still around," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The bomb exploded in Phapun town in Karen State, around 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the economic hub and former capital Yangon, he said. It was not clear who was responsible for the attack, but English-language daily New Lig

Bomb blast near mosque kills 5 in Pakistan

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Source: AP on Google Pakistani paramilitary personnel check an Afghan national at the Chaman border post along the Afghanistan border in Pakistan, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. Authorities have beefed up security at Pakistan's borders as the Islamic month of Muharram, a mourning month for Shiite Muslims, approaches to avoid terrorism. (AP Photo/Shah Khalid) By MUNIR AHMED (AP) – 2 hours ago ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a mosque used by police Friday in an area of northwestern Pakistan, killing five people, said police. Worshippers were leaving Friday prayers when the attack occurred in the Lower Dir region, said the area's police chief, Feroze Khan. The blast wounded another 28 people, mostly police, said a local hospital official, Ghulam Mohammed. Islamist militants have staged a string of bloody attacks against Pakistani security forces in recent months. Lower Dir is next to the Swat Valley, which Pakistani soldiers wrested from t

20 killed in Dera Ghazi khan blast

SOURCE: NTDTV And at least 20 people are dead in Pakistan after the home of a government minister was bombed in Punjab Province today. The latest blast was in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan in a crowded market. The kind of site frequently targeted by militants aiming to inflict maximum casualties. The powerful blast destroyed several shops, trapping people in the rubble. Rescue workers fear the death toll may increase. Militants have killed hundreds of people in bombings since October, when a military clampdown in South Waziristan dealt a major blow to the Taliban.

Deadly bomb attack in Pakistan

At least 18 people have been killed in a bomb attack in the Pakistani market town of Dera Ghazi Khan, near a government minister's house.

Kabul suicide bomb kills at least eight people

A suicide car bomber strikes a hotel in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing at least eight people. Dec 15 2009

Kabul Baghdad SVBIED car bomb aftermaths 15-12-09

the Kabul suicide attack killed at least 8 while 40 were injured, the 3 Baghdad car blasts killed 5 and injured  some dozens

bomb blast in dera ghazi khan

Suicide Car Bomb Blast in Kabul

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Source: NYT Ahmad Massoud/Associated Press A wounded woman was helped outside the Heetal Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday KABUL, Afghanistan — Hedyatullah Rahmani gathered himself from the force of the blast and raced two blocks to the scene of the suicide car bomb that struck central Kabul on Tuesday morning. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Ahmad Massoud/Associated Press A victim of the bombing was carried outside the Heetal Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. He saw two men being burned, trapped inside a car. The driver thrust his hand out the window and was waving it frantically, said Mr. Rahmani, who with two other men pulled the driver from the car. “We threw him in the ditch of water to kill the fire on his body,” Mr. Rahmani said. But the other passenger, he said, could not be rescued. The blast killed at least eight people and wounded 40 more, the Afghan authorities said. Four women were among the dead, according to the Int

Syria bus blast kills 3, terrorism ruled out

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Map By Reem Haddad (AFP) – Dec 3, 2009 DAMASCUS — A powerful blast wrecked an Iranian pilgrim bus near a Shiite shrine in Damascus on Thursday, killing three people in an incident Syria said was caused by a tyre blow-out and not a terrorist attack. "It is not a terrorist act at all," Interior Minister Saeed Sammur told journalists at the scene of the explosion, a petrol station, where the mangled remains of the yellow Scania bus could still be seen. "It happened while one of the empty bus's tyres was being repaired. An explosion took place as result of the excessive pressure. "Two workers who were repairing the tyre and the bus's driver, who was standing near them, were killed in the explosion." The minister said that, aside from the fatalities, there were no other casualties. No pilgrims were aboard the bus at the time of the blast. Mohammed Issa, director of the Khomeini Hospital in Sayeda Zeinab, said one of the dead was a 12-year-old boy w

Experts: Somali Islamists improving tactics, bombs

Source: AP on Google By KATHARINE HOURELD (AP) – 3 days ago NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali Islamist insurgents have imported terrorist tactics and technology used with deadly results in Iraq and Afghanistan, threatening the African country's beleaguered government and causing alarm as far as Washington. Somali fighters over the past two years have gone from simply throwing grenades into crowded rooms to building advanced remote-controlled bombs. Analysts fear that the transfer of tactics and technology may strengthen ties between Somali Islamists and al-Qaida. The Somali insurgents offer refuge to terrorists and may also provide territory for training for a strike on the West, said Juan Zarate, the former U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser for Combating Terrorism. Recruits in jihadist training camps in Somalia are already taught how to use firearms and explosives, according to local and U.S. officials. The U.S. military wrote an urgent internal report earlier this year after a c

