Women Lose Ground in the New Iraq

…Life has become more difficult for most Iraqis since the February bombing of a Shiite Muslim mosque in Samarra sparked a rise in sectarian killings and overall lawlessness. For many women, though, it has become unbearable. As Islamic fundamentalism seeps into society and sectarian warfare escalates, more and more women live in fear of being kidnapped or raped…..(Washington Post, 16 Dec 06)

US Drug Czar Announces Afghanistan Will Spray Opium Poppies

US Drug Control Policy head John Walters announced that Afghanistan's poppy crops will be sprayed with herbicides in an effort to put a crimp in the country's booming opium and heroin trade. But the Afghan government, which is not enthusiastic about spraying, has yet to confirm Walters' pronouncement….(Pak Tribune, 16 Dec 06)

Iraq aid agency 'attacked' by US

…The organization's vice-president said attacks by US-led forces were the biggest problem it faced. The Red Crescent, which has a staff of 1,000 and 200,000 volunteers, is the only Iraqi aid group working across the country's 18 provinces….(BBC, 16 Dec 06)

26 Bosnian Serbs Arrested in U.S.
A Justice Department dragnet based on war crimes probes in Europe led to 26 arrests in the past week of Bosnian Serbs who had obtained refugee status in the United States by allegedly concealing their service in the Bosnian Serb military during the bitter Yugoslav conflict of the mid-1990s….(Washington Post, 16 Dec 06)

Province turning to terrorists

Tribal leaders and some political groups in the strife-ridden Iraqi province of Diyala are turning to terrorists and insurgents for protection rather than trust Iraqi soldiers and police, the commander of U.S. forces in that area said yesterday….(AP, 16 Dec 06)

Rail-Cargo Plan Aims to Avert Terrorism

Federal officials unveiled a plan yesterday to tighten security for railroad shipments of hazardous materials, saying the rules would reduce the risk of terrorists using dangerous chemicals to kill thousands of people….(Washington Post, 16 Dec 06)

Feinstein Criticizes DHS on Foreigner Exit Program

Supporters of the troubled US-VISIT program warned yesterday that the decision to suspend a crucial part of the national security program launched after the 2001 attacks will leave the nation vulnerable to terrorism…..(Washington Post, 16 Dec 06)

Lawyers: Padilla Unable to Help Defense

Jose Padilla's lawyers say the accused al-Qaida operative has mental problems stemming from his treatment during 3 1/2 years in solitary confinement and have asked a federal judge to decide whether he is competent to stand trial….(AP, 16 Dec 06)

The Role of Holocaust Denial in the Ideology and Strategy of The Iranian Regime

Today, December 14, 2006, a symposium titled "Holocaust Denial: Paving the Way to Genocide" was held at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. MEMRI President and Founder Yigal Carmon spoke at the symposium. The following are his remarks…(MEMRI, 15 Dec 06)

Iran Holocaust Denial Conference Announces Plan to Establish World Foundation for Holocaust Studies – To Be Eventually Based in Berlin and Headed by Iranian Presidential Advisor Mohammad-Ali Ramin Who Has Said: 'The Resolution of the Holocaust Issue Will End in the Destruction of Israel'

On December 14, 2006 the Iranian news agency IRNA reported, in English, that participants in the Iranian Holocaust Denial conference, dubbed "Holocaust: A Global Vision," had announced the establishment of a "world foundation for Holocaust studies" and unanimously appointed Presidential Advisor Mohammad-Ali Ramin as its secretary-general…(MEMRI, 15 Dec 06)

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 36

…..(MEMRI, 15 Dec 06)

Rice Rejects Overture To Iran And Syria

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday rejected a bipartisan panel's recommendation that the United States seek the help of Syria and Iran in Iraq, saying the "compensation" required by any deal might be too high. She argued that neither country should need incentives to foster stability in Iraq….(Washington Post, 15 Dec 06)

Blind Sheik was Mastermind Behind 1993 World Trade Center Attack

The sudden, and apparently life-threatening, illness of Omar Abdel-Rahman, the so-called blind sheik, who is serving a life sentence in federal prison, has sparked fears that that his followers might launch terror attacks against the United States should he die in custody… The terror alert was sparked, not by specific information about a plot, but because the sheik has told his followers to seek revenge if he should die while in American hands….(Fox News, 15 Dec 06)

FBI: Cleric's Illness May Spark Attack

The health of terrorist cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, known as the Blind Sheik, is deteriorating _ renewing fears that his death in prison could trigger an attack on the United States…(AP, 15 Dec 06)

4 Are Killed and 22 Hurt in Bomb Attack in Afghanistan

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the center of a busy shopping street in the town of Qalat in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing four civilians and wounding 22 people….(New York Times, 15 Dec 06)

Iraq gunmen kidnap scores of Baghdad businessmen

Gunshots have rang out in the Iraqi capital as a heavily armed gang in police uniforms kidnapped four dozen businessmen in a brazen daylight raid on a busy commercial street. Gunshots rang out as workers ran for cover and motorists made rapid U-turns to escape the unofficial dragnet…(Agence France-Presse, 15 Dec 06)

Tri-border transfers 'funding terror'

…The BBC has now found documents showing the suspicious transfer of large sums of money to the Middle East, which investigators believe goes to fund terrorism. The BBC's Andrew Bomford reports from Ciudad del Este in Paraguay….(BBC, 15 Dec 06)

Rapid Slum Growth Breeds Crime and Terrorism, Says U.N.

