Judge Orders Padilla Jail Personnel to Testify

Officials at the Navy brig where terrorism suspect Jose Padilla was held for 3 1/2 years as an enemy combatant were ordered Friday to testify at a hearing to determine his psychological competency, a ruling that allows the defense to press its claims that sensory deprivation and torture in confinement have rendered the alleged al-Qaeda operative unfit to stand trial…..(Washington Post, 17 Feb 07)

China Controls Seek to Prevent Terrorism

China said Saturday that its new export controls on nuclear technology requiring buyers to meet stricter obligations would prevent terrorists from obtaining nuclear weapons or dangerous radioactive material….(AP, 17 Feb 07)

Suicide bomber kills at least 15 in Pakistani court

A suicide bomber in Pakistan killed 15 people, including a judge, in a courtroom in the city of Quetta on Saturday, the latest in a series of suicide blasts to have sent shudders through the country….(Reuters, 17 Feb 07)

Verdict due in Turkey bomb trial

A judge in Istanbul has been hearing closing statements in the trial of 73 men for a wave of suicide bomb attacks in the city three years ago. The attacks on a British-owned bank, the UK consulate and two synagogues killed 58 people, including the UK consul-general, and wounded hundreds…..(BBC, 16 Feb 07)

U.S., North Korea to Discuss Terrorism Designation

The U.S. and North Korea will discuss ending the communist country's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, as they build links after reaching an accord on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program….(Bloomberg, 16 Feb 07)

Strickland: No Iraq refugees

…The Bush administration plans to allow about 7,000 Iraqi refugees to settle in the United States over the next year, a huge expansion at a time of mounting international pressure to help millions who have fled their homes in the nearly four-year-old war…..(AP, 16 Feb 07)

FBI rules out terrorism in mall shooting

The FBI said Wednesday it has no reason to believe the shooting spree that killed five people in a shopping mall was an act of Islamic terrorism, leaving a young Bosnian immigrant's motives a mystery….(AP, 16 Feb 07)

Terrorism not ruled out in Salt Lake case
…FBI agent Patrick Kiernan declared to reporters Wednesday he had no reason to believe the random, dispassionately executed murder of five people by 18-year-old Bosnian Muslim immigrant Sulejman Talovic Monday night had anything to do with Islamic terrorism, calling it "just unexplainable." But Salt Lake Police spokeswoman Robin Snyder told WND the FBI is still working with her department on the case, and investigators continue to explore the terrorism angle…(World Net Daily, 16 Feb 07)

Taliban deploy 10,000 fighters for attack: commander

The Taliban have deployed 10,000 fighters for a spring offensive of "bloody attacks" against foreign troops in Afghanistan, a rebel commander said on Friday….(Reuters, 16 Feb 07)

Alleged Madrid Train Bombing Mastermind Declines to Testify

On the second day of the trial of 29 people suspected of involvement in the deadly 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings, one of the alleged masterminds, Moroccan Youssef Belhadj, refused to answer prosecutors' questions over his involvement in the attacks, only answering those from his defense….(AKI, 16 Feb 07)

Legalize Afghan poppy trade: Think tank

Counter-narcotics policies in Afghanistan need to be urgently overhauled before they push the people of southern Afghanistan into the arms of the Taliban insurgency, a security think tank said in a report published Wednesday. A poppy eradication program that began last month has already sparked a new wave of violence…(AP, 16 Feb 07)

Spain Bitterly Divided As Terror Trial Begins In '04 Train Bombings

Twenty-nine suspects went on trial Thursday for the March 11, 2004, bombings of four commuter trains in Madrid, but Spain's political parties and news media have turned the investigation of the attack into a partisan battle, fraying the country's traditional solidarity against terrorism and leaving Spaniards bitterly divided over who launched the attack and why….(Washington Post, 16 Feb 07)

Al-Qaida in Iraq Agent Now Reported Held

An Iraqi army officer said Friday that an al-Qaida in Iraq deputy has been jailed south of Baghdad, casting doubt on reports that he was killed. The leader of the terrorist organization was reportedly injured….(AP, 16 Feb 07)

Pilot and Passengers Overpower Hijacker

A fast-thinking pilot with passengers in cahoots fooled a gunman who had hijacked a jetliner flying from Africa to the Canary Islands, braking hard upon landing then quickly accelerating to knock the man down so travelers could pounce on him…(AP, 16 Feb 07)

