Intelligence & Counterterrorism News for the week of:

December 24-30, 2006

Homeland Intelligence Chief Lists Risks

After 47 years spent gathering and analyzing foreign intelligence at the CIA, Charles Allen is facing perhaps his biggest career challenge in developing a homeland intelligence capability. He now must gain the respect of the U.S. intelligence community for the Homeland Security Department, where he has spent just over a year as chief intelligence officer….(AP, 30 Dec 06)

Security Effort by Coast Guard Is Falling Short

A Coast Guard plan to combat terrorism by creating the maritime equivalent of an air traffic control system in the coastal waters here, a test for a nationwide effort, has fallen far short of expectations….(New York Times, 30 Dec 06)

What New York City Got for Nearly $1 Million: 19 Doors That Were Never Opened

They can detect everything from an ice pick to a small bomb, politely suggest that the owner depart and, should he refuse, confine him inside a sarcophagus of metal and bulletproof glass….(New York Times 30 Dec 06)

US: Arafat responsible for diplomat's death
State Dept. declassifies document revealing Yasser Arafat was behind attack on US embassy in Sudan 34 years ago. During attack, terrorists killed US ambassador, his deputy, and Belgian diplomat….(YNet. 29 Dec 06)

With Israeli Approval, Egypt Sends Arms to Abbas's Fatah Movement

With Israel's blessing, Egypt has delivered a large shipment of arms to forces loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli officials said Thursday, in the latest Israeli attempt to boost the embattled leader in his conflict with the radical Hamas organization….(AP, 29 Dec 06)

Look at the History of Shiite Islam

A look at the past and current influence of Shiite Muslims….(AP, 29 Dec 06)

Taleban 'say no' to tribal plan

Fugitive Taleban leader Mullah Omar has dismissed a proposal to hold cross border tribal councils as a "trap", in a message attributed to him. "No Muslim will participate in something... created by the aggressors and puppets," he said. The Pakistan and Afghan governments have discussed holding a cross-border council to end Taleban violence….(BBC, 29 Dec 06)

Afghan Angry at Pakistan’s Plan for Mines and Fence on Border

President Hamid Karzai voiced strong opposition on Thursday to Pakistan’s announcement that it would lay mines and erect fences along its border with Afghanistan….(New York Times, 29 Dec 06)

Saddam Hussein Had Oppressed Iraq for More Than 30 Years

The hanging death of Saddam Hussein tonight ended the life of one of the most brutal tyrants in recent history and negated the fiction that he himself maintained even as the gallows loomed— that he remained president of Iraq despite being toppled by the American military and that his power and his palaces would be restored to him in time….(New York Times, 29 Dec 06)

U.S. Sees ICC in More Benevolent Light

…The concern was that American servicemen hunting down terrorists abroad might not be safe from politically motivated prosecutions. That concern remains, but the Bush administration is indicating a somewhat more benevolent overall view these days….(AP, 29 Dec 06)

Iraqis fleeing in droves

More than 108,000 Iraqis have left their homes and registered as refugees in the last month, a senior official said today. Since the February 22 bombing of a Shi'ite shrine that sparked a wave of sectarian killings between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunnis, about 432,000 Iraqis have fled their homes, Deputy Migration Minister Hamdiya Ahmad said….(Reuters, 29 Dec 06)

Islamic Leader Vows to Stay in Somalia

Somalia's Islamic leader vowed Friday to continue the fight against Ethiopia. "We will not leave Somalia," Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, the executive leader of the Council of Islamic Courts told The Associated Press….(AP, 29 Dec 06)

Somalia Forces Retake Capital From Islamists

Just hours after Islamist fighters abandoned Mogadishu, the capital from which they ruled much of Somalia, thousands of troops of the transitional government marched into the city on Thursday in a stunning reversal of fortune….(New York Times, 29 Dec 06)

Suicide attack on Iraq mosque kills nine

An attacker has detonated an explosive-laden vest in a Shiite mosque in the town of Khalis north of Baghdad just after Friday prayers and killed at least nine people, including an imam….(Agence France-Presse, 29 Dec 06)

3 killed in Thailand's restive south

Two teachers were shot and burned to death Friday and a government worker gunned down in attacks blamed on Muslim insurgents in Thailand's restive south…..(AP, 29 Dec 06)

Report: U.S. frees 2 Iranian detainees

Two Iranian diplomats detained by U.S. troops in Iraq were released early Friday in Baghdad, Iran's state-run television and news agency reported. The Iranians were in Iraq on the invitation of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, officials have said. Their detention was announced on Monday. The two were handed over to Iranian officials in the presence of Iraq's National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie…(AP, 29 Dec 06)

