Al Qaeda Increasingly Reliant on Media

On the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Abu Omar received the call to jihad. Literally.  “There’s a present for you,” a voice on the other end of the phone said that morning, he recalled….(New York Times, 30 Sep 06)

Briton Cites 'Divergence' With U.S.

Charles Falconer, one of the highest-ranking justice officials in Britain, said Friday that there is a "great divergence" in how Britain and the United States are handling the fight against terrorists, describing the U.S. approach as a willingness "to do things beyond the law.”…(Washington Post, 30 Sep 06)

Why I'm Banned in the USA

For more than two years now, the U.S. government has barred me from entering the United States to pursue an academic career. The reasons have changed over time, and have evolved from defamatory to absurd, but the effect has remained the same: I've been kept out….(Washington Post, 30 Sep 06)

US To Increase Aid To Israeli Defense Systems

…The bill, approved by the House on Thursday as part of the US defense appropriations bill, was well received by Israeli defense officials. The approved package will be paid to Israel in addition to the annual Israeli military aid package from the U.S., totaling $2.36 billion….(Israel National News, 30 Sep 06)

Officials Plan to Move Quickly for Terrorism Trials in Spring

Officials at the Justice Department and the Pentagon said Friday that they would move quickly to adopt the regulations on treating terrorism suspects as soon as President Bush signed them law….(New York Times, 30 Sep 06)

Congress OKs Major Ports Security Bill

Congress approved a major ports security bill early Saturday, providing new steps to prevent terrorists from slipping a nuclear, chemical or biological device into one of the 11 million shipping containers entering the nation every year….(AP, 30 Sep 06)

Pakistan spy agency behind Mumbai bombs: police

Indian police said on Saturday they had found evidence that Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out the July 11 bombings in Mumbai and Pakistan's military spy agency was behind the plot….(Reuters, 30 Sep 06)

Indian Police Blame Pakistan in Bombings

….(AP, 30 Sep 06)

Australian Suspect at Gitmo to Be Tried

The only Australian held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be among the first terror suspects tried by the overhauled U.S. military commission system within months, Australia's attorney general said Sunday….(AP, 30 Sep 06)

U.S. Envoy Says Iraqi Premier Has Short Time to Quell Violence

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq warned on Friday that time is running out for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to contain the burgeoning sectarian bloodshed that threatens to plunge the country into civil war….(Washington Post, 30 Sep 06)

Woman Accused of Supporting Terror Group

A naturalized U.S. citizen from Iran who was found in Iraq was indicted Friday on charges of providing support to a terrorist organization that seeks to overthrow the Iranian regime….(AP, 30 Sep 06)

Afghan suicide blast kills 12

A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Interior Ministry in Kabul on Saturday, killing 12 people and wounding 42, the Afghan government said….(Reuters, 30 Sep 06)

Iraqi Linked to Sunni Bloc Is Held in Plot, Military Says

American forces detained an Iraqi working for one of Iraq’s most prominent Sunni Arab political leaders on Friday on suspicion that the man was helping to plan a multiple-car suicide bombing inside the Green Zone…(New York Times, 30 Sep 06)

Man Admits Extortion in Iraq Kidnapping

A West African man admitted Friday that he tried to extort $2 million from the Christian Science Monitor by promising to win the release of journalist Jill Carroll, who was captured in Iraq….(AP, 29 Sep 06)

After Burst of Violence, as Many as 60 Bodies Are Found in Baghdad

As many as 60 bodies, many of them shot in the head at close range and bearing signs of torture, were discovered across the city on Thursday, (New York Times, 29 Sep 06)

Zarqawi Successor Exhorts Scientists
Al-Qaeda in Iraq's leader, in a chilling audiotape released Thursday, called for nuclear scientists to join his group's holy war and urged insurgents to kidnap Westerners so they could be traded for a blind Egyptian sheik who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison….(AP, 29 Sep 06)

Battles highlight Sea Tigers' capabilities
The recent flare-up of fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has resulted in the secessionist rebels suffering significant setbacks among ground forces, but their naval arm remains a potent threat….(Jane’s, 29 Sep 06)

