The New Issue of Technical Mujahid, a Training Manual for Jihadis

The al-Fajr Information Center, a jihadi organization, recently published the February 2007 issue of Technical Mujahid, a magazine released once every two months that is available online. The release marks the second issue of the publication….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 30 Mar 07)

Pakistan jihad schools thriving

The International Crisis Group has condemned President Pervez Musharraf's failure to curb Pakistan's extremist Islamic schools. A report released yesterday by the group, headed by former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans, says promises made by General Musharraf in 2002 to reform madrassas, or religious schools, are "in shambles"…..(Australian, 30 Mar 07)

Pakistani Taliban blow up video shops

Local Taliban militants seeking to impose Islamic law blew up two video shops and torched a cable television operator's office in northwestern Pakistan….(Agence France-Presse, 30 Mar 07)

Gaddafi says only Islam a universal religion

...Gaddafi, who is seeking to expand his influence in Africa, said his arguments came from the Koran. He led similar prayers last year in Mali. "It is a mistake that another religion exists alongside Islam. There is only one religion which is Islam after Mohammed," he said in the sermon, which was broadcast live on Libyan state television….(Reuters, 30 Mar 07)

Ethiopian Evangelist Beaten to Death by Militant Muslims: Militant Wahabbi Islamists Drag Christian Evangelist into Mosque and Beat Him to Death

…This marks the second time in six months that Christians residing in Southeast Ethiopia have been attacked and killed by extremist (Wahabbi) Muslims….(Christian Newswire, 30 Mar 07)

Malaysian woman's bid to stop her son's conversion to Islam receives temporary boost

A Malaysian court on Friday temporarily forbade an ethnic Indian Muslim from converting his 1-year-old son to Islam, giving some respite to the man's Hindu wife who is trying to block him from changing their son's religion….(AP, 30 Mar 07)

Destruction of Non-Muslim Worship Centers Riles Faith Minorities in Malaysia

Religious minorities have long complained about obstacles in getting the government's permission to build places of worship in Malaysia. But their frustrations have grown amid recent accusations by religious rights activists that authorities are destroying non-Muslim shrines….(Christian Post, 30 Mar 07)

Iraqi Resident of Britain to Leave Guantanamo

An Iraqi resident of Britain who was seized in West Africa in a 2002 operation orchestrated by the CIA will be released from the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba...Bisher al-Rawi will be allowed to return to the United Kingdom as soon as this weekend after spending four years at Guantanamo…(Washington Post, 30 Mar 07)

Pakistan's wild western faultline

Faced with mounting US pressure, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf took a critical decision in February 2004, ordering his forces to launch the biggest offensive yet against al-Qa'ida fugitives…..(Australian, 30 Mar 07)

15 Britons In a Sea Of Intrigue

We are in a season of skulduggery in the Middle East, with a strange series of events that all involve the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The murky saga is a reminder that the real power in Iran may lie with this secretive organization, which spawned Iran's firebrand president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad…..(Washington Post, 30 Mar 07)

Iran, the Vicious Victim

Tony Blair has been talking tough about Iran’s seizure of 15 British sailors and marines on the Shatt al Arab, the waterway between Iran and Iraq. Mr. Blair is deeply reluctant to apologize, as Tehran is demanding, for Britain’s alleged incursion into Iranian waters….(New York Times, 30 Mar 07)

Turkey, Iraq and the PKK

When Iraq's vice president came to Turkey's capital on Tuesday to plead with the Turks not to invade northern Iraq to kill Kurdish terrorists, he spoke to the press in code. The PKK is a Kurdish terrorist group that has killed some 30,000 Turks (including more than 50 diplomats) since 1990. The PKK wants to carve a Kurdish state out of the dry reaches of eastern Turkey. Their private war has nothing to do with the Iraq war….(Washington Times, 30 Mar 07)

U.S. caught off guard by Saudi king's criticism

…Some analysts said the king's statements reflected deep frustration and resentment of U.S. policy in Iraq and pressure on Arab states to confront Iran. "I think the king is really fed up with this situation. He's trying to find another way….(SF Chronicle, 30 Mar 07)

JI man courier for al-Qaeda

The hearing of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) member Mohamad Farik Amin Zubair at a tribunal at the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, provided evidence on his role as a courier for the al-Qaeda terrorist network. The indictment against Farik, popularly known as Zubair, revealed that he acted as a middleman in channelling funds for the J.W. Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta in 2003 and to a Cambodian operative to carry out a car-bombing mission.…(Star, 30 Mar 07)

Australian must explain guilt at Guantanamo

Australian David Hicks must explain under oath exactly what he did in Afghanistan with al Qaeda before he learns his sentence from the Guantanamo war crimes tribunal, the chief prosecutor said…..(Reuters, 30 Mar 07)

