Sheiks Help Curb Violence in Iraq's West, U.S. Says

Before tribal sheiks aligned themselves with U.S. forces in the violent deserts of western Iraq, the number of people willing to become police officers in the city of Ramadi -- the epicenter of the fight against the insurgent group known as al-Qaeda in Iraq -- might not have filled a single police pickup…(Washington Post, 27 Jan 07)

Russia queries US presence in Mideast: agencies

Russia expects the United States to explain its growing military presence in the Middle East when the countries next meet to discuss the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian news agencies on Saturday…(Reuters, 27 Jan 07)

U.N. Atomic Chief Cites Iran Enrichment Plan

The head of the United Nations nuclear inspection agency said Friday that Iranian officials had told him that they planned to begin installing equipment next month in an industrial-scale plant to enrich uranium….(New York Times, 27 Jan 07)

4 Troops Abducted, Killed in Iraq Attack

In perhaps the boldest and most sophisticated attack in four years of warfare, gunmen speaking English, wearing U.S. military uniforms and carrying American weapons abducted four U.S. soldiers last week at the provincial headquarters in the Shiite holy city of Karbala and then shot them to death….(AP, 27 Jan 07)

DHS sees flaws in Coast Guard ship program

…The Washington Post reported Saturday that the National Security Cutter program suffered from lax oversight and has produced a design likely to lead to metal-fatigue cracks in the vessels….(UPI, 27 Jan 07)

Tortured Man Gets Apology From Canada

The prime minister of Canada apologized Friday to Maher Arar and agreed to give $9 million in compensation to the Canadian Arab, who was spirited by U.S. agents to Syria and tortured there after being falsely named as a terrorism suspect….(Washington Post, 27 Jan 07)

Lethal-Force Order Justified, Bush Says
President Bush yesterday defended a Pentagon program to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq, saying that U.S. troops would use all necessary measures to protect themselves and Iraqi civilians from harm….(Washington Post, 27 Jan 07)

Bush Defends Moving Against Iranians Who Help Shiites Attack U.S.-Led Forces in Iraq

….(New York Times, 27 Jan 07)

Iraqi Woman's Death Sentence Upheld

Jordan's highest court rejected an appeal by an Iraqi woman sentenced to death for her role in the al-Qaida-led triple hotel bombing that killed 60 people in Jordan's worst terror attack….(AP, 27 Jan 07)

Saudi King: Spreading Shiism Won't Work

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah said in an interview published Saturday that attempts to convert Muslim Sunnis to the Shiite branch of Islam will not succeed, and that Sunnis would always make up the majority of the world Muslims….(AP, 27 Jan 07)

Scholar and Columnist Dr. Mamoun Fandy: 'If the Muslim Brotherhood, i.e., Hamas Wins in Palestine - They Will Set the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt at the Top of Egypt's Political Pyramid'

In an article in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, titled "What will Happen if the Muslim Brotherhood Takes Control of Palestine?", Egyptian-born scholar and columnist Dr. Mamoun Fandy writes about the possibility of a Muslim Brotherhood takeover in Egypt and Syria. According to Dr. Fandy, the rise to power of Hamas, which is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, will strengthen the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt….(MEMRI, 26 Jan 07)

The Middle East on a Collision Course (1): Recent Saudi-Iranian Contacts to Resolve the Lebanon Crisis
In recent days, there have been many reports on intensive contacts between Saudi Arabia and Iran, at the initiative of the latter, aimed at finding a resolution to the Lebanon crisis and preventing civil war in Lebanon…..(MEMRI, 26 Jan 07)

Algerian militant group adopts al Qaeda name

Algeria's main Islamist militant group has changed its name to al Qaeda after getting the approval of Osama bin Laden, according to a statement posted on the Internet on Friday. The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which has led an insurgency against Algeria's secular government, said it was adopting the name Al Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb….(Reuters, 26 Jan 07)

War on terror must be tough in defending rights, says Cameron

Britain must strike a careful balance in the battle against terror and guard against the erosion of civil liberties or risk unwittingly boosting terror groups’ recruitment through excessive zeal…(Times Online, 26 Jan 07)

Debate Erupts Among Spy Services Over Iran's Role in Battle of Iraq

As America's generals prepare for an increase in troops in Iraq, the American intelligence community has been fiercely debating the extent to which operatives directed by Iran's security services have penetrated the Iraqi government. Several lists containing names of suspected moles have been circulating in the intelligence community since December…(New York Sun, 26 Jan 07)

Deported imam denies ties to Islamic Jihad

A Palestinian cleric deported from the US insisted Friday he never had ties to a radical Islamic group and says he has reformed. Fawaz Damra, 46, the former spiritual leader of Ohio's largest mosque, was convicted in the US in 2004 of concealing in his citizenship application ties to groups the American government classifies as terrorist organizations….(AP, Jerusalem Post, 26 Jan 07)