Two Iranians held by US in Iraq freed
….(Agence France-Presse, 29 Dec 06)

Speculation grows over timing of Saddam hanging

An Iraqi official denied on Friday suggestions that Saddam Hussein could be hanged as early as Saturday while lawyers for the ousted dictator said he was preparing for his execution….(Reuters, 29 Dec 06)

U.S. Preparing for Saddam's Execution

As Saddam Hussein's lawyer made a last-ditch effort to impede his execution Thursday, the White House was preparing for the ousted dictator to be hanged as early as this weekend….(AP, 29 Dec 06)

Bush Considers Economic Package for Iraq
As he puts the finishing touches on his revised Iraq plan, President Bush is considering new economic initiatives to go along with a possible increase in troops to help stabilize the country, according to officials familiar with the administration's review…..(Washington Post, 29 Dec 06)

Foreign troops will flee Afghanistan: Taliban chief

Foreign troops will be forced out of Afghanistan in the face of Taliban attacks, the Islamic group's fugitive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, was reported as saying in a rare message on Friday….(Reuters, 29 Dec 06)

State of the Sunni Insurgency in Iraq: 2006

….(Global terror alert, Dec 2006)

Christians flee Iraq, find Syria 'ruthless'
Christians may be fleeing war-torn Iraq and the fighting Islamic factions there to Syria, but that nation also holds "ruthless" positions against Christianity which range from life in prison for talking about your beliefs to death for a Muslim who converts….(World Net Daily, 29 Dec 06)

Al Qaeda's Egyptian ideological origins

The pre-Christmas rants of al Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahiri backfired in both Palestine and Washington, D.C. Zawahiri -- al Qaeda's terror emir No. 2 -- ordered the Palestinians to wage his globalist brand of jihad. In the midst of their own vicious civil war, Hamas and Fatah quickly told Zawahiri to butt out….(Washington Times, 29 Dec 06)

In Baghdad, a Last Stand Against Ethnic Cleansing

Lt. Sam Cartee doubts the Sunni families barricading themselves in his sector can hold out much longer. Shi'ite militants thought to be from the Mahdi Army have mounted an aggressive campaign since this summer to clear Sunnis from the northern end of Ghazaliya, a formerly posh neighborhood in western Baghdad. The cleansing push has moved steadily southward, gaining ground house by house, day by day….(Time Magazine, 28 Dec 06)

Bush and Security Advisers to Meet Today on Iraq Strategy
President Bush's top national security advisers arrived here to hone a new Iraq strategy that administration officials said seems increasingly likely to include a surge of additional troops to try to help stabilize the country….(Washington Post, 28 Dec 06)

Letter in Hussein's Name Urges Iraqis 'Not to Hate'

A farewell letter posted on the Internet Wednesday in the name of Saddam Hussein declared the former president to be victimized by foreign armies but ready to die and "be with the merciful God." The letter urged Iraqis not to hate the foreign peoples whose armies invaded the country, just their leaders….(Washington Post, 28 Dec 06)

War in the Horn of Africa

It is tempting to wink at Ethiopia’s stunningly successful offensive in Somalia. It pushed back a hateful Islamic militia that was defying the United Nations, threatening to impose religious tyranny and, according to Washington, harboring international terrorists….(New York Times, 28 Dec 06)

Ford Disagreed With Bush About Invading Iraq

Former president Gerald R. Ford said in an embargoed interview in July 2004 that the Iraq war was not justified. "I don't think I would have gone to war," he said a little more than a year after President Bush launched the invasion advocated and carried out by prominent veterans of Ford's own administration….(Washington Post, 28 Dec 06)

Sectarian Ties Weaken Duty’s Call for Iraq Forces

… For Maj. William Voorhies, the American commander of the military training unit at the scene, the moment encapsulated his increasingly frustrating task — trying to build up Iraqi security forces who themselves are being used as proxies in a spreading sectarian war…“I have come to the conclusion that this is no longer America’s war in Iraq, but the Iraqi civil war where America is fighting,”…(New York Times, 28 Dec 06)

Israel lets Egypt ship arms to Fatah

…With the approval of the United States, the weapons were transferred from Egypt via the Kerem Shalom crossing, after which a police escort guarded the guns as they were moved to the Karni crossing, where representatives of Abbas collected them….(Jerusalem Post, 28 Dec 06)

