U.S. Account of Afghan Deaths at Odds With Head of Rights Group

Four civilians were killed early Friday by American and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan, according to the leader of a small human rights group who gave an account of the deaths entirely at odds with that of the United States-led coalition…..(New York Times, 30 Jun 07)

London car bomb 'packed with nails and gas'

London escaped what could have been its worst terrorist attack this morning when a car bomb packed with nails, gas canisters and containers of petrol apparently failed to detonate outside a popular West End nightclub hosting a 'ladies' night'. Police were called to Tiger Tiger nightclub on Haymarket near Piccadilly Circus shortly before 2am when smoke was seen coming from the inside of a Mercedes car parked outside. Unconfirmed reports said that a man had been seen running away from the vehicle. Inside officers discovered "significant quantities" of petrol, believed to be 60 litres, plus nails and gas cylinders. They used a remote-controlled device to check the vehicle, which was parked in Haymarket, before bomb squad officers made it safe…..(Times Online, 29 Jun 07)

Car bomb would have caused huge fireball

The “patio gas” bomb defused in Haymarket would have generated a fireball the size of a house, according to one of Britain’s leading explosives experts. The propane cylinder shown in pictures at the back of the vehicle is probably only one component of a larger high explosive device, which was added to ensure that it had an incendiary effect as well as causing shrapnel and blast injuries…..(Times Online, 29 Jun 07)

Police avert car bomb 'carnage'

…A police source said the bomb was a "big device" and had posed a real and substantial threat to the hundreds of revellers leaving the area's bars and nightclubs. Dozens of forensic officers examined the scene and the car was taken to the Forensics Explosives Laboratory in Kent for further tests. Scotland Yard said the Counter Terrorism Command would be checking the CCTV in the area… He said CCTV was the key to finding the "first clue" as to who was behind the attempted bombing.….(BBC, 29 Jun 07)

Bomb Designed To Cause Devastation

…The car containing the explosives was abandoned in area full of theatres, restaurants and nightclubs - allegedly after the driver ran away. Sky Reporter Emma Birchley explained: "An eyewitness said at around 1:30am this morning the car was driven erratically into some bins which were close to Tiger Tiger, a bar and nightclub in the Haymarket. "The car crashed. Allegedly the driver got out and ran away. "Some bouncers from the club then went over to the car to check it out, and that, it seems, is when the device may have been found."….(Sky, 29 Jun 07)

Car bomb found in London's West End

Police have defused a car bomb found near Piccadilly Circus in London's West End. The "explosive device", discovered at 2am, posed a real and substantial threat to the surrounding area, according to a police source. Specialist officers have made the bomb safe and loaded the car, a silver Mercedes, onto a lorry to be taken from the scene….(Telegraph, 29 Jun 07)

Analysis: how police will track bomber's car

…The job of anti-terrorist officers will be made easier by the number plate recognition system. This allows officers to input the registration of the Mercedes and find out where else it had been in the capital. The CCTV cameras in Central London are linked to one of the most sophisticated systems in the world, which is based in a control centre off Leicester Square - a stone's throw from the scene of today's incident. The digital footage will show who left the car and when. It may also be clear enough to give police enough detail to issue a picture of the driver…..(Times Online, 29 Jun 07)

EU keeps Iranian opposition group on terror list

European Union governments decided Thursday to keep an Iranian opposition group on its terror blacklist, European diplomats said. The 27-nation bloc was asked to review whether the Paris-based People's Mujahadeen Organization of Iran should be taken off the list after an EU court ruling…..(AP/Jerusalem Post, 29 Jun 07)

Scottish Panel Challenges Lockerbie Conviction

A Scottish judicial review body ruled Thursday that a former Libyan intelligence official jailed for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing might have been wrongfully convicted and was entitled to appeal the verdict against him. After an investigation lasting nearly four years, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission delivered an 800-page report — much of it still secret — that identified several areas where “a miscarriage of justice may have occurred.”….(New York Times, 29 Jun 07)

