Pakistan's Peril
After nearly eight years in power, Pakistani strongman Gen. Pervez Musharraf appears to be weakening. Mass demonstrations broke out against him this month in Punjab, the country's political heartland; tens of thousands at a time are turning out to cheer a Supreme Court judge who tried to investigate human rights abuses and then rejected the general's demand that he resign…..(Washington Post, 25 May 07)

Militants Bomb Baghdad Bridge

Unknown militants blew up a bridge linking al-Adl district to al-Khadra district on the western side of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, Thursday evening…The bombing is part of serial attacks targeting bridges and crossings in Baghdad in a bid by militants to destroy Iraq's infrastructure facilities…..(KUNA, 25 May 07)

260 Iraqi terror cells dismantled, 250 hostages freed in year: minister

Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani said here Thursday 260 terrorist networks were dismantled and 250 hostages were set free in one year; from May 22nd, 2006 up to date. The Iraqi minister made the news remarks while commenting on the performance of his ministry on the occasion of the Iraqi national unity government being in office for one year….(KUNA, 24 May 07)

Taliban behead Afghan working for US forces

Taliban militants dumped the beheaded body of a man in western Afghanistan on Wednesday with a note saying that he was targeted for working with US forces….(DNA India, 24 May 07)

9 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq; Abducted Soldier Found Dead
Nine U.S. soldiers and Marines were killed in Iraq on Tuesday, and the military said that the body of a man found in the Euphrates River early Wednesday was that of an American soldier abducted during a deadly ambush south of Baghdad almost two weeks ago…..(Washington Post, 24 May 07)

Afghan Civilian Deaths Stir NATO Unease

Recent U.S. special forces operations that killed 90 Afghan civilians have caused friction with America's NATO partners, who are concerned that such deaths hurt the standing of Western troops fighting the Taliban insurgency. The deaths involved troops from the 12,000-member U.S.-led coalition and not NATO's 37,000-member International Security Assistance Force….(AP, 24 May 07)

Iraqi cleric back in public eye

Moqtada Sadr, the radical Iraqi Shia cleric, has appeared in public in Iraq for the first time in months. He led Friday prayers in Kufa to deliver a defiant sermon condemning the US and the occupation of the country. …(BBC, 25 May 07)

Shiite Cleric Appears in Iraq After Stay in Iran

…The cleric, addressing a large crowd amid heavy security, called for American forces to leave Iraq and for the Iraqi government to make sure that the Americans leave as soon as possible. He called for and end to fighting between his own Mahdi Army and Iraqi forces and police, asking his followers to conduct peaceful demonstrations instead. He also requested reconciliation between Shiites and Sunnis…..(New York Times, 25 May 07)

Poland may allow Russia to inspect missile shield

Poland may allow Moscow to inspect a U.S. anti-missile shield on its territory to convince the Kremlin the weapons would pose no threat to Russia…The plan to place 10 interceptor rockets in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic has been strongly criticized by Russia….(Reuters, 25 May 07)

Russia says new hitch over Iran's Bushehr

Russia said on Friday it was likely to postpone talks in Tehran over the construction of a nuclear power station, a project that has been caught up in an international standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Russia's state-owned nuclear contractor said persistent payment problems lay behind the expected postponement of talks in Iran at the end of May over construction at the Bushehr plant…..(Reuters, 25 May 07)

What’s next for al-Qaida 3.0?

…Roger Cressey, former deputy director of counterterrorism at the National Security Council and now an NBC News analyst, points out that, once again, al-Qaida has morphed into what another analyst, Peter Bergin, calls "al-Qaida 3.0." The first version was a hierarchal organization; the second was more inspirational, meant to spur a series of loosely affiliated groups allied around a central idea. “We are now dealing with a hybrid phenomenon,” Cressey says. “Al-Qaida the organization has reconstituted in a way that they can reach out to the jihadi movement and provide homegrown terrorists with facilities and empowerment, particularly through links in Pakistan.”….(NBC, 24 May 07)

