Israeli War Plan Had No Exit Strategy

…On July 14, as Israeli aircraft prepared to bomb south Beirut, the research unit of Israel's military intelligence branch presented a report to senior Israeli officials that questioned the war plan's ability to achieve the government's goals…(Washington Post, 21 Oct 06)

N. Korea Threat Lies in Nuclear Sales

U.S. intelligence officials and weapons proliferation experts say they are concerned that North Korea could add plutonium to the extensive inventory of arms components and technologies it already has sold to such nations as Syria, Pakistan and Libya….(LA Times, 21 Oct 06)

The Real 'New Iraq'

Christians are being targeted in Iraq. It's not because they are one of the dominant groups vying to run the country. They aren't. Their clerics also are not part of Iraq's religious elite, although Christianity has deep roots in that country….(Washington Post, 21 Oct 06)

A Liberal Brother at Odds With the Muslim Brotherhood

Gamal Al-Banna is 85, and for much of his life he has been overshadowed by his famous brother, Sheik Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist political party and antecedent of a host of militant Islamist organizations, from Al Qaeda to Hamas….(New York Times, 21 Oct 06)

How I Came to Love the Veil

…These cultural issues and customs have nothing to do with Islam. A careful reading of the Koran shows that just about everything that Western feminists fought for in the 1970s was available to Muslim women 1,400 years ago….(Washington Post, 21 Oct 06)

Wis. Man Charged in Terror Hoax

A 20-year-old grocery store clerk whom authorities say amused himself by posting prank Internet warnings of terrorist attacks against NFL stadiums was arrested yesterday on federal charges that could bring five years behind bars….(AP, 21 Oct 06)

Many Iraqis Look to Gunmen as Protectors

Behind the maze of men with guns in Iraq is a very simple truth: their barrels offer protection, something Iraqis say the government has never given them. On Friday, the web wound tightly around the southern city of Amara, where the two largest and best-armed militias, both made up of religious Shiites, were fighting for control of the city…..(New York Times, 21 Oct 06)

Horn of Africa May Be Next Terror Front

…Corrupt governments, porous borders, widespread poverty and discontented Muslim populations have created a region ripe for Islamic fundamentalism. The Horn of Africa, home to about 165 million people, is roughly half the area of the United States….(AP, 21 Oct 06)

U.S. Jailed Man Once Tortured by Taliban

Abdul Rahim insists he's an apolitical student who fled a strict father. But he's fallen into a black hole in the war on terror in which first the Taliban and then the United States imprisoned him as an enemy of the state….(AP, 21 Oct 06)

Algeria concerned over merger of GSPC and al-Qaeda

While the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) was long thought to have links to al-Qaeda, the recently-declared merger of the two groups has Algeria concerned…..(Magharebia, 21 Oct 06)

Troops' Debt a Growing Security Concern

...Data supplied to the AP by the Navy, Marines and Air Force show that the number of clearances revoked for financial reasons rose every year between 2002 and 2005, climbing ninefold from 284 at the start of the period to 2,654 last year. Partial numbers from this year suggest the trend continues….(AP, 20 Oct 06)

Training the Sharp of Smell for the Whiff of Terrorism

…TATP is triacetone triperoxide, one of the more common liquid peroxide explosives, the kind used in last year’s London transit system bombings and found hidden in the sneakers of the would-be shoe bomber, Richard C. Reid…(New York Times, 20 Oct 06)

U.S. Questioned About Arar Torture Case

Days before the Bush administration put Canadian citizen Maher Arar on a plane for Syria, Canadian law enforcement officials advised their U.S. counterparts that evidence of terrorist links by Arar was not definitive….(AP, 20 Oct 06)

Court Told It Lacks Power in Detainee Cases

Moving quickly to implement the bill signed by President Bush this week that authorizes military trials of enemy combatants, the administration has formally notified the U.S. District Court here that it no longer has jurisdiction to consider hundreds of habeas corpus petitions filed by inmates at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba….(Washington Post, 20 Oct 06)

Terror Law Renders Detainee Cases Moot

Hours after President Bush signed a tough anti-terrorism law, government lawyers began putting detainees on notice that the U.S. court system no longer was open to them….(AP, 20 Oct 06)

Bomb blast in northwestern Pakistani city kills at lea st 7, wounds 41

A bomb exploded in a crowded market in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Friday, killing at least seven people and wounding more than 40…(AP, 20 Oct 06)