To root out Taliban, Pakistan to expel 2.4 million Afghans

…In its most recent effort to clamp down on Taliban activity within its borders, Pakistan has announced that all 2.4 million Afghan refugees, most living in camps, must return home by 2009. This and three other camps near the Afghan border, which together hold 230,000 refugees, are scheduled to be closed by the end of August…..(Christian Science Monitor, 16 Feb 07)

Biography of Sudanese nationals Hassan Abdel Rahman and Sadiq al-Jilani

….(Global Terror Alert, Feb  07)

Biography of Yemeni national Abu al-Mardiyah al-Yemeni

….(Global Terror Alert, Feb  07)

London-Based Syrian-Born Historian Mahmoud Al-Sayyed Al-Dugheim on Al-Jazeera: Iran Established Global Shiite Government, Operating in Accordance with the Protocols of the Mullahs of Qom, to Annihilate the Sunnis

The following are excerpts from an interview with Syrian-born historian Mahmoud Al-Sayyed Al-Dugheim, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 30, 2007….(MEMRI, 16 Feb 07)

Saudi Petition Calling for Reforms Issued by Islamists who Support Terrorism

…The 19 signatories stated that the success of reforms in Saudi Arabia depends on involving the public in decision-making by establishing a parliament through free elections, on ensuring just distribution of resources and on fighting poverty…(MEMRI, 16 Feb 07)

Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 65

….(MEMRI, 16 Feb 07)

Islamist Forum Participants Discuss Threat to Islamist Sites and Ways to Avoid Exposure On-Line

A recent discussion on an Islamist forum reflected Islamists' growing concern over the threat posed to their websites by Western intelligence agencies, and over the danger of exposure mujahideen face when online…..(MEMRI, 15 Feb 07)

The Threat of Grassroots Jihadi Networks: A Case Study from Ceuta, Spain

…The jihadi group in Ceuta was composed of at least 11 individuals and constitutes another good example of the emergence of grassroots jihadi networks in European countries. "Grassroots jihadis" refers to groups that sympathize with and relate to the global jihadi movement, sharing common strategic objectives, but have little or no formal connections to al-Qaeda or any other associated organizations…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 15 Feb 07)

Salt Lake Jihad?
Is the Bosnian Muslim who shot civilians in the Salt Lake City mall more than an isolated nut?...(FrontPage, 15 Feb 07)

Iran's elite and mysterious fighters

…Like the Revolutionary Guard, the Quds Force and its predecessors were among the semiofficial militias, charities and centers of clerical power born of the paranoia and zeal of the tumultuous years after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, which brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power…..(LA Times, 15 Feb 07)

Bombings May Signal New Algeria Violence

A deadly and carefully planned series of bomb attacks in Algeria by an al-Qaida affiliate may signal a new escalation in violence that could spread across North Africa and enter Europe…(AP, 15 Feb 07)

Mahdi army commanders withdraw to Iran to lie low during security crackdown

Senior commanders of the Mahdi army, the militia loyal to the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, have been spirited away to Iran to avoid being targeted in the new security push in Baghdad, a high-level Iraqi official told the Guardian yesterday. On the day the Iraqi government formally launched its crackdown on insurgents and amid disputed claims about the whereabouts of Mr Sadr, the official said the Mahdi army leadership had withdrawn across the border into Iran to regroup and retrain….(Guardian, 15 Feb 07)

GIs conduct Baghdad sweep, with Iraqis in minor role

…The limited Iraqi participation underscored concerns about Iraqi government's ability to provide the troops it promised and suggested that American soldiers would bear the security plan's heaviest burdens despite declarations that it would be Iraqi-led…..(International Herald Tribune, 15 Feb 07)

Senators Give TSA Screeners Union Rights

A Senate committee voted Thursday to give airport screeners the collective bargaining and whistleblower protection rights that many other federal employees have…..(AP, 15 Feb 07)

Saudis to purchase nuclear option, advanced missiles and spy satellites off the shelf from Pakistan and Russia

…Israeli military sources report that Moscow in fact undertook to provide Saudi Arabia with half a dozen military surveillance satellites, launch them and set up ground control centers, thereby making the oil kingdom the first Middle East national with a multiple spy satellite capability for tracking the military movements of its neighbors, including Iran and Israel…..(DEPKA, 15 Feb 07)

Jordanian Columnist on the Possibility of a Split in the Iran-Syria Axis

In a February 8, 2007 article titled "The Tehran-Damascus Axis: Tactical Disagreements or the Beginning of a Split?" former Jordanian information minister Saleh Al-Qallab, currently a columnist for the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, said that the cooling in Iran-Syria relations may lead to the end of their partnership and even to intense hostility between the two countries, unless they manage to bridge over the differences in their priorities…..(MEMRI, 15 Feb 07)