Plea deal limits jail term to seven years

Looking anything but an al-Qaeda foot soldier, David Hicks last night admitted he trained with the terrorist group, fought with the Taliban and that a friend of his believed he had approved of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. He will receive a maximum of seven years in jail as part of a plea deal agreed earlier this week. He could serve less if a panel of military officers gives him a lesser sentence. It is also not known if the five years he has already spent in Guantanamo Bay will be taken into account…..(Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Mar 07)

9/11 suspect denies wiring money to hijackers

A Saudi suspected of being the senior paymaster for the Sept. 11 attacks, Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, has denied wiring money to the hijackers or knowing specifics of the plot, according to a transcript of his military commission hearing released Thursday. U.S. authorities, as well as the Sept. 11 commission that investigated the attacks, have long alleged that Hawsawi was a top lieutenant of plot mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, an Al Qaeda chieftain….(LA Times, 30 Mar 07)

Alleged Sept. 11 Financier Tells Tribunal He Knew Little of Plot

….(Washington Post, 30 Mar 07)

Gates is pushing to move terror trials from Guantanamo

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that he had been pressing others in the Bush administration to move war crimes trials of suspected terrorists from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to courts inside the U.S. because the military tribunals may appear tainted in the eye of the international community….(LA Times, 30 Mar 07)

Keep terror-fighting tools, but explain them better

In response to recent revelations about the FBI's misuse of national security letters - administrative subpoenas issued by the FBI without having to go through a judge, a longtime FBI tool enhanced by the Patriot Act - some members of Congress are threatening to scale back the FBI's authority to issue such letters…..(Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar 07)

Coaltion Forces Detain Iraq Bomb Suspect

U.S. and Iraqi forces detained a suspect linked to networks bringing sophisticated roadside bombs into Iraq during a raid Friday in the main Shiite district in Baghdad. The suspect, who was detained by U.S. and Iraqi forces during a raid in the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City, was believed to be tied to networks bringing the weapons known as explosively formed projectiles….(AP, 30 Mar 07)

Risks grow of terrorists getting nukes

There is a growing threat that terrorist groups such as Hizbullah will acquire nuclear or other WMD technology, a senior US State Department official told The Jerusalem Post this week. He indicated that there are a "large number" of nuclear smuggling incidents each year, some of which are "substantial" and not limited to low-grade material…..(Jerusalem Post, 30 Mar 07)

Germany launches anti-terrorism data-bank

A terrorism data-bank allowing access to information on suspects for both police and the intelligence services went into operation in Germany on Friday. Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said it was needed to strengthen security in view of the threat posed by Islamic terrorists….(DPA, 30 Mar 07)

Report: Bangladesh Executes 6 Militants

…The six members of the banned Islamic group Jumatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, which wants to introduce Islamic Sharia laws in this Muslim-majority nation, had been sentenced to death for the Nov. 14, 2005, slayings….(AP, 30 Mar 07)

Govt allows FIU to share intelligence with others

…Sending a strong signal to those involved in money laundering in and out of the country, the Cabinet on Thursday cleared a proposal allowing the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to ink MoUs with its counterparts in other countries on sharing of information on suspicious transactions….(Times of India, 30 Mar 07)

Japan Extends Air Force Mission in Iraq

Japan's Cabinet approved a two-year extension of the country's air force mission in Iraq after it expires in July…Tokyo has been airlifting U.N. and coalition personnel and supplies into Baghdad and other Iraqi cities from nearby Kuwait since early last year as part of efforts to support Iraq's reconstruction…..(AP, 30 Mar 07)

Four arrested in anti-terror swoop

…St Michael's grammar school in Lurgan was closed to allow police to carry out searches following the arrests of four men in the Antrim Road area of the town last night….(Belfast Telegraph, 30 Mar 07)

US sanctions Iranian Defense Industries

The US State Department imposed sanctions Friday against an Iranian entity that it says has been involved in the development of Iran's nuclear and missile programs….(AP/Jerusalem Post, 30 Mar 07)

Passengers May Be Sued in Imams' Removal

…The civil rights lawsuit, filed earlier this month, has so alarmed some lawyers that they are offering to defend the unnamed "John Doe" passengers listed as "possible defendants" free of charge. They say it is vital that the flying public be able to report suspicious behavior without fear of being dragged into court…..(AP, 30 Mar 07)

Sanctions Committee Concerning Democratic Republic of Congo Adds Two Individuals, Five Entities to Assets Freeze, Travel Ban List

On 29  March 2007, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, added the following individuals and entities to  the List of Individuals and entities Subject to the Measures Imposed by paragraph 13 and 15 of resolution 1596 (2005)…(UN Press Release, 29 Mar 07)

