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Showing posts from May 6, 2012

Philippines: 3 dead in AFP-NPA firefight in Canlaon City Negros Oriental

The Philippine Army's says a five minute firefight broke out between elements of the 11th Battalion 3rd Division of the Philippine Army in a counter insurgency operation. "One soldier and two New People’s Army (NPA) member was killed in a five minute encounter between troops of Alpha Company, 11th Infantry Lapu-lapu Battalion and an undetermined number of NPA members at the vicinity Sitio, Natae, Brgy Bucalan 7:30 a.m. Saturday." Maj Enrico Illeto said in an emailed press release. The reports reports further indentified the soldier 'Killed in Action' as Pfc Edmund Prieto. Meanwhile the Amry report also says. 2 Dead men the Army says were NPA members and identified them as, "Argie Villasan and Elmer CaƱete, allegedly members of an NPA SPARU (Special Partisan Unit) unit, were left behind at the scene." A alleged NPA member, the press statement goes on to say, was the source of the identies of the two alleged NPA SPARU members killed in the firefight,

Bomb Operation After Two Terror Arrests

A bomb disposal team has performed a controlled explosion at a garage block in Cheltenham after two men were arrested on terror charges. Residents of more than 100 homes remain evacuated after police set up a cordon following the arrests. The alarm was first raised yesterday following raids at two properties in the town. Officers initially searched a home in Brooklyn Road, Hester's Way, where they arrested a 52-year-old local man under the Explosive Substances Act. Police then found items "requiring further investigation" in a garage in Buttermere Close, in the Up Hatherley area of the town. A 31-year-old man was subsequently arrested, Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed. "At the moment we unfortunately are not able to say when we will be able to lift the cordon (in Buttermere Close)," Assistant Chief Constable Richard Berry told Sky News. The garage is located less than one mile from the Government electronic eavesdropping centre GCHQ. "

Two men arrested on terrorism charges in Cheltenham

BOMB disposal experts carried out four controlled explosions in Cheltenham this morning as two men were arrested on terrorism charges. Shortly before 11.30 police warned Up Hatherley residents that a "controlled disruption' was due to take place. ​ Police cordon at Buttermere Close ITV correspondent Ken Goodwin tweeted that there had been four controlled explosions "The bangs were like loud gunshots rather that a huge blast. The first was the loudest and interestingly it made my camera shake slightly," he tweeted. Anti-terrorism officers today joined the investigation into explosive substances found in Cheltenham. Two men arrested in Cheltenham have both been further arrested on suspicion of the commission, instigation or preparation of a terrorist act (contrary to the Terrorism Act 2000) police said today. This relates to examination of the items found in a garage in Buttermere Close in the Up Hatherley area of Cheltenham. The South East Counter Te

'More foreign spies in US today than ever before'

Washington: A former top CIA covert officer has said there are currently more foreign spies on American soil than there were even at the peak of the Cold war. “If you look at the threat that is imposed upon our nation every day, some of the major nation states -- China in particular -- [have] very sophisticated intelligence operations, very aggressive operations against the US,” said Hank Crumpton, who also served as deputy director of the CIA's Counter-Terrorism Centre. “I would hazard to guess there are more foreign intelligence officers inside the US working against US interests now than even at the height of the Cold War, it's a critical issue,” he told CBS. Crumpton also expressed his concerns about what al Qaeda was doing in North Africa and the danger they pose. “I'm particularly concerned about Al-Qaeda in Yemen, which is fractured as a nation state,” the report quoted him, as saying. “The Sahel, if you look at Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, they pose a thr

Fascists launch the offensive against European Union

At the last presidential elections in France and Greece neo-Nazi right-wing parties showed impressive parliamentary results. Europeans remember the events that occurred 80 years ago, when in the wake of the economic crisis Hitler came to power in Germany, and wonder how the neo-Nazism were able to return to the tolerant Europe. Within several years, radical right-wing parties have made a stunning leap forward, and they can no longer be ignored in France, Finland, Hungary, Austria, and now in Greece, where at Sunday's parliamentary elections the Nazi party "Golden Dawn" obtained seven percent of the vote, and will form its own parliamentary group with 20 seats. "We're coming. It's time for the traitors to be afraid," said after the elections party leader Nicos Mihaloliakos nicknamed "Hitler." "Golden Dawn", whose symbol resembles a swastika, explains that, in addition to inept corrupt politicians, Greek politics is impeded by &quo