Pak-backed outfits raising millions for strikes against India: NSA
Terror groups operating with the support of Pakistan have resorted to carefully charted manipulation of Indian stock exchanges through ghost companies to raise millions of dollars for planning and carrying out strikes against India. The operation allows jehadi outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Al-Badr to tap funds through an ostensibly legitimate route….(Times of India, 15 Feb 07)

Iraq's Iranian Links Fall Under Scrutiny

In Iraq, the ties to neighboring Iran are as apparent as the desert sun. They reach back to Islam's earliest days, and before…Iran's Shiite Muslim government supported Iraq's underground Shiite opposition in the 1980s and 1990s, when Saddam Hussein's Baathists, mostly from the rival Sunni sect, ruled in Baghdad. "Logically" _ now that those Shiites are in power _ "the Iranians would keep up their involvement, their support," said retired Marine Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, former U.S. Middle East commander….(AP, 15 Feb 07)

Iraq Adviser: Al-Sadr in Iran

An adviser to Iraq's prime minister said Thursday that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is in Iran, but denied he fled due to fear of arrest during an escalating security crackdown. Sami al-Askari said al-Sadr traveled to Iran by land "a few days ago," but gave no further details on how long he would stay in Iran….(AP, 15 Feb 07)

Skepticism Over Iraq Haunts U.S. Iran Policy

The specter of the war in Iraq -- a war the Bush administration denied it was planning, supported by evidence that turned out to be false -- looms large over administration policy toward Iran…..(Washington Post, 15 Feb 07)

Bush Declares Iran’s Arms Role in Iraq Is Certain

President Bush said Wednesday that he was certain that factions within the Iranian government had supplied Shiite militants in Iraq with deadly roadside bombs that had killed American troops. But he said he did not know whether Iran’s highest officials had directed the attacks….(New York Times, 15 Feb 07)

U.S. to shun all members of Palestinian unity govt

The United States will boycott all Palestinian unity government ministers, including non-Hamas members, unless international demands on policy toward Israel are met, a Palestinian official and diplomats said on Thursday….(Reuters, 15 Feb 07)

Fight Iran with a war of ideas

… It would help rally factions within that elite behind Ahmadinejad, and it would provide Iran a good excuse to attempt to further isolate the United States within the international community. In other words, the main beneficiary of an attack on Iran would be the most militaristic and reactionary elements in the Iranian ruling hierarchy….(LA Times, 15 Feb 07)

Armed Iraqis Wary of Security Plan

… As the contours of the Baghdad security plan start to solidify, Yousef, 55, like millions of other Iraqis, is trying to assess whether measures such as the newly announced ban on civilians carrying weapons are more likely to keep him safe than the 9mm pistol he carries on the seat between his legs, safety off, for the drive home….(Washington Post, 15 Feb 07)

Iraq invasion plan 'delusional'

The US invasion plan for Iraq envisaged that only 5,000 US troops would remain in Iraq by December 2006, declassified Central Command documents show. The material also shows that the US military projected a stable, pro-US and democratic Iraq by that time….(BBC, 15 Feb 07)

Presidential election, uniform issues to be sorted out in keeping with constitution: Musharraf

…He held that Pakistan has initiated effective actions against the terrorists and the international community has acknowledged it. He went on to say that Al-Qaeda and Taliban are in Afghanistan and Pakistan dealt a crushing defeat to them by taking action against them and cleansed them fully….(Pak Tribune, 15 Feb 07)

Terror Suspect in Canada Ordered Freed

…Mohammad Mahjoub, 46, has spent nearly seven years in a Canadian prison without any charge against him or access to the evidence against him. He was entering his 84th day of a hunger strike Thursday to protest his treatment…..(AP, 15 Feb 07)

FACTBOX: Europe's terrorism trials

A Spanish trial began on Thursday of 29 people charged with involvement in the Madrid train bombings, which killed 191 people three years ago in the deadliest al Qaeda-related attack in Europe. Following are details of recent terrorism trials in Europe….(Reuters, 15 Feb 07)

Madrid bomb trial begins

A Spanish trial began on Thursday of 29 people charged with involvement in the Madrid train bombings, which killed 191 people three years ago in the deadliest al Qaeda-related attack in Europe….(Reuters, 15 Feb 07)

