Algerian Berber Dissidents Promote Programs for Secularism and Democracy in Algeria

Since the "Berber Spring" of 1980, the Kabylie region in northern Algeria has often been the center of agitation for political reform in the country.…(MEMRI, 6 Oct 06)

Iraqi Leader Wants Militias Eradicated

Political parties must either get rid of their militias or get out of politics, Iraq's prime minister said Thursday, in his toughest warning yet to groups blamed for the country's wave of sectarian violence….(AP, 6 Oct 06)

India-US to conduct joint counter-terrorism exercise
Close on the heels of a similar effort in Hawaii, Indian and US military forces are to conduct another joint counter-terrorism exercise next month to further enhance their interoperability at the functional level….(Indo-Asian News, 6 Oct 06)

Ukraine to take part in Afghanistan anti-terrorism operation

Ukraine is ready to provide a detachment of military experts to participate in the international anti-terrorism operation in Afghanistan, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Friday….(RIA Novosti, 6 Oct 06)

Bill aims to curb terrorist financing

…The bill, if passed, would extend the reach of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, better known as Fintrac. It would strengthen "know your client" standards; extend Fintrac's reach to money service businesses that wire money or issue travellers cheques; increase requirements for compliance, monitoring and enforcement; and expand Fintrac's intelligence role….(Canadian Press, 6 Oct 06)

Decision Delayed on Sanctions Against Iran Over Nuclear Issue

…Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and counterparts from Britain, France, Russia and China -- the four other permanent members of U.N. Security Council -- plus Germany are to hold talks in London late Friday. But Rice, who made an unannounced visit to Iraq Thursday, was delayed leaving by two hours because of problems with her plane…..(Washington Post, 6 Oct 06)

U.N. to slap North Korea over nuclear test plan

The U.N. Security Council reached broad agreement on a statement warning North Korea against a nuclear test, but Washington backed off earlier language directed at Pyongyang, saying it was not threatening "lethal" action….(Reuters, 6 Oct 06)

Backers to lobby for vote on India deal

U.S. backers of a civilian nuclear deal with India say they plan a major lobbying push over the next month to ensure a final vote on the bill before Congress adjourns for the year, after the Senate failed to take up the measure before it left town last week…(Washington Times, 6 Oct 06)

Karzai for jirga to crush Taleban

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said he wants to hold a jirga (council) of Pashtun tribes from Pakistan and Afghanistan to end Taleban violence….(BBC, 6 Oct 06)

Straw dislikes all Muslim veils

…The Islamic Human Rights Commission called Mr Straw's views "astonishing" and accused him of discrimination…(BBC, 6 Oct 06)

The Dean of the Shari'a Academy of America Dr. Al-Sayed Al-Seely Praises Those Who Carried Out the September 11 Attack

On October 4, 2006, an Islamic website published an interview with the dean of the Shari'a Academy of America in which the latter avoids condemning the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, instead, depicts those who carried out the attacks as "brave geniuses" and suggests that they should be esteemed….(MEMRI, 5 Oct 06)

Egyptian Coptic Intellectual Analyzes Islamist's Views on Muslim-Copt Relations

…In his article, Magdi Khalil attempts to expose the real views of Al-'Awa - who usually presents himself as a moderate Muslim - and to show that these views are essentially no different from extremist Islamist views. The following are excerpts from Magdi Khalil's article on the views of Dr. Muhammad Salim Al-'Awa…(MEMRI, 5 Oct 06)

Report rips TSA's plans for crisis

The Transportation Security Administration may not be able to secure the nation's airports, transit systems and other vital operations during a terrorist attack, a government report released Thursday says….(USA Today, 5 Oct 06)

China jamming test sparks U.S. satellite concerns

China has beamed a ground-based laser at U.S. spy satellites over its territory, a U.S. agency said, in an action that exposed the potential vulnerability of space systems that provide crucial data to American troops and consumers around the world….(Reuters, 5 Oct 06)

