Judge Refuses To Dismiss Padilla's Charges

Accused al-Qaeda operative Jose Padilla was held in military detention without charges as an enemy combatant for 3 1/2 years, but his constitutional right to a speedy trial has not been violated….(Washington Post, 24 Mar 07)

Bangladesh detains 4 Islamists, seizes grenades

Bangladesh security forces have detained four Islamist militants and seized explosives, the police said on Saturday, in a crackdown ahead of next month's hanging of two top rebel leaders…..(Reuters, 24 Mar 07)

Detainee Says He Didn't Know About Bombing Plot

…Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani told military officers at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, last week that he purchased TNT for a friend, initially believing it was "soap for washing horses." When he later learned that he had instead obtained explosives, Ghailani said, his friend told him that they were for mining diamonds in Somalia…..(Washington Post, 24 Mar 07)

Hill bill protects flying public

House Republicans are pushing legislation to protect airline passengers from lawsuits for reporting suspicious behavior that might be linked to a terrorist attack… the Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act of 2007 on Thursday, a week after a lawsuit was filed by a group of Muslim imams who were taken off a US Airways flight in November…..(Washington Times, 24 Mar 07)

Suicide bombers kill dozens in Iraq

Suicide bombers struck across Iraq on Saturday in a sharp upsurge in violence that killed more than 60 people…..(Reuters, 24 Mar 07)

Cargo Plane Shot Down in Somalia

A huge cargo plane that had delivered equipment for Ugandan peacekeepers in the Somali capital was shot down by a missile during takeoff Friday, the owner of the plane said….(AP, 24 Mar 07)

Maliki Deputy Wounded in Blast

…The attack against Salam Z. al-Zobaee, one of the highest-ranking Sunni Arabs in the Shiite-led government, killed at least six people and injured 15 others as they were preparing for a prayer service at Zobaee's home….(Washington Post, 24 Mar 07)

Why Iran Seized the British Marines

The most ominous detail about Iran's seizure of 15 British Royal Marines in the Shatt-al-Arab waterway on Friday morning is that the servicemen were reportedly taken into custody by the navy of the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC is a powerful, separate branch of the Iranian armed forces…..(Time Magazine, 23 Mar 07)

Why Iran Seized the British Marines

The most ominous detail about Iran's seizure of 15 British Royal Marines in the Shatt-al-Arab waterway on Friday morning is that the servicemen were reportedly taken into custody by the navy of the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC is a powerful, separate branch of the Iranian armed forces…..(Time Magazine, 23 Mar 07)

Iran training Iraqi death squads?

…The latest reports from the Mujaheedin-e-Khalq, or the MeK, accuse the Iranian regime of secretly engaging in "the organization and training of large Iraqi terrorist networks in Iran and sending them back to Iraq."…(Washington Times, 23 Mar 07)

Top Lebanese Sunni Cleric and Former MP Fathi Yakan on Al-Jazeera: Bin Laden a Man After My Own Heart; I Am Not Sad Because of 9/11 and Never Condemned this Attack

The following are excerpts from an interview with Lebanese Sunni cleric and former MP Fathi Yakan, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on March 16, 2007….(MEMRI, 23 Mar 07)

Turkish Judiciary At War With AKP Government to Defend Its Independence

A deepening rift between Turkey's AKP government and Turkey's highest court of appeals (the Yargitay) and high administrative court (the Danistay) has recently become a focus of public debate in Turkey, and has received extensive media coverage….(MEMRI, 27 Mar 07)

Musharraf Finds Himself Weakened After Firing of Judge

For the past seven years, the Pakistani judiciary has swallowed hard to accommodate the military rule of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, repeatedly bending in matters of law and constitution….(New York Times, 25 Mar 07)

Colombia army chief linked to outlaw militias

The CIA has obtained new intelligence alleging that the head of Colombia's U.S.-backed army collaborated extensively with right-wing militias that Washington considers terrorist organizations, including a militia headed by one of the country's leading drug traffickers…..(LA Times, 25 Mar 07)