Trial postponed for more than 50 suspected terrorists accused of planning plots in Morocco

Moroccan judges on Friday postponed a trial for more than 50 suspected terrorists, including members of Morocco's security services, accused of plotting to attack military and tourist sites in the North African nation….(AP, 26 Jan 07)

Greek guerrillas threaten more US attacks

Leftist guerrillas who fired a grenade at the American embassy in Athens this month threatened today to stage more attacks on Greek and US targets. The Revolutionary Struggle group claimed responsibility for the attack in a five-page proclamation published in an Athens weekly, criticizing the US and its ally Greece. "Our victorious battles against this establishment will show how vulnerable it is. (We aim) to get rid of US military bases and NATO from our country and overthrow those who work with them," the group said in the tract published in To Pontiki….(Australian, 26 Jan 07)

Tehran's Influence Grows As Iraqis See Advantages

…The increasingly common arrangement for sick or wounded Iraqis to receive treatment in Iran is just one strand in a burgeoning relationship between these two Persian Gulf countries. Thousands of Iranian pilgrims visit the Shiite holy cities in southern Iraq each year. Iran exports electricity and refined oil products to Iraq, and Iraqi vendors sell Iranian-made cars, air coolers, plastics and the black flags, decorated with colorful script, that Shiites are flying this week to celebrate the religious holiday of Ashura. But when President Bush and top U.S. officials speak of Iran's role in Iraq, their focus is more limited….(Washington Post, 26 Jan 07)

Recent Saudi-Iranian Contacts to Resolve the Lebanon Crisis

In recent days, there have been many reports on intensive contacts between Saudi Arabia and Iran, at the initiative of the latter, aimed at finding a resolution to the Lebanon crisis and preventing civil war in Lebanon….(MEMRI, 26 Jan 07)

Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq
The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort. For more than a year, U.S. forces in Iraq have secretly detained dozens of suspected Iranian agents, holding them for three to four days at a time. The "catch and release" policy was designed to avoid escalating tensions….(Washington Post, 26 Jan 07)

Bush wants to increase aid to Afghanistan

The Bush administration plans to ask Congress for $10.6 billion for Afghanistan, a major increase aimed at rebuilding the country and strengthening government security forces still fighting the Taliban five years after the U.S.-led invasion….(AP, 26 Jan 07)

Arab Human Development Report: The Plight of Arab Women for Equality

The Arab Human Development Report2005 (AHDR): Towards the Rise of Women in the Arab World is the fourth in a series of reports on human development in the Arab world prepared under the auspices of, and issued, by the United Nations Development Program….(MEMRI, 26 Jan 07)

U.S. Homeland Security chief says passenger data essential

Efforts to keep terrorists off airplanes do not require seeking large amounts of data, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Friday, defending U.S. demands for passenger information as a potential lifesaver for citizens of other countries as well….(AP, 26 Jan 07)

AP: Military Gives Police Free Equipment

The Defense Department is giving away free equipment the military no longer needs to state and local police: fatigues for secret surveillance of drug labs in Indiana, a tranquilizer gun to shoot bears in Pennsylvania and a doublewide trailer in Virginia….(AP, 26 Jan 07)

'Suicide blast' at Pakistan hotel

A suicide bomber has killed himself and one other at a top hotel in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, officials say. Police have sealed off the blast area in the car park of the Marriott hotel….(BBC, 26 Jan 07)

Bomb kills 15 in new attack on Baghdad pet fair

A bomb killed 15 people and wounded 55 in the second attack in as many months on Baghdad's much-loved Friday morning pet market….(Reuters, 26 Jan 07)

Afghanistan: Suicide attack on aid office wounds 3

A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the offices of a US-funded aid group in southern Afghanistan on Friday, wounding at least three people…(AP, Jerusalem Post, 26 Jan 07)

Islamist fighters arrested at Somalia-Kenya border
Authorities in Kenya said their forces have arrested five men of foreign fighters including a U.S. national and a French national suspected to be fighters for Somalia's defeated Islamist movement, the Kenyan news papers reported….(Somali Net, 26 Jan 07)

U.S. government seeking change in bill linking Pakistan aid to antiterror effort

The U.S. administration will press Congress to drop a provision in a new bill linking military assistance for Pakistan to its commitment to fighting terrorism, an American official said Friday. The provision, which would require U.S. President George W. Bush to certify that Pakistan is doing all it can to counter the Taliban and al-Qaida before further financial aid is released to the country's military, could irritate relations between Washington and a key ally in its war on terrorism….(AP, 26 Jan 07)

Russia Silent on Georgian Uranium Sting

Russia responded with silence Thursday after Georgia revealed a foiled effort by a Russian man to sell weapons-grade uranium, an episode that appeared to cast doubt on the nation's ability to halt the black market trade in nuclear materials….(AP, 26 Jan 07)

Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 55

…..(MEMRI, 26 Jan 07)