Police to Start Inspecting Bags on Boston Subway

The police will begin inspecting passengers’ bags on the Boston subway system in the next few days, Gov. Mitt Romney said on Wednesday….(New York Times, 5 Oct 06)

Straw asks women for veil rethink

Muslim women in the UK who wear full veils make "better, positive relations" between communities "more difficult", Commons leader Jack Straw has said….(BBC, 5 Oct 06)

Syria says U.S. embassy attack planned in S. Arabia

Last month's attack on the U.S. embassy in Damascus was planned in Saudi Arabia and the four Syrians who carried it out had no links to al Qaeda, a government investigation said on Thursday….(Reuters, 5 Oct 06)

An Old Letter Casts Doubts on Iran’s Goal for Uranium

A forgotten letter in which the founder of the Iranian revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, cited a need for nuclear weapons has stoked a debate over whether to negotiate with the West and raised questions about Iran’s nuclear intentions today….(New York Times, 5 Oct 06)

Al-Qaeda's Far-Reaching New Partner
In a video released last month on the Internet, al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, declared that he had "great news." Al-Qaeda, he reported, had joined forces with an obscure Algerian underground network and would work in tandem with the group to "crush the pillars of the crusader alliance."…(Washington Post, 5 Oct 06)

Suicide bombers brainwashed in Pakistan, says Afghan spy agency
Would-be suicide bombers detained in Afghanistan claim they have been brainwashed and equipped by Arab, Chechen and Uzbek militants in Pakistan, the Afghan intelligence service said Wednesday….(Agence France-Presse, 5 Oct 06)

U.S. says al Qaeda leader in Iraq still alive

The U.S. military said on Thursday the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq was still very much alive, denying reports by some Iraqi politicians that he had been tracked down and killed…(Reuters, 5 Oct 06)

Philippines arrests wife of Bali bomb suspect

The wife of an Indonesian militant suspected of involvement in the deadly 2002 Bali Bombings has been arrested on the remote southwestern Philippine island of Jolo…(Reuters, 5 Oct 06)

Afghans arrest 'suicide bombers'

Afghan officials say they have arrested 17 people who had been trained in Pakistan to carry out suicide attacks….(BBC, 5 Oct 06)

Iraq Suspends Police Brigade in Baghdad

The Iraqi Interior Ministry has suspended an entire Iraqi police brigade on suspicions that some members may have permitted, or even participated in, death squad killings…(New York Times, 5 Oct 06)

Two rockets found near Pakistani parliament

Pakistani police defused two rockets attached to mobile phones near Parliament in the capital Islamabad on Thursday, the morning after a blast in a park close to President Pervez Musharraf's residence in nearby Rawalpindi....(Reuters, 5 Oct 06)

Cleaning Up the Iraqi Police
The suspension this week of an entire Iraqi police brigade of roughly 700 men is the most dramatic step as yet taken by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government to deal with its corrupt and inept security forces….(Time Magazine, 5 Oct 06)

The Safety in Loaning Nuclear Fuel

…At the July 2006 G8 summit in St. Petersburg, U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism and opened negotiations on bilateral civil-nuclear-energy cooperation…..(Washington Post, 5 Oct 06)

Pro-Taliban Militants ‘warn’ government to honor deal

The discovery of two rockets and a rocket launcher near the Pakistani parliament in Islamabad on Thursday is a warning to the government of president Gen. Pervez Musharraf over the recent peace deal between the government and pro-Taliban militants in North Waziristan, a semi-autonomous tribal area next to the Afghan border….(ADNKI, 5 Oct 06)

Waterboarding Historically Controversial

… Inside the CIA, waterboarding is cited as the technique that got Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the prime plotter of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, to begin to talk and provide information -- though "not all of it reliable," a former senior intelligence official said….(Washington Post, 5 Oct 06)

Ten killed in 26-hour gun battle in Kashmir

Ten people, including seven policemen and two militants, were killed in a 26-hour gun battle as security forces fought gunmen holed up in a hotel in the heart of Kashmir's main city, police said on Thursday….(Reuters, 5 Oct 06)

Extradition of al-Qaida Supporter Okayed

…Syed Hashmi, 26, who lived in New York City before moving to Britain in 2003, will face trial in the United States if Home Secretary John Reid, Britain's top law enforcement official, gives final approval for the extradition….(AP, 5 Oct 06)

U.S. blocks release of alleged Cuban airline bomber

An anti-Fidel Castro militant accused of bombing a Cuban airliner in 1976 will remain detained on immigration charges after U.S. Justice Department lawyers on Thursday filed objections to a magistrate's recommendation that he be freed….(Reuters, 5 Oct 06)

In 30-Year-Old Terror Case, a Test for the U.S.