Timeline: Osama bin Laden tapes

Turkey: Raids Into Iraq Mulled In Wake of Ankara Blast

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the government is considering military raids into Iraq targeting Kursish separatists authorities suspected for the deadly suicide bomb blast at a shopping mall in Ankara on Tuesday…Police who say the plastic explosive used in the Ankara blast is similar to that used in several attacks by the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) have identified the body of a man, Guven Akkus they suspected of being the suicide bomber. The PKK in a statement has denied involvement in the bombing….(AKI, 24 May 07)

al-Qaida Tape Offers Prisoner Exchanges

A purported al-Qaida in Afghanistan commander claimed in an audiotape released early Friday that the terror group was willing to swap prisoners with the U.S., Britain and other countries. The audiotape's authenticity could not independently be confirmed, but it was posted on a Web site commonly used by Islamic militants. It opened with a short section that said it was produced by as-Sahab, the al-Qaida media production wing…..(AP, 24 May 07)

Morgue Data Show Increase In Sectarian Killings in Iraq

More than three months into a U.S.-Iraqi security offensive designed to curtail sectarian violence in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, Health Ministry statistics show that such killings are rising again. From the beginning of May until Tuesday, 321 unidentified corpses, many dumped and showing signs of torture and execution, have been found across the Iraqi capital….(Washington Post, 24 May 07)

Weapons of War in the Niger Delta

The Niger Delta region of Nigeria, home to large oil and gas operations, is awash with dangerous Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). The explosion in activities of non-state armed groups poses a serious threat to residents, the security of the Nigerian state and the booming petro-business in the region.….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 24 May 07)

Islamabad Receives Most ‘War on Terror’ Funds

Pakistan is the largest recipient of US assistance from a fund created to support Washington’s war on terror, says a new study released on Wednesday. In the first four years after 9/11, Pakistan received more than $3 billion from the Coalition Support Fund…..(AKI/Dawn, 24 May 07)

Family Speaks of Fatah Islam Leader

Shaker Youssef al-Absi, the Palestinian who heads a shadowy militant group blamed for this week's violence in Lebanon, is not a terrorist but a nationalist who seeks an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands, his family says. But Jordanian officials insist he is an al-Qaida-linked militant, once closely allied with the slain al-Qaida in Iraq chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi…..(AP, 24 May 07)

Report: Administration was warned of Iraq war dangers

U.S. intelligence agencies warned the Bush administration in early 2003 that invading Iraq could create internal conflict that would give Iran and al Qaeda new opportunities to expand their influence, according to an upcoming Senate report. Officials familiar with the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation also say analysts warned against U.S. domination in the region, which could increase extremist recruiting…..(AP, 24 May 07)

US urges N Korea to quickly shut down nuclear reactor

The United States on Thursday prodded North Korea to get on with dismantling its atomic program while pledging to quickly solve a banking dispute that is holding up the agreed denuclearization…But Pyongyang has refused to implement the disarmament pact until it receives 25 million dollars stuck in a Macau bank since 2005 under US money laundering and counterfeiting sanctions….(Agence France-Presse, 24 May 07)

Iranian Defiance Of U.N. Detailed

Iran has again defied U.N. demands to suspend its nuclear enrichment programs, according to a report issued yesterday by the International Atomic Energy Agency, leading Bush administration officials to demand increased pressure on Tehran. The IAEA report said that Iran has significantly accelerated its enrichment capability and has not provided a range of verification information to the agency…..(Washington Post, 24 May 07)

Report: US, allies selling Iran flawed nuclear components

Intelligence operatives in the US and its allied nations have sold Iran flawed technological components in an attempt to sabotage the country's nuclear enrichment program, CBS News revealed Wednesday evening. ….(Jerusalem Post, 24 May 07)

Saudi forces train for new stage of insurgency fight

…Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz told fellow Gulf Arab interior ministers this week that Iraq had become the training ground for a "new generation" of militants whose influence would be felt throughout the Arabian peninsula, where the United States maintains a large military presence… The absolute monarchy, which was at first reluctant to admit Saudis had any part in the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities, has launched a media war against militants despite once backing Saudis who left to fight foreigners in places like Afghanistan…..(Reuters, 24 May 07)

Europeans back plan to profile mosques

Security officials from Europe's largest countries have thrown their weight behind the EU Commission's plans to map out mosques on the continent to identify imams who preach radical Islam that raises the threat of homegrown terrorism. The project, to be finished by the fall, will focus on the roles of imams, their training, their ability to speak in the local language and their source of funding….(AP, 24 May 07)