Panel Casts Doubt on Guilt Of Libyan in Lockerbie Case

The Libyan intelligence officer convicted of the 1988 bombing of an American jumbo jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, "may have suffered a miscarriage of justice," an independent review board concluded Thursday, granting his request for an appeal…..(Washington Post, 29 Jun 07)

Iraq: Bomb Damages Oil Pipeline

A bomb exploded Friday under an oil pipeline south of Baghdad, spilling crude oil and sparking a huge fire, Iraqi police said. The explosives were planted under a pipeline in the al-Mowehlah area of Haswa, a town 30 miles south of the Iraqi capital…..(AP, 29 Jun 07)

Bombs kill 34 in Baghdad, 3 UK troops in Basra

A car bomb killed 25 people on Thursday at a busy intersection in Baghdad where minibuses pick up and drop off passengers, while a roadside bomb killed three British soldiers in the southern Iraqi city of Basra…..(Reuters, 29 Jun 07)

US Lawmakers want access to disgraced “Father of Pakistani Bomb”

US lawmakers demanded direct access to Dr A.Q. Khan on Wednesday, arguing that the network of nuclear proliferators he allegedly set up was still active and could not be shut down completely without his cooperation. One lawmaker also demanded international inspection of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities. Khan, considered the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, has lived under virtual house arrest in Islamabad since he confessed in early 2004 to leaking sensitive nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya. …(AKI, 29 Jun 07)

North Africa is the New al-Qaeda Hotbed

With U.S. forces putting the squeeze on al-Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan, the terror group may expand into other regions. North Africa has become the latest al-Qaeda hotbed. U.S. intelligence analysts estimate that thousands of foreign terrorists are fighting in Iraq. But not all of them are in it for the long haul….(CBN, 29 Jun 07)

Caribbean Initiative Has Its Limits

…Beginning in March of last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security provided training on counterterrorism, border security and other contingencies to Caribbean law enforcement agencies. Of particularly lasting significance was the fact that Caribbean governments tapped into the Advance Passenger Information System used by developed nations to screen travelers. U.S. officials confirmed that individuals on international watch lists were caught attempting to enter the region…..(Washington Post, 29 Jun 07)

Islamic inroads to Europe

If you thought Turkey was no threat to the West, think again. A new generation of politicians is aiming to Islamise the state by stealth. The AKP - Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, or Justice and Development Party - has a stranglehold on Turkey for the foreseeable future. The AKP was founded to replace a previous Islamic party banned for extremism…..(Daily Telegraph, 29 Jun 07)

British Draft Compromise on Iran

The U.S. and its allies are reviewing a proposal that would commit the U.N. Security Council to hold off on new sanctions on Iran if the country stops further development of its uranium enrichment program…The public stance by Washington and its key backers remains a full enrichment freeze — Iran not only would have to stop expanding its capacities, but also would need to stop reprocessing of nuclear material and building equipment used for that process. But the review reflects a potential compromise by accepting Iran's relatively advanced enrichment program — at least initially — in exchange for renewed multilateral negotiations that aim at a long-term freeze and a rollback of the activity…..(Times Online, 29 Jun 07)

Northern Iraq exports terrorism to Turkey: Baykal

Northern Iraq has become a region that exports terrorism into Turkey, the leader of Turkey’s opposition Republican People’s party (CHP) said Thursday night. Speaking at a dinner for delegates attending a Socialist International meeting in Geneva, Deniz Baykal said that terrorist organisations jeopardised security in both Iraq and Turkey…..(NTVMSNBC, 29 Jun 07)

Afghans Face a Loss of Health Care

… Just as violence is heating up, with civilian casualties rapidly escalating, the health-care system is breaking down, according to Afghan and international medical experts. The deterioration has been especially pronounced in rural areas, scene of some of the most intense fighting between Taliban and international forces…..(Washington Post, 29 Jun 07)

