CT Studies | Counterterrorism News for September 9-15, 2007

Intelligence & Counterterrorism News for the week of:

September 9-15, 2007

…Maulana Hassan Jan, a senior leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam _ a religious party which controls the provincial government in Pakistan's North West Frontier province _ was traveling through the city of Peshawar when gunmen attacked him. Imtiaz Khan, a local police official, said Jan was going to a mosque for evening prayers when “terrorists shot and killed him.”….(Times of India, 15 Sep 07)

Lebanon: Fatah Islam Fighters Caught

…The army defeated Fatah Islam after a three-month-long siege. Lebanese troops have since combed areas around the Nahr el-Bared camp for militants who may have escaped during a final desperate breakout attempt on Sept. 2 when more than 50 fighters were killed and two dozen detained. The spokesman, Abu Salim Taha, was captured in the countryside outside Nahr el-Bared near another Palestinian refugee camp, Beddawi…..(AP, 15 Sep 07)

U.S. Official Says Syria May Have Nuclear Ties

A State Department official said Friday that the United States had concerns about Syria’s involvement in illicit nuclear activities and suggested that North Korea might be aiding the Syrians in their efforts. Andrew Semmel, a top official on countering the spread of nuclear weapons, said that Syria may have a number of “secret suppliers” for a covert nuclear program, and that North Korean technicians were currently operating inside Syria…..(New York Times, 15 Sep 07)

Bhutto Announces Date of Return to Pakistan

Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto announced Friday that she would return from self-imposed exile on Oct. 18 to run in parliamentary elections that could make her prime minister for a third time by the year’s end. The decision to return appears to have been made without her reaching a formal power-sharing agreement with Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf….(New York Times, 15 Sep 07)

Sunni leaders in Iraq threatened

An al-Qaida front group threatened to assassinate Sunni leaders who support American troops in Iraq as a Shiite bloc loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr defected Saturday from the Iraqi government's parliament base. The two developments cast doubt over prospects for political and military progress in Iraq as the U.S. Senate gears up for a debate next week on Democratic demands for deeper and faster troop cuts than President Bush plans.The threat against Sunni leaders came from the Islamic State of Iraq, which claimed responsibility for the assassination…..(AP, 15 Sep 07)

AP: Federal Agencies Flunk Their Audits

Ten years after Congress ordered federal agencies to have outside auditors review their books, neither the Defense Department nor the newer Department of Homeland Security has met even basic accounting requirements, leaving them vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse. An Associated Press review shows that the two departments' financial records are so disorganized and inconsistent that they have repeatedly earned "disclaimer" opinions, meaning that they simply cannot be fully audited….(AP, 15 Sep 07)

Police sleep on terror modules

There are about 13 terrorist modules or sleeping cells in the city. Each cell comprises around six to 10 operatives who are activated by their foreign masters when required. Ordinarily, when a strike has to be carried out, it is either a team of Pakistanis or Bangladeshis that visit the city, take charge, conduct the recce and execute the plan in coordination with local operatives. According to police sources, in the Mecca Masjid, Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat Bhandar blasts at least 40 operatives took part. In the masjid incident alone, four Bangladeshis and two Pakistanis played an active role. These facts are known to the Special Branch, the Special Investigation Team and the Special Investigation Cell. The city police are aware of the information, or parts of it, for nearly 15 years….(Times of India, 14 Sep 07)

Pakistan's newest threat: Army officer turns suicide bomber
According to reliable sources in the local police, a Pashtun army officer belonging to the elite Special Services Group, whose younger sister was reportedly among the 300 girls killed during the Pakistan Army's commando raid on the Lal Masjid in Islamabad between July 10 and 13, blew himself up during dinner at the SSG's headquarters mess at Tarbela Ghazi, 100 km south of Islamabad, on the night of September 13, killing 19 other officers. The incident coincided with United States Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte's visit to Kabul and Islamabad for talks with leaders and officials of the two governments. According to the same sources, the Pashtun army officer belonged to South Waziristan, but Tarbela Ghazi is not located in the tribal belt. The SSG, to which General Pervez Musharraf belonged, was specially trained by the US Special Forces for covert operations and for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency duties…..(Rediff, 14 Sep 07)

Iran Leader: Bush Will Be Tried

…Speaking to thousands of worshippers during the first Friday prayer of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Bush will be called to account for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. "A day will come that the current U.S. president and officials will be tried in an international supreme court for the catastrophes they caused in Iraq," he said…..(AP, 14 Sep 07)

Truck bomb kills seven police north of Baghdad

A suicide bomber rammed a truck laden with explosives into two police cars near the northern Iraqi town of Baiji on Friday, killing at least seven policemen, a police source said. An official at a joint police and army coordination centre put the death toll at 10, and said he believed it could rise further because identification cards had been found at the scene which did not belong to bodies so far recovered…..(Reuters, 14 Sep 07)

Six Pakistani soldiers go missing in Waziristan, 11 others released

As militants released on Friday the 11 Pakistani soldiers that were kidnapped earlier, authorities said six more went missing after the latest clashes in the North Waziristan tribal agency along Afghan border in which nearly 40 militants were killed….(KUNA, 14 Sep 07)

Bomb Kills a Key Sunni Ally of U.S.