In Britain, Musharraf Is Questioned on Terror Ties

President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan arrived here on Thursday and found himself facing accusations that his country’s intelligence service had indirect ties to Al Qaeda and that his government committed widespread human rights abuses as an ally of the United States in its effort to curb terrorism....(New York Times, 29 Sep 06)

Islamic Banking – A Fast-Growing Industry
The last two decades have seen a mushrooming of Islamic banks - institutions practicing a banking system - Islamic banking--which is consistent with shari'a (Islamic law) and guided by Islamic economics….(MEMRI, 29 Sep 06)

Poll Says Most Iraqis Want U.S. Out

About three-quarters of Iraqis believe that American forces are provoking more conflict than they are preventing in Iraq and that they should be withdrawn within a year, according to a poll conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes, a group from the University of Maryland….(Reuters, 29 Sep 06)

Military Trials to Affect Few Detainees

Armed with Congress' blessing, President Bush can soon begin prosecuting terrorism suspects for killing or plotting to kill thousands of Americans. But though the measure potentially applies to all 14,000 foreign detainees _ most of whom are being held by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan _ it isn't expected to change the lives of many of them….(AP, 29 Sep 06)

Many Rights in U.S. Legal System Absent in New Bill

The military trials bill approved by Congress lends legislative support for the first time to broad rules for the detention, interrogation, prosecution and trials of terrorism suspects far different from those in the familiar American criminal justice system….(Washington Post, 29 Sep 06)

U.S. commander says insurgency in western province of Iraq unlikely to be defeated until U.S. forces leave

…"An insurgency is a very difficult thing to defeat in a finite period of time. It takes a lot of persistence — perseverance is the actual term that we like to use," Army Col. Sean B. MacFarland, commander of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, said in a video-teleconference with reporters at the Defense Department….(AP, 29 Sep 06)

Lessons for the West in India's history of terrorism

India, which has lost more lives to terrorism than any other country, feels a little grumpy that the West has not taken its problem seriously….(Sydney Morning Herald, 29 Sep 06)

Use Brinkmanship on Iran

For Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to snare an invitation to speak before the Council on Foreign Relations last week, after threatening several times to destroy Israel, is what's known in military parlance as a successful "information op." In a mass-media age, symbolism defeats substance…..(LA Times, 29 Sep 06)

Lebanese Cleric Derides Bush Policies

Frail, pale and weakened by the Ramadan fast, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah was able to muster just about enough energy to vent his anger at President Bush, whom he recently dubbed "the devil's messenger."…(AP, 27 Sep 06)

U.S. Troops Kill 8 in Raid, Air Strike on Iraq House

U.S. forces killed eight people and destroyed a home with air strikes during a gunbattle before dawn on Wednesday in a restive city north of Baghdad…(Reuters, 27 Sep 06)

Suicide Attack Outside Police Base in Afghanistan

A suicide car-bomb went off just after a convoy of NATO troops passed a police base in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Wednesday, wounding a passer-by…(Reuters, 27 Sep 06)

Attacks in Afghanistan Grow More Frequent and Lethal

Afghanistan suffered two deadly bombings on Tuesday that killed 20 people, providing another sign of the increasing size and power of suicide attacks and roadside bombs by insurgents….(New York Times, 27 Sep 06)

Distrust Breaks the Bonds Of a Baghdad Neighborhood

…Across the capital, mixed Sunni-Shiite neighborhoods have become battlegrounds of sectarian hostilities….(Washington Post, 27 Sep 06)

Judge Rejects Ashcroft's Immunity Claim

Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft could be called to testify in a lawsuit that claims a student was wrongly imprisoned in a computer terrorism case, a federal judge ruled Wednesday…..(AP, 28 Sep 06)

Congressman Wants FBI Anthrax Briefing

A New Jersey congressman said Wednesday it should have taken the FBI days, not years, to determine the anthrax used in 2001 that killed five people was much less sophisticated than believed….(AP, 27 Sep 06)

House OKs $70B for Iraq, Afghanistan

Just days before leaving Washington to campaign, Congress is moving to provide $70 billion more for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a record $448 billion Pentagon budget. With Iraq alone costing about $8 billion a month, another infusion of funds will be needed next spring….(AP, 27 Sep 06)

Bush Goes Public With Terror Study

Declassified portions of a high-level intelligence report released Tuesday describe the war in Iraq as a major catalyst for Islamic radicalism around the world, while also citing other causes for the expanding terrorist threat….(LA Times, 27 Sep 06)