Iraq - Arab and International Condemnation of the Bloody Bombings in Baghdad

Source: Isiria Many countries of the world condemned the bombings which occurred in Baghdad on Thursday which killed about (112) and wounded more than (500) people in not a final outcome of for series of explosions by car bombs targeted separate locations around the Capital after two days of the agreement of political blocs and Parliament in legislating law organizes the second legislative elections in the country since the collapse of former regime in spring 2003. Arab League strongly condemned terrorist bombings that took place in the Heart of Baghdad and expressed in press statement its solidarity with “brotherly” Iraq in facing these terrorist actions which targets innocent people and aims to destabilize security and stability in Iraq in a period that Iraqis and political forces are preparing to organize legislative elections. For its part the Organization of Islamic Conference condemned recent bombings, and the Secretary General of the Organization Mr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu ex

Car bombs target state buildings in Baghdad

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Source: Guardian Tuesday 15 December 2009 08.55 GMT The aftermath of one of the car bomb attacks in Baghdad, Iraq. At least two other bombs went off, killing at least five people. Photograph: Hadi Mizban/AP A series of car bombs ripped through central Baghdad early today, killing five people and wounding at least 16 others in the latest attack in the Iraqi capital targeting an area with many government buildings, Iraqi officials said. At least three explosions went off within minutes of each other near the heavily protected Green Zone, home to the US embassy, as well as the Iraqi parliament and other government offices. The attacks raise questions about Iraq 's ability to protect itself and its citizens as US forces prepare to withdraw. The explosions came exactly a week after suicide bombers killed 127 people and wounded more than 500 in five bombings across the capital – three of which appeared to target government buildings. Suicide bombers on 19 A

Tahawwur Rana invokes Gandhi, ticks off US prosecutors

Source: INdian Express Posted: Dec 15, 2009 at 1421 hrs IST Chicago US prosecutors have taken strong objection to Pakistani-American Mumbai terror attack suspect Tahawwur Rana's assertion that he believed in the principles of non-violence advocated by Mahatma Gandhi, claiming that he admired and supported mass murderers. In its eight-page memo against Rana's bail application filed in a US court here, United States Attorney Patrick J Fitzgerald said in seeking a bond, defendant Rana has argued that he believes in non-violence, citing his membership of the Iqbal society. "Rana has even gone so far as to claim to this Court that his beliefs are akin to those of Gandhi. He also claims to have been a dupe of (terror suspect David) Headley," the memo submitted in US District Court of Illinois said. Taking strong exception to this, the US Attorney said: "ironically, in invoking the name of a man who embodied the principles of non-violence and speaking the truth, R

Headley worked as US agency informant for a decade

Source: HT Washington, December 15, 2009 Pakistani-American terror suspect David Coleman Headley, charged with scouting targets for Mumbai terror attacks, worked as a confidential informant with the Drug Enforcement Administration for more than a decade, according to a US media report. The relationship began with his first arrest back in June 1988, when customs agents at the Frankfurt airport pulled aside an intense and striking young man waiting to get on a plane back home to Philadelphia, McClatchy Newspapers reported Monday. "They suspected he had heroin in his suitcase. They were right - two kilos' worth from Pakistan, hidden under a false bottom," the report said. He wasn't tough to crack: Before the day was out, Daood "David" Gilani decided to save his own skin, agreeing to betray his drug-dealing partners by helping US drug agents set up a sting," it said. It was the beginning of a complicated, off-and-on relationship as a confidential

8th anniversary of terror attack on Parliament observed (12th Dec 2001)

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  On Friday, the Lok Sabha paid tribute to the memory of those who died in the audacious attack. Five heavily armed gunmen said to be Pakistanis -- Islamabad denies the charge -- stormed parliament and opened indiscriminate fire, killing nine people instantly. The victims included five Delhi Police personnel, a woman constable of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), two parliament security attendants and a gardener. A journalist who was injured died later. All five terrorists were shot dead.

Parade lane bomb blast 4 hafiz e quran and 17 innocents shaheed

Guwahati film festival highlights different perspectives of terrorism

Source: Thai news Guwahati, Dec 13 (ANI): The Guwahati Cine Club is staging a week long festival to highlight different perspectives of terrorism. As many as 40 feature films and 15 short films on terrorism from all across the country will be screened in the ‘2nd Guwahati Film Festival 2009′. Films from Iran, Hungary, France, Peru, Thailand, Poland, Algeria, China and Bulgaria would also be screened in the festival. Organisers said that the festival aimed to look at terrorism through films. “We think that terrorism as it is also relevant to India and Assam in particular so there is a need of artistic elucidation through film form for our viewers. How terrorism as an expression of artistic form is manifested in films of different countries can be caused by viewing different films that we have bought in the festival,” said Ridual Kumar Das, treasurer of the Guwahati Film Club. Barbara Lorey De Lacharriere, noted French film critic and also the chief guest of the fest hailed the fil