…The efforts of Abdul Sattar Abu Risha became the centerpiece of the Bush administration's campaign to prove its troop buildup in Iraq has been a success. President Bush, during a visit to Anbar last week, met with Abu Risha and said the province suggested "what the future of Iraq can look like." Abu Risha was regarded by Americans as a rare leader willing to stand defiantly alongside U.S. forces, while able to both cajole and intimidate his fellow Sunnis into agreement…..(Washington Post, 14 Sep 07)

Iraq: Revenge Sought in Sheik's Death

Mourners vowed revenge and perseverance Friday at the funeral of the leader of the Sunni Arab revolt against al-Qaida militants who was assassinated just 10 days after meeting with President Bush in Iraq's Anbar province. More than 1,500 mourners marched along the highway near the home of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who was killed along with two bodyguards and a driver Thursday by a bomb hidden near his house, just west of Ramadi……(AP, 14 Sep 07)

Gaza: Fatah Hopes for Comeback

Alaa Siyam's limbs are purple from a beating by Hamas police _ but he says that won't stop him from joining protests against the militant group's leaders now running Gaza. Hamas' defeated rival, the Fatah Party of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is counting on loyal foot soldiers like Siyam as it takes hesitant first steps to rebuild its shattered organization in Gaza…..(AP, 14 Sep 07)

Saudi Arabia waves off US accusations of complacency in fight against terror

…"We hear every now and then that the kingdom does not do enough. [But] when we meet with officials, they thank us for the effort exerted by the government to combat terrorism," Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. "They [describe] the program we are implementing as one of the most effective on the international scene to confront terrorism, be it on the security or material fronts," he said. Saud was responding to a question about remarks by the US Treasury's top anti-terrorism official, Stuart Levey, who chided Saudi Arabia Tuesday for not prosecuting the bankrollers of terrorist groups…..(Daily Star, 14 Sep 07)

Bhutto announces Pakistan return

Pakistani ex-PM Benazir Bhutto will return from self-imposed exile on 18 October, despite no power-sharing deal with the government, her party says. A top member of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) told journalists in Islamabad that Ms Bhutto would "bring back true democracy to Pakistan". Ms Bhutto, who has failed to reach a deal with President Musharraf, could face corruption charges on her return….(BBC, 14 Sep 07)

Benazir Bhutto's extraordinary career

Benazir Bhutto was once feted at home and abroad as a symbol of modernity and democracy, but she has since fought a long battle against corruption allegations. Like the Nehru-Gandhi family in India, the Bhuttos of Pakistan are one of the world's most famous political dynasties. Benazir's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was prime minister of Pakistan in the early 1970s. His government was one of the few in the 30 years following independence that was not run by the army…..(BBC, 14 Sep 07)

US: North Korea warned against sending nuclear material to Syria

US President George Bush warned North Korea last year against transferring nuclear material to Syria, Iran or a terrorist organization, saying such a move would be perceived as a "grave threat," according to a former senior government official….(AKI, 14 Sep 07)

Murky Raid Heats Up Syria-Israel Tension

Syria and Israel last turned their guns on each other in all-out war a quarter century ago, but tensions are sky high after a mysterious Israeli airstrike deep into Syrian territory last week. America says the target was Iranian missiles, while others have raised questions of possible North Korean links…..(AP, 14 Sep 07)

U.S. Army Awards Iraq Security Work To British Firm

The U.S. military confirmed yesterday that it awarded the largest security contract in Iraq to a private British firm, Aegis Defense Services, in a deal worth up to $475 million over two years. Aegis won the high-stakes derby over six other contenders, said sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the bidding process. The deal, however, is being challenged by another British company that bid on the contract…..(Washington Post, 14 Sep 07)

WYXZ Video: Doctor-in-Training Caught in Park with AK-47

Pentagon Censors 9/11 Suspect's Tape

The Pentagon has released a censored audiotape of suspected Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed _ deleting a part officials said could be used to recruit future terrorists. The tape of Mohammed's 40-minute hearing before a U.S. military proceeding in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was edited to exclude a 10-minute passage about the kidnap and beheading of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl and Mohammed's explanation for why Islamic militants are waging jihad against the United States, as well as information the government said was classified…..(AP, 14 Sep 07)

Diary secrets of Dutch woman fighting for FARC

Colombian forces have captured the intimate diary of a Dutch woman who joined the country's Marxist rebels, in which she gives a rare view of life with the guerrillas deep in the jungle…That woman, known in the FARC as "Eillen", is actually Tanja Nijmeijer, 29 - her identity was confirmed by the Dutch after a photo of her stored on the captured computer was published. Her parents live a middle-class neighbourhood in Denekamp, near the German border. She is a languages graduate from the University of Groningen, who first went to Colombia in 2000 as part of a university exchange to improve her Spanish. She returned in 2002 and entered guerrilla ranks. The FARC have long recruited women, who make up about a third of the 12,000-strong army….(Scotsman, 14 Sep 07)

New Terror Arrest in Canada

…In a written statement, the RCMP said, "The Integrated National Security Enforcement Team arrested an individual residing in Maskinongé, Mauricie, on September 12, 2007. Said Namouh, 35, was charged under the Criminal Code of Canada of conspiring for the purpose of delivering, placing, discharging or detonating an explosive in a place outside Canada…..(ABC Blog, 14 Sep 07)

India: Sniffer dogs to enhance security for railways

It will be canine power that will assist security personnel in guarding country’s "sensitive" railway stations. With threat perceptions high at these stations, it has been decided to deploy about 250 trained sniffer dogs at the stations, which will help in curbing incidents like the Samjhauta Express and Mumbai train blasts……(AKI, 14 Sep 07)

Serbian prosecutors file terrorism charges against 15 Muslims

Serbia's state prosecutors on Friday filed criminal charges against 15 Muslim men from a tense southern region for alleged terrorist activity. Most of the indicted men were arrested in raids earlier this year in the Sandzak region bordering Kosovo where large caches of ammunition and bomb-making material were also discovered….(AP, 14 Sep 07)

Bail Mulled for Man Linked to Terrorism

…U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel said he would decide next week whether to release Rahmat Abdhir on bail pending his trial. Abdhir, 43, is accused of sending more than $10,000 and military gear to his brother, thought to be a high-ranking member of al-Qaida affiliate Jemaah Islamiyah. Prosecutors say the gear included nearly 30 military radios _ parts of which were discovered to be timing devices for a bomb that killed five people in the Philippines last year……(AP, 14 Sep 07)

