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Showing posts from April 17, 2011

Bomb Explodes in Northern Nigeria

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Source: VOA Photo: AP Authorities said there has been an explosion in northern Nigeria where dozens are reported to have been killed this week in post-election violence. Security sources said the blast on Friday evening hit in the city of Kaduna, the capital of the state of the same name.   Reuters   news agency says at least two people were killed as they accidentally detonated a bomb they were trying to assemble.   Riots broke out in the predominantly Muslim north this week after incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, won Saturday's election. Muslim supporters of his unsuccessful challenger in the race, Muhammadu Buhari, have attacked churches, homes, and police stations. The violence has sparked counterattacks by Christians.   Media reports say more than 100 people were killed in the violence, though officials have declined to give a death toll for fear of prompting more attacks. Officials have postponed gubernatorial elections in Kaduna and nearby

OFTEN AT TOO HIGH A COST

Source: Telegraph In a hostage situation, a nation needs a policy backed by law for practical, political and psychological reasons, writes Rajeev Kumar Every time a high-profile abduction is carried out by insurgent groups to strike a deal with the administration, the entire nation is on tenterhooks. As television channels and newspapers report on government officials and abductors doing some hard bargaining, people all over the country are sucked into the hostage drama and the question in the minds of everyone is — will the government do enough to release those abducted? Once the abducted are released, the question is — did the government give in? These situations bring up some significant questions, which we as a society can no longer avoid. The recent kidnapping of the district collector, R.V. Krishna, and the junior engineer, Pabitra Majhi, by Maoists in Orissa’s Malkangiri and the subsequent negotiations to secure their release comprise a case in point. These negotiations, in t

Operation Rawhide II disrupts insurgent communication, supply lines

Source: DVIDSHUB FORWARD OPERATING BASE PAYNE, Afghanistan – Southern Helmand province used to be a safe haven and stronghold for the insurgency in Afghanistan where the enemy could establish lines of communication and traffic drugs and weapons. However, the insurgency has been disrupted and forced to find new lines of communication due to Operation Rawhide II. The 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion conducted a series of raids, successfully deterring the enemy and breaking its ability to communicate with insurgents in the north, said Capt. Christopher L. Buck, commanding officer for E Company, 3rd LAR, and native of Perry, Mich. During the raids, 3rd LAR discovered multiple weapons caches, including one in Chotu which consisted of around $54 million in opium, weapons, and improvised explosive device-making material. Finding caches like this saves lives and ensures that those weapons will not be used here or up north, which is where the insurgents are sending most of their w

Jordan protests: Rise of the Salafist Jihadist movemen

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By Dale Gavlak BBC News, Amman The Salafist Jihadists are a tiny minority in Jordan Continue reading the main story Related Stories Dozens wounded in Jordan clashes Ambivalence in Zarqawi hometown New Jordan PM unlikely to appease protesters Jordan's militant Salafist movement is once again making waves and the government may be reaping the benefits of their actions. The ultra-conservative group has staged rare street protests in recent weeks that are unrelated to the four months of pro-reform demonstrations inspired by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. They have been pressing for the release of about 300 relatives jailed on terrorism charges. Among those detained is Abu Mohammed al-Maqdisi, the spiritual mentor of slain al-Qaeda in Iraq leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Mr Maqdisi being tried in a military court on charges of recruiting people to join al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Analysts refer to the militants in Jordan as Salafist Jihadists because of their extremist v

'Domestic Terrorism' Possible In Case Of Pipe Bomb In Mall Near Columbine

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by   MARK MEMMOTT The FBI has "identified a person of interest in what [it is] calling a case of domestic terrorism" in Jefferson County, Colo., just two miles from Columbine High School,   Denver's KUSA-TV reports . And, the station adds, "the fact that [a] pipe bomb and propane tanks were found on the 12th anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School is not lost on investigators." The devices were discovered in a shopping mall about two miles from the school where, on April 20, 1999, two students killed 12 other teens and one teacher before turning their guns on themselves. They were found after a small fire broke out in a service hallway,   The Denver Post   says. The "person of interest" — an older man with gray hair,   as   the Post   reports   — can be seen in video surveillance. Authorities released a frame grab from that tape in the hope that someone will recognize the man or he will come forward. Enlarge AP This April 20, 2011, image