Colombia Rejects Paramilitary Report

Colombia’s government disputed a published report on Sunday of leaked C.I.A. intelligence linking the chief of the army to paramilitary death squads…(New York Times, 26 Mar 07)

Iraqi deaths survey 'was robust'

The British government was advised against publicly criticising a report estimating that 655,000 Iraqis had died due to the war… But the Ministry of Defence's chief scientific adviser said the survey's methods were "close to best practice" and the study design was "robust". Another statistician agreed the method was "tried and tested"….(BBC, 26 Mar 07)

 '21/7 bomber wanted to blow up 12-storey block of flats'

The man behind the 21/7 terror plot intended it to be 'bigger and better' than 7/7, a court heard this afternoon. Muktar Said Ibrahim wanted to match the attacks on the transport system on 7 July - and also bring down a 12-storey block of flats in north London, it is alleged. The claim came from one of Ibrahim's coaccused, Manfo Asiedu. Ibrahim and Asiedu are two of six African born men living in London accused of attempting to cause carnage two weeks after 7/7 in which 52 commuters were murdered and 700 injured …(This is London, 23 Mar 07)

'Plan Was Bigger Than 7/7'

One of the alleged July 21 bombers has been accused by a fellow defendant of planning a terror attack which was "bigger and better" than 7/7. Muktar Said Ibrahim planned to set off four bombs on the Tube and booby-trap a flat in a north London tower block…(Sky, 23 Mar 07)

Iran Seizes 15 British Navy Personnel

…Britain said the incident took place in Iraqi waters, where it routinely boards merchant vessels with UN permission to search them. The Foreign Office summoned Iran's ambassador and demanded the immediate, safe release of the personnel. ``At approximately 1030 Iraqi time (0330 EST) this morning, 15 British naval personnel, engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters ... were seized by Iranian naval vessels,''…(Reuters, 23 Mar 07)

UK sailors captured at gunpoint

…The men were seized at 1030 local time when they boarded a boat in the Gulf, off the coast of Iraq, which they suspected was smuggling cars. The Royal Navy said the men, who were on a routine patrol in Iraqi waters, were understood to be unharmed….(BBC, 23 Mar 07)

Editor of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat: Cutting Qatar Back Down to Size

In an editorial published in the London Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat on March 18, 2007, the newspaper's editor-in-chief Tariq Al-Homayed criticized Qatar's role in Middle East politics. The following are excerpt….(MEMRI, 23 Mar 07)

In Video, al-Qaida Urges Unification

In a new video posted Thursday on the Internet, an al-Qaida militant who escaped from a U.S. prison in Afghanistan urged Sunni militants in Iraq to join the terror group and claimed the U.S. military's security plan for Baghdad has failed. Abu Yahia al-Libi, who broke out of the U.S. prison at Bagram Air Base north of Kabul in 2005, said it was the sacred duty of all mujahedeen, or holy warriors, to "stand steadfast together."….(AP, 23 Mar 07)

GAO Faults U.S. Military Over Munitions in Iraq

The U.S. military's faulty war plans and insufficient troops in Iraq left thousands and possibly millions of tons of conventional munitions unsecured or in the hands of insurgent groups after the 2003 invasion -- allowing widespread looting of weapons and explosives used to make roadside bombs that cause the bulk of U.S. casualties, according to a government report…(Washington Post, 23 Mar 07)

Italians Criticized for Hostage Swap

Italy's negotiation for the release of Taliban militants in exchange for the freedom of an Italian hostage in Afghanistan has placed Premier Romano Prodi in the firing line days before a crucial parliamentary vote on keeping the country's troops in Afghanistan….(AP, 23 Mar 07)

U.S. general says China missile test "confusing"

China's anti-satellite missile test in January sent a confusing message to the world about its military plans, the United States' top military officer said on Friday, urging Beijing to be more open…..(Reuters, 23 Mar 07)

Pakistan Officials Applaud Fighting in Tribal Region

An intense clash between local tribesmen and foreign al-Qaeda fighters that has left approximately 130 people dead this week is prompting hope among Pakistani officials that resentment toward the outsiders is growing….(Washington Post, 23 Mar 07)