Terrorism Suspect Asks for Dismissal After Privileged Conversations May Have Been Recorded

Attorneys representing Minnesota terrorism suspect Mohamad K. Elzahabi asked a federal judge to dismiss his 2004 case after learning that their conversations with Elzahabi may have been recorded….(AP, 15 Feb 07)

11 Elite Iranian Troops Killed In Bombing; U.S. Role Alleged

A car bomb killed 11 members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday in the deadliest attack in years near the Pakistani border, and Iran accused the United States of backing guerrillas to destabilize the country. A Sunni Muslim militant group called Jundallah, or God's Brigade, which has been blamed for past attacks on Iranian troops, asserted responsibility for the bombing, according to the semiofficial Fars news agency….(AP, 15 Feb 07)

Judge to Hold USS Cole Lawsuit Hearing

A $105 million lawsuit against the Sudanese government filed by families of 17 sailors killed in the USS Cole bombing is scheduled to go to trial next month _ even though huge questions loom…..(AP, 15 Feb 07)

Three Explanations for al-Qaeda's Lack of a CBRN Attack

The evidence of al-Qaeda's interest in conducting a terrorist attack with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapons appears compelling. As early as 1998, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden declared the acquisition of CBRN weapons a "religious duty" for Muslims [1]. He followed up in 2003 by asking for and receiving a fatwa from Saudi Sheikh Nasir bin Hamid al-Fahd that condoned the use of CBRN…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 15 Feb 07)

Islamist Infiltration of the Moroccan Armed Forces

…The group itself was unique and included an eclectic mix of drug traffickers, wives of Air Maroc pilots and members of the armed forces reportedly led by Hassan al-Khattab—a known Salafi-Jihadi aspirant who was imprisoned for two years in 2003 following the Casablanca bombings (La Gazette du Maroc, August 21, 2006; L'Expression, August 13, 2006)…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 15 Feb 07)

The PKK and Syria's Kurds

In January, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) appointed "Doctor Bahoz," the nom de guerre of Fehman Huseyin, a Syrian Kurd, to lead the People's Defense Forces (the HPG), putting him in charge of the movement's day-to-day military operations. The appointment of a Syrian—and a noted hardliner—to head the military wing of the Kurdish group seems likely to increase tensions between the movement's older members…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 15 Feb 07)

Iraq suicide attack kills 11
A suicide car bomber attacked an Iraqi police station in the western city of Ramadi, killing 11 people including four police, the US military said on Thursday. Wednesday’s attack also wounded 21 people…(Agence France-Presse, 15 Feb 07)

Egypt arrests 73 Brotherhood Islamists in sweeps

Egyptian security forces detained 73 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood on Thursday in sweeps at dawn, intensifying a clampdown against the government's most powerful political rival….(Reuters, 15 Feb 07)

Four More Arrested in Bust Against Leftist Terror Group

Police in Milan arrested another four people on Wednesday in an anti-terror operation which led to the detention of another 15 people in northern Italy Monday charged of belonging to a leftist network of the Red Brigades planning deadly attacks on targets including former conservative premier Silvio Berlusconi….(AKI, 15 Feb 07)

Canada Is Set to Allow Expiration of 2 Broad Antiterrorism Laws

Two measures introduced by Canada in the rush to protect the country against terrorist threats after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are expected to be allowed to expire early next week….(New York Times, 15 Feb 07)

Saudi Terrorists Call for Oil Cutoff

…Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula said in its monthly magazine posted on an Islamic Web site that "cutting oil supplies to the United States, or at least curtailing it, would contribute to the ending of the American occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan."….(AP, 14 Feb 07)

Radical Islamists Target the UAE

…Islamist militants view the Gulf monarchies as heretical and apostate regimes akin to other regional governments considered illegitimate, tyrannical and corrupt U.S. clients, namely Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Pakistan, among others…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Feb 07)

Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 64

….(MERI, 14 Feb 07)

A Split After Muhammad’s Death That Still Resonates

…All this week NPR’s “Morning Edition” is presenting a five-part primer on Shiism called “The Partisans of Ali: A History of Shia Faith and Politics,” with Mike Shuster as host….(New York Times, 14 Feb 07)

Islamic Terror In Kosovo

An Albanian Muslim extremist from Kosovo was recently arrested after allegedly plotting to blow up the parliament building in Montenegro. 55-year-old Dodu L. was arrested by Austrian authorities last month while trying to board a flight in Vienna. 12 other ethnic Albanians were reportedly involved in the plot….(CBN, 14 Feb 07)