The rapid growth of slums in the world's towns and cities is increasing urban poverty and creating a breeding ground for terrorism, fanaticism, pollution and disease, the United Nations said on Friday….(Reuters, 15 Dec 06)

Israeli High Court Backs Military On Its Policy of 'Targeted Killings'

Israel's high court upheld Thursday the military's right to assassinate members of groups the state defines as terrorist organizations, but cautioned that such operations should always be weighed first against the potential harm to civilian bystanders and the human rights of the target….(Washington Post, 15 Dec 06)

Government Proposes Rail Security Plan

The Bush administration's plan to prevent terrorist attacks on trains ran into immediate criticism from Democratic lawmakers who say it's too little, too late….(AP, 15 Dec 06)

Top Commanders Appear Set to Urge Larger U.S. Military

… That conclusion is being punctuated by the departure of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who officially leaves his post on Friday and who was long the champion of the idea that high technology and better intelligence could substitute for a bigger military….(New York Times, 15 Dec 06)

Vietnam welcomes extradition of US suspect in bomb plot

Van Duc Vo was removed from a prison in Los Angeles on December 1 and flown to Thailand after Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice signed an extradition order. A US citizen born in Vietnam, Vo is a member of a California-based terrorist group known as Government of Free Vietnam. "Vo was the ringleader of a plot to bomb the Vietnamese embassy in Thailand,"…(Thanh Nien, 15 Dec 06)

Let the Muslims fight it out

Funny thing about the recent op-ed by Nawaf Obaid in The Washington Post outlining likely Saudi actions if the United States withdraws from Iraq: namely, that Saudis would both support Sunnis in Iraq (versus Shi'ites supported by Iran) and manipulate the oil market to "strangle" the Iranian economy….(Washington Times, 15 Dec 06)

U.S. resists watch list pressure on Arar

The United States brushed off pressure on Friday to remove Syrian-Canadian Maher Arar from its watch list despite his having been declared by a Canadian inquiry not to be an Islamic extremist….(Reuters, 15 Dec 06)

U.S. Preparing to Drop Tracking of Foreigners' Departures by Land

U.S. homeland security officials are preparing to abandon plans to develop a system to track the departure of foreign visitors at land borders, citing cost and technical obstacles in scaling back a major post-Sept. 11 domestic security initiative…(Washington Post, 15 Dec 06)

'Taleban law' blocked in Pakistan

Pakistan's Supreme Court has blocked a fresh attempt to enact a Taleban-style law to enforce Islamic morality in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The court instructed the provincial governor not to sign the bill, which is opposed by President Pervez Musharraf….(BBC, 15 Dec 06)

Somali Leader: Door to Peace Talks Shut

…Tension has been mounting in recent weeks between Somalia's government, which has Western and U.N. recognition but little authority on the ground, and the Council of Islamic Courts, which controls most of southern Somalia. The Islamists have vowed to launch a holy war starting Tuesday unless Ethiopian troops supporting the government leave Somalia….(AP, 15 Dec 06)

Somali Islamists accuse US of sowing divisions with Al-Qaeda remarks

…The Islamists, who are girding for all-out war with the weak Ethiopian-backed Somali government, said Washington was carrying out a smear campaign to split the movement and hurt its popularity….(Agence France-Presse, 15 Dec 06)

Putin reported 'furious' over US payment for Lebanon war, CIA Egypt terror ring

…Less than 3 weeks after making this promise the United States used a little known provision in their security agreements with Israel to fully pay for the war, and as we can read as reported by Israel's Ynet News Service in their article titled "US to double emergency equipment stored in Israel…In addition, the US will allow Israel to use the remainder of the US's monetary guarantees given to them that have not been used yet, and add up to USD 4.5 billion, by 2011….(Pravda, 15 Dec 06)

Pakistan Will Have to Reckon With Tribal Leaders, Negroponte Says

With new fighting expected to break out next spring in Afghanistan, the Pakistani government will soon have to decide what it can do about the tribal authorities who have not been living up to their agreement to prevent Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters from moving back and forth across the border, according to Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte. "Sooner or later, the government will have to reckon with it," Negroponte said yesterday…(Washington Post, 15 Dec 06)