'FARC' attack kills 2 police officers

FRIDAY, 11 MAY 2012 07:06 CHRISTAN LEONARD An alleged FARC attack on police facilities in central Colombia has left two police officers dead, W Radio reported Friday. The FARC reportedly assaulted a police station, a cellphone tower, and the houses of the mayor and other local residents in the municipality of El Retiro, Guaviare department. "Fortunately, the Mayor was not at home and is currently in Bogota," said Juan Carlos Mora, Secretary of the Government of Guaviare. A tower for one of Colombia's leading cellphone companies, Comcel, was damaged in the attack and the cellular network was down throughout the city. "The people of this region rely heavily on this phone company in the absence of fixed lines," said local authorities according to Caracol Radio. One of the officers killed was local Superintendent of Police Lopez CastaƱo. Source http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/23983-farc-attack-kills-2-police-officers.html

191 guerrillas killed in 2012: Colombian Defense Minister

A total of 191 guerrillas have been killed in clashes with Colombian security forces this year, Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said Thursday. Of the 191 killed, 176 were allegedly members of the FARC and the other 15 were members of Colombia's second largest insurgency group, the National Liberation Army (ELN). Security forces have also killed nine members of other criminal gangs. The 176 FARC members killed represent a 17% increase over the same period last year. Security forces have also taken 920 suspected FARC guerrillas into custody, a 39% increase from 2011, as well as 88 members of the ELN, and a total of 1,419 members of various criminal groups, according to the minister. In the first four months of 2012, 354 FARC and 56 ELN members demobilized and entered into the Program for Humanitarian Attention to Demobilized Fighters. Source Colombia reports

Former Columbian guerrillas launch designer clothing

From cocaine dealing and terrorism to fund their pursuit of territory to haute couture and instant respectability. It may sound bizarre but clothes designed by people ex-members of the Columbian terrorist group, the FARC have turned up on the catwalk in Bogata. Not sure how you feel about it, but the crowds at the launch of the label called ‘Chance by Colombia’ seemed more than happy to enjoy a runway show that looked like something straight out of London, Paris, Milan or New York The ‘Liberty’ collection is the work of 4 guerrillas who used to be members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – known as the FARC - a group which is almost 50 years old. Alvaro Perez was the ‘tailor’ who made the uniforms and he left the group in 2006. Now he employs 26 former FARC members. The fashion design scheme was dreamt up by the government to provide jobs for those who wanted to lay down arms. The FARC group has recently renounced the abduction of civilians as their main way of

Colombian soldiers kill 2 guerrillas in armed clash

Military forces killed two FARC members in an attack in northwestern Colombia, local media reported Friday. One of the slain guerillas, alias “Orbis,” was allegedly responsible for a 2002 attack that killed 117 civilians in Bojaya, a municipality in the western department of Choco. Orbis, who has fought with the rebel group for 11 years, was also wanted for the assassination of 17 police and two civilians in 2006. The attack was part of a military operation being carried out in a rural zone in the department of Cordoba. The other guerilla killed in the attack, alias “Natalia,” had been with the FARC for 14 years. Source http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24010-colombian-soldiers-kill-2-guerrilla-in-clash-.html

Swiss nationals said joining jihadists

May 10, 2012 at 5:50 AM BERN, Switzerland, May 10 (UPI) -- Switzerland's Federal Intelligence Service said this week there is evidence of Swiss nationals traveling abroad to receive terrorist training. In a report released Tuesday in Bern by Swiss Defense Minister Ueli Maurer, the FIS says it found 12 cases in which Swiss nationals left the country for "jihad areas" such as Somalia or Afghanistan/Pakistan to participate in terrorist activities. The report also cited unconfirmed reports of the return of some of them to Switzerland, which it said demonstrates the need for enhanced laws to help deal with the threat, the Swiss News Agency reported. Maurer told reporters he would propose a new law sometime this year that would seek to improve public safety by giving the security services more power and resources, which the FIS insists can be done while protecting fundamental rights. The seven-member Swiss Federal Council, which serves as the country's executive,