Guinea Offers Reward for Capture of Shooter of Military Leader

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Source: VOA NEWS Authorities say Lieutenant Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, who is also known as Toumba, escaped the attack and is still at large with an unknown number of soldiers from the presidential guard Scott Stearns | Dakar 06 December 2009 Photo: AP Guinea military leader Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara, left salutes next to his aide Abubakar "Toumba" Diakite during independence day celebrations in Conakry, Guinea (File Photo - 02 Oct 2009) Guinea's military government is offering a reward for the capture of the former head of the presidential guard whose men are accused of shooting and wounding the country's military ruler.  Regional leaders are calling for a return to civilian rule in Guinea be early next year. The Economic Community of West African States says Guinea's military government should immediately put in place a new transitional authority leading to credible elections in early 2010 that does not include any members of the military

Toll rises in Taiz museum rampage

Source: Saaba news [13/December/2009] TAIZ, Dec. 13 (Saba) - The death toll from the shooting at the Taiz National Museum climbed to seven people on Sunday, according to the Almotamar website. Officials in the Yemeni western province said guards were among the dead and four others were hurt when one of the guards at the museum opened fire this evening. Preliminary reports suggested that three guards were killed and six civilians wounded. Deputy police director in the province Abdul Halim Noman said the shooter was caught after troops besieged the museum. He was arrested while aiming his gun at the heads of his victims. His name and age have not been disclosed yet. The hurt were rushed to a hospital, he noted. An investigation is underway to know motives for the terrible crime, a security source in the city said. Such incidents are uncommon in Yemen, where guns in civilian hands, according to reliable figures, have more than doubled the population in recent years. Ma

Terrorism one of fatal challenges facing Yemen, world, says al-Anisi

Source: Saba news [13/December/2009] MANAMA, Dec. 13 (Saba)- Director of the Presidential Office and chairman of the National Security System Ali al-Anisi affirmed on Sunday that the phenomenon of terrorism is considered one of the most dangerous challenges facing Yemen, the region and the world as a whole. In his speech at the Manama Dialog Forum symposium titled "Planning the Regional Security," he made clear that Yemen was affected just like other counties due to acts of terrorism harming its security, political, economic and social aspects. He noted that Yemen has done its utmost to curb such operations and activities and has achieved positive results and still in need for regional and international support to increase its abilities and capacities as it is an active partner for the international community in the fight against terrorism. Al-Anisi also referred to terrorism acts committed by Saada Houthi rebels who want to harm security, stability and developmen

COMMENT: Terrorism, extremism and militancy —Shahzad Chaudhry

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Source: Daily times Tensions find root either amongst civilisations, which is bad for world peace, or within civilisations when the two ends of a spectrum compete for domination against each other in a society. Those on the extreme end of a religious spectrum, the extremists, are thus existentially present and are a phenomenon of relativism within the spectrum Militancy separates extremism from terrorism. I had stated in my last week’s column, ‘A grand failure’ (Daily Times, December 7, 2009), that “we must differentiate between extremist sentiment and militant extremism” and that even after a successful end to the ongoing counter-insurgency effort in Waziristan, “some extremist sentiment will persist, for that is the nature of any religion”. The sense needs to be better explained; as indeed it is likely to become the bane of Pakistani society to resolve the dilemma as it charts its future in the backdrop of an armed insurgency and an unstinted suicide bombing campaign wrought

Terror probe leads FBI to India, Pakistan

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Source: LA TIMES On tips from a U.S. man, agents make an urgent trip after learning of possible Mumbai-style attacks. Also, U.S. charges implicate the involvement of ex-Pakistan military officers. 1 2 next |   single page A courtroom drawing of David Coleman Headley, left, who pleaded not guilty in Chicago to working with a Pakistan militant group to plan the Mumbai attacks. (Verna Saddock / European Pressphoto Agency / December 9, 2009) Reporting from Washington - FBI agents made an urgent trip to India and Pakistan last week after they learned of plotting for Mumbai-style terrorism attacks while investigating a Chicago man's case, according to current and former U.S., Indian and European counter-terrorism officials. The man, David Coleman Headley, was recently charged with being a longtime clandestine operative for Lashkar-e-Taiba and ano