Arrests Point To New Face Of Terrorism

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Source: Jakarta globe Farouk Arnaz, Ronna Nirmala & Camelia Pasandaran   | April 23, 2011 Members of the Indonesian police bomb-disposal unit recovering a parcel bomb near a church in Serpong on the outskirts of Jakarta on Thursday. The bomb was placed in an empty plot near an underground gas pipe. AFP Photo   The arrest of 19 terrorism suspects and the subsequent discovery of a Good Friday bomb plot appears to have revealed a new breed of terror. Most of the newly arrested were university graduates and were apprehended in various parts of the country in relation to the series of book bombs sent to various prominent figures in Jakarta last month. Their arrest on Thursday also led police to five bombs meant to blow up a Catholic church and an Army weapons warehouse in Serpong, Tangerang, on Friday. But antiterrorism sources say they have yet to find any real link between these men and known terrorism or Islamist groups. “The face of terror is changing now,” one police sour

ISI chief among top 100 influential people

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's   ISI chief   Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha   has made it to the list of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world along with dignitaries like   United States   President Barrack Obama and his secretary of state Hillary Clinton.   Pasha's profile on the magazine's website was written by former CIA director Michael Hayden, who described him as "a Pakistani patriot and American partner " trying to manage the difficult task of reconciling the two roles.   Wi k i L e a k s founder   Julian Assange   , German chancellor   Angela Merkel   and pop music heartthrob Justin Bieber   are among the world's 100 most influential people,   Time magazine   announced .   Topping the yearly list was 30-year-old Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who became the hero of the Egyptian revolution. "Within weeks of Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha's becoming head of Pakistan's top intelligence agency, ISI, in 2008, terrorist attacks in  

Libya: Tribes Could Replace Army In Misratah

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Source: SKY 2:35am UK, Saturday April 23, 2011 The Libyan army could pull out of the rebel-held city of Misratah and be replaced by armed tribesmen, a senior government official has said. Deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim issued the warning amid reports of significant successes for opposition forces in the city and of fresh Nato airstrikes in capital   Tripoli . He said Nato airstrikes had prevented fighters loyal to Colonel Moammar Gaddafi retaking Misratah and that tribal leaders had given the army an "ultimatum". "If they can't resolve the problem in Misratah then the people from the region will move in," he said. "The situation in   Misratah   will be eased, will be dealt with by the tribes around Misratah and the rest of Misratah's people and not by the Libyan army. REBELS WARNED TRIBES COULD MOVE IN "The tactic of the army is to have a surgical solution but with the airstrikes it doesn't work." Reports have emerged of some of the

Syria buries scores of dead; more protests due

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Source: reuters A still image taken from amateur video purportedly shows anti-government demonstrators rallying in Jasim, Deraa Governorate, April 22, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Amateur Video via Reuters TV By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN   |   Fri Apr 22, 2011 10:08pm EDT (Reuters) - Scores of pro-democracy protesters killed by security forces will be buried across   Syria   in funerals expected to attract large crowds on Saturday and fuel mounting defiance against authoritarian rule. A group of activists coordinating the demonstrations said regular forces and gunman loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shot dead at least 88 civilians on Friday. Rights groups had earlier put the death toll at a minimum of 70. The Local Coordination Committees activist group sent Reuters a list with names of 88 people classified by region. The group said they were killed in areas stretching from the port city of Latakia to Homs, Hama, Damascus and the southern village of Izra'a. It was by far the bloodiest

Al-Qaeda’s emissary to North Caucasus killed in Chechnya

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Source: Voice of Russia Photo: RIA Novosti The National Antiterrorist Committee of Russia has confirmed that an Arab-born mercenary, Al-Qaeda’s chief emissary to the North Caucasus, who was known as “Mohanned”, has been wiped out in Chechnya. According to the National Antiterrorist Committee, “Mohanned”, along with Doku Umarov, masterminded almost all terrorist attacks involving the use of suicide bombers in Russia. “Mohanned” was, besides, in charge of sending fresh gang members from Georgia to the North Caucasus and was the main coordinator of foreign financial inflows for the criminal underworld. He arrived in Chechnya from Georgia to form part of the so-called “Al-Khattab Group”. “Mohanned” and two other insurgents were killed on Thursday when they put up resistance to Chechen police who spotted them in a forest.

Will the ongoing conflicts lead to a world war?Will the ongoing conflicts lead to a world war?