America unprepared for 'likely' nuke attack

…the three-year study by researchers at the Center for Mass Destruction Defense at the University of Georgia says a concerted effort to teach civilians what to do in the event of a nuclear attack is the best – perhaps only – thing that could save an untold number of lives that will otherwise be needlessly lost…..(World Net Daily, 29 Mar 07)

Muslim Woman Sues Judge Over Veil

A Muslim woman whose small-claims court case was dismissed after she refused to remove her veil sued the judge Wednesday, saying her religious and civil rights were violated. Ginnnah Muhammad, 42, of Detroit, says in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit that Judge Paul Paruk's request to remove her veil _ and his decision to dismiss her case when she didn't _ was unconstitutional based on her First Amendment right to practice her religion…..(AP, 29 Mar 07)

Potential Padilla Jurors Show Bias

The searing memories of the Sept. 11 attacks are making it difficult for dozens of potential jurors to set aside their opinions in the terrorist support case against alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla….(AP, 29 Mar 07)

Australia finalizes deal for Guantanamo exchange

Australia will have no power to shorten any prison sentence for Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks under a new prisoner-exchange deal with the United States, the country's top lawmaker said on Thursday…..(Reuters, 29 Mar 07)

Kidnapped children used for terrorist attacks: Interior Ministry

Terrorist groups in Iraq use children and mentally-ill people for suicide attacks, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said Thursday. Most of the children were kidnapped by the extremists, Abdul Karim al-Kanani, director of the Department for Special Operations told the Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat…..(M & C, 29 Mar 07)

Taliban "will free Afghan medical team for prisoners"

A man claiming to be a Taliban commander said he was holding a medical team in southern Afghanistan and would release them in exchange for militants in custody. The Afghan doctor, three nurses and their driver were kidnapped in the southern province of Kandahar on Tuesday….(Agence France-Presse, 29 Mar 07)

Four Iraqi police killed in war-torn capital
Four Iraqi policemen were killed on Thursday, including two who died when a car rigged with explosives and stuffed with a corpse blew up when they came to retrieve the body, a official said….(Agence France-Presse, 29 Mar 07)

Suicide bomber kills Pakistani soldier, wounds eight

A suicide bomber blew himself up among Pakistani soldiers as they rested after training on Thursday, killing one and wounding eight, a military spokesman said. "After finishing their training, they were resting when the bomber walked up to them and blew himself up,"….(Reuters, 29 Mar 07)

Iraq official confirms police in reprisal killings

Policemen who took part in the reprisal shootings of scores of men in northwest Iraq this week were arrested but then freed again to prevent unrest, the provincial governor said on Thursday…..(Reuters, 29 Mar 07)

Witnesses: Bombs Dropped in Mogadishu

Helicopters dropped several bombs Thursday near an insurgent stronghold in Somalia's capital, just hours after a gunbattle killed at least six people, witnesses said. "Two helicopters flew over us. One was making a surveillance and the other one was dropping several bombs,"….(AP, 29 Mar 07)

Saudi king hits U.S. in Iraq

...In a rare public spat, both the White House and State Department quickly rejected the king's description of the U.S. mission in Iraq. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said flatly the king was "wrong" in questioning the legitimacy of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq. Abdullah spoke at the opening of a two-day summit in Riyadh in which Arab leaders formally revived a 2002 Saudi peace plan, under which Arab governments would recognize Israel in return for the creation of a Palestinian state and Israeli concessions on borders, control of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees with claims on property inside Israel…..(Washington Times, 29 Mar 07)

Saudi: US Iraq presence illegal

The Saudi monarch has made a forceful appeal for Arab unity, denouncing US policy in Iraq and the embargo imposed by western nations on the Palestinians. At the Arab League summit in Riyadh, King Abdullah described the US presence in Iraq as an illegitimate occupation…..(BBC, 29 Mar 07)

Bush War on Terror Draws Fire as Misguided Venture

Five-and-a-half years after the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush's war on terrorism has emerged as a wasteful, misguided exercise that poses its own threat to U.S. national security…(Reuters, 29 Mar 07)

U.S. says most Iraq bombers via Syria: 'It has to stop'

A U.S. State Dept. official said about 90 percent of the suicide attackers in Iraq came from Syria. "It has to stop," said David Satterfield, the chief State Department adviser on Iraq….(World Tribune, 29 Mar 07)

Damascus must soon choose

The Iranian-Syrian alliance is an unusual exception to regional ties that form and dissolve in upheavals which have become standard to our region. It has persisted for nearly 28 years despite major geo-strategic changes that have swept the region and the world. It is also unique in being maintained despite the contradiction between growing Iranian regional influence and Syrian isolation…..(Ahram-Issue #838, 29 Mar 07)

Saudi King Finds Fault With Arab Leadership

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah told Arab leaders gathered here Wednesday that they were to blame for the civil strife and divisions plaguing the Arab world. Speaking at the opening of the Arab summit, Abdullah said that Arabs were less united today than they were just over 60 years ago when the Arab League was formed, and that backwardness and disunity need not be their destiny….(Washington Post, 29 Mar 07)

Britain to Take Iran Issue to U.N.