Blair defends Saudi probe ruling

Tony Blair has hit back at claims a corruption probe into a Saudi arms deal with BAE Systems was dropped after commercial and political pressure….The SFO was investigating claims that Britain's biggest defense firm BAE had paid bribes to secure an arms deal with Saudi Arabia in the 1980s….(BBC, 15 Dec 06)

Iranian polls to test Ahmadinejad

Iranians are voting in two elections seen as the first test of public support for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since he came to power. Voters will elect new local councils and a powerful clerical body known as the Assembly of Experts….(BBC, 15 Dec 06)

Violence follows Hamas accusation

Clashes have erupted between rival Palestinian factions after Hamas accused Fatah of trying to assassinate Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas….(BBC, 15 Dec 06)

Palestinian Premier Barred at Border
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was stranded for much of Thursday in the Egyptian Sinai after Israel barred him from entering the Gaza Strip with millions of dollars in cash, a standoff that prompted armed demonstrations by his Hamas movement and gunfire as his convoy crossed the border hours later without the money….(Washington Post, 15 Dec 06)

ISLAM is not the source of terrorism, but its solution

… As Muslims, we completely condemn these attacks and offer our condolences to the American people. In this report, we will explain that Islam is by no means the source of this violence and that violence has no place in Islam….(Yemen Times, 15 Dec 06)

Troubles in the House of Saud?

At a time when the U.S. is striving to enlist the support of Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led moderate states to help counter Iranian influence in the Middle East, few foreign diplomats are as important a player as Riyadh's man in Washington. Which is why Prince Turki Al Faisal's sudden, unexplained resignation earlier this week, which came after just 15 months in his post, has left Washington so puzzled and concerned about possible palace intrigue in the House of Saud….(Time Magazine, 15 Dec 06)

The Ideological Voices of the Jihadi Movement

It is news to few observers that thousands, even millions, of young Muslims are influenced—to some extent—by jihadi literature circulating on various Islamist websites and discussion forums. The mujahideen's use of the internet for communication, indoctrination, recruitment and public relations has been well demonstrated…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Dec 06)

Hizb-ut-Tahrir's Growing Appeal in the Arab World

Hizb-ut-Tahrir (or Hizb al-Tahrir) is an ostensibly non-violent Islamic political movement dedicated to the recreation of a global caliphate. Although founded in Jordanian-ruled Jerusalem in 1953, it has traditionally been strongest in Europe and Central Asia.…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Dec 06)

Islamic Jihad: “Israel is waging war against us”

The Islamic Jihad movement said that the Israeli army is waging war against its members and leaders as the army killed several members and took prisoner at least 50 fighters in recent months in Hebron alone…..(IMEMC, 14 Dec 06)

Iran, The Israel-Hating Regime and The True Iranian Hero

The complex tale of how the Persian Empire founded by Cyrus the Great-the world's "first" Zionist metamorphosed into the Israel-Hating nation we know today. Abdol Hossein Sardari didn't look like a hero. But when Paris fell to Hitler in June 1940, the 30-year-old Muslim-a dapper man with a receding hairline-took it upon himself to save Jews trapped inside Nazi-occupied France….(Moment Magazine, 14 Dec 06)

Iranian Satirist Responds to Iranian President's Letter To The American People: Mr Ahmadinejad! With All The Problems Facing Your Country, You Are Not Even In A Position To Advise Other People

Prominent Iranian satirist Ebrahim Nabavi is a known critic of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as of members of the Iranian religious establishment….(MEMRI, 14 Dec 06)

Harith al-Dari: Iraq's Most Wanted Sunni Leader

According to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Harith al-Dari has "nothing to do with inciting sectarian and ethnic sedition." Al-Dari, the leader of the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), has been an outspoken critic of the Shiite-led Iraqi government and is rumored to be affiliated with the 1920 Revolution Brigades, an indigenous Iraqi insurgent group…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Dec 06)

Whistleblower questions counter-terrorism skills of FBI managers

Although the FBI pledged to shift its focus from law enforcement to counterterrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks, newly released court documents show senior officials aren’t doing much to attract senior people with counterterrorism experience and critical language skills…(Federal Times, 14 Dec 06)

How violence is forging a brutal divide in Baghdad

…More and more, Baghdad is splintering into Shia and Sunni enclaves that are increasingly no-go areas for anyone from outside. The trend is fuelled by the ugliest sectarianism. It also reflects a crude power grab, with both sides egged on by political parties aiming to maximize their clout in the Iraqi Government by dominating as much of the capital as possible….(Times Online, 14 Dec 06)

Baghdad Map of Sectarian Divide

Militant Arrested, Intelligence Officer Kidnapped In Gaza Chaos

Palestinian General Intelligence Unit officers arrested a militant from the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) Thursday in connection with the murder earlier this week of the three children of a senior intelligence officer…(DPA, 14 Dec 06)

