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Muslims across the world and in particular those who are campaigning for her release including Lord Nazir Ahmed and human rights groups must also bear in mind the following facts: 1. She was married to a person who bought night-vision goggles and body armour worth $10,000 allegedly for “big game hunting” in Pakistan. He himself subsequently narrates Aafia’s violent personality, extremist views and concerns over her involvement in Jihadi activities. 2. Her second marriage a mere 6 months after her divorce, was to Ammar al-Baluchi, also known as Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali who happens to be the nephew of Khalid...

Saed Elshari, al-Qaeda's number two in the Arabian Peninsula, has called for attacks against US interests "everywhere". The messsage was contained in an audio tape released on Monday and posted on a website often used by Islamist groups. Elshari also congratulated Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda's leader, over the apparent attempted bombing on a US plane on Christmas Day. "American and Crusader interests are everywhere and their agents are moving everywhere," Elshari said. "Attack them and eliminate as many enemies as you can." Elshari added: "I swear to God, we will open up for them doors of hell on the ground,...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser said Sunday that lawmakers and others are using national security to score political points and defended the handling of the suspect in the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner. Deputy national security adviser John Brennan complained that politicians, many of them Republicans, were unfairly criticizing the administration for partisan purposes and second-guessing the case with a ``500-mile screwdriver'' that reaches from Washington to the scene of the abortive attack in Detroit. Brennan said he had personally briefed top Republican lawmakers on Christmas night about the arrest of accused bomber Umar...

In a brief op-ed in USA Today, White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan charges that critics who question the Obama administration's decision to grant Miranda rights to accused Detroit bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab are "serv[ing] the goals of al Qaeda." "Too many in Washington are now misrepresenting the facts to score political points," Brennan writes. "Politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda."

In an oped in USA Today, John Brennan -- Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism -- responds to critics of the Obama administration's counterterrorism policies by saying "Politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda." Brennan writes that, "Terrorists are not 100-feet tall. Nor do they deserve the abject fear they seek to instill." In the oped, titled "'We need no lectures': Administration disrupts terrorists’ plots, takes fight to them abroad," Brennan writes that politics "should never get in the way of national security. But too many in...

WH: Some Critics 'Serving the Goals of al Qaeda' February 09, 2010 7:16 AM PrintRSSE-mailShare this blog entry with friendsFacebookTwitterRedditStumbleUponMore In an oped in USA Today, John Brennan -- Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism -- responds to critics of the Obama administration's counterterrorism policies by saying "Politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda." Brennan writes that, "Terrorists are not 100-feet tall. Nor do they deserve the abject fear they seek to instill." In the oped, titled "'We need no lectures': Administration disrupts terrorists’ plots, takes fight...

Moazzam Begg spend a few years in Guantanamo accused of being a member of al Qaida and other affiliated terrorist organizations, which he denies. He has written a book about his Guantanamo experience claiming he was tortured. He also claims his innocence, despite the fact that there is evidence that he * recruited individuals to attend al Qaida run terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. * provided money and material support to al Qaida terrorist training camps. * received extensive training at al Qaida run terrorist training camps since 1993. He has been trained on the AK-47, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs),...

A senior official at Amnesty International is uncomfortable over the group's close association with a former Gitmo inmate. Richard Kerbaj of the TimesOnline: A SENIOR official at Amnesty International has accused the charity of putting the human rights of Al-Qaeda terror suspects above those of their victims. Gita Sahgal, head of the gender unit at Amnesty's international secretariat, believes that collaborating with Moazzam Begg, a former British inmate at Guantanamo Bay, "fundamentally damages" the organisation's reputation. In an email sent to Amnesty's top bosses, she suggests the charity has mistakenly allied itself with Begg and his "jihadi" group, Cageprisoners, out...