Senators add $2 billion to spending bill for security programs

The $121.6 billion emergency supplemental spending bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday includes more than $2 billion for domestic homeland security programs….(Congress Daily, 23 Mar 07)

Lawyers Fear Gitmo Work May Harm Careers

Military defense lawyers preparing for trials at the Guantanamo Bay prison fear their work on behalf of terrorism suspects could derail their careers _ or possibly even subject them to punishment…..(AP, 23 Mar 07)

Religion Today

…No national surveys have been taken to confirm the increase, but Islamic religious leaders in Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit have also reported growth, said Lawrence Mamiya, a professor of religion and Africana studies at New York's Vassar College. Experts estimate that 30 percent of the 6 to 7 million Muslims in the U.S. are black, with only South Asians making up a larger number at 33 percent….(AP, 23 Mar 07)

Chlorine cache found in Iraq

U.S. troops sweeping Baghdad have found containers of nitric acid and chlorine, raising concerns that insurgents are expanding their use of chemicals in the war for power in Iraq…(Washington Times, 23 Mar 07)

U.S. accuses detainee of carrying Jakarta bomb funds

The U.S. military accused an al Qaeda suspect at the Guantanamo Bay military prison of transporting $50,000 used for the 2003 Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta, according to a transcript of hearings released on Friday. The military also said Malaysian Mohammed Farik bin Amin Zubair was a member of an "al Qaeda suicide team" planning to attack a building in the United States….(Reuters, 23 Mar 07)

Disguised Spy May Testify in Terror Case

The CIA wants an agent to testify in disguise and use a fake name at an upcoming terror trial to protect his identity and secret agency locations in Afghanistan…The agent's get-up would involve "a wig, eyeglasses or minor facial hair" but would not block others in the courtroom for the trial of Jose Padilla from assessing the agent's "demeanor and credibility," federal prosecutors said in their filing….(AP, 23 Mar 07)

Gates wanted to close Guantanamo in first weeks: report

Soon after becoming defense secretary, Robert Gates argued the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be closed because the international community would view any trials there as tainted….(Reuters, 23 Mar 07)

Parliament backs anti:terrorism accord with US

…The accord provides the legal basis for joint investigations and an exchange of information in the fight against terrorism and its financing….(NZZ, 23 Mar 07)

British Police Arrest 3 in 2005 Bombings

The British counterterrorism police seized three men on Thursday for offenses related to the bombings in the London transit system on July 7, 2005, in which four suicide bombers killed themselves and 52 passengers….(New York Times, 23 Mar 07)

3 Men Arrested in Britain in 2005 Transit Bombings

…Two of the men, ages 23 and 30, were arrested at Manchester Airport as they prepared to board a flight to Pakistan. The third, age 26, was arrested at a house in Leeds, the northern England town where three of the four July 7 bombers were raised….(AP, 23 Mar 07)

US energy secretary says pipeline could help Iran build bomb: report

US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has called for the planned Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline to be abandoned, saying it could help Iran build nuclear weapons….(Agence France-Presse, 23 Mar 07)

Pak-Iran cooperation to continue in future, says Sherpao

Interior Minster Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has said that ongoing cooperation between Pakistan and Iran in various fields would be furtherer strengthened in future, as Pakistan greatly values its relations with Iran….(Pakistan Tribune, 23 Mar 07)

Iran says US delaying Ahmadinejad visa

Iran said on Friday that the United States had yet to issue a promised visa for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to travel to the United Nations to address the Security Council on his country’s controversial nuclear program….(Agence France-Presse, 23 Mar 07)

Iraq Deputy PM Hurt in Suicide Bombing

Iraq's deputy prime minister, a Sunni who crossed the country's sectarian divide to join the Shiite-led government, was wounded Friday in a suicide bombing at a mosque in the courtyard of his home. Nine people were killed…(AP, 23 Mar 07)

Peres Calls Lebanon War a 'Mistake'

Vice-Premier Shimon Peres told a panel investigating the government's handling of last year's war in Lebanon that Israel's decision to invade was a mistake and the military was unprepared…(AP, 23 Mar 07)

