The Daily Terrorist Round-Up 10-01-05 (Heavy fighting around Miran Shah)

Helicopter gunships fired rockets on suspected military hideouts near Miramshah in North Waziristan agency following a gun-battle between army troops and tribesmen on Thursday.

Witnesses said that scores of families were seen leaving the area and moving to safe locations. The main road and all entry points have been sealed by the troops.

An official of the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) told Dawn in Peshawar that one member of the tribal Khasadar force was killed and seven soldiers suffered injuries during the exchange of fire in the Khattaki village.

“The military has engaged its Cobra helicopters and artillery and moved more troops towards the hostile area,” he said.

He, however, declined to give details about civilian casualties or collateral damage.

The Online news agency, however, claimed that as many as 40 militants died in clashes in the Khati Kali area, 60km west of Miramshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan Agency, on Thursday.

It said that security forces had cordoned off the area and militants trapped in the mountainous region were trying hard to break the siege.

ISPR chief Major General Shaukat Sultan neither confirmed nor denied the casualty figure, the news agency said.

Official sources said that security forces had arrested Ahmad Haqqani, a nephew of Taliban commander Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani.

The sources said that Ahmad Haqqani, a former detainee at the Guantanamo Bay, was arrested along with another person who were riding a motorbike in Dandy Derpakhel on Wednesday night.

Unconfirmed reports said that at least two soldiers, one Khasadar and two tribesmen were killed, while seven troops suffered injuries.

The clashes erupted in the volatile agency after troops laid a siege to houses in Khattaki village, west of Miramshah, after receiving information about presence of foreign militants in the area.

The troops soon came under fire from suspected militants who attacked an army convoy. One soldier was wounded in the attack.

Eyewitnesses said that on appeal by some people to tribesmen to come out in strength to rescue their fellows, some 300 armed volunteers took positions around the Khattaki village and opened fire on security forces.

Helicopter gunships were called from Miramshah and rockets were fired on suspected positions

Sources said that the army and paramilitary forces also used medium-range artillery and fired shells to dismantle pockets of resistance.

According to reports, one Khasadar was killed when tribesmen fired on a peace jirga. The jirga, led by assistant political agent Humayun Khan, was trying to broker a ceasefire.

After hours of lull in the firing following efforts by the authorities to negotiate a peace deal, clashes erupted again in the evening. The paramilitary forces started heavy artillery shelling from their headquarters in Miramshah.

The sources said that about 100 armed men had captured three paramilitary troops after surrounding a checkpoint near Miramshah on Wednesday night.

The personnel, belonging to Tall Scouts of the Frontier Corps, were however released subsequently.

Four Khasadars and a political Moharer were gunned down, while another Khasadar was wounded when masked men attacked their vehicle near Wana in the South Waziristan Agency on Thursday.

Officials and witnesses said that the vehicle carrying officials was coming from the Tank district when it was attacked near Wana.

They said that the attackers who were in a car opened fire on the vehicle from the front and sped back to Wana. As a result, political Moharar Inayatullah, and four Khasadars, Muzafar Khan, Saeedullah, Jamal Khan and Lal Mohammad were killed on the spot, while another Khasadar, Nousher Khan, suffered serious injuries.

According to an AFP report, the victims were bringing money from a bank to pay salaries of the Khasadar force when their vehicle came under attack.

An official told the news agency that it was unclear whether the attack was mounted by insurgents or a gang of robbers. He would not say whether the money was also taken.

Official sources said that some of the offices were being shifted from Wana to the Tank district due to the deteriorating law and order situation in the region.

The office of director agriculture was recently shifted from Wana to the adjoining district, while the International Fund for Agriculture Development had already suspended its activities in the agency.

The IFAD staff, escorted by Khasadar force, was recently deprived of two vehicles.

Security forces in Bangladesh have seized two 10-kg bombs during a raid on a jungle hideout of suspected militants linked to last month's wave of bombings across the country, police said on Friday.

"During the raid on Thursday, one man was arrested from the hideout believed to be used by militants of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen," a senior official of the elite Rapid Action Battalion told Reuters.

Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen is blamed for the Aug. 17 blasts that killed two people and wounded about 100.

The official said nearly 100 kg in explosives were found at the forest hideout near Ramu, 400 km (250 miles) from the capital Dhaka.

Since the August blasts, police have also seized explosives from four hideouts in Dhaka.

On Thursday, police raided two printing presses in the capital and seized documents and leaflets of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen. Some 20 workers of the presses were detained.