…The 30th anniversary of the bombing is Friday, and it coincides with a critical juncture in the case of Luis Posada Carriles, a main suspect in the bombing who has been held on immigration charges in the United States for the past 16 months….(Washington Post, 5 Oct 06)

Saudi Arabia starts militant trials

Saudi Arabia, fighting a violent campaign by al Qaeda supporters, has quietly begun trying suspected militants in Islamic courts, a government official said in comments aired on Thursday….(Reuters, 5 Oct 05)

Pennsylvania: Man Accused of Qaeda Conspiracy

A man arrested in an F.B.I. sting operation has been accused by a federal grand jury of trying to conspire with Al Qaeda to destroy major oil and gas pipelines in the United States and disrupt the nation’s economy. The man, Michael C. Reynolds, left, 47, could face up to 80 years in prison and fines totaling $1.5 million if found guilty….(Reuters, 5 Oct 06)

'Al-Qaida in Palestine' Posts Web Video

A group calling itself al-Qaida in Palestine posted a Web video Wednesday denouncing those who "work in the service of the Jews."…(AP, 4 Oct 06)

Aide of al-Qaida Leader in Iraq Arrested

An aide of the head of al-Qaida in Iraq was arrested last week, and U.S. and Iraqi forces killed or captured more than 600 suspected members of the terrorist group in September, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said Wednesday….(AP, 4 Oct 06)

Baghdad bombings hit new high

Bomb attacks in Baghdad have hit an all-time high, the U.S. military said on Wednesday, as one of the capital's frontline police units was pulled off the streets on suspicion of involvement with sectarian death squads…..(Reuters, 4 Oct 06)

Iraq police barred over killings

An entire Iraqi police brigade has been taken out of duty and will be re-trained after accusations of complicity in death squad killings. The move came after nearly 40 people were kidnapped by armed men in Baghdad earlier this week. Some of those seized in the two mass abductions were later found dead, the latest in a wave of sectarian killings …(BBC, 4 Oct 06)

Masked gunmen kill Hamas member

Masked men have shot dead a local leader of the Palestinian governing movement Hamas, according to reports from the West Bank….(BBC, 4 Oct 06)

Iraqi minister escapes deadly blasts
At least 12 people have been killed in a series of bomb blasts in central Baghdad which interior ministry sources said targeted the Iraqi industry minister's convoy….(Aljazeera, 4 Oct 06)

U.S. Fatalities in Iraq Rise Amid Crackdown

Two months after a security crackdown began in the capital, U.S. military deaths appear to be rising, even as fatalities among Iraqi security forces have fallen, U.S. military sources and analysts said…(LA Times, 4 Oct 06)

Oil workers released in Nigeria

Sixteen oil workers kidnapped in southern Nigeria's oil-rich Delta region have been released.  The workers were the second group of a total of 25 men to be released after being seized in a raid two days ago….(BBC, 4 Oct 06)

Hijacker Surrenders After Forcing Turkish Airliner to Southern Italy

A Turkish man hijacked a jetliner carrying 113 people on an Albania-to-Turkey flight Tuesday and forced it to land in southern Italy, where he surrendered and released all the passengers unharmed…(AP, 4 Oct 06)

Energy Dept. Scales Back Polygraph Tests

The Energy Department is ending required polygraph tests for thousands of workers at its nuclear weapons facilities, including most scientists at the government's national research labs….(AP, 4 Oct 06)