2006 Afghanistan's worst year since Taliban rout

…The year 2006 witnessed the killing of over 3900 people, representing a four-fold increase over the 1000 deaths last year. Those killed included about 1000 civilians. More than 115 suicide attacks accounted for 270 Afghan civilians and 17 international soldiers killed…(Pak Tribune, 28 Dec 06)

4 kidnapped contractors still held

The U.S. Embassy said Thursday it believes four American security contractors and an Austrian remain in captivity after their kidnapping in southern Iraq six weeks ago….(AP, 28 Dec 06)

'Hijack' drama on Russian plane

A Russian passenger plane has made an emergency landing in Prague after a man tried to enter the cockpit, saying he had an explosive device. A spokesman for the airline, Aeroflot, said the Russian citizen wanted the Moscow-Geneva flight diverted to Cairo….(BBC, 28 Dec 06)

Iraq Qaeda suspect blamed for U.S. kidnap captured

Iraqi special forces backed by U.S. advisers have captured an al Qaeda cell leader believed to be behind the kidnap in June of two U.S. soldiers who were found tortured and dead…(Reuters, 28 Dec 06)

Bombs rock Baghdad as Saddam judgment published

An Iraqi court has published its formal written condemnation of Saddam Hussein, putting in motion the legal machinery which will lead to his execution, as bombs rocked Baghdad….(Agence France-Presse, 28 Dec 06)

Close Adviser to Sadr Dies in U.S.-Iraqi Raid

A top deputy of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was killed Wednesday during a raid by U.S. and Iraqi troops in the southern holy city of Najaf, sparking protests from Sadr's followers and complicating an already tense relationship with the powerful anti-American leader….(Washington Post, 28 Dec 06)

13 acquitted in attack on U.S. troops

Thirteen villagers were acquitted Wednesday of attacking U.S. troops with stones and eggs after an errant U.S. Tomahawk missile fell near their village three years ago….(AP, 28 Dec 06)

Guantanamo chronicler missing in Pakistan

…Just weeks after the Sept. 3 release of The Broken Shackles of Guantanamo, co-written with his brother and fellow Guantanamo detainee, Badruz Zaman Badar, Dost was taken away as he left a mosque after prayers in Peshawar. Badar, 36, hasn't seen Dost since and thinks he was detained by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. In the book, the brothers condemn the agency and accuse it of selling them into U.S. custody….(AP, 28 Dec 06)

Dropping of terror charges against Briton stayed in Pakistan

A Pakistani court has stayed dropping of terror charges by a lower court against a Briton held in Pakistan for alleged involvement in a plot to blow up transatlantic jets…(Agence France-Presse, 28 Dec 06)

Saddam Says Farewell; 23 Die in Baghdad

In a farewell letter to the Iraqi people, Saddam Hussein urged his countrymen not to hate the people of the nations that toppled his regime nearly four years ago and said he was offering "my soul to God as a sacrifice."…(AP, 28 Dec 06)

Thwarting terrorists: Chemical-plant rules have to be strong

…For five years, Congress and the White House have argued over how to beef up security at 15,000 plants that make or store volatile chemicals. An explosion at any of 111 of those industrial sites would endanger more than 1 million people….(McClatchy-Tribune, 28 Dec 06)

Army says biodefense lab plan addresses terrorist threat

The Army, facing a possible lawsuit over a planned expansion of its top biodefense laboratory, says it has properly studied the potential environmental impact of terrorist attacks on it….(AP, 28 Dec 06)

Exclusive: Unabomber's Secret Code Cracked

A decade after the feds tracked him down, CBS 5 Investigates has uncovered exclusive new information about Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, including a secret code he developed, and the confessions revealed as the code is broken….(CBS5, 28 Dec 06)

U.S. ups port-security exchanges

The U.S. Coast Guard is quietly expanding exchanges with Chinese maritime-security agencies in a move that reflects the boom in seaborne trade between the two countries. Chinese law-enforcement officers ride Coast Guard cutters patrolling North Pacific fishing areas. Chinese and American officers scrutinize port security on each other's coasts. Chinese take part in joint training drills…..(Washington Post, 28 Dec 06)

Iran’s Strong Ties With Syria Complicate U.S. Overtures

Early next year, Syria’s first domestically manufactured cars are scheduled to roll off an assembly line. They will have an Iranian name, be produced in a plant partly financed by a state-controlled Iranian car company and be made of parts from Iran. Not long after that, Syria hopes to open two new multimillion-dollar wheat silos, add 1,200 new buses in Damascus, open another Iranian car factory in the north and start operating a cement plant — all in partnership with Iran….(New York Times, 28 Dec 06)