Turkey Focuses On Cutting PKK's Financial Sources

Kurdish businesses and some municipalities controlled by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) have long been suspected by the Turkish government of substantial involvement in financing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which along with funding from the diaspora, trafficking and smuggling operations, is believed to be a significant source of the group's income. A bomb blast wounded three people in Ankara on September 20th, 2011. Authorities say cutting financing is a key element of the country's anti-terrorism strategy. [Reuters] The latest investigation of the Department for Anti-Smuggling and Organised Crime (KOM) focusing on public tenders in BDP municipalities in the east and southeast, looked for possible links between contract winners and the PKK. The KOM investigation concluded "the militants make around $120m (211m TL) annually by extorting from business people who win state tender bids in the east and the southeast." According to data

4 policemen killed today in Afghanistan’s bomb attack

May 12, 4:59 PM In Afghanistan, four policemen were killed today in a bomb attack in the province of Badghis, north west of Kabul. The provincial police chief Abdul Jabar said the bomb was detonated by a remote control device along a road in Qadis district when a police van was passing by the area leaving four policemen dead. He blamed Taliban insurgents for the attack. Source http://www.newsonair.com/news.asp?cat=International&id=IN7805

2 Turkish journalists held in Syria released

May 12, 4:58 PM Two Turkish journalists who were held in Syria for two months are on their way home after being released following Iranian mediation. Reporter Adem Ozkose and cameraman Hamit Coskun have arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said a Turkish plane will take the pair back to Turkey. The journalists were reported to be missing at the end of March while they were working in northern Syria on a documentary on the Syrian government's crackdown on pro-democracy protests. A former ally of Damascus, Ankara relied on Tehran which backs Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to serve as an intermediary in talks to release the Turkish journalists. Source http://www.newsonair.com/news.asp?cat=International&id=IN7804

Afghanistan: 2 NATO troops die; 1 in bomb blast

Kabul: NATO says a bomb attack has killed one of its service members in southern Afghanistan, while another has died of non-battle related injuries. NATO provided no other details about Saturday's deaths, including the nationalities of the troops. The coalition normally waits for member nations to provide those details. Elsewhere, the spokesman for the governor of the northwestern province of Badghis says four police officers were killed today when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Qadis district. So far this month, 16 NATO service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Source http://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/afghanistan-2-nato-troops-die-1-in-bomb-blast_774918.html

One killed, 11 hurt in Peshawar bombing

Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 16:45 ISLAMABAD: A policeman was killed and 11 other people were injured Saturday in a massive blast that targeted a police vehicle in Peshawar, a media report said. Geo News said an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted the police van that was used to transport prisoners. One policeman was killed and four were injured. Seven civilians were also wounded. Several vehicles were damaged in the deafening blast. At least five kg of explosives were used in the blast, revealed an initial probe. The bombing took place a day after Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Banaras Khan narrowly escaped death when a remote-controlled bomb exploded Friday. Source http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/one-killed-11-hurt-peshawar-bombing/44847

Dutch warship rescues 17 hostages from Somali pirates

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS (BNO NEWS) -- A Dutch Navy vessel on Friday rescued seventeen people who were being held hostage on a suspected pirate dhow off the coast of Somalia, the Dutch Ministry of Defense said. Eleven suspected pirates were taken into custody. The Dutch Navy warship Van Amstel came across the dhow when its helicopter carried out a reconnaissance flight in the area. The dhow was pulling two smaller skiffs carrying ladders behind it, but the suspected pirates threw them overboard once they noticed they were discovered. "The Van Amstel headed to the location and made radio contact. The dhow then stopped," the Dutch Ministry of Defense said in a statement. "With the use of Rhibs, fast motorboats, a special boarding-unit consisting of marines made the ship safe under observation of the (Van Amstel helicopter) Lynx." The marines took eleven suspected pirates into custody and seized weapons, ammunition and other items which can be used in piracy.