On Overblown Threats and Islamophobia

The anti-Muslim mindset in the U.S. has come about due to the rhetoric of fear-mongering politicians, the media’s desire to sensationalize the news and the profits to be made by the burgeoning terrorism industry….(Baltimore Chronicle, 26 Jan 07)

Fears over US anti-spy strategy

About 150 Iranian intelligence officers, plus members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Command, are believed to be active inside Iraq at any given time, prompting the Bush administration to authorise an aggressive new strategy allowing US forces to kill or capture Tehran's operatives inside Iraq….(Australian, 26 Jan 07)

Putin guest at India Republic Day

…India and Russia have close ties, with Delhi remaining a top buyer of Moscow's weaponry. The countries also have rapidly deepening co-operation in the energy sector. Mr Singh and Mr Putin have signed a memorandum of understanding on the four new nuclear reactors. The two countries have also signed two deals on the production and joint development of aircraft and fighter plane engines….(BBC, 26 Jan 07)

Illegal arms trade, major factor for terrorism in North-East

As Assam reels under terrorist attacks, experts have blamed the burgeoning illegal arms trade in the region as one of the major factors behind the situation there. "Illegal arms trade is one of the reasons behind the current turmoil in the north-east as a whole. Apart from the other steps, we also need to check this menace," says Lt. General B S Malik, president of the Arms Control Foundation of India….(Hindu Times, 26 Jan 07)

Pakistan asks World: Find Solutions to Root Causes of Terrorism

…Addressing the plenary session on “The Comprehensive Response to Terrorism” at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum here, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Pakistan has been taking a number of steps to fight terrorism and is extending full cooperation to the world community in this regard. He said the world has to understand the real issue behind terrorism….(Pakistan Times, 26 Jan 07)

Rival Groups Clash in Beirut Streets
The Lebanese army imposed a curfew on the capital Thursday after hundreds of government supporters and foes wielded rocks, molotov cocktails and sometimes guns in street battles that dragged on past nightfall. Four people were killed and 150 wounded, officials said, many of them soldiers who at times stood helplessly between the two sides….(Washington Post, 26 Jan 07)

Greek Militants Claim U.S. Embassy Attack

A militant group claimed responsibility for a rocket attack against the U.S. Embassy earlier this month, and said in a statement published Thursday the strike was in response to U.S. military involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia…(AP, 25 Jan 07)

Terror Suspect Hurt in Philippine Raid

Dulmatin, an Indonesian wanted for allegedly helping plot the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, was hit by gunfire during a battle that erupted when army special forces attacked an Abu Sayyaf rebel camp last week on Jolo island….(AP, 25 Jan 07)

Bombs kill 28 but PM vows no haven for militants

Bombs killed at least 28 people in Baghdad on Thursday, but Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed his new crackdown in Baghdad would leave militants nowhere to hide….(Reuters, 25 Jan 07)

State Department scours for new top talent

With the resignation of her key non-proliferation expert this week, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has yet another post to fill in a department where at least five top positions are vacant or soon will be. The latest resignation comes amid growing criticism by some analysts over how long it is taking to fill key posts, possibly weakening efforts to tackle foreign policy crises from North Korea to the Middle….(Reuters, 25 Jan 07)

Uranium Easy to Get, Sting Case Reveals

…Though Western governments have invested billions of dollars helping Russia keep tabs on these dangerous ingredients, accounting has been so poor that it is impossible to know how much has been lost or stolen since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Most of them rely on little more than guards and fences for security....(AP, 25 Jan 07)

U.S. urges Europe to follow sanctions on Iran bank

The United States urged the European Union this week to join it in banning business with Iran's Bank Sepah, which it accuses of funding efforts to secure the atom bomb, a U.S. official said on Thursday….(Reuters, 25 Jan 07)

Smuggler’s Plot Highlights Fear Over Uranium

...In two plastic bags in his leather jacket, Georgian authorities say, he carried 100 grams of uranium so refined that it could help fuel an atom bomb. The Russian, Oleg Khinsagov, had come to meet a buyer who he believed would pay him $1 million and deliver the material to a Muslim man from “a serious organization,” the authorities say. The uranium was a sample, just under four ounces, and the deal a test: If all went smoothly, he boasted, he would sell a far larger cache stored in his apartment back in Vladikavkaz, two to three kilograms of the rare material, four and a half to six and a half pounds, which in expert hands is enough to make a small bomb….(New York Times, 25 Jan 07)

Afghan Govt. Won't Spray Poppy Crops

Afghanistan's heroin-producing poppies will not be sprayed with herbicide this year despite a record crop in 2006 and U.S. pressure to allow the drug-fighting tactic…(AP, 25 Jan 07)

Palestinians Under Pressure To Leave Iraq

Largely forgotten amid this violence is the plight of thousands of Palestinians in Iraq, who face an increasingly hostile environment because they are predominantly Sunni and perceived as having been favored during the rule of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein….(Washington Post, 25 Jan 07)