Shiite militia seizes control of southern Iraq city

The Shiite militia run by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr seized control of the southern Iraqi city of Amarah on Friday in one of the boldest acts of defiance yet by the country's powerful, unofficial armies….(AP, 20 Oct 06)

'Militants' kill Afghan workers

Suspected Taleban militants have shot dead eight Afghan men employed at a US military base in eastern Afghanistan…(BBC, 20 Oct 06)

The Black Box of Tehran

Here's a real-life international mystery: What happened in Tehran in September that torpedoed the prospect of negotiations with the United States over Iran's nuclear program? Were Western hopes of Iranian pragmatism simply an illusion? Are there other channels open for discussion with Tehran if the nuclear route is blocked?...(Washington Post, 20 Oct 06)

Profiles of Pakistan's Seven Tribal Agencies

…Pashtun tribal culture is generally portrayed as the root cause behind their support and sympathy for the Taliban and al-Qaeda. This analysis investigates these notions by studying the profiles of the Pashtun tribes that populate the seven tribal agencies that form Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 20 Oct 06)

British Journalist Adel Dawish on Veil Controversy in Britain: 'Why Do Those Who Choose to Come and Live in Britain Not Try to Understand Basic Concepts [Such as] Freedom of Expression and Thought, Equality Between the Two Sexes [etc.], Instead of Showing Disdain for the Country's Culture…?'

….(MEMRI, 20 Oct 06)

The Iraqi Ba'th Party Issues a Hit List

The disbanded Iraqi Ba'th Party issued, on September 5, 2006, a hit list of Iraqi political, judicial and military figures, referred to as criminals, collaborators and renegades, targeted for punishment (assassination)…(MEMRI, 20 Oct 06)

Survey reveals Muslim ambivalence on terrorism

A recent survey that found 9 percent of Indonesian Muslims justify the Bali bombings as a form of "jihad to defend Islam" confirms the ambivalence of some Muslims toward terrorism, a Muslim scholar says….(Jakarta Post, 20 Oct 06)

Islamist Website Calls to Disable German Websites Offensive to Islam

On October 19, 2006, Islamist websites posted a list of German sites which, according to the author, defame Islam and must therefore be shut down….(MEMRI, 20 Oct 06)

The Danger of Homegrown Terrorism to Scandinavia

The recent rounds of arrests in North America and in Europe highlight the changed face of jihadi terrorism in the West….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 20 Oct 06)

Hamas charities thrive despite U.S.-led fund freeze

A U.S.-led funding squeeze, which has paralyzed the Hamas-led Palestinian government, has had the unintended effect of bolstering the militant group's network of schools, hospitals and alms societies…(Washington Times, 20 Oct 06)

North Korean Ploy Masks Ships Under Other Flags

…The incidents illustrated North Korea’s adroit use of so-called flags of convenience to camouflage the movement of its cargo vessels as they engage in tasks that sometimes violate international laws...(New York Times, 20 Oct 06)

Guide to North Korea

Iraq Aims to Limit Mortality Data
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office has instructed the country's health ministry to stop providing mortality figures to the United Nations, jeopardizing a key source of information on the number of civilian war dead in Iraq, according to a U.N. document….(Washington Post, 20 Oct 06)

Report: N. Korean leader regrets test

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il said Pyongyang didn't plan to carry out any more nuclear tests and expressed regret about the country's first-ever atomic detonation last week, South Korean news reports said Friday….(AP, 20 Oct 06)

Violence in Iraq Underlines Militia Menace

Spreading sectarian bloodshed and the virtual takeover by Shiite militiamen of a major southern Iraqi city this week are lending new urgency to calls for disbanding militias….(AP, 20 Oct 06)

Former top spy admits army rigs polls to perpetuate power

A former head of Pakistan’s top spy agency, ISI, has told a meeting here that army regimes in Pakistan only dig themselves deeper into their hole as time passes and they have to rig elections to perpetuate their power….(Gulf-Times, 20 Oct 06)

China holds anti-terrorism exercises

China yesterday wrapped up its biggest-ever anti-terrorism exercises, which involved over 2,700 policemen and soldiers….(AP, 20 Oct 06)

NO TRUE GLORY

No True Glory,  by Bing West

…Based on months spent with the battalions in Fallujah and hundreds of interviews at every level–senior policymakers, negotiators, generals, and soldiers and Marines on the front lines–No True Glory is a testament to the bravery of the American soldier and a cautionary tale about the complex–and often costly–interconnected roles of policy, politics, and battle in the twenty-first century…..(Random House, 20 Oct 06)