Declassified Key Judgments of the National Intelligence Estimate on Global Terrorism

Following are the portions of the National Intelligence Estimate dealing with the key judgments, dated April 2006, that were released Tuesday by the Bush administration….(New York Times, 27 Sep 06)

Backing Policy, President Issues Terror Estimate

Portions of a National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism that the White House released under pressure on Tuesday said that Muslim jihadists were “increasing in both number and geographic dispersion” and that current trends could lead to increasing attacks around the globe….(New York Times, 27 Sep 06)

Part of Iraq Intelligence Report Is Released
The Bush administration yesterday released portions of a classified intelligence estimate that says the global jihadist movement is growing and being fueled by the war in Iraq even as it becomes more decentralized, making it harder to identify potential terrorists and prevent attacks….(Washington Post, 27 Sep 06)

Key Declassified Intelligence Judgments (pdf)

House Approves Bill on Detainees
The House approved an administration-backed system of questioning and prosecuting terrorism suspects yesterday, setting clearer limits on CIA interrogation techniques but denying access to courts for detainees seeking to challenge their imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere….(Washington Post, 27 Sep 06)

DHS secretary weighs in on port security bill

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff encouraged lawmakers Tuesday to pass a maritime security bill that is not weighed down with extraneous provisions…(Congress Daily, 26 Sep 06)

DHS Grants $191 Million to Defend Cities

…New York received $25.7 million in port security grants, up from $6.6 million last year; Baltimore was granted $4.8 million, up from $1 million; and Hampton Roads, which received none in 2005, was awarded $3.5 million. Losers included Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., which received $12 million, down from $24.2 million; Houston at $11.6 million, down from $35 million; and San Diego at $139,837, down from $6.5 million….(Washington Post, 26 Sep 06)

20 Women Arrested at Protest in Somalia

Men in machine gun-mounted trucks Tuesday quickly dispersed hundreds of women protesting radical Islamic fighters who have taken over this strategic port town and much of the rest of southern Somalia…..(AP, 26 Sep 06)

Pakistani sentenced for trying to sell missiles to Al Qaeda

…Syed Mustajab Shah pleaded guilty last March in federal court to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and hashish….(DNA India, 26 Sep 06)

U.S., Syria spar and Rice calls for sanctions

…Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem told the United Nations General Assembly that the world pays the price when the U.S. government thinks it knows what Arabs want better than the Arabs themselves….(Reuters, 26 Sep 06)

Terrorism threat will outlive leader

…Al-Qaeda's's radical internationalist ideology, with its blend of anti-Western and anti-Zionist rhetoric, has inspired individuals and groups around the world to follow its example, and will continue to do so after bin Laden's death, even if those groups do not necessarily want to enlist in global jihad against the West, but prefer to fight for specific national political aims, like Hamas and Hezbollah…Canberra, 26 Sep 06)

Israel seen lifting nuclear veil in Iran stand-off

…With Israel's current arch-foe Iran seen gaining the ability to produce nuclear weapons within a few years, and preventive military options limited, some experts now anticipate another "lifting of the veil" on the assumed Israeli atomic arsenal.….(Reuters, 26 Sep 06)

Report: Some Refugees in Legal Paradox

For nearly 1 1/2 years, a Sri Lankan fisherman has waited in a federal detention center in New Jersey _ and in a legal Catch-22….(AP, 26 Sep 06)

Russia to supply nuclear fuel to Iran in March

Russia and Iran on Tuesday signed an agreement under which Moscow will complete construction of Bushehr nuclear power plant for launch in September next year while it will start supplying fuel in March itself….(DNA India, 26 Sep 06)

U.S. ambassador restates apology for Venezuelan FM's detention in New York

The U.S. ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield on Monday apologized again for the U.S. detention of Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro over the weekend in New York….(Xinhau, 26 Sep 06)

U.N. Inquiry Into Death of Lebanon’s Ex-Premier Focuses on Killers

The director of the United Nations commission investigating the killing of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon, reported Monday that it had confirmed preliminary findings that the attack was the work of a suicide bomber but was still pursuing the identities of the participants in the highly organized plot…..(New York Times, 26 Sep 06)