Kidnap plot arrests raise fears that Red Brigades may return

The specter of urban terrorism returned to Italy yesterday after the arrest of 15 suspected Red Brigades terrorists, said to be planning to kidnap or assassinate Silvio Berlusconi, the media tycoon and former Prime Minister, and other targets….(Times, 14 Feb 07)

Bad Guys of the Week: Hezbollah's Hamadei, Islamic Jihad's Shallah

Add two more Middle Eastern terrorists to the $5 million club. The State Department this week put Mohammed Ali Hamadei, an alleged leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, and Ramadan Abdullah Mohammad Shallah, a founder of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in its Rewards for Justice program….(US News, 14 Feb 07)

General Warns of Perils in Afghanistan

A senior U.S. military commander urged Pakistan yesterday to crack down on an entrenched network of senior Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders, training camps and recruiting grounds -- a sanctuary from which fighters have tripled cross-border attacks since September and are preparing an anticipated major spring offensive in southern and eastern Afghanistan….(Washington Post, 14 Feb 07)

France break up terror ring linked to Iraq

French police have arrested 11 terror suspects, nine of whom are believed to be members of Al-Qaeda who helped fighters join the ranks of Iraqi insurgents, the interior ministry said Wednesday….(Agence France-Presse, 14 Feb 07)

Bomb Kills 18 on Military Bus in Iran

A car loaded with explosives blew up near a bus carrying members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards in southeastern Iran, killing 18 of them, the state-run news agency reported Wednesday….(AP, 14 Feb 07)

French Police Round Up 9 Terror Suspects

French counterterrorism police arrested 11 suspects as part of efforts aimed at dismantling an alleged al-Qaida-linked recruiting network to send radical Islamic fighters to Iraq ….(AP, 14 Feb 07)

Taliban flee battle using children as shields: NATO

Taliban fighters used children as human shields to flee heavy fighting this week during an operation by foreign and Afghan forces to clear rebels from around a key hydro-electric dam….(Reuters, 14 Feb 07)

American Citizen Charged With Training in Somalia With Al Qaeda, Learning to Become Homicide Bomber

An American citizen charged with receiving terrorist training at an Al Qaeda camp in Somalia — including classes in how to become a homicide bomber and "wage violent jihad" — was taken into custody by FBI agents and returned to the U.S. Monday night ….(Fox, 14 Feb 07)

The Middle East on a Collision Course (6): The Saudi Oil Weapon

…Ahmadinejad changed the course of the conversation with the following aside: "Do you know why we should wish to have chaos at any price?" he asked rhetorically. "Because, after the chaos, we can see the greatness of Allah."….(MEMRI, 14 Feb 07)

Ex-aide says Rice misled Congress on Iran

…Flynt Leverett, who worked on the National Security Council when it was headed by Rice, said a proposal vetted by Tehran's most senior leaders was sent to the United States in May 2003 and was akin to the 1972 U.S. opening to China…..(Reuters, 14 Feb 07)

Al-Qaeda's Deputy Says Bush Bet on Iraq and Lost

Al-Qaeda's deputy leader said President Bush was an alcoholic and a lying gambler who wagered on Iraq and lost, according to a new audiotape released Tuesday by a U.S. group that tracks extremist messages…..(AP, 14 Feb 07)

Zawahiri blasts US President Bush, calls for Muslims to disavow treaties in Middle East in new video tape.....(LauraMansfield, 14 Feb 07)

Second Helmand district falls to Taliban

The Taliban captured the police chief of Washir district and 30 of his officers when they were out on patrol Sunday, 11 February, according to a high-ranking district official, who wanted his identity withheld. "They then went to the district center, where they took control, disarming the rest of the police,"…(ISN, 14 Feb 07)

Al-Sadr Associates Dispute U.S. Claim

Associates of the anti-American cleric whose militia has twice fought U.S. forces in Iraq insist that he has not left the country in advance of a security crackdown, responding to a U.S. report that he has fled Baghdad and is believed to be in Iran…..(AP, 14 Feb 07)

U.S. Says Powerful Iraqi Cleric Is Living in Iran

…officials also said that Mr. Sadr, who has family in Iran, had gone to Tehran in the past and that it was unclear why he had chosen to leave Iraq at this time….(New York Times, 14 Feb 07)

Disputes Emerge on Iran and Roadside Bombs

…The disagreements have laid bare a fundamental tension in intelligence analysis: how and when to draw firm conclusions from battlefield intelligence about the motivations of foreign leaders…..(New York Times, 14 Feb 07)