Britain said today it would seek United Nations backing against Iran in the dispute over its captured sailors, apparently brushing aside a threat from the Iranian government to delay the release of the only woman among the British prisoners…..(New York Times, 29 Mar 07)

Liberal Author Mamoun Fandy: Adding of the Right of Return to the Saudi Initiative Changed It From 'The Start of an Earnest Dialogue' to 'An Initiative Impossible to Implement'

In an article in the London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat on March 26, 2007, the eve of the Arab League summit in Riyadh, liberal author Dr. Mamoun Fandy wrote on the Arabs' tendency to leave obstructions to development in place rather than remove them, comparing these issues to rocks left in the middle of the road….(MEMRI, 29 Mar 07)

Arab leaders urge Israel, world to take peace offer

Arab leaders urged world powers on Thursday to use an Arab peace plan to relaunch efforts to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Palestinian president warned of more violence if the "hand of peace" was rejected….(Reuters, 29 Mar 07)

Syrian Efforts to End Its Regional and International Isolation

For the past two years Syria has been subject to international isolation and pressure. Since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war, it has faced growing isolation within the Arab world as well….(MEMRI, 29 Mar 07)

Ceasefire breaks down in Pakistani tribal area

Pakistani tribesmen fought fresh battles with foreign Al-Qaeda militants Thursday, ending a seven-day ceasefire in a troubled border region where 160 people died last week….(Agence France-Presse, 29 Mar 07)

Kurdish Leader Fou'ad Ma'soum Asserts: Kirkuk Will Become Part of Iraqi Kurdistan Only With the Consent of Its People; We Wish to Remain Part of Federal Iraq

The following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Fou'd Ma'soum, the head of the Kurdish bloc in the Iraqi parliament, conducted at his home in Baghdad by Halim Salman, the publisher of the weekly Al-Tab'ah Al-Jadida….(MEMRI, 29 Mar 07)

U.S. to vet Abbas's forces before training begins

Members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's presidential guard eligible for U.S.-funded training and equipment will be screened in advance for militant ties…The Bush administration is trying to allay concerns raised by some U.S. lawmakers and Israeli officials that a portion of the $59.4 million program for the presidential guard could inadvertently benefit militants from al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is linked to Abbas's Fatah faction, or Hamas….(Reuters, 29 Mar 07)

UK streamlines counter-terrorism powers in shakeup

Britain will concentrate counter-terrorism powers under a single minister in a shake-up announced on Thursday as it combats security threats highlighted by a string of actual and foiled attacks…..(Reuters, 29 Mar 07)

NSA to open facility at Fort Gordon

Augusta (Georgia) will soon play a new role in the War on Terror. The government agency that breaks down enemy communication and protects our own is opening a new facility at Fort Gordon. The National Security Agency and Central Security Service work around the clock to get the enemy's top secret information...and protect ours. They say that is essential to our success in this time of war…..(WRDW, 28 Mar 07)

More Federal Funds Sought; Joint Training Planned

The Washington region's top elected officials agreed yesterday to seek an increase in federal homeland security funds and stage joint training exercises for emergency personnel in the fall…..(Washington Post, 28 Mar 07)

Singapore shows off anti-terror academy; weapons, terror scenarios on display

An anthrax-laden letter written to former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle and detonators used in the 2005 Valentine's Day bombings in the Philippines were among items on display as Singapore opened the doors to its rarely viewed anti-terrorism academy Wednesday….(AP, 28 Mar 07)

Afghan Journalists Face Growing Pressure

…Now there are more than 40 private radio stations, seven TV networks, and more than 350 newspapers and magazines registered with the information ministry. Afghan TV broadcasts everything from breaking news to cooking shows and the local version of "American Idol." But critics say the new legislation, expected to be debated in Parliament within weeks, is an ominous sign that Afghanistan's experiment with open media is on borrowed time…..(AP, 28 Mar 07)

Guantanamo Plea Leaves Questions

David Hicks' guilty plea may send him home to Australia to serve his terrorism sentence, but it also short-circuits a full test of the new U.S. military tribunal system, which will have to handle more complicated cases in the future….(AP, 28 Mar 07)