Army chief tells Bush: there's not enough money for Iraq war

…Six weeks before midterm elections in which the war is a crucial issue, the protest from the army head, General Peter Schoomaker, exposes concerns within the US military about the strain of the war on Iraq, and growing tensions between uniformed personnel and the Pentagon chief, Donald Rumsfeld….(Guardian, 26 Sep 06)

Pakistan Urged to Shut Extremist Schools

Afghanistan's president is calling on Pakistan to close extremist schools and looking for support from President Bush in his campaign against "places that teach terror."…(AP, 26 Sep 06)

Rumsfeld in Montenegro to discuss NATO, war on terrorism

… Montenegro's ability to provide troops in Afghanistan and Iraq will be raised in talks between Rumsfeld and Montenegrin officials, said Eric Ruff, a Pentagon spokesman.….(Reuters, 26 Sep 06

Former intelligence head: Anti-terrorism steps only postpone attack

The security measures that have been introduced to avert the threat of a terrorist attack are likely only to postpone it, Karel Randak, former head of civilian intelligence service (UZSI), told radio station Frekvence 1 on Monday…(Prague Monitor, 26 Sep 06)

Negroponte Says U.S. Not at Higher Risk

National Intelligence Director John Negroponte said Monday the jihad in Iraq is shaping a new generation of terrorist operatives, but rejected assertions, stemming from a leaked intelligence estimate, that the United States is at a greater risk of attack than it was in 2001….(AP, 26 Sep 06)

Experts: U.S. Must Protect Food Supply

The United States needs to continue taking steps to protect its food supply from terrorism just as it would its buildings, airports and other infrastructure, FBI deputy director John S. Pistole said….(AP, 26 Sep 06)

Detainee Measure to Have Fewer Restrictions
Republican lawmakers and the White House agreed over the weekend to alter new legislation on military commissions to allow the United States to detain and try a wider range of foreign nationals than an earlier version of the bill permitted….(Washington Post, 26 Sep 06)

Senators Call for Release of Intelligence Estimate on Terrorism

The top Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee called on Monday for the White House to declassify the National Intelligence Estimate on terrorism that was produced in April…..(New York Times, 26 Sep 06)

Leading Muslim Scholar Is Denied U.S. Travel Visa

…Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss citizen who teaches at Oxford University, was denied a temporary business and tourism visa Thursday "based solely on his actions, which constituted providing material support to a terrorist organization,"…(AP, 26 Sep 06)

Marines charged over Iraq killing

Three US marines are to be tried by a military tribunal for the alleged murder of an Iraqi civilian, the US military has said in a statement. The three are among eight US personnel who have been charged with the kidnap and murder of Hashim Ibrahim Awad, 52, in the village of Hamdaniya in April….(BBC, 26 Sep 06)

Qaeda Operative, an Escapee in ’05, Is Killed in Iraq

…About 250 soldiers wearing night-vision goggles and carrying specially equipped rifles stormed a house in the Junainah neighborhood of Basra, intending to capture the operative, whom the spokesman for the British military in Iraq identified as Omar al-Faruq, an Iraq….(New York Times, 26 Sep 06)

Taliban Says Bin Laden Alive: Al Arabiya TV

Dubai-based Al Arabiya television on Tuesday quoted a Taliban official as saying al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was alive and in good health….(Reuters, 26 Sep 06)

Suicide bomb kills 18 in south Afghanistan

A suicide bomber killed 18 people outside the governor's office in a southern Afghan town on Tuesday while an Italian soldier died in a blast near Kabul…(Reuters, 26 Sep 06)

Bosnia: At least three citizens linked to Al-Qaeda, says official

Dragan Lukac, assistant director of the Bosnian state security agency, said in an interview with the daily Nezavisne Novine that three Tunisians, who are on the UN terrorist list, were granted Bosnian citizenship after the country's 1992-1995 civil war….(AKI, 26 Sep 06)

Musharraf: Pakistan Being Made Scapegoat

… He suggested Afghan President Hamid Karzai is partly to blame for disenfranchising the majority Pashtun ethnic group and warned that the Taliban cannot be defeated by military might alone…(AP, 26 Sep 06)