Report: Algeria to Execute Top Terrorist

…Abdelmalek Dourkdel, head of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, or GSPC, was convicted along with seven others, all tried in absentia this week, the French-language Liberte newspaper reported…(AP, 22 Mar 07)

Dutch parliament backs new anti-terror laws

A majority in the Dutch parliament has just voted for controversial measures which will allow for people to be banned from certain areas, or require them to report to the police at specified times, despite having committed no crime…(Expatica, 22 Mar 07)

McDonald's blast suspects seized

Russian police have detained at least six far-right activists suspected of bombing a McDonald's restaurant in St Petersburg last month….(Reuters, 22 Mar 07)

Sea containers 'alternative' for terrorists: report

A new report warns that sea containers are an "obvious alternative'' for terrorists looking to strike North American targets and it says Canadian ports are ill-equipped to monitor them….(Canadian Press, 22 Mar 07)

Iranian navy starts war games in the Gulf: TV

…The exercises are the latest in a series of maneuvers staged by Iran's military in the Gulf region, where the United States has deployed a second aircraft carrier, a move widely seen as a warning to Tehran over its nuclear ambitions….(Reuters, 22 Mar 07)

Nominee Says He Can Stem Terror Money

A Mideast banker for 30 years who has camped in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and traveled in the mountains of Yemen and Oman, Ford M. Fraker, assured Congress Thursday that as ambassador to Saudi Arabia he would try to stem the flow of money to terrorist groups….(AP, 22 Mar 07)

Iraqi colonel flees military training in Alabama

An Iraqi air force colonel disappeared recently from an Alabama Air Force base and is being sought in a regional manhunt by federal and military agents, defense officials say. The colonel, who was not identified, was studying at the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, near Montgomery, since last winter in a leadership training course that is part of U.S. efforts to rebuild the Iraqi air force…..(Washington Times, 22 Mar 07)

Lawyers move to throw out terror trial

An application to abandon the trial of 13 members of an alleged Melbourne terror cell has been adjourned after Corrections Victoria agreed to review the visits regime for its high security unit….(Age, 22 Mar 07)

Spanish conservatives outraged over court decision to drop charges against Basque separatist

…Arnaldo Otegi, leader of the outlawed Batasuna party considered to be the political wing of armed Basque separatist group ETA, was cleared of all charges Wednesday….(AP, 22 Mar 07)

Sunni Jihad Groups Rise Up Against Al-Qaeda in Iraq
In late February and early March 2007, the London dailies Al-Hayat and Al-QudsAl-'Arabi reported on an escalation of the conflict in western Iraq between the local population and the Al-Qaeda in Iraq organization….(MEMRI, 22 Mar 07)

Iraq, insurgent negotiations deadlocked

Iraq's government has engaged in secret negotiations seeking to get some Sunni Arab insurgent groups to give up their fight, but the talks are deadlocked over the lack of a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops…(AP, 22 Mar 07)

Former Gitmo Inmate Seeks Aussie Office

Former Guantanamo Bay inmate Mamdouh Habib says he's no enemy of democracy. To prove it, he's standing for election at home in Australia….(AP, 22 Mar 07)

U.S. urged to abandon trials by military tribunals

Amnesty International urged the United States on Thursday to abandon plans to try Guantanamo prisoners before military tribunals and asked other nations not to contribute any evidence for use at the trials….(Reuters, 22 Mar 07)

Pakistani Opposition Seizes on Controversy

…In Islamabad, the capital, demonstrators converged on the Supreme Court building, chanting, "Go, Musharraf, go!" and calling the president "Bush's dog." Although there had been violent clashes between demonstrators and police at rallies last week, officers in riot gear largely avoided confrontations in Islamabad on Wednesday, and only minor scuffles were reported elsewhere in the country….(Washington Post, 22 Mar 07)

Shia troops break away

The violent Shia militia known as the Mahdi Army is breaking into splinter groups, with up to 3,000 gunmen financed directly by Iran and no longer loyal to the firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, according to Iraqi and American officials….(AP, 22 Mar 07)