2 Women Plead Guilty in UW Ecoterrorism

Two women pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy, arson and bomb charges in the 2001 firebombing of the University of Washington's horticulture center, one of the Northwest's most notorious acts of ecoterrorism. Jennifer Kolar, 33, and Lacey Phillabaum, 31, were released without bail after entering the pleas …(AP, 4 Oct 06)

Court Allows Warrantless Wiretapping During Appeal

The Bush administration can continue its warrantless surveillance program while it appeals a judge's ruling that the program is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday…(AP, 4 Oct 06)

Former 9/11 detainee accuses U.S. of abuse

Javaid Iqbal's lawyers say the Pakistani cable repairman was snatched in the post-September 11 dragnet and held for over a year at a Brooklyn detention center, where guards beat him mercilessly….(Reuters, 4 Oct 06)

Screening of Mail at Federal Prisons Lags
Three terrorists imprisoned in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing were able to send more than 90 letters to alleged terrorists overseas because U.S. prison officials do not screen all correspondence from the most dangerous inmates as required….(Washington Post, 4 Oct 06)

Software Being Developed to Monitor Opinions of U.S.

A consortium of major universities, using Homeland Security Department money, is developing software that would let the government monitor negative opinions of the United States or its leaders in newspapers and other publications overseas….(New York Times, 4 Oct 06)

Homeland Security Official Resigning

Tracy Henke, the Department of Homeland Security official who helped supervise the distribution of antiterrorism grants, is resigning in the wake of criticism from members of Congress that the grant process was irrational or at least inexplicable….(New York Times, 4 Oct 06)

Termination set for Iraq monitor

Congress has set a 2007 termination date for the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction at the behest of the Bush administration, removing the source of a series of audit reports that have emboldened critics of the president's war polices. The just-completed Pentagon authorization bill ends SIGIR, as the post is called, on Oct. 1, 2007…(Washington Times, 4 Oct 06)

Arabs Pressure Rice On U.S. Peace Efforts

The Bush administration's effort to foster a bloc of moderate Arab states to stand against growing militancy in the Middle East has come up against a brick wall, with several close U.S. allies bluntly telling Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday that they do not want to be pitted against other Arab governments and movements, according to senior Arab officials…..(Washington Post, 4 Oct 06)

Return of the chekists

…Immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Russian president and ex-foreign intelligence officer Vladimir Putin, calculating that the U.S. military would respond with force against Osama bin Laden’s Taliban hosts in Afghanistan, conveyed to President Bush that Russian forces would stand down. In an unusual convergence of interests, Moscow, Tehran and Washington all supported action to crush the Taliban and thwart the expansion of radical Sunni Islamic influence in Central Asia…..(C4IS Journal, 4 Oct 06)

Official Use Only: 57 Dead Cops

…That's the toll from September 17 to September 23, according to a U.S. report out of Baghdad, "MOI Forces Threat Report," stamped "For Official Use Only."…(US News, 4 Oct 06)

"MOI Forces Threat Report”

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abd Al-'Aziz: We Will Cut Off Tongues of Those Who Try to Distort Islam With Reform and Progress - They Are Serving the West

The following are excerpts from a speech by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abd Al-'Aziz, which aired on Al-Majd TV on September 25, 2006….(MEMRI, 4 Oct 06)

French philosophy teacher in hiding after attack on Islam
A French philosophy teacher yesterday entered his third week in hiding after writing a newspaper comment piece calling the prophet Muhammad a merciless warlord and mass-murderer…..(Guardian, 4 Oct 06)

“Everyone Is Afraid to Criticize Islam”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Dutch politician forced to go into hiding after the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, responds to the Danish cartoon scandal in an interview with Gerald Traufetter, arguing that if Europe doesn't stand up to extremists, a culture of self-censorship of criticism of Islam that pervades in Holland will spread in Europe….(Der Spiegel, 4 Oct 06)

West, some Muslims share radicalism blame: writers

Western foreign policy and a tendency among some Muslims to impose their idea of truth have been key factors in the rise of radical Islam, Muslim writers say….(Reuters, 3 Oct 06)