Indonesian Christians await fate of Muslims

Indonesian Christians, deeply troubled by the executions of three Christians last week, say they are watching closely to see whether the government will be equally firm in dealing with three Muslims facing the ultimate sanction for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings….(Washington Times, 26 Sep 06)

U.S. soldiers see inept output by Iraqi troops

The plan was simple: Iraqi troops would block escape routes while U.S. soldiers searched for weapons house by house. But the Iraqi troops didn't show up on time….(AP, 25 Sep 06)

Neb. Judge Orders Students' Deportation

Three Egyptian college students who sparked a nationwide search when they failed to show up for a college exchange program last month were ordered deported Monday….(AP, 25 Sep 06)

Judge Throws Saddam Out of Courtroom

The chief judge in Saddam Hussein's genocide trial threw the ex-president out of the courtroom Monday in a stormy session boycotted by the former ruler's defense team….(AP, 25 Sep 06)

Lawyer for Detainees Speaks on Suicides

An attorney who represents several Guantanamo Bay detainees said the U.S. military is attempting to falsely link him to the suicides of three prisoners at the U.S. base to deflect blame for its own actions….(AP, 25 Sep 06)

Iraq war fuels Islamic radicals: retired U.S. general

…The views of retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste buttressed an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies, which intelligence officials said concluded the war had inspired Islamist extremists and made the militant movement more dangerous….(Reuters, 25 Sep 06)

Three Retired Officers Demand Rumsfeld's Resignation

Three retired military officers who served in Iraq called today for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, telling a Democratic "oversight hearing" on Capitol Hill that the Pentagon chief bungled planning for the U.S. invasion, dismissed the prospect of an insurgency and sent American troops into the fray with inadequate equipment…..(Washington Post, 25 Sep 06)

U.S. Lets Liquids Bought Beyond Checkpoints on Planes

U.S. air travelers will be allowed to board planes with most liquids and gels bought inside airport security checkpoints, a Homeland Security Department official said….(Bloomberg, 25 Sep 06)

Torture Victim Had No Terror Link, Canada Told U.S.

When the United States sent Maher Arar to Syria, where he was tortured for months, the deportation order stated unequivocally that Mr. Arar, a Canadian software engineer, was a member of Al Qaeda. But a few days earlier, Canadian investigators had told the F.B.I. that they had not been able to link him to the terrorist group….(New York Times, 25 Sep 06)

Retired Generals Slam Rumsfeld
Retired military officers on Monday bluntly accused Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld of bungling the war in Iraq, saying U.S. troops were sent to fight without the best equipment and that critical facts were hidden from the public.…(CBS/AP, 25 Sep 06)

McCain Names Practices Detainee Bill Would Bar

A Republican senator who played a leading role in drafting new rules for U.S. interrogations of terrorism suspects said yesterday that he believes a compromise bill embraced by party leaders and the White House will bar some of the most extreme techniques said to have been used by the CIA….(Washington Post, 25 Sep 06)

Demonstrations Turn Violent in Somalia

Fears of regional conflict soared as angry demonstrations against Somalia's radical Islamic militia grew Monday into deadly violence in a southern port city, and the militia for the first time acknowledged getting help from foreign Muslims…..(AP, 25 Sep 06)

Afghan women's official shot dead

A leading Afghan official working on women's rights has been shot dead in the southern province of Kandahar. Safia Amajan, head of the province's women's department, was leaving her home for work when a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire…(BBC, 25 Sep 06)

Afghanistan In-Depth

British troops in Iraq kill top Qaeda figure
British troops in Iraq said on Monday they had killed a senior al Qaeda figure who escaped from a U.S. prison in Afghanistan in 2005. Omar Faruq was shot dead while resisting arrest during a pre-dawn raid by about 200 British troops in Iraq's second biggest city, Basra…(Reuters, 25 Sep 06)

Yemeni tribesmen free kidnapped French tourists

Yemeni tribesmen released four French tourists on Monday who they had held hostage for more than two weeks…(Reuters, 25 Sep 06)

Somali Islamists take port, boy killed in protests

Islamist fighters opened fire in the Somali port city of Kismayo on Monday toward residents burning tires, throwing stones and chanting to protest against the Islamist takeover of their city hours before….(Reuters, 25 Sep 06)