Holder's decision to Mirandize the Christmas bomber was bad enough. Telling the world he was talking again waseven worse Security: The administration says the Christmas bomber is now cooperating with authorities. We thought they got all the information he had in a 50-minute chat. So just why are we letting our enemies know he's talking? In any war, it's vitally important that you know what your enemy is planning and doing, just as it's important that your actions and plans remain secret. And when you know about your enemy's plans it's important they don't know that you know. We were...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2010 – Iraqi security forces, aided by U.S. advisors, arrested seven terrorism suspects in operations in Iraq today and yesterday, military officials said. Iraqi security forces arrested a suspected terrorist today during a security operation to search for an attack cell leader in southwestern Baghdad associated with the Jaysh al-Mahdi terrorist organization. Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched three buildings for the suspected leader, who’s believed to be responsible for coordinating training in Iran for militants loyal to the terrorist organization. He also allegedly is involved in weapons smuggling and is believed to be planning rocket attacks...

The suspect in a failed Christmas Day airliner bombing attempt told federal investigators that radical Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki directed him to carry out the attack, CBS News has learned. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian who faces terrorism charges in the Christmas bombing, has been cooperating with the FBI for about a week, providing information about his contacts in Yemen and the al Qaeda affiliate that operates there. Abdulmutallab has turned against the cleric who claims to be his teacher, al-Awlaki, and has helped the U.S. hunt for him in Yemen, a law enforcement official said Thursday.

If you’re an LSU basketball fan, one story which might have been supremely disappointing over the past 20 years is that of former Tiger scoring machine Chris Jackson, who changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf following a conversion to Islam and subsequently refused to stand for the national anthem while playing in the NBA, among several incidents marking him as at least somewhat unfriendly to his country. There is a story behind Jackson’s conversion, and it’s one which needs to be told in light of recent events – because Jackson/Abdul-Rauf isn’t just a guy who decided to be a Muslim.

The father and uncle of Najibullah Zazi -- who is accused of conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction in a terrorist attack -- poured chemicals down a drain and shredded containers in an effort to destroy evidence, according to a source close to the investigation. The source tells CNN that an FBI Evidence Response Team discovered chemical residue in pipes at a property in the Denver area, and found that attempts had been made to shred the containers that held the chemicals -- which included hydrogen peroxide, an ingredient in some forms of high explosives. Najibullah Zazi's father, Mohammed...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2010 – Iraqi security forces arrested eight suspected terrorists today during separate operations conducted in northern Iraq and Baghdad, military officials said. Iraqi forces arrested five suspected terrorists during two joint security operations today to degrade the al-Qaida in Iraq network in northern Iraq. In Haditha, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched two buildings for a suspected al-Qaida member believed to finance and traffic explosives into the Abu Ghraib area to carry out vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks. Iraqi forces identified and arrested the wanted man and two suspected criminal accomplices. During a separate operation in Khanaqin,...

AG Eric Holder said he knows we are at war during his November 18, 2009 testimony before the Senate Judicary Committee concerning his decision to prosecute Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other four 9/11 conspirators in federal court. Unfortunately, Mr. Holder does not walk that talk. (See video of Fox News report here.) Attorney General Eric Holder says he made the decision to charge the Christmas Day terror suspect in the civilian system with no objection from all the other relevant departments of the government. In a letter to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, the attorney general says that the...

I was listening to a debate on talk radio whether two Liquefied natural gas (LNG) Tankers should be allowed into Boston harbor on 2/11/10. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino had asked that they not be allowed in due to security concerns. But others say it's perfectly safe, that there's plenty of security and so on. And my first impulse was to think, how likely is it that there would be such an attack on a known target with everyone watching?

In an interview with 60 Minutes last spring, President Obama discussed the handling of captured terrorists and challenged those who claimed the "American system of justice was not up to the task of dealing with these terrorists." Obama said: "I fundamentally disagree with that. Now -- do these folks deserve Miranda rights? Do they deserve to be treated like a shoplifter -- down the block? Of course not." President Obama ought to call Attorney General Eric Holder. In a five-page letter to Senator Mitch McConnell, Holder lays out in exhaustive detail exactly why these folks deserve Miranda rights and why...

NEW YORK — A U.S.-trained Pakistani scientist has been convicted of charges she tried to kill Americans while she was detained in Afghanistan. A Manhattan jury found Aafia Siddiqui guilty Wednesday of seven counts of attempted murder. Authorities had called her an Al Qaeda supporter before she was detained in Afghanistan in 2008. They claim she was caught carrying bomb-making instructions and a list of New York landmarks. However, she had not faced terrorism charges.