U.S. Military: Helicopter That Crashed Last Week Was Shot Down

A Sea Knight helicopter that crashed last week northwest of Baghdad was shot down, the U.S. military said Wednesday, reversing earlier statements that it appeared to have been due to mechanical failure….(AP, 14 Feb 07)

Kirkuk's Referendum Revives Fears of Ethnic Violence

Last week, the Iraqi government called for the implementation of Article 140 of the country's permanent constitution, which calls for the "normalization" of the situation in Kirkuk (Asharq al-Awsat, February 2). This gives Kurds the go-ahead to reverse Saddam Hussein's "Arabization" of Iraq's fourth-largest city…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Feb 07)

Iraqi Insurgents Claim New Generation of Missiles Being Used

In the short span of January 20 to February 7, four U.S. military and two private security firm helicopters were lost due to enemy ground fire in Iraq, raising concerns that insurgents have introduced new tactics or weapons in their battle against coalition air supremacy…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Feb 07)

2003 Memo Says Iranian Leaders Backed Talks

The Swiss ambassador to Iran informed U.S. officials in 2003 that an Iranian proposal for comprehensive talks with the United States had been reviewed and approved by Iran's supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; then-President Mohammad Khatami; and then-Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi….(Washington Post, 14 Feb 07)

Problems Arise as Germany Moves to Free Hostages in Iraq

The German government's efforts to release two nationals kidnapped in Iraq are complicated by the fact that a key Iraqi mediator who helped free former hostages has moved to Jordan after being seized himself in Baghdad…..(Deutsche Welle, 14 Feb 07)

Islamic Jihad says not to join Palestinian unity government

A senior Islamic Jihad (Holy War) official said on Tuesday that his movement will not join a national unity government to be formed within the coming two weeks…..(Xinhua, 14 Feb 07)

Uncle: Abducted U.S. soldier appears in video

…U.S. Army Sgt. Ahmed K. Altaie was kidnapped October 23 while serving as a translator for the U.S. military and has since been listed as "duty status whereabouts unknown." The previously unknown group identified themselves as the "Ahel al-Beit Brigades" in a message posted on a Web site for supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Medhi militia…(CNN, 14 Feb 07)

Australia Denied on Psychiatrist Request

…Rod Smith told a Senate committee inquiry that Australia's embassy in Washington wrote to the Pentagon on Dec. 5 to request an independent psychiatric assessment of David Hicks on behalf of his lawyers and family. Failing that, Australia wanted an assessment by Guantanamo medical staff….(AP, 14 Feb 07)

What Happened To Bin Laden?

The global jihad hitherto waged by Al Qaeda has metamorphosed into a Jihadi Intifada, in which individual Muslims will fight for the cause of Islam. The role of jihadi organizations has become secondary. Destruction of such organizations will not have any impact on the Jihadi Intifada being waged by individual Muslims….(Outlook India, 14 Feb 07)

Pact With North Korea Draws Fire From a Wide Range of Critics in U.S.

The deal that could lead North Korea to shut its main nuclear reactor came under criticism from both ends of the political spectrum immediately after it was announced on Tuesday. ….(New York Times, 14 Feb 07)

Sunni vs. Shi'a: It's Not All Islam

… those most anxious to condemn Islam in its entirety skip over annoying facts: Overwhelmingly, the victims of Islamist terror have been other Muslims; even the Taliban or the Khomeinist regime never rivaled the Inquistion's ferocity; and Europeans, not Muslims, long have been the heavyweight champions of genocide (with the Turks a distant runner-up)…..(Real Clear Politics, 14 Feb 07)

Coalition frustration mounts regarding Hicks case

Prime Minister John Howard is facing further pressure from within the Coalition over the amount of time it is taking for Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks to be brought to trial….(ABC Online, 14 Feb 07)

Baghdad Sniper Gains Legendary Status

...If U.S. forces do not subdue the sniper attacks attributed to Juba, which so far have targeted only U.S. soldiers, and eliminate the threat as soon as possible, the sniper videos will continue to stir up patriotic and religious feelings among Arab and Islamic countries, especially when aired via satellite to the greater Arab world…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 14 Feb 07)

Iraq Plans to Suspend Checkpoints at Syria, Iran Borders

…As part of the plan, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers will patrol 10 areas of the city from posts that are designed to function much like police stations, giving officials time to get to know the area and gain the trust of citizens….(Washington Post, 14 Feb 07)