US would allow negotiations with Syria

Sources in the government said on Thursday that they believed the US would not try to prevent Israel from holding negotiations with Syria if Jerusalem decided to lend an ear to Syrian President Bashar Assad's peace overtures…(Jerusalem Post, 28 Dec 06)

Iraqi Qaeda allies urge backing for Somali Islamists

An al Qaeda-backed group in Iraq has urged Muslims to support Islamists in Somalia fleeing the capital Mogadishu under siege by Ethiopian and Somali government forces….(Reuters, 28 Dec 06)

Islamist Forces in Somali City Vanish

The Islamist forces who have controlled much of Somalia in recent months suddenly vanished from the streets of the capital, Mogadishu, residents said Wednesday night, just as thousands of rival troops massed 15 miles away….(New York Times, 28 Dec 06)

Ethiopian Troops Take Key Town In Somalia
Ethiopian forces backing Somalia's interim government took control of the key Somali town of Jowhar on Wednesday and were on the verge of overrunning Balad, a village just 18 miles from the dusty, battered capital, Mogadishu….(Washington Post, 28 Dec 06)

Taliban bomb girls' school in Peshawar warning them to wear veils

…Though no casualties were reported, the blast damaged the school's windowpanes. The militants left Urdu pamphlets at the school threatening further attacks if the students did not wear veils. "Be veiled, otherwise we will bomb you again," the Daily Times quoted the militants assaying….(Daily India, 27 Dec 06)

Islamic Jihad: We are firing rockets in bid to sabotage Gaza truce

The Iranian-backed militant group Islamic Jihad is firing Qassam rockets at Israel with the intention of sabotaging the month-long Gaza truce and provoking Israeli retaliation, members of the group said Wednesday..,..(Haaretz, 27 Dec 06)

Taliban confirm top commander killed in U.S. strike

A Taliban commander confirmed on Wednesday that the rebels' military chief in southern Afghanistan had been killed in a U.S. air strike on December 19, adding his death was a blow for the Islamist movement….(Reuters, 27 Dec 06)

Debate over the Status of Shi'ites in Egypt
Recent statements in Cairo by Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi sparked public debate over the status of the Shi'ites in Egypt. Al-Qaradhawi said that the increasing infiltration of Shi'ite Islam into Egypt, which is predominantly Sunni, may lead to a civil war like the one in Iraq…(MEMRI, 27 Dec 06)

Islamists Retreat in Somalia

The Islamist forces once in control of much of Somalia are crumbling faster than anyone expected and beat a hasty retreat back to their stronghold in Mogadishu, Somalia’s battle-scarred capital….(New York Times, 27 Dec 06)

Ethiopians Closing In On Capital of Somalia
…(Washington Post, 27 Dec 06)

Iran Is Seeking More Influence in Afghanistan

…The rise of Hezbollah, with Iran’s support, has demonstrated the extent of Tehran’s sway in Lebanon, and the American toppling of Saddam Hussein has allowed it to expand its influence in Iraq. Iran has been making inroads into Afghanistan, as well…During the tumultuous 1980s and ’90s, Iran shipped money and arms to groups fighting first the Soviet occupation and later the Taliban government. But since the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban in 2001, Iran has taken advantage of the central government’s weakness to pursue a more nuanced strategy: part reconstruction, part education and part propaganda. Iran has distributed its largess, more than $200 million….(New York Times, 27 Dec 06)

Pakistan fence, land mine plan no solution: Karzai

Afghanistan's president on Thursday urged Pakistan to do more to stop Taliban and other militants sheltering and training on its territory rather than separating families with an impractical border fence and landmines. Hamid Karzai said the plan announced by Islamabad this week would do nothing to stop cross-border incursions by militants and would merely divide families already split by the British-drawn frontier….(Reuters, 28 Dec 06)

U.N. Voices Concern Over Pakistan Plan

A top U.N. human rights officer said Wednesday that Pakistan's plan to mine parts of its border with Afghanistan would only add to civilian casualties in a region already littered with unexploded ordnance….(AP, 27 Dec 06)

Despite Pledge, Israel Approves New Settlement

Israel has approved a new settlement in the West Bank to house former Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip, officials said Tuesday, breaking a promise to the United States to halt home construction in the Palestinian territories…(AP. 27 Dec 06)