Is it truth, fiction or plain stupidity that the White House is employing to defend and combat criticism of Obama's plan to Mirandize captured terrorists? We are now publicly being given information on what intelligence officials are learning from the Christmas Day Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. After taking withering fire from both political parties on their "50 minutes of interrogation" before reading the suspect his Miranda rights, the Administration is now trying to justify and give credibility to their position. They are basically fighting back the criticism looking for some sort of vindication. Suddenly we are finding out that a...

In their Wall Street Journal op-ed today, David B. Rivkin and Marc Thiessen understated the significance of the Bush doctrine arguments filed on December 18, 2009 by the Department of Justice and used to rebut the Speedy Trial Motion to dismiss the federal case against Ahmed Ghailani. Surely U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara did not file contrary to the direction of Attorney General Eric Holder. Mr. Bharara is no doubt a dedicated public servant. I have great personal faith in his abilities, loyalty to our Nation, and willingness to do all that he can to successfully prosecute Ahmed Ghailani to the...

Quietly, without much fanfare, the U.S. intelligence community started raising numerous red flags on Tuesday of potential imminent terrorists attacks. Instead of the now infamous ‘orange alerts’ that made Tom Ridge a laughingstock, current CIA director Leon Panetta quietly presented his assessment to numerous Senators behind closed doors. The terrorist organization is deploying operatives to the United States to carry out new attacks from inside the country, including “clean” recruits with a negligible trail of terrorist contacts, CIA Director Leon Panetta said. Al-Qaida is also inspiring homegrown extremists to trigger violence on their own, Panetta added.

Intelligence Officials Warn Attempted Al Qaeda Attack Months Away The terrorist organization is deploying operatives to the United States to carry out new attacks from inside the country, CIA Director Leon Panetta told Congress WASHINGTON -- Al Qaeda can be expected to attempt an attack on the United States in the next three to six months, senior U.S. intelligence officials told Congress Tuesday. The terrorist organization is deploying operatives to the United States to carry out new attacks from inside the country, including "clean" recruits with a negligible trail of terrorist contacts, CIA Director Leon Panetta said. Al Qaeda is...

The global reach of al Qaeda in Yemen became clear when a Nigerian disciple of the murder cult nearly blew up an airliner over Detroit. In response, the Obama administration is strengthening its support for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, one of the regions longest serving dictators and one of the most corrupt. President Obama said he hopes to communicate to “Muslims around the world that al Qaeda offers nothing except a bankrupt vision of misery and death, including the murder of fellow Muslims, while the United States stands with those who seek justice and progress." The hypocrisy is stunning....

Should the US outsource its security to a war criminal? The global reach of al Qaeda in Yemen became clear when a Nigerian disciple of the murder cult nearly blew up an airliner over Detroit. In response, the Obama administration is strengthening its support for Yemeni President Ali Abdull...ah Saleh, one of the regions longest serving dictators and one of the most corrupt. President Obama said he hopes to communicate to “Muslims around the world that al Qaeda offers nothing except a bankrupt vision of misery and death, including the murder of fellow Muslims, while the United States stands with...

THE STANSUAV Swarm Attack Waziristan Stronghold "Up to eight US drones fired some 18 missiles at multiple militant targets in Dattakhel village," a senior security official told AFP. by Staff Writers Miranshah, Pakistan (AFP) Feb 2, 2010 At least 16 militants were killed on Tuesday after US drones fired numerous missiles at a village in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, security officials said. The strike, which officials said involved 18 missiles fired from eight of the unmanned planes, is the latest in a series of US attacks on the lawless tribal area, which Washington calls the most...

The Obama administration's top intelligence officials on Tuesday described it as "certain" that al-Qaeda or its allies will try to attack the United States in the next six months, and they called for new flexibility in how U.S. officials detain and question terrorist suspects.