Pakistani Premier Faults Afghans for Taliban Woes on Border

Pakistan’s prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, acknowledged Wednesday that people sympathetic to the Taliban were active in the frontier regions near the border with Afghanistan. But he insisted that the root of the problem was the Afghan government’s weak authority, not Pakistani support of the Taliban….(New York Times, 25 Jan 07)

Musharraf rejects US allegations

An angry President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday labeled “preposterous” suggestions that Pakistani military and intelligence officials may have helped Taliban militants cross into Afghanistan….(AP, 25 Jan 07)

Al Qaeda divided? ‘Bin Laden, Zawahri operating separately’

Various reports suggest that Al Qaeda leaders Osama Bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahri have developed differences and are operating separately now, President General Pervez Musharraf said on Wednesday…(Daily Times, 25 Jan 07)

Analysts: Al Qaeda has safe haven in Pakistan frontier

Pakistan's tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan have become an accepted haven for al Qaeda leaders such as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, a senior U.S. intelligence official told CNN…(CNN, 25 Jan 07)

Russia Slams U.S. Space Weapon Plans

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticized U.S. plans for space-based weapons, saying they were the reason behind a recent Chinese anti-satellite weapons test….(AP, 25 Jan 07)

U.S. Marines to assist Tajikistan in anti-terrorism training

The United States will instruct Tajikistan in anti-terrorism tactics during a joint training course at a military range near the capital of the Central Asian state from January 28 to March 9, the Tajik national security body said Thursday….(RIA Novosti, 25 Jan 07)

MI5 warns UK labs of threat from al Qaeda

MI5 officials are warning British laboratories that Islamist terrorists may try to steal deadly viruses. Scientists and lab staff handling biological agents such as samples of polio, rabies, tuberculosis and avian flu, have been told their security measures will be vetted by police….(Daily Mail, 25 Jan 07)

UN nuclear agency asks Iran to back off on rejection of 38 inspectors

The UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency has asked Iran to reverse its ban on 38 IAEA inspectors from working in the country….(Agence France-Presse, 25 Jan 07)

U.S. to put South Africans on Qaeda list: diplomats

The United States is expected this week to place two South African Muslims on its list of al Qaeda suspects and will freeze their assets, diplomats in South Africa said on Thursday. The United States is also pushing to have Junaid Docrat and his cousin Farhad Docrat placed on a United Nations list of suspects tied to Osama bin Laden's group as well as Afghanistan's Taliban….(Reuters, 25 Jan 07)

Waiting for the Mahdi: Official Iranian Eschatology Outlined in Public Broadcasting Program in Iran

The website of the governmental Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) has posted a lengthy document titled "The World toward Illumination."…(MEMRI, 25 Jan 07)

Bahraini Liberal Author Dhiyaa Al-Musawi: We Hang Our Thinkers on the Gallows of Ideology; I Listen to Music and Placed Pictures of Jesus and Martin Luther King in My Home

The following are excerpts from an interview with Bahraini intellectual Dhiyaa Al-Musawi, which aired on Abu Dhabi TV on December 29, 2006….(MEMRI, 25 Jan 07)

Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 54

…(MEMRI, 25 Jan 07)

From Aladdin to Lost Ark, Muslims get angry at 'bad guy' film images

…A report by the Islamic Human Rights Commission argues that films as diverse as The Siege, a portrayal of a terrorist attack on New York starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis, the Disney film Aladdin and the British comedy East is East have helped demonize Muslims as violent, dangerous and threatening, and reinforce prejudices….(Guardian, 25 Jan 07)

Bush Plans New Focus On Afghan Recovery
After the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion, the Bush administration is preparing a series of new military, economic and political initiatives aimed partly at preempting an expected offensive this spring by Taliban insurgents, according to senior U.S. officials…..(Washington Post, 25 Jan 07)

Chertoff: 21st Century to Get Riskier

…Chertoff told a high-level panel on terrorism at the World Economic Forum that the century will only get more dangerous as technology improves, and that global leaders must make some hard decisions now if they want to avert catastrophe….(AP, 25 Jan 07)

Is the US launching a blimp to spy on its population?