Turkey Steps in to Defuse Britain-Iran Soldier Crisis Swiftly

Ankara has, from the very beginning, been closely involved in an ongoing crisis between Britain and Iran that started last week when Iran detained 15 British sailors and marines….(Turkish Weekly, 28 Mar 07)

Terror Suspect From Kenya Sent to Gitmo

An alleged al-Qaida operative captured in Kenya and accused of participating in a string of attacks in East Africa is the newest prisoner at Guantanamo, sent to the remote base because he is thought to pose a danger to the U.S….Abdul Malik, whose nationality was not immediately clear, is a rare new arrival at Guantanamo…(AP, 28 Mar 07)

U.A.E. ban may complicate U-2 mission

The president of the United Arab Emirates forbade the U.S. military from using bases in his country to attack or spy on Iran as mammoth Navy maneuvers in the Gulf entered their second day…Leaders of Arab nations around the Gulf have grown increasingly uneasy with the tough U.S. stance toward Iran, believing any outbreak of war would bring Iranian retaliation on their own soil, which lies in easy reach of Iranian missiles…..(AP, 28 Mar 07)

Records Found By CIA Source in Al Qaeda Safehouse Are Key to Padilla Terror Case

A key piece of evidence in the case against alleged terrorism operative Jose Padilla came from an Afghan man who told the CIA he found it in an Al Qaeda safehouse, according to new court filings. The man, unknown to the CIA at the time, drove up to the agency's installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in a pickup truck containing "stacks of papers and other office materials" found in the house occupied by a group of Arabs….(AP, 28 Mar 07)

Australian Detainee’s Life of Wandering Ends With Plea Deal

David Hicks’s journey through the post-Sept. 11 military legal labyrinth has sometimes seemed as uncertain and tortuous as his life’s journey, from high school dropout and kangaroo skinner to a young man in search of a war and a cause….(New York Times, 28 Mar 07)

Iraqi, U.S. forces attacked with chlorine bombs

Insurgents with two chlorine truck bombs attacked a local government building in Fallujah in western Iraq on Wednesday, the latest in a string of attacks using the poisonous gas, the U.S. military said. Fifteen Iraqi and U.S. soldiers were wounded in the blasts and many more suffered chlorine poisoning ….(MSNBC, 28 Mar 07)

Gunmen wound Hamas chief's children

…The militant, head of Hamas's armed wing in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, was traveling in a car when gunmen opened fire from another vehicle, Hamas officials said…..(Reuters, 28 Mar 07)

Off-duty Iraqi police slay dozens, officials say

Off-duty Shiite policemen enraged by massive bombings in the northern town of Tal Afar went on a revenge spree against Sunni residents there on Wednesday, killing at least 45 men, police and hospital officials said. The policemen began roaming the town’s Sunni neighborhoods on foot early in the morning, shooting at Sunni residents and homes….(MSNBC, 28 Mar 07)

Dozens Die In 2 Truck Bombings In the North

…At least 63 people were killed in Tall Afar, news services reported. The first blast in the Shiite-dominated city ripped through a parking lot after a bomber lured people to his truck by shouting that he had wheat for sale, said the mayor, Brig. Najim Abdullah. The second bomb exploded in a busy shopping district, crumbling nearby buildings….(Washington Post, 28 Mar 07)

Taliban suicide bomber kills four in Afghan capital

A Taliban suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated a blast on Wednesday near the car of a senior Afghan intelligence official in a central Kabul business district, killing four civilians. The target of the attack, Kamaluddin, who heads an intelligence department, was among 12 wounded in the attack….(Reuters, 28 Mar 07)

Britain Escalates Dispute With Iran Over Sailors

Britain today escalated its dispute with Iran over the capture of 15 British naval personnel by revealing charts, photographs and previously secret navigational coordinates purportedly proving that the British sailors were 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters when they were seized six days ago….(New York Times, 28 Mar 07)

U.S. finds banks unwilling to accept transfer of funds

The United States is scrambling to find a bank willing to accept the transfer of $25 million in North Korean funds from Macao and is offering assurances that no institution will suffer as a result of agreeing to do so…(Washington Times, 28 Mar 07)

How Abbas is Losing His Base

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas flew to the Arab Summit in Riyadh today leaving behind angry Palestinian comrades in his wake…(Time Magazine, 28 Mar 07)

Arab Leaders Meet to Revive Peace Plan

Arab leaders opened a summit Wednesday to revive a plan for peace with Israel, with U.S. allies trying to enlist other Arabs in efforts to win Israeli and Western acceptance of the deal…..(AP, 28 Mar 07)

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Threatens to 'Strike at Them with All Our Capabilities' If Iran Is Attacked