In 1998, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden declared that acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction (WMD) was his Islamic duty -- an integral part of his jihad. Systemically, over the course of decades, he dispatched his top lieutenants to attempt to purchase or develop nuclear and biochemical WMD. He has never given up the goal; indeed, in a 2007 video, he repeated his promise to use massive weapons to upend the global status quo, destroy the capitalist hegemony, and help create an Islamic caliphate. Since the mid-1990s, al Qaeda's WMD procurement efforts have been managed at the most...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2010 – Iraqi security forces arrested a wanted Baghdad cell member and seven additional suspected terrorists, and discovered a large weapons cache during two joint security operations today in Baghdad and northern Iraq. In western Baghdad, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home for a suspected al-Qaida cell leader responsible for coordinating several car bombing attacks within the capital city. Preliminary questioning and evidence collected at the scene led forces to identify and arrest the wanted man. During a separate security operation southeast of Kirkuk, the 3rd Emergency Services Unit and U.S. advisors searched several buildings...

In a move to flush out suspected terrorists who pose a security threat to the country, Bosnian police on Tuesday launched a major raid in a village home to radical Islamists. Reportedly, security officers blocked off the village of Gornja Maoca in northern Brcko district on Tuesday morning, which has the largest Wahhabi community in Bosnia. The operation, which included 600 police officers from both Bosnia’s autonomous regions, the Serb Republic and the Muslim-Croat federation, forms the largest security operation since the end of the Bosnian 1992-95 war. According to information by the State Prosecutor, the goal of the operation,...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2010 – Iraqi security forces arrested a wanted Baghdad explosives-cell member and a suspected accomplice today during a combined security operation in a rural area south of Baghdad. Based on tips, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a building complex for a suspected al-Qaida cell member who assembles car bombs used in attacks within the capital city. Preliminary questioning and evidence collected at the scene led forces to identify and arrest the wanted man and a suspected accomplice. In operations Jan. 30: -- In western Baghdad, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home for a suspected...

Somali Islamist rebel group al-Shabab has confirmed for the first time that its fighters are aligned with al-Qaeda's global militant campaign. The group said in a statement that the "jihad of Horn of Africa must be combined with the international jihad led by the al-Qaeda network". Meanwhile, several people have died in fighting in Mogadishu after government troops shelled militant positions. Islamist insurgents control much of southern and central Somalia. The government, which is backed by the UN and African Union, holds sway only in a small part of Mogadishu. Despite repeated accusations by the US that al-Shabab is linked...

As I wrote here in December: "One thing we have seen over the years since 9/11 is that airport security is always one step behind the jihadists: after jihadist Richard Reid attempted to set off a bomb hidden in his shoes, we all have to take off our shoes and send them through security scanners. After a group of jihadists tried to sneak onto planes explosive chemicals hidden in drink bottles, we can't carry drinks through airport security terminals. Because Abdulmutallab attempted his jihad attack just before the plane landed, now we can't get up during the last hour of...

The U.S. Navy today announced that it has released a senior Al Quaida terrorist after questioning him extensively for 27 days while he was held prisoner aboard a US aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. In a humanitarian gesture, the terrorist was given $50 US and a white Ford Fairlane automobile upon being released from custody. The attached photo shows the terrorist on his way home just after being released by the Navy.

It's a serious question. Alabama born and Somali al Qaeda affiliate leader Omar "Abu Mansour al-Amriki" Hammami (yes, I said leader) apparently was led to jihad through his connections on Islamic Networking. That would be the same Islamic Networking that runs Muslim Pad and is run by Sarafaz "Sasjamal" Jamal (in Jordan now?) and Fatimahye, his wife in Houston. In the past, their ClearGuidance website brought together such luminous and 'moderate' Muslims as the Toronto 18. Not-so-incidentally, Hammami spent a year in Toronto. Here is a partial list of the over 500 messages Hammami left on the forum as "al-Mizzi"....

Marine assault vehicles key to Afghan strategy As U.S. and Afghan troops prepare for an offensive in Helmand province, the Assault Breacher Vehicle - a cross between a tank and a bulldozer - is intended to conquer the terrain and roadside bombs. By Tony Perry January 31, 2010 Reporting from Camp Pendleton Weighing 70 tons, traveling up to 45 mph and possessed of a smash-mouth name, the Assault Breacher Vehicle is the Marine Corps' latest answer to a perennial problem of offensive warfare: how to push through the barriers and booby traps of an enemy's outer defenses. Over the decades,...