U.S. Says Captured Iranians Can Be Linked to Attacks

…Evidence also emerged that some detainees had been involved in shipments of weapons to illegal armed groups in Iraq…Some Iraqis questioned the timing of the arrests, suggesting that the Bush administration had political motives …(New York Times, 27 Dec 06)

ANALYSIS-Pakistan's Afghan border fence plan "impractical"

A Pakistani plan to build a fence and lay landmines on parts of its Afghan border is impractical and will not stop an intensifying Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, analysts said…Analysts in Pakistan agreed, saying it would be impossible to effectively seal a largely unmarked frontier that stretches 2,500 km (1,500 miles) from snow-covered mountains in the north to remote deserts on the border with Iran in the south….(Reuters, 27 Dec 06)

Pakistan's border maneuvers anger Afghans

Pakistan rekindled a diplomatic row with neighboring Afghanistan yesterday by announcing that it will fence and mine its border. The announcement came amid increasingly embittered accusations made by the government of President Hamid Karzai in Kabul that Pakistan allows Taliban militants to cross the border….(Telegraph, 27 Dec 06)

Half of Pakistanis not keen on democracy

People in South Asia overwhelmingly support democracy, except in Pakistan, where about half the respondents in a survey said that democratic or non-democratic forms of government made no difference to them….(Daily Times, 27 Dec 06)

Iran to revise IAEA co-operation

Iran's parliament has passed a bill which obliges the government to review its co-operation with the United Nation's nuclear agency, the IAEA. The move comes four days after the UN Security Council voted to impose sanctions on Tehran over its controversial nuclear program. …(BBC, 27 Dec 06)

US creates terrorist fingerprint database

The US government is building a massive database designed to identify individual terror suspects from fingerprints on objects such as a tea glass in an Iraqi apartment or a shell casing in an abandoned Al Qaeda training camp….(Christian Science Monitor, 27 Dec 06)

Pak intelligence agencies release two Baloch sisters held last year on terror charges

Pakistan's intelligence agencies have released two Baloch sisters - Arifa and Saba - who were taken into custody last year on charges of "plotting suicide attacks" from the North West Frontier Province. They were also allegedly linked with Al Qaeda and the Taliban….(Daily India, 27 Dec 06)

Terror czar calls for crackdown on small airfield use

The man in charge of reviewing terrorism laws is to demand a security crackdown at small airfields amid fears militants could use them to enter the country….(Daily Mail, 27 Dec 06)

UK regularly scrambles jets to check planes: report

Britain regularly scrambles fighter jets to check on commercial aircraft flying into its air space, the head of Britain's Royal Air Force was quoted on Thursday as saying….(Reuters, 27 Dec 06)

U.S. Signals Backing for Ethiopian Incursion Into Somalia

The United States on Tuesday signaled its support for the Ethiopian offensive in Somalia, calling it a response to “aggression” by Islamists who have since the summer been consolidating power in the country….(New York Times, 27 Dec 06)

Egyptian Leader Touts Laws to Be Passed

President Hosni Mubarak said Tuesday that laws to be passed in 2007 would improve democracy and abolish Egypt's 25-year state of emergency, but rights activists said they doubted the long-serving leader would liberalize the country…(AP, 27 Dec 06)

Bulgarian Muslims wonder what EU entry holds

…Bulgaria will be the only EU state where Muslims -- 12 percent of its 7.8 million people -- are not recent immigrants but a centuries-old local community. Mostly ethnic Turkish descendants of the Ottoman Empire's reach into Europe, they live beside Christians in a culture known as "komshuluk", or neighbourly relations…..(Reuters, 27 Dec 06)

Saudi Writer and Journalist Wajeha Al-Huwaider Fights for Women's Rights

Saudi-born writer and journalist Wajeha Al-Huwaider is one of the Arab world's most prominent campaigners for human rights, particularly women's rights. She holds an MA in Reading Management from George Washington University.(1) In August 2003, the Saudi Interior Ministry banned her from writing in the Saudi press…(MEMRI, 27 Dec 06)

Saddam sees death as 'sacrifice'

Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has said he is ready to die as a "sacrifice" for Iraq, urging his countrymen to unite against enemies. In a letter written from his prison cell, Saddam Hussein said his death would make him a "true martyr". The former leader could be hanged on any day over the next four weeks, after an appeal against his execution failed. The sentence is for killings in the town of Dujail in the 1980s. A trial for a second case continues.…(BBC, 27 Dec 06)

Military: Abu Sayyaf Chief Remains Found

Remains believed to be from the chief of the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group, who was the target of a months long U.S.-backed manhunt, have been found in the southern Philippines…(AP, 27 Dec 06)