Cartoons in the Arab Press on the Hamas Takeover in Gaza
Numerous cartoons recently published in the Arab press dealt with the Hamas takeover of Gaza. Some of the cartoons condemned the brutal murders perpetrated by Hamas, implied that they have led the movement, as well as the Palestinian cause, to a dead end, and presented the fighting among the Palestinians as shocking and pointless…..(MEMRI, 29 Jun 07)

Ethiopian Premier Admits Errors on Somalia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Thursday that his government "made a wrong political calculation" when it intervened in Somalia, where Ethiopian troops are bogged down in a fight against a growing insurgency. Addressing Ethiopia's Parliament, Meles said his government incorrectly assumed that breaking up the Islamic movement that took control of most of Somalia in June 2006 would subdue the country….(Washington Post, 29 Jun 07)

Leading Palestinian Poet Mahmoud Darwish on the Events in Gaza

On June 17, 2007, renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish published his reflections on the internecine fighting in Gaza in the London daily Al-Hayat. Darwish is known both for his literary output and for his political activism; he was a member of the PLO Central Committee from 1987 until 1993, when he resigned in protest of the Oslo Accords…..(MEMRI, 29 Jun 07)

Lockerbie bomber allowed appeal

The man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing has been granted leave to make a second appeal. Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was jailed for the 1988 atrocity in which 270 people died when Pan-Am flight 103 exploded over the Scottish town. The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has been investigating Megrahi's case since 2003, recommended the second appeal. The Libyan was convicted in January 2001 and is in jail in Scotland…..(BBC, 28 Jun 07)

The commission's main findings

The following is a brief summary of some of the commission's main findings on the grounds of review which formed the basis of the grounds of referral…..(BBC, 28 Jun 07)

Timeline: Lockerbie bombing

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission has been investigating if Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was subject to a miscarriage of justice…..(BBC, 28 Jun 07)

Appeal Recommended for Lockerbie Bomber

A former Libyan intelligence agent may have been wrongly convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, a judicial panel said Thursday, recommending that he be granted a new appeal. Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, who is serving a life sentence, was the only person convicted for the bombing, which killed 259 people on the plane and 11 on the ground, including 179 Americans. “The commission is of the view, based upon our lengthy investigations, new evidence we have found and other evidence which was not before the trial court, that the applicant may have suffered a miscarriage of justice,” the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission said in a statement summarizing its 800-page report The Court of Appeal will consider the report and decide whether an appeal is warranted…..(AP, 28 Jun 07)

Full Document: The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission's news release [148KB]

Suicide Bomber Kills American in Kabul

A suicide car bomber hit a convoy of security contractors in the Afghan capital Thursday, killing an American and a Nepalese citizen and wounding three other Americans, police said. The Taliban claimed responsibility…..(AP, 28 Jun 07)

Car Bomb Kills at Least 22 in Iraq, 20 Found Beheaded

A massive car bomb exploded at a street-side bus depot during Baghdad's Thursday morning rush hour, killing at least 22 people and wounding more than 40 others in a tremendous explosion that set fire to scores of vehicles….(Washington Post, 28 Jun 07)

Report: FARC Says 11 Hostages Killed

Eleven kidnapped former state lawmakers held hostage for five years were killed after a military attack on the jungle camp where they were being kept, according to a statement Thursday on a Web site sympathetic to the country's largest rebel group. The interior minister and a close adviser to President Alvaro Uribe told Colombian media that they had no information on the reported deaths…..(AP, 28 Jun 07)

Islamists Invited to Somali Reconciliation Talks

The foreign affairs secretary for Somalia's ousted Islamic Courts Union has confirmed to VOA that he has received an invitation from the country's western-backed transitional government to attend peace talks next month in Mogadishu.  But as VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, the ICU leader says such talks are not possible while Ethiopian troops are still in Somalia….(VOA, 28 Jun 07)