Violence Kills More Than 60 in Northwest Pakistan

More than 60 people died in violence in Pakistan on Thursday, including at least 15 soldiers who were killed by an explosion in a heavily secured dining hall for army commandos. The blast went off at dinnertime, just as dozens of army officers were sitting down to eat, according to officials, who said the attack was most likely the work of a suicide bomber. It was unclear how the bomber gained access to the tightly controlled base in the northwestern town of Tarbela Ghazi, which is home to the army's elite Special Services Group…..(Washington Post, 14 Sep 07)

Fatah takes battle with Hamas to mosques

Loyalists of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas are taking their fight with Hamas to the mosques of the West Bank to stop what they call Islamist brainwashing and recruiting. Palestinian security officers have stepped up surveillance of places of worship across the territory and preachers caught spouting Hamas propaganda will be sacked….(Agence France-Presse, 14 Sep 07)

Books define Islam, Judaism in 100-plus pages

What Do Muslims Believe? The Roots and Realities of Modern Islam, by Ziauddin Sardar and What Do Jews Believe? The Customs and Culture of Modern Judaism, by Edward Kessler

…Each book offers just over 100 pages of tightly formatted highlights of the history, significance and practice of the faiths and concludes with suggestions for further study. They're well-indexed, in case a reader wants to cut through the detailed chapter on the life of Mohammed to learn about the prophet's crucial night journey when he received the revelations of the Quran. But the books offer more than facts. Both authors sometimes add a personal spin to their summaries…..(USA Today, 13 Sep 07)

Which Islam? Whose Islam? All Muslims Own Interpretation of the Koran

(Part Three of Four)

While most English translations of the Koran are similar, there are essential differences that may escape non-Muslims, including its well-intentioned and articulate critics. Actually, these differences are better termed human interpretations rather than translations, because they are, in their essence, inextricably wedded to the biases and orientation of their translators. I need not point out how a story, told to one person, who tells it to another, and so on, can bear no resemblance in the end to the original; some parts can become magnified, others exaggerated, and others omitted altogether…..(Family Security Matters, 13 Sep 07)

Economist warns against vague statements on security threats

The government appears to be fighting a data-free war on terror, instead of using data analysis to inform policy decisions, a Princeton economist said this week.

Government officials should avoid making vague statements about terrorism that have little empirical basis, said Alan Krueger, a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton, at a Tuesday event at the Brookings Institution….(Gov Exec, 13 Sep 07)

Confidential Chicago terrorist threat assessment leaked over P2P

Officials at consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. are looking into how a Fox News reporter acquired a confidential terrorist threat assessment on Chicago over a public file-sharing network. Larry Yellen, an investigative reporter with WFLD Fox News in Chicago, on Tuesday reported that he recently used a peer-to-peer (P2P) program called LimeWire to obtain the Booz Allen document. The firm authored the document in 2002. George Farrar, a spokesman for Booz Allen, today confirmed the incident and said the document was commissioned by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) five years ago. It was one of 35 threat assessments….(Computerworld, 13 Sep 07)

al-Qaida Video Shows Body of U.S. Pilot

An al-Qaida-linked insurgent group released a video Thursday showing what it called the body of a U.S. pilot killed in Iraq last year, a photograph of his identification card and footage of his aircraft's wreckage site. The video, posted on a Web site commonly used by Islamic militants, also blamed President Bush for the pilot's death and for pushing "thousands of American soldiers to the incinerator in Iraq."… Titled "The Missing," the video shows the ID card photograph of Air Force pilot Maj. Troy L. Gilbert, whose F-16CG crashed Nov. 27, 2006, some 20 miles northwest of Baghdad…..(AP, 13 Sep 07)

Security chief says terrorists have been arrested on Texas border

Texas' top homeland security official said Wednesday that terrorists with ties to Hezbollah, Hamas and al-Qaida have been arrested crossing the Texas border with Mexico in recent years. "Has there ever been anyone linked to terrorism arrested?" Texas Homeland Security Director Steve McCraw said in a speech to the North Texas Crime Commission. "Yes, there was."… Leticia Zamarripa, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso, said Wednesday she was unaware of any border arrests of people with terrorist ties. An ICE spokeswoman in San Antonio did not return phone messages left by The Associated Press. U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Lloyd M. Easterling was unable to comment…..(AP, 13 Sep 07)

FBI Official Charged With Abduction, Assault

For nearly six hours, a senior FBI official terrorized his Arlington County girlfriend, at times holding her at knifepoint in her closet, dragging her around the apartment by her hair and forcing a gun into her mouth in a jealous, drunken rage, police allege in court documents. Carl L. Spicocchi, 54, a former head of the FBI's Toledo office who was on a temporary assignment in Washington, is being held without bond at the Arlington jail on two felony counts -- abduction with intent to defile and a firearms charge….(Washington Post, 13 Sep 07)

Suicide attack that killed 16 soldiers in Pakistan likely an inside job, official says

…Security officials initially said that Thursday's blast at the Ghazi Tarbela base, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the capital, Islamabad, was the work of an attacker driving an explosives-laden vehicle. But a senior army officer told The Associated Press on Friday that survivors said they had seen a man enter the busy dining room and blow himself up, killing 16 troops and wounding another 29. "Now we know for sure that the suicide attacker entered the dining hall," said the official, who sought anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the record. "It was not possible without the support from some insider, or someone who had access." He said there were no firm leads on who could be responsible among a range of militant groups including the Taliban and al-Qaida and homegrown Islamic extremist organizations…..(AP, 13 Sep 07)

Austria's 'Jihad by Telecommute'

They translated and prepared terror videos, claims of responsibility and al-Qaida propaganda on the Internet. Austrian police have now attributed this handiwork to the Global Islamic Media Front and the leader of this network is reportedly among the arrested. It's been three weeks since the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) put out an ad for a translator to help with the growing workload in terror news. "Brothers and sisters with English language skills are especially sought," wrote a GIMF member. "We're looking for someone with time to sacrifice for Allah and thereby support the jihad." Instructions were to send an e-mail response, after which one would receive "a little job" in return…..(Der Spiegel, 13 Sep 07)