Britain is facing a new Al Qaeda terror threat from suicide ‘body bombers’ with explosives surgically inserted inside them. Until now, terrorists have attacked airlines, Underground trains and buses by secreting bombs in bags, shoes or underwear to avoid detection. But an operation by MI5 has uncovered evidence that Al Qaeda is planning a new stage in its terror campaign by inserting ‘surgical bombs’ inside people for the first time.

Imagine this nightmare courtroom scenario: Un hinged Jew-bashing, open mockery of American soldiers, juror intimidation and coldly calculated exploitation of US constitutional protections by a suspected al Qaeda defendant. Well, there's no need to wait for the Gitmo terror trial circuses. New York City is already getting a glimpse of the future. Jihadi scientist Aafia Siddiqui is on trial right now in a Manhattan federal court for the attempted murder and assault of US military personnel in Afghanistan's Ghazni province two years ago. She's an accomplished Karachi, Pakistan-born scientist who studied microbiology at MIT and did graduate work in neurology...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2010 – Officials in Iraq have positively identified a terrorist killed Jan. 22 after he attacked a security-team member acting on a warrant against him. Multiple tests, including fingerprint matches, confirmed the identity of Saad Uwayyd Ubayd Mujil al-Shammari, also known as Abu Khalaf. Shammari was name in a court-issued warrant as a key al-Qaida in Iraq member wanted for facilitating the entry of hundreds of foreign terrorists from Syria into Iraq since 2006. For the past four years, Shammari was considered by U.S. and Iraqi intelligence officials to be a foremost senior al-Qaida foreign terrorist facilitator...

Iraqi and US forces dealt al Qaeda in Iraq a major blow last week during a raid in Mosul that killed the terror group's top facilitator, who was based out of Syria. The joint US and Iraqi special operations team killed Abu Khalaf, al Qaeda in Iraq's seniormost foreign fighter facilitator, during an operation on Jan. 22. Khalaf was killed after he "attacked a security-team member participating in a warranted operation," a US Forces- Iraq press release stated. The US military said Khalaf's identity was confirmed using "multiple sources, including fingerprint matches." Khalaf, whose real name is Sa'ad Uwayyid 'Ubayd...

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Special Operations Forces, with U.S. advisors, arrested four suspected terrorists wanted on warrants southeast of Baghdad, Jan. 25. The suspects allegedly are affiliated with an al-Qaida terrorist cell in central Iraq. They are wanted for conducting attacks against Iraqis and U.S. forces, as well as training suicide bombers. Two of the suspects were women believed to be training to conduct suicide missions using car bombs. In other operations, Jan. 25, Iraqi Security Forces arrested two suspected terrorists during a combined operation in southeastern Baghdad to arrest a terrorist cell leader. The cell leader is suspected of kidnappings...

LONDON, Jan. 27, 2010 – Born a 1950s baby boomer, I grew up during the Cold War with the threat of nuclear holocaust looming on the horizon. As a little girl, I had dreams in which Russian troops swarmed over the hill in our back yard. Maybe that’s what propelled me to serve in the Army for nine years and work as a Defense Department civilian for another 17 years. No complaints, though. I’ve had an incredibly fortunate career with the military. I’ve enjoyed the fun, travel and adventure those old recruiting ads always offered. I’ve also seen the world...

"Internationalizing the Jihadist Threat from Pakistan-Afghanistan" "American terror arrests show reach of al Qaeda-affiliated jihadi groups along Pakistan-Afghanistan border" IPT News January 25, 2010 SNIPPET: "Much of the Afghan Taliban leadership is in the Pakistani city of Quetta, which borders southern Afghanistan. Supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar reportedly conducts Taliban operations in Quetta and raises money from wealthy Persian Gulf states to supply guns and fighters for the insurgency in southern Afghanistan." SNIPPET: "Al Qaeda's alliance with terrorist groups in Pakistan and the lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan has bolstered its ability to plan international attacks directed at the United...