Pakistan protests mount to oust Musharraf

…"It is the beginning of the revolution," Imran Khan, former cricketer and now chief of the Justice Party, said to demonstrators amid chants of "Down with Musharraf." The surprise appearance of the day came from retired lieutenant-general Hameed Gul, former chief of Pakistan's Inter-services Intelligence Agency, who broke through police barriers dressed in his military jacket, promising to call 2.2 million retired army personnel onto the roads if police tried to stop him….(Globe & Mail, 22 Mar 07)

US expects Mush to quit army chief's job by 2007

The United States has indicated that it expects Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf to give up the army chief's post by the end of 2007 as promised, but is not willing to dictate to its "solid friend." "He has made certain commitments in this regard and we think it's important that he follow through on those commitments," state department spokesman Sean McCormack said Tuesday in response to a question if it was Washington's view that Musharraf should leave the army chief's post by year-end as scheduled….(Times of India, 22 Mar 07)

Death toll in battles near Afghan border rises above 130

…The government says the violence is a victory for its policy of pressing tribesmen to root out foreign militants linked to Al Qaeda. The militants are in a border zone used by the Taliban to support attacks in Afghanistan. Critics say the fighting also illustrates the lawlessness of the region….(AP, 22 Mar 07)

Freed Sadr aide meets Iraq's PM

An Iraqi militia leader once branded a major security threat has appeared in public alongside Iraq's prime minister after being freed from US custody. Ahmed Shibani is a senior aide to radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, whose political movement plays a key role in Iraq's power-sharing coalition…..(BBC, 22 Mar 07)

Thai militants adopting Al-Qaeda tactics: general

Islamic separatists in Thailand's restive south are adopting Al-Qaeda's tactics, a top Thai general said Wednesday after a wave of gruesome beheadings and seemingly random attacks on civilians….(Agence France-Presse, 22 Mar 07)

Italy Swapped 5 Jailed Taliban for a Hostage

… It appears to be the first time prisoners have been openly exchanged for a hostage in the wars that the United States and its allies are fighting there and in Iraq, and the move drew immediate criticism from Washington and London, and from other European capitals…..(New York Times, 22 Mar 07)

North Korea quits nuclear talks

The current round of six-party talks on the denuclearisation of North Korea has been abandoned after the chief representative from Pyongyang refused for the third day running to participate, and flew home from Beijing last night….(Australian, 22 Mar 07)

Musharraf at the Exit

In the rapidly unfolding crisis in Pakistan, no matter what happens to President Pervez Musharraf -- whether he survives politically or not -- he is a lame duck. He is unable to rein in Talibanization in Pakistan or guide the country toward a more democratic future….(Washington Post, 22 Mar 07)

PLO chief heaps more pressure on Fatah al-Islam

The Palestinian Liberation Organization reiterated on Wednesday its opposition to Fatah al-Islam, a group based here that lost one member in violent clashes in the camp on Monday. The group's activities were spotlighted after four suspects detained in lethal bus bombings in Ain Alaq on February 13 claimed group membership…(Daily Star, 22 Mar 07)

IT firm: Terror video made in Germany

…Pan Amp said that a video released earlier this month which showed masked men threatening Germany and Austria to pull out their troops from Afghanistan or face terror attacks was likely produced and surely launched from a server based in Erfurt, eastern Germany…..(UPI, 22 Mar 07)

Taliban says it attacked Blackwater convoy in Afghanistan

The Taliban is claiming responsibility for a suicide car-bomb attack on a Blackwater USA diplomatic convoy Monday in Kabul, Afghanistan….(Virginian-Pilot, 22 Mar 07)

Tribunal Backed for Hariri Investigation

… Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz told reporters after briefing the Security Council on his latest report that a tribunal would be "the next logical step" because the commission he heads is a fact-finding body _ not a judicial institution that can issue indictments and conduct prosecutions….(AP, 22 Mar 07)

Former U.S. ambassador to U.N. says Washington backed Israel's bid to eliminate Hezbollah