…Each airship will float 12 miles (20km) above the surface (in the low stratosphere), be powered by solar panels and could oversee an area of 600 square miles. Put 11 of them over the US with suitably powerful cameras, and they could keep watch on every square meter of the whole country…(Guardian, 25 Jan 07)

U.S. envoy: Iran Revolutionary Guards Quds Force director detained

The U.S. ambassador said Wednesday that one of the Iranians detained by U.S. forces in Iraq during two raids over the past month was the director of operations for Iran's Revolutionary Guard Quds faction, the organization responsible for funding and arming Iraqi militants…(AP, 25 Jan 07)

Terrorism jury suffering 'mental fatigue,' cuts work hours

Jurors in the trial of two men charged with furnishing money and fresh recruits to Hamas terrorists announced Thursday that they are getting tired and are cutting their work hours….(AP, 25 Jan 07)

Pakistan court adjourns Briton's airliner plot hearing

...Rashid Rauf, 25, who denies any links to the alleged conspiracy, was arrested in central Pakistan in August last year, sparking a massive international security alert and a series of arrests in Britain. A Pakistani anti-terrorism court dropped terror charges against Rauf in a preliminary hearing in December but its order was suspended…(Agence France-Presse, 25 Jan 07)

Sentencing for Saddam Deputy Postponed

…Taha Yassin Ramadan is expected to hang just like his boss. The court had been expected to raise the sentence after an appeals court ruled that Ramadan's previous sentence of life in prison was too lenient…(AP, 25 Jan 07)

New York's emergency HQ revamped

…The new Office of Emergency Management - or OEM for short - is very different from its predecessor in many ways - starting with its location, away from Lower Manhattan, in downtown Brooklyn….(BBC, 25 Jan 07)

Verdicts in first Swiss trial against alleged al-Qaida associates due end of February

Verdicts in the trial of seven men accused of providing logistical support to a Saudi terror cell are to be announced at the end of February, following a short trial this week during which the men denied all charges. The accused are among 10 people arrested in Switzerland in early 2004 in connection with attacks on foreigners' residential compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the previous year that killed 35 people….(AP, 25 Jan 07)

Judge: Lawyer Leaked Padilla Transcripts

A lawyer for suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla violated a court order by leaking his wiretapped phone conversations, a judge found Wednesday while not imposing a penalty….(AP, 24 Jan 07)

Saddam's cousin defiant at trial

Saddam Hussein's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as Chemical Ali, has told his genocide trial that he has nothing to apologize for. He was speaking after prosecutors presented documents to the court which they said implicated him in the killing of Kurds in northern Iraq in the 1980s….(BBC, 24 Jan 07)

Jordanian court convicts three Muslim militants

…The three militants, all Jordanians, were among 13 men who stood trial in 2003 on charges of conspiring to carry out terror attacks against the US Embassy and other American targets in Jordan and of illegal possession of explosives…..(AP/Jerusalem, 24 Jan 07)

Ohio: Israeli Military Court Frees Deported Imam

…A military judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to hold the imam, Fawaz Damra, who was arrested by Israeli authorities two and a half weeks ago after being deported from the United States…(AP, 24 Jan 07)

Author: Fight terrorism with ideas

…The struggle is one of ideology, not race or religion, and must be fought with ideas, not tactics, said Walid Phares, author of "Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies Against America."…He is a terrorism and Mideast expert for NBC and MSNBC and has advised the U.S. government on the nature of the threat.The jihadists are part of an organized ideology that dates to the 1920s, long before Israel became a modern nation in 1947. The jihadists want to topple 21 Arab governments, including that of the Saudis who bankrolled them, and establish a global empire, he said…(Palm Beach Daily, 24 Jan 07)

New Australian Courses to Teach Moderate Islam

Young Muslims are to be taught Australian-friendly Islam under a government plan to stop them being influenced by extremists. An approved curriculum will be introduced at universities in an attempt to counter the teachings of controversial Muslim clerics…(VOA, 24 Jan 07)

Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 53

….(MEMRI, 24 Jan 07

Hezbollah Leads a Fiery Strike
The Hezbollah-led opposition cut roads in Beirut and across Lebanon with burning tires, uprooted trees, incinerated cars and barricades to enforce a strike Tuesday aimed at toppling the government, paralyzing the country and embarrassing Lebanese officials ahead of an international aid conference…(Washington Post, 24 Jan 07)

UK Airline Bomb Suspects "Radicalized in Weeks"

“One of the really shocking things ... is the apparent speed with which young, reasonably affluent, some reasonably well-educated, British-born people were converted,” London police chief Ian Blair told a conference on Islamophobia….(Reuters, 24 Jan 07)

Indonesia Boosts Security in Poso, Defends Tactics

Indonesia has sent 200 elite police officers to enforce security in the troubled Poso region of Sulawesi island after 14 people were killed during a raid on a suspected hideout of Muslim militants…(Reuters, 24 Jan 07)

Terror Watch: Tracking Iran’s Role in Iraq Attacks

Why is the Bush administration escalating its accusations that Iran is backing Shiite extremists inside Iraq? One reason: mounting intelligence indicating Tehran has been supplying insurgents with electronic sensors that trigger roadside bombs used against U.S. troops….(Newsweek, 24 Jan 07)

N Korea helping Iran with nuclear testing

North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year. Under the terms of a new understanding between the two countries, the North Koreans have agreed to share all the data and information they received from their successful test last October with Teheran's nuclear scientists North Korea provoked an international outcry when it successfully fired a bomb at a secret underground location and Western intelligence officials are convinced that Iran is working on its own weapons program….(Telegraph, 24 Jan 07)