Quebec man arrested in terrorist bomb plot

A man arrested northeast of Montreal for allegedly planning a terrorist bombing outside Canada could face additional charges depending on the results of a search at his home, the RCMP said Thursday. Said Namouh, 35, was to appear in court this morning to face charges of conspiring to detonate an explosive device. The arrest of the landed immigrant coincided with three related arrests in Vienna, Austria. The Quebecer is suspected of having links to the Global Islamic Media Front, an al-Qaeda propaganda network. Terrorism researcher Rita Katz, who has been tracking the group, said other Canadians are involved. "The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) is individuals that are spread around the world, and there are several of them in Canada,"… The GIMF has harnessed the Internet to replace the old-style communiqués that terrorist groups used to distribute to sow fear by threatening their targets, making demands and taking responsibility for acts of violence. Islamist terrorist groups from Iraq and Afghanistan to the Palestinian territories and Somalia send their messages and videos to the GIMF, which translates, packages and redistributes them to hundreds of on-line message boards. It is one of the largest al-Qaida mouthpieces, and the kind of slick work it does, putting jihadist propaganda all over the Internet, is credited by security agencies for helping spread the ideology that is turning some Western youths into extremists.….(National Post, 13 Sep 07)

Iraqi insurgents kill key US ally

A key Sunni ally of the US and Iraqi governments has been killed in a bomb attack in the city of Ramadi, Iraqi police and media say. Abdul Sattar Abu Risha was the leader of an alliance of Sunni Arab tribes that rejected al-Qaeda because of its methods and worked with the US. He was killed in a bomb attack near his home in Iraq's western Anbar province. Abu Risha was among a group of tribal leaders who met President George W Bush during his visit to Iraq last week… Abu Risha was the leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as the Anbar Awakening, an alliance of clans which sided with US forces and the Iraqi government in order to try to reclaim Anbar province from al-Qaeda…..(BBC, 13 Sep 07)

Obituary: Abdul Sattar Abu Risha

Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha was a key Sunni Arab ally of the US and Iraqi governments in Iraq's western Anbar province. The 37-year-old leader of the Al Bu Risha tribe was killed in a bomb attack near his home in the provincial capital, Ramadi, on Thursday. He was reportedly a top target for assassination by al-Qaeda in Iraq, whom he is widely credited with having defeated in much of western Iraq. Abu Risha, who also ran a construction and import-export business with offices in Jordan and Dubai, was among a group of tribal leaders who met President George W Bush during his visit to Iraq last week…..(BBC, 13 Sep 07)

U.S. plane hit by gunfire on resupply flight in Mali

Tuareg rebels fired on a U.S. military plane flying food supplies to Malian troops fighting the desert insurgents in the far north of the African country, Malian officials said on Thursday. The incident occurred early on Wednesday when the U.S. aircraft was resupplying a Malian army garrison at Tin-Zaouatene in a desolate northern mountain region bordering Algeria and Niger, where the rebels have staged raids in recent weeks…..(Reuters, 13 Sep 07)

12 more Pakistani soldiers, 3 officials go missing

Suspected militants attacked a security checkpost in northern Pakistan and kidnapped at least 12 soldiers, said officials Wednesday. Also, in a separate incident three government officials have been kidnapped by suspected militants…..(KUNA, 13 Sep 07)

Pakistan: Up to 30 Militants Killed

Militants attacked a military base near the Afghan border Thursday, sparking a battle which drew in army helicopters and left up to 30 insurgents died…Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said nine soldiers were wounded in the fighting near Razmak, a town in the South Waziristan region where pro-Taliban militants hold sway. The clash occurred a day after a top visiting U.S. official praised Pakistan's efforts against militants…One of the intelligence officials told the AP that another four to six soldiers were missing after the attack on the Nawaz Fort base…..(AP, 13 Sep 07)

Gunmen free last three kidnapped Afghan deminers

Gunmen have freed the last three of 13 Afghan deminers abducted last week, their employer said on Thursday, but it was not immediately clear who was behind the abduction. The deminers belonging to Afghan Technical Consultants were abducted while traveling in a convoy in the southeastern province of Paktia a week ago….(Reuters, 13 Sep 07)

Canadian gets 14 years for funding terrorists

Khalid Awan, a Muslim and naturalized Canadian of Pakistani descent, wasn't ultimately convicted of any links to al-Qaeda. Rather, U.S. authorities in the Eastern District of New York used a series of elaborate in-prison stings to establish he supported a terrorist group of another religion, Sikh militants known in India as the Khalistan Commando Force. U.S. officials alleged the 45-year-old was known during frequent travels to Pakistan as a "silent mujahed," which means holy warrior in Islam - although in this case the suspect was said to be a kind of free-floating radical, with links to Sikh and Muslim extremists, as well as Pakistani intelligence. A New York jury last year convicted Mr. Awan of lending financial and other forms of support to KCF members who had staged deadly attacks against Indian civilians……(Globe & Mail, 13 Sep 07)

Jordanian court sentences Fatah Al-Islam leader to 5 years in jail

Jordan's State Security Court has sentenced 16 people, including Fatah Al-Islam leader, Shaker Al-Absi, for planning to join insurgents in Iraq, news reports said on Thursday. The defendants had received military training by Al-Absi who was sentenced, in absentia, to five years in prison since he was in charge of the training camps….(KUNA, 13 Sep 07)

Thailand Cracks Down on Southern Militants

Government efforts to resolve the ongoing violence in Thailand's four southern provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla—which has claimed the lives of 2,400 people since January 2004—continue to emphasize a three-pronged strategy of reconciliation, improving socio-economic conditions and counter-insurgency (COIN) operations. Over the past three months, the COIN element has been the most pronounced, resulting in the detention of nearly 2,000 suspected separatists……(Global Terrorism Analysis, 13 Sep 07)

Turkey plans to build fence on its borders with Iraq

Turkish Chief of General Staff General Yasar Buyukanit along with elite of experts are evaluating details of a project to erect a USD 3.2 billion concrete fence on its borders with Iraq to stop infiltration of Kurdish Workers Party's (PKK) rebels…..(KUNA, 14 Sep 07)