Mubarak: Muslims Partly to Blame for Image

Muslims are facing cruel and false accusations about their faith but must bear some responsibility for the wrong impressions, President Hosni Mubarak said…(AP, 20 Oct 06)

Iran warns of revenge over Israel

Iran's president has warned that Muslims around the world will take revenge on states who supported Israel against the Palestinians.…(BBC, 20 Oct 06)

Iran 'blocks Israel soldier deal'

Israel's ambassador to the UN has accused Iran of paying Hamas $50m to block the release of an Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants….(BBC, 20 Oct 06)

Al Qaeda ‘building cells in Britain’

A resurgent al Qaeda has made the UK its priority target and is building active service units among disaffected young British Muslims, according to senior intelligence officials…(Herald, 20 Oct 06)

Taliban Targeting Afghanistan Leaders

First a Taliban suicide bomber killed a provincial governor. Then a gunman murdered a Women's Ministry director. A police chief, intelligence director and top administrator from the same eastern district were killed….(AP, 19 Oct 06)

Car Bomb Wounds 23 in Colombian Capital

A car bomb left by a person dressed in a military uniform exploded in the parking lot of a military university in Bogota, wounding at least 23 people, as a top general was at a conference nearby…(AP, 19 Oct 06)

Militias Splintering Into Radicalized Cells
…Iraqis and U.S. officials blame militias for mass kidnappings and slayings, for setting up unauthorized checkpoints and for causing much of the recent carnage. Senior U.S. military and intelligence officials say they have identified at least 23 militias -- some are Sunni, but most are Shiite. Some are paramilitary offshoots of the Mahdi Army or have broken away entirely from Sadr's command structure. Others seem inspired by Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah guerrilla movement….(Washington Post, 19 Oct 06)

More bombs as kidnappers demand Italy quit Afghanistan

A suicide bomber killed several Afghan civilians and wounded British soldiers when he attacked a military convoy in the troubled south on Thursday, witnesses and an Afghan army officer said….(Reuters, 19 Oct 06)

One-Day Iraq Toll Is Highest for U.S. In Many Months

A roadside bombing and other attacks killed 10 American troops across Iraq on Tuesday, the U.S. military reported Wednesday, making it the deadliest day of combat for U.S. forces in 10 months….(Washington Post, 19 Oct 06)

Israel Finds 9 Tunnels From Gaza Strip Into Egypt

The Israeli army announced Wednesday that it had uncovered nine tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in a sweep designed to prevent Palestinian militants from smuggling in the types of advanced weapons used by Hezbollah in the recent conflict in Lebanon….(LA Times, 19 Oct 06)

Many killed in Iraq bomb blasts

At least 24 people have been killed in a series of bomb blasts across Iraq….(BBC, 19 Oct 06)

Parts of Canada Secrecy Law Struck Down

A court struck down sections of a Canadian anti-terrorism law Thursday, in a ruling that threw out warrants used to search the home of a reporter covering U.S. efforts to secretly send a Canadian terror suspect to Syria for interrogation...(AP, 19 Oct 06)

Japan extends special anti-terrorism law

Japanese legislators decided on Thursday to extend a special anti-terrorism law for another year from November 1 and continue its Maritime Self-Defence Forces (MSDF) assistance to the US-led coalition forces in the Indian Ocean. …(Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 19 Oct 06)

Discord over N Korean ship searches

…One of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's toughest tasks while in Asia will be to persuade South Korea and China to step up efforts to stop and search cargo ships going in and out of the North, as allowed for under the UN resolution….(BBC, 19 Oct 06)

Terror Suspect Says CIA Recruited Him

A former university professor charged with plotting to bankroll Hamas terrorists was once asked by the CIA whether he wanted a job as a spy, his attorney told a jury Thursday.  Abdelhaleem Ashqar, 48, apparently never pursued the idea ….(AP, 19 Oct 06)

Mideast conflict plays out in terrorism funding trial

In an overflowing courtroom guarded by a metal detector and bomb-sniffing dog, the intractable conflict between Palestinians and Israelis became the backdrop Thursday for the trial of two men accused of supporting terrorism….(Chicago Tribune, 19 Oct 06)

Palestinian Puzzle

… After two years of house arrest, the business professor is to go on trial in Chicago today, accused of being a part of a sprawling U.S. network that helped the Palestinian group Hamas…(Washington Post, 19 Oct 06)