Somalia: Pirates Hijack Oil Tanker

| Africa By REUTERS May 12, 2012 Somali pirates have hijacked a Greek-owned oil tanker carrying close to a million barrels of crude oil in the Arabian Sea, the first successful attack on an oil tanker off the Horn of Africa in more than a year. The vessel was diverted toward Somalia’s coastline, a pirate who identified himself as Ahmed said. The vessel’s manager, Dynacom Tankers Management, said it had lost contact with the crew of the tanker after the attack off Oman on Thursday. The London-based International Maritime Bureau said that the attack involved 10 pirates in two skiffs armed with automatic weapons and that they managed to board the ship on a second attempt after their first attack was thwarted. Source http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/12/world/africa/somalia-pirates-hijack-oil-tanker.html?_r=1

Ethiopian troops battle Somali rebels blocking supplies

Reuters Friday, 11 May 2012 10:59 Ethiopian troops and Somali government forces killed 17 al Shabaab rebels after the Islamist militants blocked a road in southern Somalia and stole goods, a regional official said. Mohamed Abdi Mayow, the governor of Bakool region, said the al Qaeda-linked militants had been blocking trucks carrying supplies to Hudur for seven weeks and had unloaded goods from at least five lorries. "They blocked all supplies and unloaded goods. This led to the fierce fighting and we swept al Shabaab from the area, Mayow told Reuters by telephone from Hudur, Reuters reports. Ethiopian forces pushed into southern Somalia in November to open up a third front against the militants, who are also fighting Ugandan and Burundian troops around Mogadishu and Kenya's military along its southern border. While they have squeezed al Shabaab out of some areas, the militants hold large chunks of central and southern Somalia and pose the biggest threat to efforts to

'US drone strike kills 38, injures dozens in Somalia'

Fri May 11, 2012 8:34AM Somalia’s al-Shabab fighters say a US assassination drone attack has left at least 38 people dead and dozens of others wounded in the Horn of Africa state, Press TV reports. The airstrike is said to have taken place in Somalia's southwestern district of Badade, a Press TV correspondent reported. The US military uses remote-controlled drones in Somalia for reconnaissance operations and targeted killings. Washington has been carrying out assassination attacks using the unmanned aircraft in other countries including Afghanistan, Libya Pakistan, and Yemen. Washington claims the CIA-run strikes are meant to eliminate militants, but witness reports and figures offered by local authorities indicate the attacks have led to massive civilian deaths in these countries. The United Nations has slammed the assassination drone attacks as targeted killings, saying that they pose a challenge to international law. Source http://www.presstv.ir/detail/240628.html

Task Force Says Papua New Guinea Riddled with Corruption

Phil Mercer | Sydney Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill protest (L) speaks at a press conference in Port Moresby on December 15, 2011. A task force set up to investigate corruption in Papua New Guinea says unscrupulous 'mobsters,' including members of parliament, are undermining the South Pacific country's development. Investigators arrested 35 people including several current and former members of parliament and other public servants. The anti-graft unit was established by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill to investigate allegations of corruption in key government departments, such as the Department of Health and the influential Department of National Planning and Monitoring. Former Prime Minister Michael Somare accused the task force of carrying out a "witch hunt." However, Sam Koim, chairman of the anti-graft unit known as Task Force Sweep, said corrupt officials had turned the South Pacific country's constitutional democracy into a &

Kano: At The Mercy Of Boko Haram

Sat, 12/05/2012 - 12:43am | SALISU IBRAHIM Features The fortunes of Kano, a once flourishing economic nerve centre in Nigeria and West Africa, have plummeted following series of coordinated attacks by the Boko Haram sect in recent times. The attacks have also forced thousands of non-indigenes to relocate from the once peaceful state to their states of origin, thereby creating a vacuum in the economic arena of the state. Salisu Ibrahim reports that if the situation is not urgently curtailed, the state might be on its way to stagnation. A visit to Kano, the once commercial and economic hub of Nigeria, reveals the sorry state to which the infamous attacks by the Boko Haram sect have reduced the city to. The legendry groundnut pyramid has since disappeared while the popular business centres in the state are now empty, no thanks to those who have been bombing and killing innocent persons in droves for reasons yet to be unveiled. Those who used to visit the state for its unique tourism