Iran vows to crush any threat

Iran's defense minister has vowed that the country's armed forces would "crush" any military strike or threat, the latest broadside in a standoff with the West over its nuclear ambitions. "The Islamic republic's armed forces are in a state of complete readiness and are monitoring everything in order to give a crushing response to even the smallest aggression or threat,"…(Agence France-Presse, 24 Jan 07)

New passport rules temporarily waived

…The new law requires airline passengers traveling between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda to present a valid passport when entering the United States. But U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said yesterday the agency will continue to allow Americans to re-enter the country by showing government-issued photo IDs, such as a driver's license, or a birth certificate during a grace period for the next month or so.….(Washington Times, 24 Jan 07)

Top U.S. non-proliferation official resigns

The top U.S. non-proliferation official submitted his resignation on Wednesday, leaving the Bush administration with another major vacancy as it struggles to resolve nuclear-related disputes with Iran and North Korea. Robert Joseph, who has a reputation as a hard-liner with deep skepticism about the potential for any serious deal with Pyongyang…(Reuters, 24 Jan 07)

U.S. Envoy Slams Canada Over Watch List

Canada should relent in its effort to have a Canadian man removed from an American security watch list who said he was tortured in Syria, the U.S. ambassador said Wednesday….(AP, 24 Jan 07)

New Demands for Armed Pilots
As the number of armed pilots aboard U.S. jetliners has steadily expanded in recent years, the program is showing signs of growing pains. Pilots and their labor groups complain about a lack of supervision and the difficulty in finding time to participate in training courses…..(Washington Post, 24 Jan 07)

Liaison Strives to Bridge Police, Muslim Cultures

At the headquarters of the New York Police Department, in a high-ceilinged, wood-floored room, Erhan Yildirim is speaking to a group of officers. As he lists facts about Islam, they crack their gum and tap their feet…..(Washington Post, 24 Jan 07)

Group Attempting to Simplify Byzantine Terror-Alert System

Inside an unmarked, secured office near the White House, intelligence officials, lawyers and police work to close a gaping hole in the nation's counterterrorism system: the failure of people in the government to communicate with one another….(Washington Post, 24 Jan 07)

Philippines, U.S. to hold joint troop exercises

Thousands of Philippine and U.S. soldiers will hold joint exercises next month on the troubled southern island of Jolo, a bastion of one of Southeast Asia's deadliest Islamic militant groups…(Reuters, 24 Jan 07)

Iranian Domestic Criticism of Iran's Nuclear Strategy

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1737, of December 23, 2006, which imposed sanctions on Iran, has intensified the domestic debate in Iran regarding the nuclear program. Criticism of the program had been expressed….(MEMRI, 24 Jan 07)

Arab League's Moussa warns U.S. against Iran attack

The threat of a U.S. attack on Iran is very serious and would risk spreading sectarian violence throughout the Middle East, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said on Wednesday. "It's a 50/50 proposition, and we hope that it won't happen. Attacking Iran would be counterproductive," Moussa told Reuters…(Reuters, 24 Jan 07)

U.S. Extends Combat Tours in Afghanistan

The Pentagon has decided to extend the combat tour of 3,200 soldiers from a 10th Mountain Division brigade in Afghanistan for four months in hopes of quelling the violence….(AP, 24 Jan 07)

Iraqi Politicians See Little New in State of the Union Address

…"Bush has not come up with anything new and it gives no real hope for ordinary Iraqis," said Sunni lawmaker Hussein al-Falluji. "Bush said that sending more troops might solve the security problem, but I think it will not curb the violence for a long time because the problem is not only military, it is more political and about foreign interference."…(AP, 24 Jan 07)

'Government Divided and Uncertainty in the Air'

Following is President Bush's State of the Union address delivered to Congress last night, as transcribed by Federal Document Clearing House…(Washington Post, 24 Jan 07)

Coordination Could Breed Control in Iraq

Teamwork and coordination are vital for success in all sorts of activities -- on the athletic field, in business, in government and in war. Yet too often, the different branches of the U.S. military and the U.S. government in Iraq have failed to effectively coordinate their activities with each other and with their Iraqi counterparts….(Washington Post, 24 Jan 07)

Analysts See A Chance for Maliki Success

The draft of a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq says it will be "very difficult" but "not impossible" for the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to succeed in providing better governance in that war-ravaged country…(Washington Post, 24 Jan 07)

US intelligence report casts doubt on Iraq strategy

The Bush administration came under fire on Tuesday for its failure to produce a key intelligence report that casts doubt on whether the Iraqi government is capable of taking steps to ensure the success of President George W. Bush's strategy….(Reuters, 24 Jan 07)

U.S. to pledge $770 million in aid for Lebanon

The United States will pledge nearly $770 million in aid to help rebuild Lebanon and bolster its embattled Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in his power struggle with Hezbollah….(Reuters, 24 Jan 07)