Two Witnesses at Hussein Trial Tell of Massacre

…The pair recounted villagers' flight from attack by aircraft and ground forces April 9, 1988, as part of the so-called Anfal, or "spoils of war," campaign against Kurds in northern Iraq….(LA Times, 19 Oct 06)

North Korea's 'Mr. Bomb' Remains Mystery

The scientists who have propelled North Korea's decades-long nuclear program are, like much else in the tightly controlled communist country, shrouded in a deep veil of secrecy....(AP, 19 Oct 06)

Scheduled Hanging of Muslim Puts India in No-Win Situation

…scheduled execution of Mohammed Afzal is no simple affair. The case has forced the Indian government to wrestle with competing demands for justice, the specter of increased sectarian violence and the potential for more upheaval at a delicate moment in India's adversarial relationship with Pakistan…(LA Times, 19 Oct 06)

Search for least-worst option in Iraq

…One idea is to break up the state of Iraq itself. Mr Baker's own informal bi-partisan Iraq Study Group - requested by Congress and endorsed by President Bush - is unlikely to go down that path, however….(BBC, 19 Oct 06)

Inside the minds of North Koreans

The day after North Korea announced it had tested a nuclear weapon, state-controlled TV showed pictures of North Koreans celebrating, seemingly regardless of the world's condemnation….(BBC, 19 Oct 06)

The Unlearned Lessons of Abu Ghraib

…By dissociating potential criminal responsibility from overly aggressive interrogation practices that could be classified as "minor" breaches of the Geneva Conventions, and setting up a situation in which different interrogation practices can be used by our military and the CIA, our national leadership has ensured more abuse scandals….(Washington Post, 19 Oct 06)

U.S. Anti-Terror Law Concerns Red Cross

The international Red Cross said Thursday it has "concerns and questions" over whether a new U.S. anti-terror law signed by President Bush complies with the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war….(AP, 19 Oct 06)

US active in Pakistan: Cheney

US Vice President Dick Cheney said that the United States was taking part in anti-terrorism operations in Pakistan, where more Al-Qaeda members have been caught or killed "probably than any place else."…(Pak Tribune, 19 Oct 06)

Jihad Video Released by "1920 Revolution Brigades" in Iraq

This video from the Iraqi Sunni military organization Kata'ib Thawrat Al-'Ishrin ("The 1920 Revolution Brigades") was posted on the Al-Hesbah website…(MEMRI, 19 Oct 06)

Jihad Video

Iran President Ahmadinejad: 'I Have a Connection With God, Since God Said That the Infidels Will Have No Way to Harm the Believers'; 'We Have [Only] One Step Remaining Before We Attain the Summit of Nuclear Technology'; The West 'Will Not Dare To Attack Us'

In an Iftar address to an audience of his supporters, including members of the Union of Islamic Engineers and supporters of the Khat-e Emam…(MEMRI, 19 Oct 06)

UK 'number one al-Qaeda target'

…They believe the network is now operating a cell structure in the UK - like the IRA did - and sees the 7 July bomb attacks "as just the beginning"…(BBC, 19 Oct 06)

Al-Qaeda 'has become terror coach, not real player'

Al-Qaeda has become a terrorist coach rather than a player as home-grown jihadists take over the war against the West. Australia's chief intelligence agency ASIO says global bogey man Osama bin Laden now inspires others to act rather than doing so itself….(Courier Mail, 19 Oct 06)

The evolving threat of al-Qaeda

In recent years, the notion of al-Qaeda as a decentralized organization - a group that inspires attacks rather than organizing and planning them itself - has gained common currency….(BBC, 19 Oct 06)

Proposed Iran sanctions to be circulated at U.N. soon

European nations are expected to begin circulating proposed sanctions against Iran at the United Nations shortly, but Western diplomats said on Thursday only a second or third round of penalties was likely to force a halt in Tehran's nuclear work….(Reuters, 19 Oct 06)

Somali president says Islamists plot assassinations

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf said on Thursday his security forces had uncovered evidence implicating rival Islamists in plans to assassinate him and other top interim government officials….(Reuters, 19 Oct 06)

Premier of Iraq Seeks Assistance of Shiite Clerics

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki flew to the holy city of Najaf on Wednesday to plead for help from Iraq’s two most influential and enigmatic Shiite clerics, in a sign of the crisis surrounding the Iraqi government as it faces mounting American pressure to quell sectarian violence by reining in Shiite militias….(New York Times, 19 Oct 06)

China pressures N Korean leader

A Chinese envoy has met North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il, according to Chinese officials, as tensions mount over the North's nuclear test….(BBC, 19 Oct 06)