Yoruba Boko Haram leader, wife, kids arrested

A suspected high ranking operative of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, his wife and five children were yesterday arrested by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Kano. Also seized during an early morning raid on his Farawa, Hotoro Quarters residence was a large quantity of explosive devices, guns and ammunition. The suspect, Suleiman Mohammed, has been moved to Abuja for interrogation. The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, who confirmed the arrest was silent on the identity of the man and details of the seized items. However, a source said the suspect is a Yoruba and the first individual from the South West to be linked with the sect. The source said the seized items included 10 crates of improvised explosive devices (IEDs),1000 rounds of ammunition and three pistols. Idris, who said the raid followed a tip-off, also showed reporters seven trucks of empty soft-drink cans mopped by his men as part of pre-emptive security measures. Empty cans of drinks a

At Least 15 Injured in Guinea Protests

Anne Look | Dakar, Senegal Supporters of Guinea's opposition hold a banner reading "Transparente Elections. Sign of Peace" during an opposition rally in Conakry on March 31, 2012 demanding transparent legislative polls in July 2012. Security forces in Guinea clashed with opposition demonstrators in Conakry on Thursday, injuring at least 15 people. Opposition leaders have promised daily protests as they press for greater transparency in the organization of delayed legislative elections. What began as a peaceful opposition march descended into violence that shut down the city for several hours. A VOA reporter on the scene said security forces fired tear gas to disperse protestors and that clashes erupted among marchers, security forces and supporters of the ruling party. The violence occurred when demonstrators tried to pass the ruling party headquarters. Opposition leader, Cellou Dallein Diallo, addressed the demonstrators. Diallo asked, "You aren't af

Mexican Police Find 18 Dismembered Bodies

VOA News Forensic technicians handle bags containing the remains of people at the morgue after they had been found in two abandoned cars in Guadalajara, May 9, 2012. Mexican police have found the dismembered and decapitated bodies of at least 18 people in the western part of the country, where violence between rival drug gangs has flared. Prosecutor Tomas Coranado says the remains were discovered stuffed inside two vans near Lake Chapala Wednesday, not far from the city of Guadalajara. Police say a handwritten note believed to be from the Zetas drug gang was found at the scene. Turf battle A woman allegedly linked to the Zetas gang is reported to have told investigators the killings were in retaliation for the murders of 23 people last Friday. The victims were found hanging from a bridge and stuffed in trash bags in the border city of Nuevo Laredo.. The Zetas and Sinaloa drug cartels have a history of violent attacks against one another in battles over turf. More than 5

Greek Far Right Makes Gains, Demands Landmines on Borders

Henry Ridgwell | London Far-right Golden Dawn party's supporters celebrate and has vowed to kick out immigrants and mine Greece's borders with Turkey, May 6, 2012. Greece's far-right, Golden Dawn, party is entering the Greek parliament for the first time, demanding that all immigrants be "sent home" and wanting land mines planted along the Turkish border. The result has caused alarm, as fears grow that the economic crisis is benefiting extremist politicians. Greece belongs to Greeks Supporters chant 'Greece belongs to Greeks,' as Golden Dawn leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos marches triumphantly through the streets of Athens. A reporter following the crowd asks what policy the party would implement first. "All the illegal immigration out. Out of my country, out of my home," said Michaloliakos. Golden Dawn won seven percent of the vote and 21 parliamentary seats in Sunday's election. But Thanasis Kourkoulas of the campaign group &#

Slow Progress on Iraq Landmine Clearance

By Muhammad al-Zaidi and Khalid Waleed BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 10, 2012 (ENS) - While millions of dollars have been spent on clearing the 1,730 square kilometres (667 sq. miles) planted with landmines in Iraq, only a fraction of the work has been done although the 10-year deadline for demining the country expires in 2018. Iraq is among the countries worst affected by landmines and unexploded munitions, according to the United Nations. Minefield in Choman, northern governorate of Erbil, October 2001 (Photo courtesy UNOHCI/Oil-for Food) Since 2008, when Iraq joined the Ottawa Convention and committed itself to locating and clearing antipersonnel mines within 10 years, as well as banning their manufacture and use, only 15 square kilometres (5.79 sq. miles) have been made safe, according to the UN Development Programme, UNDP. That excludes the Kurdistan region, where demining has been ongoing since 1992, and 27 square kilometres (10.4 sq. miles) have been cleared. The Iraqi governm