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Source: voice of russia Protests in Syria. Photo: EPA The conflicts in the Middle East and Africa are growing to inter-confessional proportions. An opinion poll conducted among experts by the Voice of Russia shows that they believe that in a worst-case scenario, these conflicts could lead to a world war. The outcome of presidential election triggered clashes in Nigeria. According to official reports, incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, won 60 percent of votes, while his opponent, Muhammadu Buhari won only little more than 30 percent. The opposition is dissatisfied with the results. As a result, Buhari’s supporters launched attacks on Christians and even set fire to several churches. In response, young Christians attacked mosques. Some experts draw a parallel between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire disintegration of which into North and South was averted only after the interference of the UN peacekeepers and the French forces. This means that Nigeria may e

5 killed on Thai-Cambodian border

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Source: Voice of russia Preah Vihear temple. Photo: EPA Thai and Cambodian soldiers have exchanged fire on a disputed stretch of the common border. 5 servicemen, including 2 Thai and 3 Cambodian troops, are reported killed. According to the Defence Ministries in Bangkok and Phnom Penh, the firing erupted at dawn on Friday and went on for at least half and hour. This is the first armed clash on the Thai-Cambodian border since early February, when the two countries’ border conflict escalated into a four-day war. Thailand and Cambodia are at loggerheads about the old Preah Vihear temple, which is located in the disputed area.  

2 insurgents wiped out in Chechnya

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Source: Voice of russia © Photo: «Вести.Ru» Two rebel fighters, including gang chieftain Haled-Yusuf Muhammad of Jordan, have been wiped out in Chechnya. According to the Chechen law enforcement agencies, Haled-Yusuf Muhammad was an emissary of the Al-Qaeda international terrorist organization. The second insurgent was purportedly a resident of Grozny. When the two were spotted in a forest, they put up resistance and were eliminated by returned fire.

Libyan tangle: NATO is frustrated

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Source: Voice of russia Libya. Photo: RIA Novosti Libyan rebels believe that only a British and French intervention can save civilians in the country. The rebels in the Misarat, which is under siege, have urged the NATO coalition to launch a ground operation. In response, London and Paris pledged to launch more air attacks on the government facilities and send military advisers to help rebels. Moscow has warned the European Union that a ground operation will fraught with serious consequences and referred to experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our commentary is by Igor Siletsky. Several senior officers of the British Army will leave for Libya to help the rebels. According to London, they will be accommodated in Benghazi and will try to form a battle-worthy force from the isolated groups. Meanwhile, France said that a few communications officers will work with the Provisional National Council to protect civilians. Both countries reject reports that the sending of advisers is linke

No safe haven for reporters in Libya

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Source: Al jazeera As civilians fire rockets and government troops shell civilian positions, there is almost no safe place for journalists. Two photojournalists met their ends in Libya on Wednesday, hit by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade [AFP] In Libya, you think about the difference between sand and pavement in a mortal way. Sand will accept a bomb into its soft embrace, deaden its impact, and save your life. Harsh pavement will throw up a hail of deadly shrapnel, obliterating everything in the vicinity of the blast. When shells start falling, you move into the sand. On the outskirts of Brega in March, a government jet swooped low over our position and dropped a bomb into the desert nearby. Our team had the good fortune to be watching around 70 metres from the explosion. Pro-democracy forces massed on the road emerged unscathed. Other reporters have gotten even luckier. Mortars have landed in the sand far closer than 70 metres. A driver for the BBC caught a bullet in the

Karachi blast kills 16, injures 35

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Source: geo tv  Thursday, April 21, 2011  KARACHI: More than a dozen people have been killed while 35 sustained injures in a powerful blast that ripped through Rami Club building near Ghaas Mandi area in Lyari locality on Thursday, Geo News reported. Police and emergency services rushed to the blast site and kick started rescue activities, as death toll is feared to rise further. Bomb disposal squad has also been called in. The rescue sources have put the death toll at sixteen and the injured at 35 in the explosion. Most of the injured have been shifted to Civil Hospital where emergency has been declared, said hospital sources.   One of the injured has been rushed to Jinnah Hospital.   Over 10 injured people are said to be critical in condition. The Medico Legal Officer (MLO) at Civil Hospital said that more than 12 dead bodies were brought in besides more than 30 injured. The police are trying to ascertain the nature of the blast. No dead or injured man has been identi