The United States resisted calls for an early cease-fire in last summer's Israel-Lebanon war in order to give Israel time to defeat Hezbollah, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said….(AP, 22 Mar 07)

An Immigrant's Journey From Md. to Gitmo

Majid Khan worked the cash register at his dad's gas stations, listened to rap music and went to public high school like many other immigrants. Yet, at a red brick mosque wedged between a busy highway and middle-class cul-de-sacs, the U.S. government says, he found his way to an extreme brand of Islam…..(AP, 22 Mar 07)

Somali gov't names Qaeda leader as fighting rages

The Somali government said on Thursday that al Qaeda had made a young militant Islamist commander its leader in Mogadishu as fighting raged for a second day in the coastal capital….(Reuters, 22 Mar 07)

Muslims offer to help 'John Does' sued by imams

Lawyers and a Muslim group say they will defend at no cost airline passengers caught up in a lawsuit between a group of imams and U.S. Airways if the passengers are named as "John Does" and sued for reporting suspicious behavior that got the Muslim clerics booted from a November flight….(Washington Times, 21 Mar 07)

SWIFT Only Lets US Government See Data In "Terrorism" Cases - CEO

Bank data transfer agency, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, only allows U.S. agents to see data related to "terrorism" investigations, SWIFT CEO Leonard H. Schrank said….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Somali Insurgents Drag Soldiers' Corpses

Insurgents dragged the corpses of two soldiers through the streets of the Somali capital and set the bodies on fire Wednesday after a fierce street battle killed at least seven people….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Miss. Defense: No Secret Jury Selection

Attorneys for a reputed Ku Klux Klansman charged with kidnapping in the 1964 slayings of two black men are opposing the government's efforts to keep jury selection secret and to sequester jurors during trial.James Ford Seale, 71, has pleaded innocent to federal kidnapping and conspiracy charges in the May 2, 1964, abduction of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore…..(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Man pleads not guilty in terror case

…Khaleel Ahmed is charged with conspiring with his cousin and three Ohio men between June 2004 and February 2006 to kill or maim Americans overseas, including those in Iraq. Ahmed, 26, and his cousin Zubair A. Ahmed, 27, were arrested last month; Zubair Ahmed has yet to enter a plea. Three Toledo-area men — Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, and Wassim I. Mazloum — were charged in the same case early last year and have pleaded not guilty….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Don't Take Poland for Granted

The U.S. proposal to place radar and interceptor sites for a new missile defense system in Central Europe -- respectively, in the Czech Republic and Poland -- may generate a new security partnership with the countries of the region. Or it could provoke a spiral of misunderstanding, weaken NATO, deepen Russian paranoia and cost the United States some of its last friends on the continent….(Washington Post, 21 Mar 07)

U.S. Revises Aid Package to Palestinians
The Bush administration will reduce by nearly half a proposed $86 million security assistance package to the Palestinian government to see that none of the money ends up with forces loyal to the radical Hamas movement. As she prepares to visit the Middle East later this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday she would soon send Congress a revised package that will fund only security elements loyal to moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Aid to Palestinians Rose in ’06 Despite an Embargo

Despite the international embargo on aid to the Palestinian Authority since Hamas came to power a year ago, significantly more aid was delivered to the Palestinians in 2006 than in 2005, according to official figures from the United Nations, United States, European Union and International Monetary Fund…..(New York Times, 21 Mar 07)

Lawyers Press Musharraf With Protests

… In a controversy that has gripped Pakistan and poses perhaps the most serious challenge yet to Musharraf's leadership, the nation's executive and judiciary are clashing over the president's decision nearly two weeks ago to suspend the Supreme Court chief justice….(Washington Post, 21 Mar 07)

Dissident: Iran Is Training Iraqis

…Would-be Iraqi fighters are smuggled into Iran, schooled in everything from sniper techniques to explosive devices and sent back to Iraq to wage war on U.S.-led coalition forces, Alireza Jafarzadeh said at a news conference. "The Iranian regime is secretly engaged in the organization and training of large Iraqi terrorist networks in Iran to heighten insecurity and instability and force the coalition forces to leave Iraq, which would in turn pave the way for establishment of an Islamic republic in Iraq,"….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Afghan NATO supply truck driver beheaded