The following are excerpts from a public address delivered by Iranian Leader, Ali Khamenei, which aired on Khorasan TV on March 21, 2007….(MEMRI, 28 Mar 07)

U.S. Is Open to a Deeper Iran Dialogue, Gates Says

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that the U.S. government is open to higher-level exchanges with Iran, and he called talks this month in Baghdad that included Iranian, Syrian and U.S. officials "a good start."….(Washington Post, 28 Mar 07)

''Intelligence Brief: Russia Shifts Course on Iran''

Moscow's decision against delivering nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr reactor demonstrates a change in Russian foreign policy… While it is unclear at this stage why Russia has chosen to cool its relations with Iran, Moscow's decision on Bushehr marks a definite change in Russian policy….(PINR, 28 Mar 07)

UK reveals Iran dispute evidence

Satellite data proves 15 navy personnel being held in Iran were 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters when they were seized, UK defence officials say. Vice Admiral Charles Style said the sailors had been "ambushed" in the Gulf after searching a vessel and their detention was "unjustified and wrong"….(BBC, 28 Mar 07)

The Islamic State of Iraq Launches

The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), a conceived al-Qaeda organization attempting to unite the Iraqi insurgency, recently issued its own response to the U.S.-Iraqi Security Plan. The so-called "Plan of Nobility" is aimed not only at countering the Baghdad Security Plan, but is also attempting to position the ISI as the sole, legitimate political and administrative body representing Sunni Arabs…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 27 Mar 07)

Split Widens Between Sunnis and al-Qaida
Insurgent leaders and Sunni Arab politicians say divisions between Iraqi fighters and al-Qaida have widened and led to combat in some areas of the country, a schism that U.S. officials hope to exploit.  The Sunni Arab insurgent leaders said they disagreed with al-Qaida leadership over tactics, including attacks on civilians, as well as over command of the movement….(LA Times, 27 Mar 07)

Uzbek Fighters in Pakistan Reportedly Return to Afghanistan

Since the fighting between local militants and foreign guerrillas began in South Waziristan's capital of Wana and its suburban areas on March 18, more than 160 people have been killed in the violence (Pakistan Times, March 24)…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 27 Mar 07)

IG Criticizes Work On Wireless Network For Law Enforcement

The federal government has spent $195 million on a long-promised wireless radio network for the nation's law enforcement agencies that is at "high risk of failure," the Justice Department's inspector general reported yesterday…..(Washington Post, 27 Mar 07)

Cabinet departments fail to create network

A partnership begun in 2004 by the Justice, Homeland Security and Treasury departments to create an Integrated Wireless Network has "fractured" and is at a "high risk for failure," according to a government report issued yesterday.….(Washington Times, 27 Mar 07)

Terrorist Added to Rewards For Justice Most-Wanted List

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has authorized a new reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Zulkifli bin Hir (a.k.a. Marwan), a terrorist believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines. Zulkifli bin Hir has been added to most-wanted list of the Rewards for Justice program, administered by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security…..(PR, 27 Mar 07)

Ordinary Customers Flagged as Terrorists

Private businesses such as rental and mortgage companies and car dealers are checking the names of customers against a list of suspected terrorists and drug traffickers made publicly available by the Treasury Department, sometimes denying services to ordinary people whose names are similar to those on the list….(Washington Post, 27 Mar 07)

Canada's Counterinsurgency Strategy

Following closely behind their counterparts in the United States and Britain, Canada's Department of National Defence is preparing a comprehensive counter-insurgency field manual for its soldiers and officers….(ZMag, 27 Mar 07)

NATO Troops Earn Resentment of Frustrated Afghans

Foreign troops deployed in Afghanistan are beginning to draw the resentment of Afghans fed up with growing civilian casualties and the lack of material progress in their lives… Resentment has posed special problems in the south, where villagers who have suffered from Western military firepower have responded to the Taliban's call to arms against foreign troops and the government of President Hamid Karzai….(Reuters, 27 Mar 07)

Iraq has become center of international terrorism, expert says

…Rohan Gunaratna said while al-Qaida has shrunk in the last five years to only about 500 members — from a high of 2,000 to 3,000 — it is being replaced by dozens of groups around the world with the same global jihad ideology and a new focus on Iraq. "In many ways, the events in Iraq are both a lightning rod and a magnet,"…(AP, 27 Mar 07)

Group profile: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
The LTTE is a model for existing and emerging insurgent groups. The international security and intelligence community generally assesses the LTTE as one of the world's most effective terrorist organizations….(Jane’s, 27 Mar 07)

Pakistanis Near Afghanistan Sign Pact

Pakistanis living along the Afghan border have signed a third peace deal with the government promising not to shelter foreign militants….(AP, 27 Mar 07)