U.S. says al Qaeda behind Somali Islamists

Somali Islamists are under the growing control of an al Qaeda cell in East Africa, a U.S. diplomat said on Thursday, as Washington condemned their threat to attack Ethiopian troops backing Somalia's interim government…Since taking Mogadishu, the Islamists have expanded across south Somalia. Washington believes at least three of the plotters behind the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya are in Somalia. The head of the Council of the Islamic Courts, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, is on U.N. and U.S. terrorist lists….(Reuters, 14 Dec 06)

Police: Gunmen Kidnap Dozens in Baghdad

…The attackers drove up to the busy al-Sanak area in about 10 sport utility vehicles and began rounding up shop owners and bystanders. Two police officers said 50 to 70 people were abducted….(AP, 14 Dec 06)

2 Iraqi Policemen Killed in Car Bombing

A car bomb killed two policemen who were trying to defuse it in Baghdad's Sadr City section, where officers were on high alert Thursday after receiving tips that militants were moving more bombs into the Shiite slum….(AP, 14 Dec 06)

4 Killed in Afghan Suicide Attack

A suicide bomber blew himself up Thursday on a crowded street near a police vehicle in southern Afghanistan, killing four civilians and wounding 25 people…(AP, 14 Dec 06)

16 Saudis Return Home From Guantanamo

…The 16 arrived in the kingdom on a private Saudi plane and will be "subject to the Saudi system," the interior minister said, without elaborating. It was not immediately known when they were released from Guantanamo….(AP, 14 Dec 06)

U.S. to Retry Colombian in Terror Case

U.S. prosecutors will bring a second hostage-taking and terrorism case against Latin American rebel leader Ricardo Palmera this spring, four months after the first attempt ended with a hung jury…(AP, 14 Dec 06)

Setback for Pair Accused of Terror Aid

A request by two young men accused of aiding terrorists to throw out certain charges against them should be denied, a judge recommended…Syed Ahmed, 21, and Ehsanul Sadequee, 20, are accused of discussing terror targets with Islamic extremists and undergoing training to carry out a "violent jihad" against civilian and government targets, including an air base in suburban Atlanta…(AP, 14 Dec 06)

Judge Rejects Detention Challenge of Bin Laden's Driver

…Robertson dismissed Salim Ahmed Hamdan's petition because he said Congress clearly intended to keep such cases out of the federal courts. And he held that, as a foreigner with no voluntary ties to the United States, Hamdan has no claim to a constitutional right to habeas corpus….(Washington Post, 14 Dec 06)

Federal Judge Asked to Decide if Padilla Is Competent for Trial

Saying that he was mentally damaged as a result of his three years and eight months in a naval brig in South Carolina, lawyers for Jose Padilla asked a federal judge in Miami yesterday to determine his competency to stand trial on terrorism conspiracy charges….(New York Times, 14 Dec 06)

Miami Terror Suspect Claims 'I Was Set Up'

A South Florida contractor arrested by the FBI along with 6 others for allegedly conspiring to commit terrorist acts is giving his side of the case from behind bars. Narseal Batiste wrote a 25-page letter to CBS4’s Brian Andrews, in which he says he and his group never had terrorist intentions…(CBS, 14 Dec 06)

Turkey's Membership Will Show That Islam Conforms To Democracy And Human Rights, Rehn

European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said that EU made important decisions today, underlining that Turkey`s membership would show that Islam conforms to European values like democracy and human rights…(Turkish Press, 14 Dec 06)

Afghan President Lashes Out at Pakistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has dumped diplomatic talk of "brotherly relations" with Pakistan for rhetorical fireballs blaming the neighboring country for his nation's spiraling militant violence. Analysts said Karzai could trying to wrench U.S. attention from Iraq as more Afghans are killed…(AP, 14 Dec 06)

Somalia’s Islamists and Ethiopia Gird for a War

The stadium was packed, the guns were cocked and even the drenching rain could not douse the jihadist fire. Thousands of Somalis, from fully veiled, machine-gun-toting women to little boys in baggy fatigues, gathered Friday to rally against what they called foreign aggression….(New York Times, 14 Dec 06)

Ban Ki-moon to take oath as U.N. secretary-general

South Korean Ban Ki-moon takes the oath of office as the eighth U.N. secretary-general at a ceremony in the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, less than three weeks before he assumes the post from Kofi Annan….(Reuters, 14 Dec 06)

Defying Bush, Senator Visits Syria
The White House lashed out at Syria yesterday, as Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) defied pressure from the administration and went ahead with talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. Afterward, Nelson said he sees a new "crack in the door" for U.S.-Syria relations and help in stabilizing Iraq….(Washington Post, 14 Dec 06)