Weekly crime roundup: City unites against terrorism after Moon Market attacks

Source: Daily times * Traders union estimates losses from attacks at around Rs 30 million * US nationals refuse to have vehicles checked By Rana Tanveer LAHORE: The unprecedented number of casualties of last Monday’s blasts at Moon Market united the city against terrorism. The attacks left more than 60 people dead and more than 150 injured. Lahoris from all walks of life have been visiting the blast site and praying for the deceased. It was observed that all the visitors expressed anger towards the terrorists responsible for the blasts, expressing solidarity with the country’s security forces. The Punjab government has made a special investigation team to probe the attacks, however, no breakthroughs or arrests have been made. The blast site was cleared on Sunday, with personnel of the Water and Sanitation Agency, Solid Waste Management, and Lahore Electric Supply Company only having to wash the structure of the damaged buildings today (Monday). A team of Work Depart

Peshawar on front line of country’s war against terrorism

Source: Daily times daily times * 221 killed, 500 injured in blasts in one month * Hospitals overwhelmed with wounded from explosions * School principal says guards asked ‘not to trust anyone’ PESHAWAR: The provincial capital is on the front line of the country’s war against terrorism. In October, the Pakistan Army launched its most concentrated offensive yet in South Waziristan against the tribal strongholds of some of the country’s most ruthless terrorists. The government said on Saturday the offensive was winding down, although operations in the area were continuing. The terrorists, in turn, are fighting back with a vicious bombing campaign. They are striking with frightening regularity anywhere and everywhere in the city. That leaves the people of Peshawar caught in between, afraid, fed up and mistrustful of all sides, the terrorists, the army and the US, which is seen as supporting the push against militants. Overwhelmed: The city’s hospitals are overwhelmed wit

Four arrested under Terrorism Act in Dorset

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Source: BBC NEWS The men can be questioned until Thursday Four people, including a 16-year-old boy, are being questioned under the Terrorism Act following their arrests in Poole, Dorset. Six men were initially held on Wednesday in Ashley Road, Parkstone, on suspicion of illegal entry into the UK. Following inquiries, four were arrested under laws dealing with the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, Dorset Police said. They are now being questioned at a police station outside the county. The operation on Wednesday involved police and the UK Border Agency. A police spokesman said: "As a result of inquiries by Dorset Police, four of those people - including the male youth - were later arrested by Dorset Police under the Terrorism Act 2000, Section 40 (1)(b). "While the investigation is continuing there is currently no identified threat of any risk or harm to the people of Dorset or the United Kingdom." On Saturday a d

Iraq Arrests 13 Over Deadly Bomb Attacks

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Source: SKY 5:04pm UK, Sunday December 13, 2009 Katie Cassidy, Sky News Online Thirteen people have been arrested in connection to the Baghdad bomb attacks that killed more than 100 people. An Iraqi fireman surveys the damage at the site of one of the car bombs Iraqi officials said those detained were suspected of planning the car bombs and a suicide attack last Tuesday. An interior ministry official said the 13 in custody were believed to have links with al Qaeda. At least 127 people died in the blasts that targeted government sites in the Iraqi capital. The country's MPs have been questioning security chiefs over the protection provided by Iraqi forces. Last Tuesday's bomb attacks hit at the heart of government - one blast going off outside the labour ministry and another near the site of the new finance ministry building. "I can assure you our forces are capable of facing up the challenges we face on the ground," in

Iraq: No time to act after US tip before blasts

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Iraqis inspect a destroyed police car after a car bomb attack in Fallujah, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. A car packed with explosives blew up near a passing police patrol. (AP Photo) Source: AP on Google By CHELSEA J. CARTER (AP) – 10 hours ago BAGHDAD — The U.S. military had warned of an imminent attack hours before last week's deadly bombings in Baghdad, but the tip came too late to act on, Iraqi security officials said Sunday as outraged lawmakers pressed for answers about Iraq's ability to protect the capital. Even news that 13 al-Qaida-linked suspects have been detained in connection with the bombings did little to quell the angry parliament members, who shouted down security officials as they tried to defend their forces. The grilling in parliament was the third session since Tuesday's attacks that put government officials and security brass on the hot seat. It also suggested that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki

ULFA apologises for 2004 I-day parade attack

Source: HT 13/12/2009 The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on Sunday sought public apology and forgiveness for triggering an explosion at an Independence Day parade ground in 2004 that killed 14 people, most of them schoolchildren. On Aug 15, 2004, a powerful bomb went off minutes before the Independence Day parade took place in the eastern town of Dhemaji, about 400 km from Guwahati, killing 14 people and wounding scores more. Police then blamed the ULFA for the attack, but the outfit continued to deny their involvement. "We have now realised that our statement of disowning the blast (in 2004) was not true and hence we seek an apology from the people of Assam. The Dhemaji explosion is a dark chapter in our freedom struggle and till today we are deeply anguished," ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah said in an e-mailed statement. The rebel leader admitted that the ULFA leadership was being misled by some of their cadre and junior leaders about the blast