…The murdered man was captured with his vehicle in Zabul province about a week ago by suspected Taliban who are active in southern Afghanistan….(Agence France-Presse, 21 Mar 07)

Tribesmen, Foreign Fighters Clash in Northwest Pakistan

Local and foreign fighters engaged in a gun battle in northwestern Pakistan, leaving at least 46 dead, officials said Tuesday, the second clash this month in an area where the government is urging tribesmen to move against fighters linked to al-Qaeda….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Iraq Bombers Blow Up 2 Children Used as Decoys

Insurgents detonated a bomb in a car with two children in it after using the children as decoys to get through a military checkpoint in Baghdad, an American general said Tuesday…“Children in the back seat lower suspicion,” he said, according to a transcript. “We let it move through. They parked the vehicle. The adults run out and detonate it with the children in back.” …(New York Times, 21 Mar 07)

Indonesia Militants Guilty in Beheadings

Three Islamic militants were found guilty Wednesday of decapitating three Christian schoolgirls in Indonesia and dumping their bloodied heads in nearby villages, judges said. They were sentenced to between 14 and 20 years. The alleged members of the al Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah network left a handwritten note close to the bodies, vowing more killings to avenge the deaths of Muslims in earlier sectarian violence on Sulawesi island….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

21/7 device 'set off by accident'

One of the alleged 21 July 2005 bombers detonated a device in his rucksack by accident, a court has heard. Muktar Ibrahim told Woolwich Crown Court he did not intend to set off a device, made from hydrogen peroxide and chapatti flour, on a London bus….(BBC, 21 Mar 07)

Al-Qaeda man to be extradited

A Pakistan-born US national accused of supplying military equipment to al-Qaeda on Tuesday lost his legal battle in Britain against extradition to the United States. Syed Hashmi, 27, now faces trial in the United States over allegations that he was a "quartermaster" who supplied the terror network's operatives in Afghanistan and Pakistan…..(Agence France-Presse, 21 Mar 07)

U.S. Cautions Foreign Companies on Iran Deals

For all its efforts to apply economic and political pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, the United States has never used a potentially potent tool in its arsenal — penalties on foreign companies that assist Iran in producing oil and natural gas. That may be about to change…..(New York Times, 21 Mar 07)

Russia nixes 'excessive' Iran sanctions

Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday that it will not support "excessive" sanctions against its economic partner Iran, as the U.N. Security Council drew closer to a vote on a new, harsher set of measures intended to push Tehran to freeze its nuclear program…..(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Banking channels also used by terrorists for funds: Govt

Observing that terrorists primarily use hawala channels to route their funds, Government today said even the banking channels were a "significant route" for movement of money by these elements….(New Kerala, 21 Mar 07)

Bali bombings accomplice captured

… The men are believed to be members of the network of prime terror suspect Abu Dujanah, wanted for helping protect Noordin Top - Indonesia's most wanted terrorist. Noordin Top is blamed for sourcing the bombers and materials used in both the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings…..(Sydney Morning Herald, 21 Mar 07)

New joint counter-terror research

Australia and the United States plan to speed joint research efforts to develop systems to detect explosive devices….(UPI, 21 Mar 07)

Colombia seeks 8 in Chiquita payments

Colombia's chief prosecutor said Tuesday he will demand the extradition of eight people allegedly involved with Chiquita's payments to right-wing paramilitaries and leftist rebels in a region where it had profitable banana-growing operations….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Al-Qaeda terrorists among 10,000 who conned UK out of passports

One of the men - Dhiren Barot - was the al-Qaeda figure who planned radioactive "dirty" bombs in London. He was convicted in December after admitting conspiracy to murder and jailed for 40 years. He managed to obtain nine British passports, seven of them in his name. The other, Salaheddine Benyaich, a Moroccan national, obtained two British passports. He is serving 18 years in a Moroccan jail for terrorist offences….(Scotsman, 21 Mar 07)

U.S., Britain slam Italy hostage deal with Taliban