Escaped ex-Iraqi minister arrives

…Ayham al-Samaraie, a former minister of electricity with dual U.S. and Iraqi citizenship, had been serving time for corruption when he escaped in mid-December. Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit told reporters yesterday that al-Samaraie "arrived in Amman as an American and on an American plane," an apparent reference to a U.S. military plane….(AP, 27 Dec 06)

Taliban fighters finding refuge in provincial capital

…Quetta serves as a place of rest and refuge for Taliban fighters between battles, a funneling point for cash and armaments, a fertile recruiting ground, and a sometime meeting point for the group's fugitive leaders, say aid workers, local officials, diplomats, doctors, and Pakistani journalists….(LA Times, 26 Dec 06)

Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 40

…(MEMRI, 26 Dec 06)

Somalia's Anarchic History

History of Somalia since the collapse of the last effective central government…(AP, 26 Dec 06)

12,000 Iraqi police reported killed since '03

Some 12,000 Iraqi policemen have been killed since the ouster of Saddam Hussein, the country's interior minister said yesterday, as clashes, a suicide bomber, and weekend explosions killed more than a dozen Iraqi officers and six US soldiers….(AP. 26 Dec 06)

Pressed in Iraq, U.S. Army Turns Out Interrogators

…The number of soldiers going through a 93-day course to become Human Intelligence Collectors, the army term for interrogators, has quadrupled over the past three years -- from 265 in 2003 to 1,070 in 2006 -- and is projected to rise to just over 1,500 by 2009. The increase reflects an urgent need to plug gaps in intelligence….(Reuters, 26 Dec 06)

Nuclear Trafficking Reports Double in 5 Years: Official

Reported incidents of trafficking and mishandling nuclear material worldwide doubled between 2000 and 2005, mainly because of heightened awareness and more extensive screening, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday….(Reuters, 26 Dec 06)

Anonymous testimony pushes limits

In three current high-profile criminal cases, federal prosecutors have asked that the identities of Israeli government witnesses be withheld from defendants and their attorneys — a move some legal scholars see as a highly unusual end run around the 6th Amendment. Defense attorneys in all three cases have argued, with mixed results, that allowing U.S. prosecutors to keep the witnesses' identities secret — as demanded by Israel to protect its agents — violates their clients' constitutional right to confront their accusers….(LA Times, 26 Dec 06)

Russian Continues the Tantrum Tradition at U.N.

…Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin barged out of the U.N. chamber Dec. 11, canceling a crucial meeting on Iran's nuclear program. Asked to explain why the 15-nation council's major powers would not be able to address the Iranian nuclear crisis, Churkin said: "Because. Because I said so." The Russian's outburst reflected anger over a U.S. decision to raise concern about political developments in Belarus…(Washington Post, 26 Dec 06)

U.S. policy in the Horn of Africa may aid al-Qaida, experts warn

As fighting intensified Friday between Somali Islamists and an Ethiopian intervention force, Western diplomats and experts warned that U.S. policy in the Horn of Africa - intended to curb Islamic radicalism - may not only be fueling this newest conflict, but also may be making it easier for al-Qaida to gain a foothold in the strategic region…(McClatchy Newspapers, 26 Dec 06)

Israeli spies divided over Syria's peace overtures

Israelis are puzzling over the prospect of peace with Syria after their two foreign intelligence agencies gave dramatically different assessments of recent diplomatic overtures from Damascus….(Reuters, 26 Dec 06)

Iran Oil Revenue Quickly Drying Up, Analysis Says

Iran is suffering a staggering decline in revenue from its oil exports, and if the trend continues income could virtually disappear by 2015, according to an analysis published yesterday in a journal of the National Academy of Sciences….(AP, 26 Dec 06)

South Korea: U.S. Made North an Offer

The United States offered to remove North Korea from Washington's list of states sponsoring terrorism if the communist regime dismantles its atomic weapons program, South Korea's main nuclear envoy said Tuesday….(AP, 26 Dec 06)

Old Iraq Strategy Lives On In Weekly Progress Reports
A year ago, President Bush announced a new plan for Iraq, framed around "eight pillars" of U.S. policy for victory. In the past month, the president and his national security team have been busily working on a new recipe for success in Iraq, having declared the previous plan a failure….(Washington Post, 26 Dec 06)

Justice Dept. Database Stirs Privacy Fears
The Justice Department is building a massive database that allows state and local police officers around the country to search millions of case files from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal law enforcement agencies, according to Justice officials. The system, known as "OneDOJ," already holds approximately 1 million case records and is projected to triple in size over the next three years….(Washington Post, 26 Dec 06)