Nigeria Continues to Slide Toward Instability

The ongoing unrest in Nigeria's volatile delta region is having an inflationary impact on oil prices, with no resolution to the crisis in sight. The turmoil in the delta, the center of the country's oil industry, is largely driven by poverty and corruption.…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Dec 06)

Gulf Arabs signal intent to equal a nuclear Iran

…The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which groups Arab countries in the world’s top oil and gas exporting region, said at a summit meeting on Sunday that it has decided to set up a nuclear energy program for peaceful purposes. The announcement by the six countries — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman — came amid concerns in the West and in the Gulf that non-Arab Iran’s nuclear enrichment program could produce an atomic bomb…(Reuters, 14 Dec 06)

In depth: Mid-East crisis

Pentagon Calls for New African Command

The Pentagon is recommending a new U.S. military command for Africa, which is seen as having greater strategic importance to America since the start of the fight against terrorism….(AP, 14 Dec 06)

Terrorism threat cited for secrecy

Camp Peary, meet Philip Morris…Citing the threat of terrorism, Philip Morris USA has managed to keep from public disclosure its plans for a 14-acre property with a large manufacturing plant on Merrimac Trail….(Daily Press, 14 Dec 06)

NYPD Hosts Counterterrorism Conference

...NYPD officials have done an exhaustive study of last year's London bombing, believing it could serve as a template for future strikes against targets in the city. At Wednesday's conference, they noted that the four suicide bombers lived well north of London, near Leeds, and commuted by car and rail to launch a coordinated attack on three subway trains and a bus, killing 52 people and wounding more than 700….(AP,14 Dec 06)

Israel Warns of al-Qaida Attack in India

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has issued an urgent warning of an impending al-Qaida attack in the peaceful Indian region of Goa, a popular destination for Israeli backpackers…(AP, 14 Dec 06)

Egypt in major crackdown on Islamists

…Mohammed Khayrat al-Shater, a 55-year-old considered to be the Islamist movement's third-ranking official, was arrested at his home in Cairo before dawn, security sources said. Dozens of students and teachers from Al-Azhar University -- the highest seat of learning in Sunni Islam -- were also detained overnight….(Agence France-Presse, 14 Dec 06)

Financier of Egypt Muslim group arrested

….(AP, 14 Dec 06)

Islamic caliphate a dream, not reality-experts

…Before he went into hiding in 2001, Osama bin Laden often talked of deposing Muslim rulers, seen as beholden to Western powers, and abolishing modern state borders to unite all Muslims under a caliphate -- an Islamic state where God's word was law ruled over by a caliph, or "successor" to Prophet Mohammad. Now al Qaeda militants are talking about setting up a caliphate in west Iraq, and militants calling themselves al Qaeda in Yemen also said recently a caliphate is their goal….(Reuters, 14 Dec 06)

Lebanese Government Issues Own Warning

…In the test of wills that Lebanon's crisis has become, the government is playing a game of perceptions. Ministers insist it is business as usual, while in almost daily scenes, busloads of supporters from elsewhere in Lebanon are ferried to the stately Serail, as Siniora's headquarters is known….(Washington Post, 14 Dec 06)

Renowned Syrian Poet 'Adonis': 'We, In Arab Society, Do Not Understand The Meaning Of Freedom'

The poet Ali Ahmad Sa'id (b. 1930), known by his pseudonym "Adonis," a 2005 candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature, left his native Syria for Lebanon in the 1950s following six months' imprisonment for political activity…(MEMRI, 14 Dec 06)

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 35

….(MEMRI, 14 Dec 06)

'04 Pentagon Report Cited Detention Concerns

…According to a summary of the 2004 report obtained by The Washington Post, interrogators attempted to deprive one detainee, Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, a Qatari citizen and former student in Peoria, Ill., of sleep and religious comfort by taking away his Koran, warm food, mattresses and pillow as part of an interrogation plan approved by the high-level Joint Forces Command….(Washington Post, 14 Dec 06)

Bidders unready for jobs in Iraq

Nearly two-thirds of the 276 Foreign Service members who volunteered to serve in Iraq next year were found unqualified for the jobs, aggravating a shortage that has left the State Department scrambling to fully staff its embassy and other operations in the country….(Washington Times, 14 Dec 06)

US scientists reject interference

…According to the American Union of Concerned Scientists, data is being misrepresented for political reasons. It claims scientists working for federal agencies have been asked to change data to fit policy initiatives….(BBC, 14 Dec 06)

U.S. spy agency answers Iraq Study Group report

…"The Defense Intelligence Agency has more than 300 dedicated analysts focused on the many complexities of Iraq," the statement said. "They include a core cadre of 49 analysts focused exclusively on the insurgency, at least half of whom have more than two years experience working this issue."….(AP, 14 Dec 06)