U.S. opposes Iranian, Saudi meddling in crisis

The United States yesterday criticized Iranian overtures to Saudi Arabia suggesting the two countries cooperate to resolve a political crisis between the Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and the Shi'ite group Hezbollah….(Washington times, 25 Jan 07)

US says its has proof Iran is interfering in Iraq

…“There is solid evidence that Iranian agents are involved in these networks and that they are working with individuals and groups in Iraq and that they are being sent there by the Iranian government,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. “And I would expect that ... in the near future, we are going to try to talk a little bit more in public — to the extent that we can because, again, you’re dealing with intelligence information — about what we know of Iranian support for these networks,” …(Agence France-Presse, 25 Jan 07)

Terrorists open new front in Indonesia

High-ranking figures in Jemaah Islamiah have opened a new front in their terrorism campaign on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, where nine of their fighters and a police officer have been killed in the latest gun battle. Terrorism experts say dormant Java-based cells of the organization seem to have been reactivated by US and Australian-trained anti-terrorist squad attacks on militant strongholds near the Sulawesi town of Poso, 1700 kilometers east of Jakarta….(Sydney Morning Herald, 24 Jan 07)

Al-Qaida deputy sends new warning to U.S.

Al-Qaida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri warned Americans of a reprisal "far worse than anything they have seen" if Washington did not change its policies toward Muslim states. "You are facing the Islamic rage ... what awaits you, should you press on (with current policies), is far worse than anything you have seen,"….(Reuters, 24 Jan 07)

Scant evidence found of Iran-Iraq arms link

If there is anywhere Iran could easily stir up trouble in Iraq, it would be in Diyala, a rugged province along the border between the two nations…But even here, evidence of Iranian involvement in Iraq's troubles is limited…(LA Times, 24 Jan 07)

Dawn raid on men 'who helped terror suspect'

…After the violent aftermath of the botched arrests by Scotland Yard in Forest Gate, East London, last year, police had printed leaflets explaining their actions at the ready and also held a series of meetings with Muslim leaders minutes after raids in Halifax and Manchester yesterday. Two men were arrested in Halifax and three in Manchester….(Times Online, 24 Jan 07)

Sudan Plane Hijacker Surrenders in Chad

A Sudanese plane carrying 103 passengers and crew was hijacked Wednesday and diverted to the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, where the hijacker surrendered…(AP, 24 Jan 07)

Blasts rock Baghdad as Bush seeks support for new strategy

Mortar blasts were thundering across central Baghdad as Iraqi and US forces fought insurgents in a Sunni bastion, after US President George W. Bush pleaded for public support for his new security plan….(Agence France-Presse, 24 Jan 07)

Iraqi official escapes assassination

…The gunmen were hiding in nearby orchards when they struck the motorcade carrying Higher Education Minister Abed Theyab, killing one guard and seriously wounding another, ministry spokesman Basil al-Khatib said….(AP, 24 Jan 07)

Man arrested for links to Islamic terrorism

A Moroccan man was arrested on Wednesday for alleged links to an Islamic terrorist organization. Abdellatif Nekkavi alleged sent cash to help the 'yihad' in Iraq….(Expatica, 24 Jan 07)

Military: Four held in sneak attack on U.S. in Iraq

Four people suspected in last weekend's deadly attack on American soldiers in the central Iraqi city of Karbala have been detained, the U.S. military said Tuesday. A tip from a Karbala resident led U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces to take the suspects into custody Monday …(CNN, 23 Jan 07)

More than 30 killed in Afghanistan violence

More than 30 people were killed in Taliban-linked violence in Afghanistan, including 10 Afghans caught up in a suicide blast among labourers queuing for work at a NATO base….(Agence France-Presse, 23 Jan 07)

Egypt's Torture Video Sparks Outrage

Egyptian human rights activists have spent years searching for evidence of the torture of detainees in police stations, detention centers and prisons, but few were prepared for such evidence to begin arriving in the form of a graphic cell-phone video….(Time Magazine, 23 Jan 07)

U.S. Stages 2nd Airstrike in Somalia; Ethiopians Leaving Capital

A U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship staged an airstrike against suspected al-Qaeda operatives in southern Somalia on Monday, the second such attack this month, U.S. officials said Tuesday. There was no immediate information on specific targets or the strike's results….(Washington Post, 24 Jan 07)

Money to Pak only if it acts against Taliban: new US Bill

The newly elected US Congress has moved on tightening the screws on Pakistan through the very first legislation it has taken up this month. It calls for the US President to certify that Islamabad is making all efforts to “prevent Taliban from operating in areas under its sovereign control including in the cities of Quetta and Chaman” before releasing any funds or approving licenses for enhancing its military capability. …(Indian Express, 24 Jan 07)