U.S. looks to sanctions on Iran's Quds force

The Bush administration is looking at slapping sanctions on a unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps but has decided against naming the entire body a terrorist group…With some allies' support fading for tougher U.N. sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program, Washington plans more unilateral measures to pressure Iran, including sanctions on the Guards' Quds force, blamed for stoking violence in Iraq…Last month, plans were leaked to U.S. media of the Bush administration's intent to label the entire Guard Corps a foreign terrorist group -- the first time the United States would place the armed forces of any sovereign government on its list of terrorist organizations. Such a designation enables Washington to target the Iranian group's finances…..(Reuters, 13 Sep 07)

France's interior minister announces reorganization of intelligence services

France's interior minister announced a reorganization of the country's intelligence services under a single roof Thursday, a move designed in part to enhance the fight against terrorism. Michele Alliot-Marie hosted an unprecedented visit by journalists to the nerve center of France's counterterrorism fight, in a glistening new building in the northwest Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret. The reorganization of key units, including counterterrorism and the police intelligence service, under an umbrella organization called the Central Agency for Internal Intelligence, or DCRI, was pushed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, a former interior minister……(AP, 13 Sep 07)

EC funds counterterrorism tech research

The European Commission will commit $212.16 million to research on counterterrorism technologies. The funding was granted in response to a call from the European Union's Seventh Framework Program, a research program that seeks to develop technologies and knowledge to mitigate threats including terrorism, organized crime and natural disasters…..(CNN, 13 Sep 07)

Afghan suspect transferred to Guantanamo: Pentagon

The Pentagon said on Wednesday an Afghan national it described as a dangerous terrorism suspect had been transferred to the U.S. military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The man, identified only by the name Inayatullah, was captured as part of operations against violent extremists in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said in a statement. "He has admitted that he was the Al Qaeda Emir of Zahedan, Iran, and planned and directed Al Qaeda terrorist operations,"….(Reuters, 13 Sep 07)

NATO force chief suggests new ways to fight Afghan opium production

The head of NATO's military force in Afghanistan said Wednesday he had proposed new ways to crack down on opium production, which is a major source of income for Taliban-led insurgents…"You can make the debate that there could be other things the ISAF force could be doing that would have more effect, and indeed the members of the alliance ... (are) likely to do it," he said. But he insisted that ISAF, whose aim is to provide security so that Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government can spread its influence throughout the insurgency hit country, should not start destroying poppy fields. "I'm not desirous of the force becoming an eradication force. We're not manned. We're not trained. We're not equipped,"…..(Agence France-Presse, 13 Sep 07)

U.S.: 45 Taliban Killed in Afghan Clash

Airstrikes and Afghan army gunfire killed more than 45 suspected Taliban fighters in a clash in a southern province just as the holy month of Ramadan began, the U.S.-led coalition said. The battle in the southern province of Uruzgan on Wednesday began when insurgents attacked a joint Afghan army and U.S.-led coalition patrol with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire….(AP, 13 Sep 07)

Terrorism: Italy 'ill-equipped' to deal with threat, explosives expert says

One of Italy's most prominent experts of the effects of explosive devices has warned the country is 'ill-equipped" to deal with possible terrorist bomb attacks such as those that have struck Madrid in 2002 and London in 2005. "We continue to lull in the fact that so far all has gone fine,"….(AKI, 13 Sep 07)

Refugee cleared of terrorism suspicion after 4 years

Ahmed Zaoui arrived in New Zealand in December 2002 and sought refugee status, saying he would be tortured or killed if he was returned to Algeria. But the security intelligence service was convinced he was a terrorist and a security risk. Although granted refugee status, he was jailed for two of the four years he has spent trying to clear his name. Security Intelligence Service director Warren Tucker now says Mr Zaoui's former associates were the problem…..(ABC, 13 Sep 07)

North Korea opens facility
North Korea showed visiting U.S. officials everything they asked to see at the communist nation's main nuclear complex during an inspection yesterday to determine how to disable the facility so it cannot produce more bombs, the State Department said. The U.S. officials, joined by Chinese and Russian experts, were to continue their tour of North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear site today before returning tomorrow to the capital, Pyongyang, for discussions with North Korean officials…..(Washington Times, 13 Sep 07)

U.S. Official: Israel Targeted Weapons

Israeli warplanes targeted weapons destined for Hezbollah guerrillas in a strike last week in northeastern Syria, a U.S. government official said Wednesday. Syria's envoy to the United Nations called the claim "nonsense." The American official said the target of the Sept. 6 attack was a site where Israel believed Syria stored weapons being sent from Iran to the militant Islamic group in Lebanon….(AP, 12 Sep 07)

Islamic Jihad Union Threatens Attacks Outside Germany

The German government is taking seriously claims by a militant Islamic group that it was behind a foiled terror plot. The Interior Ministry said Tuesday that an Internet announcement by the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) that it had plotted to bomb US and Uzbek targets in Germany was being treated as genuine. Three men were arrested on Sept. 4 in Germany (more...) on suspicion of planning to attack US and other facilities….(Der Spiegel, 13 Sep 07)

U.S. Lauds Musharraf, Silent on Sharif

A top U.S. envoy praised President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's government Wednesday and skirted the issue of his expulsion of a top political rival, taking some heat off the military leader as he struggles for election to a new term…..(AP, 13 Sep 07)

Austrian suspects may have had ties to kidnappers of BBC's Alan Johnston

Three alleged al-Qaida sympathizers arrested in connection with an online video threat against Austria and Germany may have had links to the Army of Islam, a shadowy group that kidnapped a BBC journalist earlier this year, a U.S. terrorism research group said Thursday. SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors al-Qaida messages, said its research suggests one of the three suspects arrested Wednesday in Vienna was a leader of the Global Islamic Media Front, an al-Qaida propaganda group increasingly tied to terrorism operations…..(AP, 13 Sep 07)