Defense Agency Rejects Panel's Criticism

To dispute one criticism from the Iraq Study Group's report, the Defense Intelligence Agency is pulling back the curtain on concealed information and disclosing the number of analysts devoted to Iraq. The count: 300-plus, with 49 analysts focused exclusively on the insurgency….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Bush Delays Speech on Iraq Strategy

…In its policy review, the administration is focusing closely on the "80 percent solution," that would bolster the political center of Iraq and effectively leave in charge the Shiite and Kurdish parties that account for 80 percent of Iraq's 26 million people and that won elections a year ago. Vice President Cheney's office has vigorously argued for the plan….(Washington Post, 13 Dec 06)

FBI Officials Said Anti-terror Training Not Given Due Weight in Agent Promotions, Group Reports

Lawyers for a once-decorated terror-fighting FBI agent are making public hundreds of pages of testimony from the bureau's top brass declaring that terrorism expertise has been given little weight in promoting agents since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

General foresees 'generational war' against terrorism

The American people need to prepare for a long-duration war against radical Muslims who are set to fight for 50 to 100 years to create an Islamist state in the region, a top Pentagon strategist in the war on terror says….(Washington Times, 13 Dec 06)

Hitting the Pocketbook

Mullah Krekar, a radical Islamist Mullah who U.S. officials charge has been helping to direct and finance insurgent attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq, is pushing back against Washington's latest efforts to shut him down. Krekar, who once led a Taliban-style jihadist enclave in Iraqi Kurdistan but now lives in exile in Oslo, told NEWSWEEK that a new U.S. Treasury Department order that labeled him a terrorist financier and "facilitator" was based on "100 percent lies…The George W. Bush administration told more than 1,000 lies against me," says the Kurdish-born Krekar, whose real name, according to a U.S. Treasury statement, is Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad. …(Newsweek, 13 Dec 06)

Muslim pilgrims urged to complain

…The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), citing what it called the "airport profiling" of six imams removed from a recent flight, yesterday said Muslims traveling this month to the holy site in Saudi Arabia need to be aware of their rights….(Washington Times, 13 Dec 06)

City Fights Efforts to Release 2004 Convention Arrest Records

Faced with lawsuits from hundreds of people arrested during the 2004 Republican National Convention, the Bloomberg administration is fighting to keep secret a vast array of records, testimony and videotapes collected that week….(New York Times, 13 Dec 06)

Moussa Seeks to Defuse Crisis in Lebanon

The head of the Arab League said Wednesday there was progress in his efforts to bring rival Lebanese leaders to reach agreement on defusing political and sectarian tensions that threaten to tear the country apart….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

2 Yemen Journalists Sentenced to Prison

A court Wednesday sentenced an editor and journalist from a weekly newspaper to four months in prison for reprinting the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. It was the third sentence against journalists handed down in recent weeks over the controversy….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Clerics posing threat to Ahmadinejad

Hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces a potential setback at the hands of the nation's traditional conservatives in elections Friday for a government oversight body that will one day choose a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei….(Washington Times, 13 Dec 06)

Censorship and Persecution in the Name of Islam: A Tunisian Weekly Counts the Ways

In an article titled "Ban… Ban…," published in the Tunisian French-language weekly Réalités, [1] Tunisian columnist Zyed Krichen denounced the policy of censorship and denial of free speech that he said had been implemented by most Arab states and Islamist groups "since the advent of printing."….(MEMRI, 13 Dec 06)

Saudi Intellectuals Discuss Saudi Curricula

The following are excerpts from several programs in which Saudi intellectuals discussed the Saudi education system. The programs aired on LBC TV on November 5, 2006 and on 'Ein TV on August 13, 2006….(MEMRI, 13 Dec 06)

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 34

….(MEMRI, 13 Dec 06)

Morocco's Christian converts irk the world of Islam

…Islam is the state religion in Morocco, a country of 30 million people that counts only 5,000 Jews and 1,000 Christians, according to figures given by the two groupings. Although you cannot be sentenced if you convert to Christianity, it is illegal to proselytize under Moroccan law….(Agence France-Presse, 13 Dec 06)

Jordan, Iraq to Coordinate Intelligence

Jordan and Iraq signed an agreement Wednesday to coordinate intelligence on al-Qaida and other terrorist groups, a show of cooperation between two countries whose relations have been marked at times by suspicion….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Saudi ambassador quits Washington

The Saudi Arabian ambassador to the US, Prince Turki al-Faisal, has abruptly resigned and left Washington after just 15 months in the job. Saudi officials said he wants to spend more time with his family. There are suggestions that he may be promoted to foreign minister, or that he resigned over differences with officials in Riyadh….(BBC, 13 Dec 06)

Army, Marine Corps To Ask for More Troops

…Army will press hard for "full access" to the 346,000-strong Army National Guard and the 196,000-strong Army Reserves by asking Gates to take the politically sensitive step of easing the Pentagon restrictions on the frequency and duration of involuntary call-ups for reservists, according to two senior Army officials….(Washington Post, 13 Dec 06)

Terror Case Shows Bush, Libertarian Rift

It's not every day that conservative lawyers Steven Calabresi and Richard A. Epstein agree with Clinton administration Attorney General Janet Reno or former American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Burt Neuborne….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

2,000 Killed in Afghanistan Since Sept.