Countries Face U.S. Financial Sanctions

Frustrated over languishing diplomatic campaigns against Iran and North Korea, U.S. officials are finding their backup strategy of financial sanctions has been surprisingly effective against those remaining members of President Bush's "axis of evil."…(AP, 26 Dec 06)

Pakistan to fence, lay mines on Afghan border

Pakistan plans to build a fence and lay landmines along parts of its border with Afghanistan in an effort to stop militants crossing into Afghanistan to battle NATO forces, a Pakistani official said on Tuesday….(Reuters, 26 Dec 06)

Bombings kill at least 54 in Iraq

At least 54 Iraqis died today in bombings, officials said, including a coordinated strike that killed 25 in western Baghdad. Separately, the U.S. military announced the deaths of seven American soldiers, raising the death toll significantly in one of the bloodiest months for the military this year.…(AP, 26 Dec 06)

Afghanistan arrests Pakistani ‘suicide bomb supplier’

Afghan authorities on Tuesday said that they had arrested a Pakistani national who had allegedly been providing suicide bombers to the Taliban in eastern Paktika province….(Zee News, 26 Dec 06)

Death sentence for Saddam upheld

An Iraqi appeals court has upheld the death sentence against ousted President Saddam Hussein, Iraq's national security adviser has said…(BBC, 26 Dec 06)

Turning Iraq's Tribes Against Al-Qaeda

…For hundreds of years, tribal sheiks in western Iraq have skillfully played politics with powers who've arrived in their region. The campaign the United States is waging now in the sandy expanses of Anbar Province probably looks similar to the struggles waged there in the past by the British and the Turks in the eyes of at least some of the tribesmen who surround Sittar….(Time Magazine, 26 Dec 06)

Blasts kill at least 20 in Baghdad

Three simultaneous car bombs exploded in a busy intersection in a predominantly Shi'ite district in southwestern Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and wounding scores, Interior and police sources said….(Reuters, 26 Dec 06)

Abuse Seen at Iraqi Jail Puts New Focus on Rogue Police

Hundreds of British and Iraqi soldiers assaulted a police station in the southern city of Basra on Monday, killing seven gunmen, rescuing 127 prisoners from what the British said was almost certain execution and ultimately reducing the facility to rubble….(New York Times, 26 Dec 06)

British Troops Raid, Raze Station House In Southern Iraq

…Iraqi police forces are widely thought to be infiltrated by Shiite militias, but British military spokesmen said the rogue elements in this particular unit were involved in gang-like activity rather than sectarian killings. Still, the episode highlighted the challenges U.S.-led coalition forces face in preparing the Iraqi army and police to secure their own country….(Washington Post, 26 Dec 06)

Saudi frees 18 former Guantanamo detainees

Saudi Arabia has freed 18 former Guantanamo Bay detainees after they completed their jail sentences, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday….(Reuters, 26 Dec 06)

U.S. is detaining Iranians caught in raids in Iraq

The American military is holding at least four Iranians in Iraq, including men the Bush administration called senior military officials, who were seized in a pair of raids late last week aimed at people suspected of conducting attacks on Iraqi security forces, according to senior Iraqi and American officials in Baghdad and Washington….(International Herald Tribune, 25 Dec 06)

Blair shelves plan to ban Hizb-ut-Tahrir

...Plans to ban Hizb-ut-Tahrir, the radical group, was dropped following intense discussions between Number 10 and legal advisers. Counter-terrorism sources said Tony Blair had been warned that banning the group, which campaigns for Britain to become a caliphate would boost its recruitments if the group appealed against the move….(Dawn, 25 Dec 06)

Police hunt for 'English brothers' who spent year in al-Qaeda camp

Police are trying to trace a gang of British Muslims who are thought to have returned to plot terror attacks in Britain after being trained abroad for more than a year by al-Qaeda, Nine Britons, all said to be in their twenties, were among a group of 12 Western recruits groomed by al-Qaeda at a secret camp near the Afghan border to set up new terror cells in London and other Western capitals. Police do not know the real identities of this gang, who are known as the “English brothers” because of their shared language….(Times, 25 Dec 06)

No public sympathy for Hicks

Despite blanket coverage on the national broadcaster and in the alternative media, and hours of prayers from deluded church leaders looking for flocks to lead, Taliban member David Hicks still fails to ignite the public psyche - with good reason….(Daily Telegraph, 25 Dec 06)