Jemaah Islamiya Still a Potent Force for Violence in Southeast Asia

While many have written off Jemaah Islamiya (JI), the Southeast Asian terrorist group responsible for two in bombings in Bali in 2002 and 2005 and two in Jakarta in 2003 (the JW Marriott hotel) and 2004 (the Australian Embassy), arrests across Java in the past week have demonstrated the group's resilience…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 27 Mar 07)

Despite Setbacks, JMB Remains Resilient in Bangladesh

The arrests of three Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operatives on March 14 in Rangpur and their subsequent interrogations revealed the organization's plan to conduct new terrorist attacks in Bangladesh. The attacks were timed to take place before the executions of six JMB kingpins…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 27 Mar 07)

An Enclave of Normalcy in Fearful Baghdad

…As the United States and Iraq proceed with a six-week-old security offensive to pacify the capital, Sadr's black-clad fighters have melted away. His advisers have fled to evade arrest. His own whereabouts are contested. U.S. intelligence officials say elements of his Mahdi Army militia have splintered off beyond his control. Yet nowhere is Sadr's power more visible than in the sprawling district in eastern Baghdad that bears his family's name…(Washington Post, 27 Mar 07)

Proposed Iraqi Law Would Restore Jobs For Baath Members
…The legislation, seen by the United States as crucial to pacifying Iraq, will go to parliament as soon as it is reviewed by cabinet officials, said Ahmed Shames, a spokesman for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki…..(Washington Post, 27 Mar 07)

Iraq's Sunni Speaker Seeks Arab Support

…In a statement addressing leaders at a two-day Arab League summit that opens Wednesday in the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani appealed for Arab leaders to "shoulder their legitimate, ethical and national responsibilities toward Iraq and to never abandon its people."…(AP, 27 Mar 07)

Britain asks Russia for help with sailors

… British Ambassador Anthony Brenton said his country is consulting with Russia on the matter, RIA Novosti reported Monday. Iran has charged the British sailors with trespassing into Iranian waters….(Washington Times, 27 Mar 07)

Arab Ministers Agree To Revive Initiative For Mideast Peace

Arab foreign ministers agreed to relaunch a five-year-old peace initiative with Israel, including establishment of a working group to begin negotiations on the plan, according to reports from Riyadh, the Saudi capital….(Washington Post, 27 Mar 07)

Mideast Leaders Agree to Biweekly Meetings

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders have agreed to meet every two weeks to discuss day-to-day issues, but also a ''political horizon,'' Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced Tuesday…(AP, 27 Mar 07)

Liberal Algerian Daily Criticizes U.S. Anti-War Movement

In an opinion piece in the liberal Algerian daily Liberté, columnist Mustapha Hammouche criticizes what he sees as the simplistic populism of the anti-war movement in the U.S. He argues that the anti-war protests are primarily a result of nostalgia for the protest movement against the Vietnam War..…(MEMRI, 27 Mar 07)

A Brokered Peace

The March 10 international conference seeking peace in Iraq should be applauded. If those with a stake in Iraq are talking, they might at least find common rhetorical ground in their opposition to terrorism. But dialogue does not mean peace. Focused international mediation, ideally by the United Nations, will be needed for peace and stability…(Washington Post, 27 Mar 07)

What the Warriors Cannot Do

…To speak of victory in Iraq might sound like a cruel joke. This is a nation that is now devastated, where 2 million people have fled, another 2 million are internal refugees, militias run large parts of the country and the government sanctions religious repression, ethnic cleansing and vigilante violence. What does "victory" mean in such circumstances?....(Newsweek, 27 Mar 07)

Rice: All Alone on Middle East Peace

…After six years of ignoring the Israeli-Palestinian dispute as a lost cause, the Bush Administration in recent months has renewed its interest in solving the conflict, largely as a way to rally moderate Arabs into supporting U.S. efforts to pacify Iraq and curtail Iran's radical aspirations in the region….(Time Magazine, 27 Mar 07)

Australian's Guilty Plea Is First at Guantanamo

Australian David M. Hicks pleaded guilty to one charge of material support for terrorism during a brief military hearing Monday night, becoming the first Guantanamo prisoner to officially accept criminal responsibility for aiding terrorists since the detention facility opened more than five years ago. The plea during the first day of hearings under the Military Commissions Act of 2006 marks a victory for the Bush administration, which is now likely to secure a conviction in the first case it pursues under Congress's new rules….(Washington Post, 27 Mar 07)

Indonesian anti-terror raid reveals more explosives

Indonesian anti-terror police have uncovered more explosives in Surabaya belonging to an Al-Qaeda-linked extremist group. The find included 12.5 kilograms of TNT, 14 kilograms of other explosives and 20 detonators….(RSI, 27 Mar 07)