Almost 2,100 militants have been killed in Afghanistan since Sept. 1 in operations involving coalition special forces soldiers, a U.S. Army spokesman said….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Jordanians, Iraqis plan how to combat terrorism

Jordanian and Iraqi interior ministers and their security officials met Wednesday to coordinate plans and share intelligence on terrorist groups such as al-Qaida, which has staged devastating attacks in both states, Jordanian and Iraqi officials said….(AP, Jerusalem Post, 13 Dec 06)

Suspected al-Qaida-Linked Hideout Raided

…A tip by residents led air force intelligence agents Monday to the hideout in the rural, banana-growing district of Tagum in Davao city, where they found a pipe bomb in a black bag, air force spokesman Maj. Augusto dela Pena said….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Afghanistan Must Prosecute War Crimes, Human Rights Watch Says

…Failure to act against warlords and drug traffickers is undermining support for the government as it tackles a Taliban- led insurgency, the New York-based group said in a report….(Bloomberg, 13 Dec 06)

Palestinians Kill Hamas-Linked Judge

Palestinian gunmen fatally ambushed a Hamas-linked Islamic judge and militant commander outside of a courthouse early Wednesday, escalating factional tensions in the Gaza Strip….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Two Buddhists shot and killed by suspected Muslim insurgents in southern Thailand

Two men were killed Wednesday by suspected Muslim insurgents in southern Thailand who apparently targeted the victims because they were Buddhist…(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Suicide bomber kills 8 in Afghanistan

A Taliban suicide bomber killed eight people inside an Afghan provincial governor's compound Tuesday, officials said, and President Hamid Karzai accused neighboring Pakistan of being the Taliban's "boss."…(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Car Bombs Kill at Least 15 People in Baghdad and Northern Iraq

A car bomb exploded near a crowded bus stop in eastern Baghdad during morning rush hour on Wednesday, killing 11 people and wounding 27 in a mostly Shiite area, police said. In northern Iraq, two suicide car bombers attacked an Iraqi army base, killing four soldiers and wounding 10…(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Blasts Rock Baghdad Before Reconciliation Talks

….(Reuters, 13 Dec 06)

BBC Special Report: Iraq violence, in figures

'Death Square' Blast Kills 70 Iraqi Laborers

They arrived Tuesday morning at a place where sudden death intersects with life. They were mostly young men from Basra, Nasiriyah, Amarah and other towns across Shiite-dominated southern Iraq. At a time when men their age were joining Shiite militias or criminal gangs, they sought something more elusive in the new Iraq: jobs….(Washington Post, 13 Dec 06)

Saudis Say They Might Back Sunnis if U.S. Leaves Iraq

Saudi Arabia has told the Bush administration that it might provide financial backing to Iraqi Sunnis in any war against Iraq’s Shiites if the United States pulls its troops out of Iraq, according to American and Arab diplomats. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia conveyed that message to Vice President Dick Cheney two weeks ago during Mr. Cheney’s whirlwind visit to Riyadh.…(New York Times, 13 Dec 06)

Report: Saudis Warn They May Back Sunnis

Saudi Arabia has warned it could decide to provide financial support to Iraqi Sunnis if the U.S. pulls its troops out of Iraq, where sectarian violence between the minority Sunnis and majority Iraqi Shiites has threatened to tear apart the country, The New York Times reported….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Move to isolate Iraqi cleric Sadr

Iraqi politicians are discussing the formation of a new alliance designed to isolate the radical young Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr. The alliance would bring together some of the main Shia, Kurdish and Sunni groups, but the party of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has not decided whether to join….(BBC, 13 Dec 06)

Pakistan’s Support for Militants Threatens Region, Karzai Says

In strikingly strong language, President Hamid Karzai warned Tuesday that a failure to bring peace to Afghanistan would destroy the whole region, and laid the blame squarely on neighboring Pakistan…..(New York Times, 13 Dec 06)

U.N. Official Says Lack of Security Harms Hariri Assassination Inquiry

The head of the United Nations inquiry into the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon, said Tuesday that his investigation had reached a “sensitive and complicated phase,” but that he could not discuss it for fear of endangering investigators and witnesses….(New York Time, 13 Dec 06)