Pakistan’s nukes can survive attack, says Musharraf

Pakistan’s nuclear program has become so strong and secure that it can survive a nuclear attack, President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Sunday, at an event to mark Quaid-e-Azam Mushammad Ali Jinnah’s 130th birth anniversary. “Pakistan is a nuclear power. Its nuclear [programme] is fully tested and secured. I assure you, nothing will happen to it even in the event of a nuclear attack,”….(Daily Times, 25 Dec 06)

FBI Chided for OKC Bomb Investigation

A two-year congressional inquiry into the Oklahoma City bombing concludes that the FBI didn't fully investigate whether other suspects may have helped Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols with the deadly 1995 attack, allowing questions to linger a decade later….(AP, 25 Dec 06)

Industry: Build Reactors to Survive Hit

The nuclear power industry wants the government to require companies to design new nuclear reactors that would better withstand large fires and explosions, such as those that could be caused by a terrorist attack using hijacked aircraft….(AP, 25 Dec 06)

Somali hardliner calls for foreign jihadists

A hardline Somali Islamist has called on foreign Muslims to take up arms in a 'holy war' against Ethiopia. Yusuf Mohamed Siad Inda'ade, the security chief of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts, told reporters in Mogadishu yesterday that the country 'is open to Muslims worldwide'. …(Guardian, 25 Dec 06)

NYT woman scribe beaten up in Quetta for reporting Taliban incursions

An American woman journalist working for the New York Times in Pakistan was reportedly beaten up in Quetta by men claiming to be from the special branch of police, in her hotel room on December 19. The incident occurred after Carlotta Gall, the lady journalist, had filed a report about incursions of Taliban and other extremist elements from Pakistan into Afghanistan….(Daily India, 24 Dec 06)

Call for ‘jihad’ against NGOs

A ‘fatwa’ calling upon Muslims to wage a “jihad against non-governmental organizations”, including the UN and human rights organizations, has been distributed in Darra Adamkhel. The ‘fatwa’ attributed to one Mufti Khalid Shah, who claims to have a master’s degree in Arabic, Islamiyat and political science, urged the people to attack workers, offices and vehicles of the NGOs “promoting the agenda of the Jews and Christians”….(Dawn, 24 Dec 06)

'Leave, crusaders, or have your heads cut off'

…After months as a nervous bystander to the spiralling civil war between Sunni and Shia Muslims, Iraq's Christian minority now faces the spectre of sectarian violence coming to their traditional home city. They fear that al Qaeda-backed zealots within the Sunni community, which forms the bulk of Mosul's one million population, want to end nearly 1,500 years of co-existence with an onslaught of ethnic cleansing….(Telegraph, 24 Dec 06)

US Govt and American Muslims Engage to Define Islamophobia

On Dec. 4, 2006, the national leadership of American Muslims met with key senior US government officials to discuss the state of Islamophobia in America and US-Muslim relations…(Arab News, 24 Dec 06)

Cozying Up to the Enemy’s Friend, in Hope of Ending a Frustrating War

The predicament: A president wants to end an unpopular war. A potential solution: Negotiate with enemies….(New York Times, 24 Dec 06)

Arrest made in mailed white powder case

…The Dayton (Ohio) Daily News reported that Brian A. Beeson was being held in connection to the appearance of the mysterious envelopes in mailboxes throughout Montgomery County….(UPI, 24 Dec 06)

On the trail of the Taliban's support

…Confidential documents obtained by The Times show that for at least two years, U.S. military intelligence agencies have warned American commanders that Taliban militants were arming and training in Pakistan, then slipping into Afghanistan with the help of Pakistani border control officers….(LA Times, 24 Dec 06)

Iran to install 3,000 centrifuges from today after sanctions
Iran will on Sunday start putting in place 3,000 uranium enriching centrifuges at a key nuclear plant in an immediate response to a UN sanctions resolution, top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani told the hardline Kayhan newspaper. “Our immediate response to the UN Security Council is that, as of today, we will start the activities at the site of the 3,000 centrifuge machines in Natanz and we will go ahead with full speed,” …(Agence France-Presse, 24 Dec 06)

Iraqi Government Officials Reach Out to Shiite Leaders

…The official who attended the Saturday meeting said Ayatollah Sistani has been open to the idea of an expanded coalition, but not at the expense of Shiite unity. Ayatollah Sistani, the official said, seemed more convinced Saturday that the expansion would shatter the current Shiite coalition, called the United Iraqi Alliance….(New York Times, 24 Dec 06)