U.S. says caught Iraq car bombers blamed for 900 dead

U.S. forces captured two leaders of a major car bomb cell responsible for attacks that killed around 900 Iraqis, mostly in the Shi'ite district of Sadr City in Baghdad…(Reuters, 27 Mar 07)

Marines Call 1,800 From Ready Reserve

The Marine Corps is recalling 1,800 reservists to active duty, citing a shortage of volunteers to fill some jobs in Iraq…..(AP, 27 Mar 07)

Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border

Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran's borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday. "The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched….(RIA Novosti, 27 Mar 07)

Manhunts swamped by fugitive alien toll

The federal government has spent $204 million since 2003 to hunt down and remove fugitive aliens from the United States, but it has shown little success in slowing down a burgeoning number of aliens now hiding in cities and towns across America. More than 623,000 fugitive aliens or "absconders" are loose on the streets of America…..(Washington Times, 27 Mar 07)

U.S. Long Worried That Iran Supplied Arms in Iraq

More than 20 months ago, the United States secretly sent Iran a diplomatic protest charging that Tehran was supplying lethal roadside explosive devices to Shiite extremists in Iraq, according to American officials familiar with the message..…(New York Times, 27 Mar 07)

Canada needs counterterrorism chief, says former CSIS boss

Canada should appoint a politically independent intelligence "czar" who would co-ordinate the operations of security and intelligence agencies such as the RCMP and CSIS, the former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Monday….(CanWest, 27 Mar 07)

Several Jemaah Islamiyah members seized in Java

In Central Java police have arrested a number of suspected members of militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah. Its new leader Abu Dujana is said however to have escaped. He is thought to be linked to Noordin Top, another terrorist on Indonesia’s Most Wanted list…..(Asia News, 27 Mar 07)

U.S. Offers Nearly $60 Mln to Prepare Abbas's Forces

The Bush administration plans to provide $59 million to strengthen security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and additional money to support any future elections….(Reuters, 27 Mar 07)

Thailand recruits women for counter-insurgency drive

Living in Thailand's restive Muslim-majority south, Sudthaya Sukthong used to spend her days in constant fear that she could be killed at any time… So when the army began recruiting for new all-female units of army rangers, she decided to take her life in her own hands…..(Agence France-Presse, 27 Mar 07)

Australia Welcomes Hicks Guilty Plea to Terrorism Charges at Guantanamo

The Australian government says it expects Australian Taleban fighter David Hicks to return "fairly soon" to serve a prison sentence at home, after his guilty plea at Guantanamo Bay to a terrorism charge….(VOA, 27 Mar 07)

Plea of Guilty From Detainee in Guantánamo

…The plea by Mr. Hicks came after an extraordinary day in a pristine red, white and blue courtroom here. Earlier the military judge had surprised the courtroom with unexpected rulings that two of Mr. Hicks’s three lawyers would not be permitted to participate in the proceedings, leaving only Maj. Michael D. Mori of the Marine Corps at the defense table….(New York Times, 27 Mar 07)

Australia Welcomes Hicks Guilty Plea to Terrorism Charges at Guantanamo

The Australian government says it expects Australian Taleban fighter David Hicks to return "fairly soon" to serve a prison sentence at home, after his guilty plea at Guantanamo Bay to a terrorism charge. The case, which has dragged out for more than five years, was becoming a political embarrassment to Australian Prime Minister John Howard. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports. It now seems certain that David Hicks will be sent back to Australia to serve his prison sentence for providing material support to terrorism. Australian Prime Minister John Howard says an agreement is already in place with the United States….(VOA, 27 Mar 07)

Lesson in Mideast: Terrorism pays

The United States and European countries are falling all over themselves to deal with and finance the new Hamas-Fatah coalition government in Palestine, still under a supposed embargo on financial aid. This weaseling out of official commitments will only encourage the terrorists of Hamas and make renewed violence in the Middle East more likely…..(Boston Herald, 25 Mar 07)

We Can't Win If We Don't Know the Enemy

From the moment that President Bush declared a "war on terrorism" and then led the country to war in Iraq, the United States has utterly failed to fulfill the timeless admonition to "know your enemy." This failure helps explain why we are so far from winning in Iraq or more broadly against al-Qaeda and its allies…(Washington Post, 25 Mar 07)

Report: NYPD Watched RNC-Bound Activists

Undercover NYPD officers traveled around the U.S. and even to Europe to observe activists who planned to protest at the 2004 Republican National Convention _ including hundreds who showed no sign of illegal intent, a newspaper reported. Posing as activists or sympathizers, the officers attended meetings of political groups in at least 15 states and filed reports with the police department's intelligence division….(AP, 25 Mar 07)