Intending to die in the act of destroying a jetliner, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab instead landed alive in Detroit as a kind of message in a bottle from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He knew more about its recruiting, training and operations than anyone who is ever likely to fall into our arms babbling like a scared 23-year-old. But the Obama administration shut him down. It didn't go so far as to tell the Customs and Border Protection officers to cover their ears and try not to listen when Abdulmutallab made incriminating statements on the initial ride to the hospital,...

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/01/new-york-jihadist-crashes-car-screams-we-love-death-more-than-you-love-life.html (NEW YORK POST) “New York jihadist crashes car, screams “We love death more than you love life!”” SNIPPET: “Adis Medunjanin, 25, called 911 as he sped erratically away from federal agents through Queens streets at up to 90 mph. “We love death more than you love life!” he exclaimed in Arabic. Medunjanin also praised Allah moments before he rear-ended another vehicle, sources said. Police are investigating the bizarre crash as a possible suicide attempt by the frantic Medunjanin, in the wake of a federal raid on his Queens home....”

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2010 – Iraqi special operations forces with U.S. advisors arrested four suspected terrorists wanted on warrants southeast of Baghdad today. The suspects allegedly are affiliated with an al-Qaida terrorist cell in central Iraq. They are wanted for conducting attacks against Iraqi civilians and U.S. forces, as well as training suicide bombers. Two of the suspects were women believed to be training to conduct suicide missions using car bombs. In other operations today, Iraqi security forces arrested two suspected terrorists during a combined operation in southeastern Baghdad to arrest a terrorist cell leader. The cell leader is suspected...

after the hearings, Blair issued a statement “clarifying” his remarks. He said the FBI “received important intelligence at that time [from Abdulmutallab], drawing on the FBI’s expertise in interrogation that will be available in the HIG once it is fully operational.” The last five words were a stunning admission. One year after President Obama dismantled the CIA’s capability to interrogate high-value terrorists, the program that is supposed to take its place is still not “fully operational.” We currently have no capability in place to conduct high-value-terrorist interrogations. From al-Qaeda’s vantage point, Abdulmutallab was supposed to be dead — vaporized with...

According to ABC News, the US may have missed an opportunity to kill radical US-born cleric Anwar al Awlaki because those prosecuting the attack feared "the possibility of criminal prosecution without approval in advance from the White House."White House lawyers are mulling the legality of proposed attempts to kill an American citizen, Anwar Awlaki, who is believed to be part of the leadership of the al Qaeda group in Yemen behind a series of terror strikes, according to two people briefed by U.S. intelligence officials. One of the people briefed said opportunities to "take out" Awlaki "may have been missed"...

Wer're in trouble. The Three Stooges of the Apocalypse were sum moned to Washington to explain how a known al Qaeda-trained savage with murder on his mind and explosives in his underpants came a whisker's breadth from bringing down a plane over Detroit. And -- nyuk, nyuk, nyuk -- the doofuses and ski bunnies who are paid to keep you safe were left searching high and low for a morphine drip to ease the pain. I hope you love this one as much as I do. This is the word-for-word testimony of Director of National Intelligence Daniel Blair last Wednesday,...

SNIPPET: "ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish police launched a nationwide crackdown on suspected militants linked to the al-Qaida terror network on Friday..." SNIPPET: "Those detained Friday's raids include a faculty member of the Yuzunci Yil University in the eastern city of Van, who is suspected of recruiting students at the campus and other people through the Internet and of sending them to Afghanistan for training, Anatolia reported, citing unnamed police officials. The suspect was identified by his initials M.E.Y. only. Anatolia said other suspects included some local leaders, university students, and people believed to be spreading al-Qaida propaganda."

Impoverished Yemen is reeling under the threat of Al Qaeda, northern Shiite rebels and southern secessionists, but a lack of water is putting its ancient capital at even greater risk, experts say. Within a decade - or even less - Sanaa could become the first waterless capital in the world, they warn, adding the outlook is also bleak for the rest of this parched country where wells in some regions are already dry. A conference in London on Wednesday will discuss Yemen's anti-terrorism drive, but it is unclear whether the water woes that experts say are likely to fuel more...