The Next Generation of Jihad

…This article will examine four prominent figures representing this new generation: Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys in Somalia, Abu Ayyub al-Masri in Iraq, Faqir Mohammed in Pakistan, and Aris Sumarsono (also known as Zulkarnaen) in Indonesia…..(Weekly Standard, 28 Jun 07)

Symposium: Strategies of Death

In this special edition of Frontpage Symposium, we have assembled a distinguished panel to discuss evolving jihadi strategies… Gartenstein-Ross: In a forthcoming article in the Summer 2007 issue of Middle East Quarterly entitled “Jihad’s New Leaders,” my associate Kyle Dabruzzi and I examine how the recent deaths of prominent terrorists—men like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Shamil Basayev, and Abu Hafs al-Urdani—have helped usher in a new generation of leaders, and with it a new jihadist strategy…..(Frontpage, 22 Jun 07)

Jihad's New Leaders

The recent deaths of prominent Al-Qaeda terrorists such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq and Abu Hafs al-Urdani in Daghestan, as well as a host of less publicized kills and captures, have hastened the arrival of a new generation of jihadist leaders. As they learn from their predecessors’ mistakes, these new leaders may become even more lethal…..(Middle East Quarterly, 14 Jun 07)

Warnings in the Egyptian Press: The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt Is Going the Way of Hamas in Gaza

In the wake of Hamas' takeover of Gaza, some in the Egyptian press have expressed fears that the Muslim Brotherhood may seize power in Egypt. They expressed concern at the similarities between Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, and said that lessons should be learned from the Palestinian experience in Gaza…..(MEMRI, 28 Jun 07)

Bush to name envoy to Islamic Conference

President Bush announced Wednesday he will establish an envoy to a coalition of Muslim countries, with hopes of bolstering ties to the Islamic world and improving the image of the United States. Bush's special envoy, who has not yet been named, will be a liaison to The Organization of the Islamic Conference. The intergovernmental organization, representing more than 50 Islamic states, promotes Muslim solidarity in social and political affairs…..(AP, 28 Jun 07)

Jihad from the Caribbean

For Yasin Abu Bakr, the 65-year-old leader of the Muslim sect Jamaat al Muslimeen in Trinidad and Tobago, the timing couldn't have been worse. On Monday, June 11, Bakr headed to the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain, the capital of the Caribbean island nation, to start his trial on sedition charges stemming from a sermon he gave in 2005. That same day three men accused of plotting to sabotage New York's JFK International Airport and arrested in Trinidad appeared at an extradition hearing a block away from the Hall of Justice in Magistrate's Court…..(Salon, 28 Jun 07)

Al-Sadr Vows to Go Ahead With March

Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr vowed Thursday to go ahead with a planned march to a devastated shrine in central Iraq but insisted the goal is not to confront Sunnis who live along the way. Instead, al-Sadr said the march is aimed at bringing Shiites and Sunnis closer together and breaking down the barriers imposed by the Americans and Sunni religious extremists. The march is set for July 5 to the Askariya shrine in Samarra, which was bombed for a second time June 13. Sunni organizations and government officials have urged al-Sadr to cancel the march, fearing it will escalate sectarian violence that already has claimed thousands of lives….(AP, 28 Jun 07)

As Pakistan’s Chief Looks Ahead, Army Holds the Cards

Speculation has been rife in political circles recently that Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, may not survive his wrangle with the chief justice and hold on to power, but a great silence emanates from the one place that may count the most: the barracks and the mess halls of the armed forces, the other great part of Pakistan’s ruling equation…..(New York Times, 28 Jun 07)

Chinese military has special unit to counter biochemical, nuclear threats during Olympics

China's military has established a special unit for next year's Olympics that is trained to counter threats such as biochemical or nuclear terror attacks, state media reported Thursday. Security preparations are among the least publicized of Beijing's Olympics readiness efforts. But in recent weeks the government has released some details, including reports about drills testing police readiness in handling dirty bomb attacks and hostage situations…..(AP, 28 Jun 07)