President's Portrayal of 'The Enemy' Often Flawed

…Under Bush's rubric, a country such as Iran -- which enjoys diplomatic representation and billions of dollars in trade with major European countries -- is lumped together with al-Qaeda, the terrorist group responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. "The Shia and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian threat," Bush said, referring to the different branches of the Muslim religion….(Washington Post, 24 Jan 07)

Americans, Iranians Agree on Some Issues

…The U.S. government considers Iran, an Islamic republic, to be the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. But the polls, released Wednesday, found Iranians worried about Islamic terrorism: Almost six in 10 Iranians consider the threat of terror from extremist Islam important or critical. More than nine of 10 Americans feel that way…(AP, 24 Jan 07)

Jihad In Trinidad

…Al-Qaida is suspected of having set up a front in the Caribbean island state of Trinidad, and sympathetic jihadists have already launched a movement there to replace Trinidad's Westernized government with Islamic law. The militant Muslim group Jamaat al-Muslimeen staged a bloody coup attempt in Trinidad last decade that involved the firebombing of police headquarters in Port-of-Spain. A rash of bombings over the past couple of years has been linked to the group, whose leader, Yasin Abu Bakr, recently was released from prison after claiming to be ill. Local police had arrested him in 2005 after raiding his headquarters and seizing high-powered rifles, grenades, walkie-talkies and 700 rounds of ammo.….(Investor’s Business Daily, 24 Jan 07)

Iran's Contribution to the Civil War in Iraq

Jamestown Foundation analysis on Iranian presence before U.S. invasion….(Jamestown Foundation, 23 Jan 07)

Islam and the West

…Once upon a time, a clear distinction between "Islam" and "the West," may have been possible. But no longer. The boundaries are blurring: Millions of Muslim men and women live in the West and many are citizens of Western nations. They are therefore now inextricably part of the West….(Spiegel, 23 Jan 07)

Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 52

….(MEMRI, 23 Jan 07)

Group Says al-Qaida No. 2 Mocks Bush

Al-Qaida's deputy leader mocked President Bush's plan to send 21,000 more troops to Iraq, challenging him to send "the entire army," according to a new al-Qaida videotape released Monday by a U.S. group that tracks terror messages…..(AP, 23 Jan 07)

Hezbollah throw fuel on weakening protest

"This conflict has a clear sectarian undercurrent with, essentially, the Shia Hezbollah movement on one side supported by a wide variety of other religious groups and the Sunni Government supporters, also with numerous outside supporters, on the other. …(Times Online, 23 Jan 07)

Opposition Protesters Paralyze Lebanon

Hezbollah-led protesters paralyzed Lebanon Tuesday by burning tires and cars on major thoroughfares in and around the capital to enforce a general strike that aims to topple the government….(AP, 23 Jan 07)

In Video, Al Qaeda No. 2 Al-Zawahiri Taunts President Bush's New Iraq Plan

Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, taunted President Bush in a new video that surfaced Monday on the Web, ridiculing his new Iraq policy and daring the U.S. to "send the entire American Army" to Iraq. “Why send 20,000 only, why not send 50 or 100 thousand?" al-Zawahiri asks in a video intercepted by SITE Institute. "Aren't you aware that the dogs of Iraq are pining for your troops' dead bodies?” According to SITE Institute, the 14-minute speech titled “The Correct Equation” was produced by the Al Qaeda's media arm as-Sahab, and was set to be posted on the Web….(Fox, 23 Jan 07)

Video: The al-Zawahiri video at SITE Institute

Islamic Prejudice, Islamic Denial

For last week’s “Dispatches” program on Britain’s Channel Four, a reporter with a hidden camera entered Birmingham’s Green Lane mosque (which has won praise from Britain’s Muslim peer, Lord Ahmed) and other leading mosques in Britain. He found they preached Islamic supremacism, hatred of Jews and Christians, and the subjugation of women……(FrontPage, 23 Jan 07)

Escalation in Fatah-Hamas Conflict
Since the failure of the attempts to establish a national unity government in the PA, tension between Fatah and Hamas has been escalating. This tension peaked in recent days when PA Legislative Council member Muhammad Dahlan said that the Fatah forces must be ready to defend themselves and to prevent attacks on their people, threatening harsh retribution should Fatah members be harmed….(MEMRI, 23 Jan 07)

Russia fulfils Iran missile deal

Russia has completed a contract to sell some 30 air defence missile systems to Iran, a senior official has said. The head of the state-run weapons exporter Rosoboronexport was quoted by Russian media as saying that delivery was completed at the end of last year…..(BBC, 23 Jan 07)

Iraq's Sectarian Strife Haunts Pakistan

Plagued by sectarian violence imported from the Gulf during the 1980s, Pakistan is on guard for any spillover from the conflict between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims gripping Iraq….(Reuters, 23 Jan 07)

U.N. warns Iraq sliding to abyss

A U.N. envoy said on Tuesday Iraq was sliding "into the abyss of sectarianism" and urged Iraqi political and re