Suspected Maoist caught in Rohini

NEW DELHI: A 42-year-old suspected Maoist - allegedly the chief trainer of the female armed wing of the erstwhile People's War Group in Jharkhand and wanted in the murder of a superintendant of police 12 years ago - was arrested from Rohini on Thursday by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police. The accused, Pradip Kumar Singh, is reportedly an expert in fitting landmines. Investigators said Singh is the father of Rakesh, a Maoist Action Squad member active in the Palamau region. Additional DCP (SIT) Joy Tirkey said Singh was initiated into active politics at Dalton College in 1988 through the Jharkhand Mazdoor Kisan Sangrami Parishad and participated in the agitation for separate statehood for Jharkhand in 1997. By the late '90s, he emerged as a key member of People's War Group (PWG), which merged with Maoist Communist Centre to form CPI (Maoist) in 2004. Singh, who hails from Latehar in Jharkhand, is said to be wanted in the murder of Dr Ajay Kumar Singh, Superintendent o

Pakistanis win global award for film on drones

/Pakistan, Sat, 12 May 2012IANS Islamabad, May 12 (IANS) A short film on the US drone attacks in Pakistan, made by students of Iqra University, has won an award at an international annual film festival held in the US. The 20-minute film "The Other Side" was awarded the Best Audience Award at the National Film Festival For Talented Youth (NFFTY), held in Seattle. The short film was written and directed by Danish Ali along with five other team members, Online news agency reported. The film revolves around the idea of assessing social, psychological and economical affects of the US drone strikes on the people in the northwest tribal areas of Pakistan. It identifies the problems faced by families who have become victims of missiles fired by the drones. This year alone, there has been more than 10 drone strikes, in which at least 83 people have been killed. However, the filmmakers were unable to attend the award ceremony as their visa applications were rejected.

Hezbollah says able to strike anywhere in Israel

BEIRUT | Sat May 12, 2012 2:19am IST (Reuters) - The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said his militant group was capable of striking any target in neighbouring Israel, saying "the days when we fled and they did not are over". "Today we are not only able to hit Tel Aviv as a city but, God willing, we are able to hit specific targets in Tel Aviv and anywhere in occupied Palestine," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address. "For every building destroyed in Dahiya, a building will be destroyed in Tel Aviv," he said, referring to Hezbollah's stronghold in a suburb of southern Beirut. Nasrallah's comments were some of his harshest words against Israel in several months, and came amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah's main backer, Iran. Israel argues Iran's nuclear enrichment project is being used to make an atomic bomb and has warned it could launch a strike to stop Tehran. Iran says its nuclear programme is fo

Uganda warlord Kony on the move as manhunt steps up: UN envoy

By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS | Fri May 11, 2012 11:24pm IST (Reuters) - Fugitive Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony is constantly changing his hideouts as the African Union prepares to expand a U.S.-assisted manhunt for one of Africa's most wanted men, a senior U.N. official said on Friday. Kony has evaded the region's militaries for nearly three decades, kidnapping tens of thousands of children to fill the ranks of his Lord's Resistance Army and serve as sex slaves as he moves through the bush. Thousands have been killed by his brutal army. The deployment of U.S. special forces as advisers to help Ugandan soldiers track Kony and his senior commanders in the dense equatorial jungle across a region that spans several countries has raised hopes the sadistic leader's days are numbered. Three other African countries - the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic - prepare to join an African Union guerrilla coalition to launch an i