Rice says U.S. open to negotiations on North Korea

….(Reuters, 19 Oct 06)

U.S. Officials Deny Trading Georgia for Russia’s Support of N Korea Sanctions

A top State Department official has denied that the Bush administration supported a Russian-backed UN resolution critical of Georgia last week in order to win Moscow’s support for a package of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear missile test, the Washington Times daily reports….(MosNews, 19 Oct 06)

Inside the Private Agony of Zacarias Moussaoui's Mother

My Lost Son, by Aicha el-Wafi
While on trial, convicted 9/11 co-conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui mercilessly baited 9/11 families, insulted court officials, and praised Osama bin Laden as his "father." But behind the absurd antics, one person continued to support him: his mother….(Time Magazine, 18 Oct 06)

Jihadis Provide Internet Training for Female Mujahideen

The use of female suicide bombers by Islamist militant groups in countries such as Iraq, Jordan, Afghanistan and Indian Kashmir has exceeded the traditional constraints that Salafi-Jihadi ideology imposes on women….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 17 Oct 06)

The West is Running Out of Time in Afghanistan

From all observables, the Taliban insurgency is spreading from its deeply rooted base in southern and southeastern Afghanistan to provinces in the west and east. In addition, several Islamist insurgent organizations active during the 1979-89 jihad against the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan—the "old mujahideen"—have allied themselves with the Taliban….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 17 Oct 06)

Iraq Removes Key Police Commanders

Iraq's Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry said Tuesday it had stripped two officers of their duties directing commando units, calling the move part of a restructuring plan for the national police force….(AP, 17 Oct 06)

UK troops pull out of Afghan town

British troops have pulled out of an Afghan town which has been a centre of Taleban insurgency in recent months….(BBC, 17 Oct 06)

Terrorism Expert to Speak on "Future Jihad"

Walid Phares will be the second speaker in this year's War on Terror lecture series, sponsored by the High Point University history and political science department, the Honors Program and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.  The lecture will be held on Oct. 26….(High Point Univ, 17 Oct 06)

Saddam's genocide trial resumes

Saddam Hussein's trial for genocide against the Kurds has resumed, a day after the ex-president predicted Iraq's "liberation" from US military control. All seven co-defendants were present when court proceedings reopened for first time since last Wednesday…..(BBC, 17 Oct 06)

Families Flee Iraqi River Towns On 4th Day of Sectarian Warfare

Families fled in search of safety Monday as open warfare raged for a fourth day between Shiite militias and armed Sunni men in Tigris River towns north of Baghdad. Militias allied with Iraq's Shiite-led government held sway in Balad city, forcing out Sunni families and leaving the bodies of slain Sunni men to rot in the streets…..(Washington Post, 17 Oct 06)

Sri Lanka Fighter Jets Pound Rebel Bases

Sri Lankan fighter jets pounded two suspected Tamil Tiger bases and a camp on Tuesday, a day after a rebel suicide bomber attacked a military convoy, killing at least 95 sailors….(AP, 17 Oct 06)

U.S. Officials Undermine Baghdad, Leader Says

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki told President Bush on Monday that U.S. officials have been undermining his government, and sought reassurance that the administration was not preparing to abandon him….(LA Times, 17 Oct 06)

Fanatics lay claim to separate Sunni state

An alliance of Sunni insurgent groups claimed yesterday to be establishing a separate Sunni state in the west of Iraq in the latest demonstration of the growing fragmentation of the country….(Guardian, 17 Oct 06)

Hardliners jockey ahead of Iranian polls
Iran's government is attempting to suppress its critics and consolidate power before two key elections on December 15 - for the Tehran city council and the national Assembly of Experts….(Asia Times, 17 Oct 06)

North Korean Fuel Identified as Plutonium

American intelligence agencies have concluded that North Korea’s test explosion last week was powered by plutonium that North Korea harvested from its small nuclear reactor, according to officials who have reviewed the results of atmospheric sampling since the blast….(New York Times, 17 Oct 06)

Saddam letter says Iraq's 'liberation' at hand; new slaying linked to trial

...In the letter, Saddam declared Iraq's "liberation is at hand" — an apparent effort to cast himself as a statesman as Iraq plunges further into civil war and the United States weighs what to do next. "The hour of liberation is at hand, God willing. But remember that your near-term goal is confined to freeing your country from the forces of occupation and their followers, and not to be preoccupied in settling scores," Saddam wrote in the Arabic-language letter…(USA Today, 16 Oct 06)