Australian detained in Lebanon may have al-Qaeda link

A former Sydney taxi driver detained in Lebanon on suspicion of having links to terrorists has been identified as a possible leader of the al-Qaeda-linked outfit, Fatah al-Islam. A Tripoli car dealer who rents a shop next to a shed owned by Australian man Omar Hadba - where almost 500kg of military weapons were allegedly found hidden - said security officials had told him his neighbour was a leader of Fatah al-Islam, which has been locked in battle with the Lebanese military for weeks…..(AAP, 28 Jun 07)

Germany indicts Iraqi for online al Qaeda propaganda

An Iraqi alleged to have published al- Qaeda propaganda online, including video messages from terrorist kingpin Osama bin Laden, has been indicted in Germany, prosecutors said Thursday. Ibrahim R was arrested last October at his home….(DPA, 28 Jun 07)

Russia 'terror remains' ban kept

Russia's top court has backed a law banning the return of the bodies of those branded terrorists or suspected of terrorism to their families…Moscow maintains that the ban is leading to a decrease in terrorist activity, and that disclosing the burial places of terror suspects could lead to a spread of terrorist propaganda and ethnic hatred…..(BBC, 28 Jun 07)

Russian Freed From Guantánamo Is Killed by Police Near Chechnya

A Russian man who had been captured by American forces in Afghanistan and released from the detention center at Guantánamo Bay was killed Wednesday in a police raid near Chechnya…The man, Ruslan Odizhev, was released by the United States in early 2004, and returned to Russia on the condition that he and six other repatriated Russian detainees would be tried in Russian courts. Russia did not honor the agreement….(New York Times, 28 Jun 07)

Two suicide attacks in Afghanistan, four dead
Two suicide car bombs ripped into security vehicles in Afghanistan Thursday, killing two foreigners and two Afghans, officials said, also reporting that the Taleban had beheaded three policemen. The deadliest suicide attack was in the capital Kabul, the third such blast to hit the capital this month…..(Agence France-Presse, 28 Jun 07)

Taliban free 18 mine clearers held for six days

The insurgent Taliban movement has released 18 Afghan mine clearers captured six days ago, but has held on to their equipment and three sniffer dogs, the rebel group and an official said Thursday. Nine of the men were released late Wednesday and the remaining nine early Thursday….(Agence France-Presse, 28 Jun 07)

20 beheaded bodies found in Iraq

Twenty beheaded bodies were discovered Thursday on the banks of the Tigris River southeast of Baghdad, while a parked car bomb killed another 20 people in one of the capital's busy outdoor bus stations….(AP, 28 Jun 07)

Kashmir militants use liquid bombs

Terror outfits are using new tactics, like using liquid bombs, in Jammu and Kashmir in view of stepped up security measures in the trouble-torn state. The liquid bomb is made of trinitrophenol (TNP) and is more potent that TNT and is also referred to as picric acid…..(Asian Age, 27 Jun 07)

EU backs anti-terror deal with U.S. on bank data

The European Union approved a deal on Wednesday setting conditions for the U.S. Treasury Department to consult records of the international banking network SWIFT in anti-terror probes, EU diplomats said. "We agreed on SWIFT,"…..(Reuters, 27 Jun 07)

House Report Faults Pentagon Accounting of Iraqi Forces

The United States has invested $19 billion to train and equip nearly 350,000 Iraqi soldiers and police since toppling Saddam Hussein, but the ability of those forces to provide security remains in doubt, according to the findings of a bipartisan congressional investigation to be released today. As a result, President Bush's pledge to have U.S. troops "stand down" as Iraqi forces "stand up" remains unfulfilled….(Washington Post, 27 Jun 07)

Bush wants Muslims to denounce terror

President Bush will challenge Muslim leaders to denounce acts of terrorism committed in the name of Islam during a speech today at the same Washington mosque he visited days after the September 11 attacks… The president's speech will focus on "the importance of religious freedom in the Middle East, and how securing that freedom requires Muslims to stand up to extremists,"…..(Washington Times, 27 Jun 07)