Somali govt dismisses opposition "terrorist" alliance

Somalia's government on Thursday said a new opposition movement vowing war on Ethiopian troops in the Horn of Africa nation was a "terrorist alliance" posing no real threat. Somali opposition figures forged The Alliance For The Liberation Of Somalia in the Eritrean capital of Asmara on Wednesday in a move analysts said may boost Islamist-led insurgents fighting the interim government and its Ethiopian military allies…..(Reuters, 13 Sep 07)

'Bilal brainwashed 300 Hyderabadis'

…alleged mastermind of the blasts, Shahid Bilal, reportedly indoctrinated around 300 people in Hyderabad between 1994 and 2002. Syed Imran Khan, an associate of Shahid, revealed this during the second narco analysis test on Wednesday. Shahid formed a group called DJ for indoctrinating vulnerable youth and carrying out terrorist activities. "Shahid tried to register the organization, but the government refused permission," said the officials interrogating Imran Khan. Imran Khan, arrested after the Mecca Masjid blasts in May 2007, was an active member of the group and is said to have 'loads of information' about terrorist activities in Hyderabad….(Times of India, 13 Sep 07)

The Zaoui Story

Algerian Ahmed Zaoui was today triumphant and all smiles after winning New Zealand's most protracted battle for refugee status…Mr Zaoui, an associate professor of theology at the University of Algiers and imam of his local mosque, was democratically elected to represent the Algerian Islamic Front for Salvation in December 1991. However, the new government was overthrown in a military coup in January 1992 and he fled to Europe. He was accused of being associated with the militant Armed Islamic Group but has denied any such involvement. He was deported from France to Burkina Faso in west Africa. Fearing for his safety, he fled to South Africa, then to Asia. In 2003, the Algerian Government convicted him of terrorism and sentenced to death. However, he has never been proven responsible for any terrorist acts…..(New Zealand Herald, 13 Sep 07)

The Surge, the Shiites and Nation Building in Iraq

…There was always a degree of doubt with regard to the true representativeness of the Sunni parties that emerged as "winners" in their fields in the heavily boycotted 2005 parliamentary elections. The fact that these parties are now worried about internal competition means that more Sunnis are interested in participating in the system, and that a group of politicians firmly attached to the vision of a unified Iraq but also enjoying solid popular backing in their core constituencies may be on the way up, assisted by the "surge." At the same time, foreign-sponsored groups, such as al-Qaeda, and office seekers whose popular legitimacy is in doubt (for instance, some members of the Tawafuq bloc) are coming under pressure or are even being weeded out.……(Global Terrorism Analysis, 13 Sep 07)

How This Ends

"Tell me how this ends." That famously is the question that Gen. David Petraeus posed to journalist Rick Atkinson in March 2003 as U.S. troops were moving to topple the regime of Saddam Hussein. And it's still the right question after Petraeus's sober progress report to Congress on the U.S. troop surge in Iraq…..(Washington Post, 13 Sep 07)

Al-Qa'eda 'as strong today as it was on 9/11'

…"Core" al-Qa'eda is proving adaptable and resilient and has retained the ability to plan and co-ordinate large-scale attacks in the Western world, says the Strategic Survey published yesterday by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Nigel Inkster, a former director for operations and intelligence for MI6, who contributed to the al-Qa'eda section of the report, said it showed that the tactics being used in the war on terrorism were proving ineffective. "The bottom line is that for six years the United States and its allies have been struggling to eliminate this threat and it is becoming increasingly clear that they have not succeeded in doing so," said Mr Inkster…..(Telegraph, 13 Sep 07)

U.S. let al-Qaida deepen roots, group claims

…In its annual report on global security, the International Institute of Strategic Studies painted a bleak picture of conflict in the Middle East, an emboldened al-Qaida and growing Islamic radicalism across Europe. New European leaders offer hope of a fresh approach in the fight against terrorism, the report said, but success is unlikely with the White House struggling to command global respect. With weak leadership from Washington, "the risk is that simmering international tensions will spill over and endanger global prosperity," the report said…"The United States and its allies have failed to deal a deathblow to al-Qaida; the organization's ideology appears to have taken root to such a degree that it will require decades to eradicate,"….(AP, 13 Sep 07)

Shelling Near Iranian Border Is Forcing Iraqi Kurds to Flee

…For four weeks now, Kurdish villagers in this far northeastern corner of Iraq have endured a punishing barrage of rockets and artillery shells from what they say are Iranian troops across the border. The seemingly indiscriminate shelling has burned acres of orchards and grassland, damaged homes, killed livestock and driven about 2,500 people to abandon about two dozen villages. The attacks are an ominous reminder that the emergence of an increasingly self-sufficient Kurdish region in northern Iraq could provoke reprisals or even invasions by Iran and Turkey…..(Washington Post, 13 Sep 07)

WP Audio Report: Visiting Kurdistan

Reuters Video: Iran shells Iraq Territory

Iran leader denies interference in Iraq

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday rejected the congressional testimony of the top U.S. officials in Iraq accusing Iran of interfering in its war-torn neighbor. He also said the Islamic Republic could help in Iraq if the U.S. and British governments stopped alleging it is fighting a proxy war there by arming Shiite Muslim militias accused of attacking coalition forces and Sunni Arabs. In an interview on Iranian state television, Ahmadinejad said Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker raised allegations of Iranian meddling solely because of the political debate within the United States over the war in Iraq…..(AP, 13 Sep 07)

Trouble on the Iran-Iraq Border

…The target of the Iranian shelling, which began in mid-August, is a little-known Iranian-Kurdish rebel group known as the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK). About 2,000 PJAK guerillas, which Iran accuses of infiltrating across the border into the Islamic Republic, are camped out in the lime-green hills dotted with walnut trees along the Iraq-Iran border. In Rezga “there are a lot of peshmergas” armed with RPGs and Kalashnikovs, the farmer told me, using the colloquial term for Kurdish guerillas. “There are so many that I can’t count.” At first glance, the battle in the hills of an obscure corner of Iraq seems like little more than a longstanding local dispute. Iran has been shelling the Kurdish region of northern Iraq “since forever,” says Joost Hiltermann, a Middle East expert….(Newsweek, 13 Sep 07)