UK anti-terrorism laws under fire as suspects flee

Britain's anti-terrorism strategy faced mounting criticism on Thursday after an embarrassing announcement that three men suspected of planning attacks on British or U.S. troops abroad had absconded. Police said the men, two of whom are brothers of a man jailed last month for plotting al Qaeda-inspired bomb attacks across Britain, had violated anti-terrorism "control orders" and failed to check in with authorities last week….(Reuters, 24 May 07)

Britain Tracks 3 Who Fled in Terror Case

Britain’s counterterrorism police on Wednesday took the highly unusual step of issuing a public appeal for information about three terrorism suspects said to have absconded from a form of house arrest known as control orders. It was the first time that suspects under control orders had been identified publicly….(New York Times, 24 May 07)

Lebanon Says Will Hit Terrorism as Truce Holds

Lebanon's prime minister vowed to stamp out an Islamist militant group that has been locked in fighting with the Lebanese army at a camp in the north of the country where a fragile truce held for a second day on Thursday….(Reutersk 24 May 07)

Car bomber kills 27 at funeral in Iraq

At least 27 people were killed and dozens wounded on Thursday when a suicide bomber in a car packed with explosives drove into a crowd of mourners at a funeral in Falluja, west of Baghdad….(Reuters, 24 May 07)

Shamshatoo Refugee Camp: A Base of Support for Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

Two years after the Pakistani government banned it from publication, Shahaadat Daily newspaper, funded by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Party of Afghanistan), is again available on the streets of Peshawar (Ariana Television, May 6). The daily has published articles that denounce the Afghan government and its major supporter, the United States.….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 24 May 07)

France demands release of Hamas officials

France on Thursday condemned the arrest by the Israeli army of a minister, three deputies and other elected representatives of the Palestinian Hamas movement and demanded their immediate release….(Antara, 24 May 07)

Rules Skirted, Millions Wasted on Navy Boat Barriers

… The Naval Criminal Investigative Service embarked on a plan to shield U.S. ships around the world with rings of floating, rubberized barriers. The investigative service is responsible for security and probing criminal wrongdoing, including fraud in Navy contracts. But auditors concluded that NCIS hired companies that did little or no significant work on the boat barriers yet collected millions of dollars in fees…..(Washington Post, 24 May 07)

Insurgents kill state officer in Yala
…Surasak Pataru, 40, deputy tambon Noen Ngam administrative organization chief executive, was killed when he was traveling to a post office in Raman district. He was also a staff at the post office…..(Bangkok Post, 24 May 07)

Spain Terror Trial Dwells on What Didn't Happen

…Both inside and outside the court, the theory that Basque separatists were linked to the attacks, which killed 191 people, is argued over and analyzed in forensic detail… Investigators in Spain, elsewhere in Europe and in the United States blame the 10 near-simultaneous bombings of four commuter trains on Islamists inspired by al Qaeda…..(Reuters, 24 May 07)

ELF Arsonist Gets 13 Years in Prison

Declaring that fires set at a police station, an SUV dealership and a tree farm were acts of terrorism, a federal judge Wednesday sentenced a member of a radical environmental group to 13 years in prison. Stanislas Meyerhoff, 29, has admitted to being a member of a Eugene cell of the Earth Liberation Front known as The Family, which was responsible for more than 20 arson fires from 1996 through 2001 in five Western states that caused $40 million in damage…..(AP, 23 May 07)

U.S. airports to get explosive 'sniffers'

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is moving ahead with plans to buy 200 liquid explosive detectors for the country's biggest airports this summer. TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said the devices won't end restrictions on what liquids and gels passengers can carry onboard aircraft….(UPI, 23 May 07)

CBP recruiting volunteers to train Iraqi border guards

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner W. Ralph Basham is looking for a few good men and women, seeking out veteran U.S. Border Patrol agents and CBP officers willing to train Iraqis to guard their borders. In a message to all Border Patrol agents and CBP officers, Mr. Basham said the agency wants to "support the reconstruction efforts in Iraq" by deploying volunteers as temporary advisers to help the U.S.-backed Iraqi government seal its border against insurgents…..(Washington Times, 23 May 07)

US bill criminalizing pointing lasers at aircraft

People who shine laser pointers at airplanes could face up to five years in prison under legislation approved Tuesday by the House of Representatives. The use of cheap, hand-held laser pens "presents an imminent threat to aviation security and passenger safety….(AP/Jerusalem Post, 23 May 07)