Profound effects' of Lockerbie decision

…Since September 2003, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission has been investigating the conviction of Libyan secret service agent Abdelbasset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi for carrying out the Lockerbie bombing. On Thursday the commission, which is charged with investigating possible miscarriages of justice, is publishing its report…..(BBC, 27 Jun 07)

Defense Objects as Padilla Jury Sees Video

Just before and after CNN presented a rare interview with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden 10 years ago, two men charged here with forming a U.S.-based support cell with former "enemy combatant" suspect Jose Padilla spoke together almost as star-struck fans…..(Washington Post, 27 Jun 07)

Theft of 22kg of fire bomb materials linked to ETA

Security services have linked the theft of 22 kilograms of material used to make incendiaries in France to the Basque terrorist group ETA. The material was stolen in Bischoffsein, near Strasbourg…..(Expatica, 27 Jun 07)

New Abu Sayyaf leader 'is Islamic scholar'

The Abu Sayyaf, the smallest and most deadly Muslim militant group in the Philippines, has chosen a Syria-trained Islamic scholar as its new leader…said the new militant leader, Yasser Igasan, was chosen three weeks ago after a straw poll by Abu Sayyaf field commanders at a rebel base on the southern island of Jolo. "We believed that Igasan has taken over the leadership due to his religious background…"He's not new to the organization. He was among the original founders of Abu Sayyaf, together with the group's first leader, Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani." Igasan would replace Janjalan's younger brother, Khaddafy, killed in a clash with Marines in mountains on Jolo in September 2006. Khaddafy's death was confirmed only in January after DNA tests by U.S. authorities. He was the second leader of the group after his brother was killed in December 1998…..(Reuters, 27 Jun 07)

Testing confirms Abu Sayyaf death

…Khaddafy Janjalani, head of Abu Sayyaf, was on a US terrorist list and wanted for killings, bombings and kidnappings. Officials believe he was killed in clashes with troops in September 2006. The news comes a few days after troops killed another senior Abu Sayyaf leader, Abu Sulaiman, in a gun battle on the southern island of Jolo….(BBC, 20 Jan 07)

Is this the end for Abu Sayyaf?

…But with the recent deaths of two senior Abu Sayyaf leaders, analysts are wondering whether the group might now be a spent force. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently said a "mortal turning point" had been reached in the fight against this shadowy organization….(BBC, 23 Jan 07)

Turk army chief reaffirms need for N.Iraq incursion

The head of Turkey's powerful armed forces reaffirmed on Wednesday his view that a cross-border operation into northern Iraq was needed to crush Kurdish rebels based there. His comments pile more pressure on Turkey's government to allow a military operation, just weeks before parliamentary polls in which security and terrorism issues will loom large…..(Reuters, 27 Jun 07)

Musharraf's Military Reaches Deep Into Pakistani Society

Nusrat Riaz, a doctor for 17 years, has spent the past three directing a clinic that provides care to thousands of poor patients in this remote, wheat-farming village on the plains of Punjab. So Riaz was surprised this spring when he learned the government had appointed a monitor to look over his shoulder as he worked. He was even more surprised when he learned the man had no medical background, had no experience supervising doctors and was functionally illiterate. But when Riaz learned the monitor was a retired Pakistani army officer, it all made sense…..(Washington Post, 27 Jun 07)

Iran says backs Iraq gov't, U.S. trying to hurt ties

Iran's supreme leader said his country backed the Iraqi government and accused the United States of seeking to undermine Tehran's ties with Baghdad, the Iranian student news agency ISNA reported. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's highest authority under its system of clerical rule, was speaking to visiting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Tuesday…..(Reuters, 27 Jun 07)

Gas stations attacked in Iran

More than a dozen gas stations were torched or damaged early today in Tehran by Iranians angered by fuel rationing measures that were suddenly imposed by the government, while many other Iranians lined up to fill their tanks. The government has been warning for weeks that it would start rationing….(Baltimore Sun, 27 Jun 07)