The War on Terror: The German Front
How the much-hated United States stopped European converts from pulling off a major terrorist attack......(FrontPage, 13 Sept 07)

Terror Criminal Links Growing
How to better spot terrorists.....Interviewed by ABC News on September 11, 2007, U.S. Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) Stuart Levey, said: "If I could somehow snap my fingers and cut off the funding from one country, it would be Saudi Arabia.".....(FrontPage, 13 Sept 07)

N. Korea, Syria May Be at Work on Nuclear Facility

North Korea may be cooperating with Syria on some sort of nuclear facility in Syria, according to new intelligence the United States has gathered over the past six months, sources said. The evidence, said to come primarily from Israel, includes dramatic satellite imagery that led some U.S. officials to believe that the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons. The new information, particularly images received in the past 30 days, has been restricted to a few senior officials under the instructions of national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, leaving many in the intelligence community unaware of it or uncertain of its significance…..(Washington Post, 13 Sep 07)

Splits Revealed Inside Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

During an August 14 news conference organized by Algerian authorities for a select group of Algerian reporters, Benmessaoud Abdelkader, a former Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC) regional commander, confirmed that there was deep disagreement within the former GSPC over national commander Abdelmalek Droudkel's decisions first to merge with al-Qaeda in September 2006 and then later to rename the group the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in January 2007 (Liberté, August 21). The split appears to have diminished the terrorist group's logistical capacity and reduced its overall size, but has also made the al-Qaeda affiliate more desperate and determined to demonstrate its continued effectiveness and relevancy……(Global Terrorism Analysis, 13 Sep 07)

Italy's Left-Wing Terrorists Flirt with Radical Islamists

Last February, in the quiet of a secluded northern Italian country house, three Italian far left militants brainstormed, unaware that counter-terrorism officials were listening to their every word. The men were known members of the so-called "New Red Brigades," discussing new strategies for the group. Alfredo Davanzo, the ideologue of the group who had just returned from France using a forged passport, spoke about the need to overcome the organization's isolation, caused by its secrecy and the waves of arrests it had suffered (ironically, the three would be arrested the following Monday)..…(Global Terrorism Analysis, 13 Sep 07)

Sadr group vows to fight US troops

The powerful Shiite movement of Iraq’s anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr vowed today to fight US-led forces in the war-torn country until the last of them leave… Sadr’s aides reacted angrily to an upbeat progress report to the US Congress this week by the top US general and diplomat in Iraq, saying it did not reflect the true situation in the bitterly divided country. "The report did not touch on Iraqi reality," said Abdul-Mahdi al-Mutayri, a member of the politburo of Sadr’s office in the central city of Najaf…..(Agence France-Presse, 13 Sep 07)

Bin Laden's new image: younger, more Marxist

After a three-year absence, Osama bin Laden has resurfaced in another of his rousing videotapes, only this time with a new image and a new message. Projecting a younger look, Mr. bin Laden gives his most ideological address since the early 1990s with an assault on capitalism and liberal democracy loaded with Marxist and socialist terms. Indeed, this new bin Laden sounds more like Che Guevara, the Marxist revolutionary, than some of his rifle-toting Al Qaeda cohorts. Gone is bin Laden's vintage militaristic appearance. He has exchanged his fatigues and Kalashnikov for a white robe, circular cap, and beige cloak, giving him an aura of clerical wisdom….(Christian Science Monitor, 13 Sep 07)

Egyptian Playwright Ali Salem Speaks Out Against 'Culture of Death'

The following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian playwright Ali Salem, which aired on Abu Dhabi TV on August 16, 2007….(MEMRI, 13 Sep 07)

Which Islam? Whose Islam? All Muslims Own Interpretation of the Koran

(Part Two of Four)

As we note the sixth anniversary of the horrific attacks of 9/11, we in the Muslim community need to begin a serious intellectual deconstruction of “bin Ladenism,” its origins, and all of its offshoots and ideological siblings – which form the nucleus of the phenomenon of political Islam (Islamic supremacism, or Islamism) and Jihadism. Americans are now reviewing the recent video message from bin Laden, whose delivery was timed to preface our annual mourning of the victims of his cowardly attack. Despite the denials of many “leading” Muslim organizations in America, bin Laden’s mantra is not that of an isolated psychopath……(Family Security Matters, 12 Sep 07)

Which Islam? Whose Islam? All Muslims Own Interpretation of the Koran

(Part 2 of 4)

As we note the sixth anniversary of the horrific attacks of 9/11, we in the Muslim community need to begin a serious intellectual deconstruction of “bin Ladenism,” its origins, and all of its offshoots and ideological siblings – which form the nucleus of the phenomenon of political Islam (Islamic supremacism, or Islamism) and Jihadism… If Muslims wish to defeat the fervent believers of Jihadism and Islamism, we must begin by deconstructing and defeating their claim to moral sanction – and even divine commandment – to perpetrate their acts of intolerance, murder and oppression. The time has come (indeed, it is long overdue) for anti-Islamist Muslims to begin offering alternative interpretations of the Koran to political and militant Islamists who, unfortunately, are the focus of the lion’s share of everything the world currently sees, hears, and reads about Islam…..(Family Security Matters, 12 Sep 07)

Fund to prevent mosque extremism

A campaign to prevent extremist beliefs taking hold in Birmingham's mosques and among the city's Muslim population is being launched. The £525,000 Reclaiming Islam scheme includes training schemes for imams and Muslim leaders. Mosque committees will be increased to reduce the risk of them being infiltrated by extremists. The government's national announcement of the fund coincided with anti terror raids in Birmingham in January 2007….(BBC, 12 Sep 07)