Al-Qaida still considers Los Angeles top target

Los Angeles remains a top target of Al-Qaida which sees the city as vulnerable to attack as before 9/11, it was reported on Tuesday. Terrorist groups may get funding from street gangs which are draining resources from law enforcement agencies working to head off future attacks….(Xinhua, 23 May 07)

Husband and wife deny terrorism charges at Old Bailey

…Yassin Nassari, 28, is charged with possessing articles for terrorist purposes and documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, offences carrying a jail term of up to 10 years. His wife Bouchra El-Hor, 24, is accused of failing to disclose to police information she knew or believed could have prevented another person, namely Nassari, from committing a terrorist act. She faces up to five years in prison….(Reuters, 23 May 07)

Padilla heard on intercepted calls, agent says

The FBI intercepted more than 300,000 calls during a nearly decadelong investigation into a purported Islamist support cell that Jose Padilla eventually joined, an agent told jurors yesterday. The tapes form the backbone of the federal case against Mr. Padilla and his two co-defendants, Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi….(AP, 23 May 07)

The Link Between Lebanon and Gaza

Talk about the heart of darkness: The Israeli army shelling the Palestinians in Gaza, the Lebanese army bombarding the Palestinians in a refugee camp outside of Tripoli. It may take a while for the smoke to clear, but one thing is for certain: neither Lebanon nor Israel fully understands their enemy and the nature of the relationship between the Palestinians and al-Qaeda, which is strengthening….(Time Magazine, 23 May 07)

Is al-Qaeda on the Run in Iraq?

…"Just because the Sunni tribesmen have joined with us in Anbar doesn't mean they like the Baghdad government," a senior Administration official told me. "They just hate al-Qaeda more." Which is why there is some very bad news from Iraq as well. There is a growing sense among senior U.S. military and intelligence officials that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki—and the Shi'ite factions in general—has little interest in making concessions to the Sunnis. "The Shi'ites suffer from a battered-child syndrome….(Time Magazine, 23 May 07)

U.S. Working To Sabotage Iran Nuke Program

CBS News has learned that Iran is continuing to make progress on its expanded efforts to enrich uranium — in spite of covert efforts by U.S. and other allied intelligence agencies to actively sabotage the country's nuclear program.  "Industrial sabotage is a way to stop the program, without military action, without fingerprints on the operation, and really, it is ideal, if it works," says Mark Fitzpatrick, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Non-Proliferation and now Senior Fellow in Non-Proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. ….(CBS, 23 May 07)

Bush backs secret Iran operation

U.S. President George Bush has approved a secret CIA non-lethal regime destabilization plan in Iran, ABC News reported Wednesday…Current and former intelligence officials who asked not to be identified said the plan aims to upset Iran's uranium enrichment program as well as alleged assistance to insurgents in Iraq…..(UPI, 23 May 07)

Survey: U.S. Muslims Assimilated, Opposed to Extremism

Unlike Muslim minorities in many European countries, U.S. Muslims are highly assimilated, close to parity with other Americans in income and overwhelmingly opposed to Islamic extremism, according to the first major, nationwide random survey of Muslims. The survey by the Pew Research Center found that 78 percent of U.S. Muslims said the use of suicide bombings against civilian targets to defend Islam is never justified. But 5 percent said it is justified "rarely," 7 percent said "sometimes," and 1 percent said "often"; the remaining 9 percent said they did not know or declined to answer…..(Washington Post, 23 May 07)

New Strategy for War Stresses Iraqi Politics

…The classified plan, scheduled to be finished by May 31, is a joint effort between Gen. David H. Petraeus, the senior American general in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker…The overarching aim of the plan, which sets goals for the end of this year and the end of 2008, is more political than military: to negotiate settlements between warring factions in Iraq from the national level down to the local level. In essence, it is as much about the political deals needed to defuse a civil war as about the military operations aimed at quelling a complex insurgency, said officials with knowledge of the plan…..(Washington Post, 23 May 07)

Bush declassifies bin Laden, Iraq data

…The information mirrored a classified bulletin from the Homeland Security Department in March 2005, reporting that bin Laden had enlisted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, his senior operative in Iraq, to plan potential strikes in the U.S. The warning was described at the time as credible but not specific and did not prompt the administration to raise its national terror alert level. The declassification of the intelligence came a day before Bush was scheduled to speak about terrorism at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy…..(AP, 23 May 07)