Record opium crop in southern Afghanistan

Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, where about 7 000 British troops are based, is on the verge of becoming the world's biggest drugs supplier, cultivating more opium than entire countries such as Burma, Morocco or even Colombia, the United Nations warned on Tuesday.
The region was largely responsible for a huge increase last year in Afghanistan's opium-poppy harvest, the origin of most of the heroin on the streets of Britain and mainland Europe. And Helmand's poppy harvest is expected to increase again this year…..(Mail & Guardian, 27 Jun 07)

Iraqi Minister Sought in Assassination Attempt

Iraqi law enforcement officials stretched a dragnet over the Green Zone and other parts of the capital Tuesday, seeking to arrest the country's culture minister in connection with an attempted political assassination two years ago in which three people were killed…Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said an arrest warrant had been issued for Culture Minister Asad Kamal al-Hashimi in the February 2005 attempted assassination of Mithal al-Alusi, a newly elected independent member of parliament who had been harshly criticized by many politicians here after he visited Israel in 2004…..(Washington Post, 27 Jun 07)

Britain considers Nepalese women for Gurkha brigade

More than 1,500 Nepalese women have signed up with private firms to train for a possible career with the British army after it allowed them to join the Brigade of Gurkhas for the first time in nearly two centuries. Britain is studying how Nepalese women could be recruited for its Gurkha brigade…(Reuters, 27 Jun 07)

Grenades kill 2 in main market in Somalia's capital, police say
Unidentified gunmen lobbed three hand grenades at a police truck patrolling the main market in Somalia's capital Wednesday, missing the truck and killing two shoppers, police and witnesses said….(AP, 27 Jun 07)

At least three killed by Baghdad car bomb: witness

A car bomb killed at least three people on Wednesday in an attack on police vehicles near a busy market in northern Baghdad…Police said there had been an explosion in the Suleikh district, adding 10 people had been wounded. The witness told Reuters he had seen at least three badly burned bodies and two police vehicles ablaze….(Reuters, 27 Jun 07)

Fourteen militants killed in Iraq, eight students abducted

Fourteen militants were killed in northern Iraq Wednesday while booby-trapping a truck while eight Iraqi students were abducted in Baquba and a prominent Iraqi journalist was shot dead in Baghdad, the Voices of Iraq news agency reported. The militants accidentally blew themselves up in the Shurqat district, north of Tikrit…..(Earth Times, 27 Jun 07)

U.S. turns to 'indirect' war tactics

Almost six years after the worst attack ever on U.S. soil, special operations commanders believe that simply killing terrorists will not win a war against an ideologically motivated enemy. That view is reflected in a series of transitions in special operations leadership posts….(AP, 27 Jun 07)

U.S. Efforts against Terrorism Financing: A View from the Private Sector

On June 15, 2007, Robert Werner addressed The Washington Institute's Policy Forum seminar series. Managing director of Merrill Lynch's Monetary and Financial Control Group since December 2006, he previously served as director of the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and, before that, as director of the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The following is a rapporteur's summary of his remarks…..(Policy Watch #1251, 26 Jun 07)

Women Attacked or Killed in Afghanistan

….(AP, 26 Jun 07)

4 in Ala. Guilty but Deny Being Militia

Four northeast Alabama men pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal weapons charges and said they were arming themselves because they feared terrorism, a failing economy and the possibility of martial law being imposed in the United States... Authorities have said the group was known as the Free Militia or the Alabama Free Militia, which the defendants denied…( Raymond Kirk) Dillard, 46, was a militia leader who bestowed a military rank to members…McElroy, 20, Adam Lynn Cunningham, 41, and Randall Garrett Cole, 22, also pleaded guilty to conspiring to make hand grenades and other weapons charges… A fifth man, Bonnell Hughes, pleaded guilty Monday….(AP, 26 Jun 07)