Yemen's fractured state ideal laboratory for bomb plot

By Mohammed Ghobari and Tom Finn SANAA | Wed May 9, 2012 11:44pm IST (Reuters) - Yemen's fractured state and dysfunctional security apparatus provide al Qaeda's franchise there with a perfect breeding ground for bomb plots like the one the United States says it thwarted. Nearly three years after Yemen's then-leader Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to a U.S. carte blanche against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Islamists who fly its flag run parts of Yemen, and Washington's partner in "counter-terrorism" is a new leadership that faces criticism over Saleh's pact. It has inherited the task of stitching together a military that split into warring factions during a 14-month uprising that saw Saleh surrender power in February, and a simultaneous U.S. demand to turn the armed forces against Islamists militants. Meanwhile, tribal leaders in parts of Yemen where drone attacks aimed at AQAP have killed civilians say the strikes are turning more and more

Asiacell shuts offices in Iraq's Mosul after attacks-sources

May 10, 2012 9:07am EDT * Company targeted by bomb attacks and extortion threats * Mosul is regional hub for al Qaeda affiliates By Jamal al-Badrani MOSUL, Iraq, May 10 (Reuters) - Mobile phone operator Asiacell has closed its offices in the Iraqi city of Mosul, an al Qaeda stronghold, after attacks and threats by militants, security officials and employees said this week. Police sources said the firm had suffered bomb attacks on its facilities, assassination attempts against employees and extortion demands. Asiacell, a unit of Qatar Telecommunications, is one of three main mobile operators in Iraq. "The security forces have tried hard to eradicate terrorism and we have discussed the militant attacks with the company manager," Mehdi al-Gharrawi, Mosul police chief, told Reuters. He said police had arrested a number of people for the Asiacell incidents, but said the attacks had forced the firm to close its offices about a month ago. A spokesman for the compa

AQAP Releases Very Different Issues of Inspire

May 11, 2012 Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's release of issues eight and nine of its English-language terrorist magazine, Inspire, serves as a reminder of the group's continued effort to target western audiences. These issues, released on May 2, 2012, are the first since Samir Khan, believed to be the principal author of the magazine, was killed in a September 2011 drone strike along with popular jihadist ideologue and magazine contributor Anwar al-Awlaki. At the time, their deaths led to speculation of the media franchise's demise. Inspire 8 is dated fall 2011 and does not address the eight-month delay of its publication. The feature article, written by al-Awlaki, offers religious justifications for attacking civilian populations. The article was written in response to reader-submitted questions, the most prevalent of which apparently concerned the religious authorization for attacks on civilians. Awlaki condones and encourages the use of explosives, firearms

Shoe-thrower interrupts Norway killing trial

It was the first outburst from the normally subdued crowd watching the terror trial in Oslo's district court since the proceedings began in mid-April. Breivik — a self-styled, anti-Muslim militant — has been charged with terrorism, admitting he carried out a bomb-and-shooting rampage that stunned Norway on July 22. On Friday, forensic experts were going through autopsy reports for some of the 69 victims killed in the shooting massacre at a youth camp that day, when a man in the second row suddenly stood up, said Mikaela Akerman, a Swedish journalist who was in the court room. "He threw one of his shoes at the desk where Breivik sits with his defense lawyers," Akerman told The Associated Press. He shouted, 'You killer, go to hell.' And repeated it several times." She said Breivik remained calm and "smiled a little" as he watched security guards apprehend the man and lead him out of the court room. "He keeps shouting and is crying heavi

Tibetan Farmers Abandon Fields

2012-05-08 Villagers boycott their work to show solidarity with self-immolation protests. AFP An undated photo by Free Tibet shows Chinese paramilitary police marching on the streets of Ngaba. Farmers in a Tibetan-populated region of China’s Sichuan province are vowing not to cultivate their fields in a gesture of respect for Tibetans who have self-immolated in protests against Chinese rule and to demand the release of relatives and friends detained in earlier protests, according to a local source. “Eight villages in the Ngaba [in Chinese, Aba] prefecture’s Andu township have decided not to till their land this year to express solidarity with the Tibetans who self-immolated and to express their pain over the violent crackdown on Tibetans in Ngaba by Chinese authorities,” a Tibetan resident of the area told RFA, speaking on condition of anonymity. The move echoes a 2009 farm boycott in neighboring Kardze prefecture, in which Tibetan farmers refused to cultivate their land fol