U.S. Executives Tour the Horn of Africa

…While most Africans reject extremism, it only takes a handful to carry out terrorist attacks like the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, or the 2002 simultaneous car bombing of a hotel and attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner over Kenya….(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Yemen bans two journalists over Prophet cartoons

A Yemeni court banned a newspaper editor and a journalist from writing for one month on Wednesday after finding them guilty of denigrating Islam by reprinting cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad….(Reuters, 13 Dec 06)

Man Denies Planning Sears Tower Attack

…(AP, 13 Dec 06)

Pakistan court drops charge in London plot case

A Pakistani court dropped terrorism charges on Wednesday against a Pakistani-British dual national suspected of being a key figure in a plot to blow up airliners over the Atlantic Ocean…(Reuters, 13 Dec 06)

One War We Can Still Win

Declassified intelligence made available during my recent trip there (Afghanistan) showed that major Al Qaeda, Taliban, Haqqani Network and Hezb-i-Islami sanctuaries exist in Pakistan, and that the areas they operate in within Afghanistan have increased fourfold over the last year….(New York Times, 13 Dec 06)

Iraq violence sparks exodus to Syria

On the desert border between Syria and Iraq, a group of tents clings to the shifting sands. This is a desolate place at the best of times.  Now it has become an unwanted home to more than 300 Palestinian refugees. They fled from violence in Baghdad seven months ago, only to get stuck in no-man's land….(BBC, 13 Dec 06)

Bomb Shows Algeria Rebel Remnants Retain Menace

An attack on foreign oil workers in one of Algeria's most protected places is a reminder that rebels struggling to reverse a long decline retain the ability to menace Western interests….(Reuters, 13 Dec 06)

Editor of Arabic Reformist Website AAFAQ Criticizes Recommendations of the Iraq Study Group

The following is the translation of an editorial titled "The Poisonous Report" that was posted on the Arabic reformist website www.aafaq.org on December 8, 2006…(MEMRI, 12 Dec 06)

Time to Offshore Our Troops

The Iraq Study Group’s recommendation that the United States withdraw its combat forces from Iraq reflects a growing national consensus that our military cannot quell the violence there and may even be making matters worse…..(New York Times, 12 Dec 06)

Afghanistan: The Taliban's Book of Rules

...the stapled pamphlet called simply “Layeha,” or “Rule Book,” is only nine pages long. But it speaks volumes about the Taliban: their strategy, their following, their potential virtues and their persistent vices, and the full text is well worth reading…Many rules explicitly forbid killing those who work with the “infidel” Americans and Europeans if they’re willing to change sides, and one rule even prohibits killing infidels themselves if they come over to the ranks of the mujahideen or holy warriors.…(Newsweek, 12 Dec 06)

Clerics Urge Muslims to Back Iraq Sunnis

More than 30 prominent Islamic clerics from Saudi Arabia on Monday called on Sunni Muslims around the Middle East to support their brethren in Iraq against Shiites and praised the insurgency….(AP, 12 Dec 06)

Iran will respond to sanctions: Ahmadinejad

…“From now on, considering your insistence on confronting the Iranian nation, we consider this move of yours as hostile and will act accordingly,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. “Britain and the United States should know that the Iranian nation will reach the zenith of nuclear technology without (paying) the slightest price and conquer this zenith with pride,” …(Agence France-Presse, 12 Dec 06)

Iran pledges $250 million to Hamas government

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh says Iran has pledged $250 Million in aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian government. The prime minister announced the aid in an interview published on Hamas' Web site at the end of a four-day visit to Tehran….(AP, 12 Dec 06)

Iran students rebel over Holocaust denial

…Scores of students at Amirkabir University in Tehran marched Monday as Ahmadinejad opened a conference of Holocaust deniers for some 70 people. A Times of London correspondent said the students burned pictures of Ahmadinejad and called the conference "shameful."…(UPI, 12 Dec 06)

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 33

…..(MEMRI, 12 Dec 06)

New chief in Waziristan causes rift among Taliban ranks

The appointment of Maulvi Muhammad Nazir as new Taliban chief in south Waziristan has left some senior commanders unhappy as punishments under Islamic laws have begun taking effect…(Daily Times, 12 Dec 06)

EU court overturns freeze on Iran group's funds

Europe's second-highest court on Tuesday annulled an EU decision freezing the funds of an exiled Iranian opposition group that argues it was wrongly placed on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations….(Reuters, 12 Dec 06)

Muslim Charity Sues Treasury Dept. and Seeks Dismissal of Charges of Terrorism

…Lawyers for the group, the Holy Land Foundation of Richardson, Tex., filed suit in Federal District Court in Dallas two weeks after a federal judge in California called into question a crucial provision in designating terrorist supporters…Holy Land was once the largest American Muslim charity, receiving more than $57 million in contributions, gifts and grants from 1992 to 2001, the indictment says….(New York Times