Arabs blame US for terror rise

Some six years after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, many in the Arab world say the US-led "war on terror" is spurring terrorism everywhere and that the world is less safe as a result. The resurgence of al-Qaeda is blamed by many Arabs on the United States, with recent foiled bomb plots in Germany, deadly terror attacks in Algeria, the latest video release by Osama bin Laden as well as the undiminishing daily violence in Iraq and Afghanistan winning yet more converts to this viewpoint….(Bangkok Post, 12 Sep 07)

U.S. may provide $25 million in fuel to N. Korea

…Under a multilateral agreement reached Feb. 13, North Korea is to receive 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil (HFO) once it has disabled its nuclear facilities and provided a complete declaration of its nuclear programs. That agreement is part of a broader deal hammered out in 2005 by the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States under which North Korea would ultimately abandon all its nuclear weapons and programs…..(Reuters, 12 Sep 07)

Poll: Bin Laden tops Musharraf in Pakistan

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf -- a key U.S. ally -- is less popular in his own country than al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to a poll of Pakistanis conducted last month by an anti-terrorism organization. Additionally, nearly three-fourths of poll respondents said they oppose U.S. military action against al Qaeda and the Taliban inside Pakistan, according to results from the poll conducted by the independent polling organization Terror Free Tomorrow. "We have conducted 23 polls all over the Muslim world, and this is the most disturbing one we have conducted," said Ken Ballen, the group's head. "Pakistan is the one Muslim nation that has nuclear weapons, and the people who want to use them against us -- like the Taliban and al Qaeda -- are more popular there than our allies like Musharraf."….(CNN, 12 Sep 07)

Negroponte Lands in Pakistani Political Storm Clouds

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for talks with President Pervez Musharraf, two days after the government blocked former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's return from exile…..(Reuters, 12 Sep 07)

Scientists Use the 'Dark Web' to Snag Extremists and Terrorists Online

The Internet can be conceptualized as a public space with many dark corners, where terrorists can plan and execute attacks. The Dark Web project at the University of Arizona's Artificial Intelligence Lab is working to find, catalogue and study these virtual places where terrorists and extremists operate…Funded by the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies, Hsinchun Chen and his Artificial Intelligence Lab at the University of Arizona have created the Dark Web project, which aims to systematically collect and analyze all terrorist-generated content on the Web…..(Phys Org, 12 Sep 07)

Terrorism: Al-Qaeda to release third 9/11 video

Al-Qaeda will release a third video to mark the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to postings on Islamist websites on the Internet on Wednesday. The websites said that the video will be entitled, "The two expeditions to New York and Washington, causes and motives", and is expected to be a documentary which will explain the reasons why the terrorist group carried out the attacks on 11 September 2001 in the United States that killed close to 3,000 people….(AKI, 12 Sep 07)

Taliban Threatens New Operation In Southern Afghanistan

Taliban spokesman Qari Yusef Ahmadi says militants will soon launch an operation in southern Afghanistan led by Mullah Bradar -- a senior Taliban commander who was earlier reported to have been killed…. Ahmadi's announcement of the operation comes just days after he issued a statement saying the Taliban would be willing to consider negotiations with the Afghan government -- if Kabul made a formal offer. Ahmadi released that statement after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on September 9 that his government is willing to hold talks with the Taliban…..(RFE/RL, 12 Sep 07)

Plot by German Cell Detailed on Internet

A terrorist cell broken up in Germany last week was planning to attack the huge Ramstein Air Base, a U.S. and NATO facility, and a U.S. consulate by the end of the year, German authorities reported Tuesday, citing an assertion of responsibility posted by a Central Asian militant group. The Islamic Jihad Union, based in Pakistan and Uzbekistan, asserted in an Internet statement that it was behind the plot, according to the Interior Ministry, which said it considered the statement authentic. The ministry said the group claimed it had also intended to target Uzbek diplomatic posts in Germany…The Islamic Jihad Union is an offshoot of a larger network, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan…The State Department has blamed the network for carrying out suicide bombings against the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Tashkent in July 2004..…(Washington Post, 12 Sep 07)

Algeria: Al-Qaeda accused of recruiting teenage bombers

Al-Qaeda has been accused of recruiting 40 teenage youths in Algeria for suicide attacks in Iraq. According to a report in the Algerian newspaper, al-Khabar, the youths were being trained to become 'little Zarqawis'…..(AKI, 12 Sep 07)

Militants Abduct 18 Police in Pakistan

Suspected militants attacked a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, abducting 18 police officers and injuring two others, officials said. The insurgents fired rockets at the post near Bannu, a town next to the restive region bordering Afghanistan, before overrunning the position…..(AP, 12 Sep 07)

Austria holds three over 'threat'

Three people have been arrested in Austria in connection with a video posted on a website threatening attacks on Germany and Austria, officials say…The country's Interior Ministry said the detained militants were suspected al-Qaeda sympathizers. They had threatened to attack Austria and Germany unless both withdrew troops from Afghanistan, the ministry said…..(BBC, 12 Sep 07)

Bombs found in Madurai cinema hall

Five powerful country-made bombs have been found inside a movie hall in the city, police said on Wednesday. An abandoned cloth bag containing the bombs was found on a seat Tuesday evening by a woman, who alerted an employee of Sakthi Shivam theatre…..(Times of India, 12 Sep 07)

Minister denies barring terror author entry

The Federal Government denies it has refused a London-based editor of an Arabic newspaper entry to Australia after claims his application has been slowed on security grounds. Dr Abdel Bari Atwan, author of The Secret History of al-Qaeda and the last Western journalist to interview terrorism mastermind Osama bin Laden, was scheduled to appear at the Brisbane Writers Festival tomorrow afternoon. However, Dr Atwan is yet to be granted a visa allowing him to enter Australia, forcing him to miss his scheduled flight from London earlier today…..(AAP, 12 Sep 07)

Saudi Press Reactions to Involvement of Saudi Nationals in Terrorist Activ