Copies of a leaflet found at most bomb sites carried a call by Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen for the introduction of Islamic rule in Bangladesh, a mainly Muslim democracy.

India has handed over to Bangladesh a list of 172 camps of Northeast insurgents and 307 militants criminals and miscreants wanted by Indian authorities and hiding inside Bangladesh, asking that they be sent to India.

The list handed over by BSF Director General R S Mooshahary to Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Director General during their four-day meting here which concluded today, included the the names of most wanted Paresh Baruah and Arvind Rajkhova of the ULFA, Ranjan Daimari of the NDFB, Jeevansingha of Kamtapuri Liberation Organisation (KLO), Nayanbashi Jamatiya and Bishwa Mohan Debbarma of NLFT and Ranjit Debbarma of All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and other leaders of insurgent groups staying in Bangladesh.

Mr Mooshahary asked the BDR DG that these insurgent leaders should be arrested and handed over to India including Anoop Chetia of ULFA whose present jail term has expired.

Others, including those who are already in custody in Bangladesh, should also be handed over once their jail term expires.

Conveying to the BDR DG that harbouring of Indian insurgents was causing a serious threat to India's sovereignty and integrity, the BSF DG said evidence to this effect had come out after the interrogation of several insurgents who were apprehended by or had surrendered to the Indian security forces along with arms and ammunition.

He expressed grave concern over illegal migration from Bangladesh which had resulted in various socio-economic problems, spurt in crimes and change in demographic patterns in some areas, Mr Mooshahary handed over to his counterpart names of the touts who helped in this.

He told the BDR DG that BDR helped in this illegal migration, at times by pushing them into India.

Two Islamic men accused in an FBI sting are facing new charges of helping a terrorist organization a year after the judge in the case said there was no evidence of their links to extremist groups.

A federal grand jury indicted Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain late on Thursday on nine new charges each, including conspiracy to provide material support to Pakistani-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, which the U.S. government brands as a terrorist organization.

Aref, 35, is an Iraqi-born Kurdish refugee and imam at a mosque in Albany that was raided by the FBI in August 2004. Hossain, 50, of Bangladesh, owns an Albany pizzeria. They were to be arraigned on Friday before U.S. Magistrate David Homer.

The indictments were based on new evidence presented by prosecutors who, since being sharply criticized by the judge a year ago, have traveled the globe to strengthen their case.

Judge Homer last year said there was no evidence the two men had contact with a terrorist group and released them from jail, saying that the government's case was much weaker than it had first appeared.

In the Albany case, prosecutors assembled a 48-page memorandum documenting Aref's life, including journal entries, taped speeches, phone calls and a poem written by Aref that seems to praise jihad, or holy war.

The government also contends Aref aided the Palestinian group Hamas and extremists linked to insurgent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.

The new indictments come in addition to 19 previous counts each of money laundering, attempting to provide material support to Jaish-e-Mohammed, and conspiracy charges relating to the FBI sting.

Prosecutors say the two men willingly participated in a plot to launder $50,000 from the sale of a shoulder-fired missile as part of a fake plan to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat.

They have been under house arrest for the past year, wearing electronic monitoring bracelets and only allowed to go to work and the mosque. Federal prosecutors want them jailed pending trial.

Albany is home to nearly 8,000 Muslims, some of whom have criticized the arrest of the two men and have refrained from attending mosques for fear of being labeled terrorists.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers were kept busy Sept. 28 and 29 in various districts of the capitol city, locating and destroying several bombs before the munitions could be detonated.

At 7 p.m. Sept. 28, Soldiers operating in an area southwest of Baghdad found a 122-millimeter round in a crack in the road. An explosive ordnance disposal team safely disabled the improvised explosive device.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Sept. 28, Soldiers found a 130-millimeter round northwest of Baghdad. The IED was buried in a hole where a roadside bomb was previously detonated. EOD safely destroyed the IED.

At 1 a.m. Sept. 29, U.S. forces working west of Baghdad found three Italian anti-tank mines set on the side of the road primed with a blasting cap. EOD later destroyed the explosives.

Shortly afterwards, two 155-millimeter rounds were found on a major highway south of Baghdad. Those munitions were also safely destroyed by EOD.

Five 125-millimeter artillery rounds were found south of Baghdad around 3 a.m. Sept. 29 and, once again, U.S. forces safely detonated the rounds.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers, acting on a tip from an Iraqi citizen, captured seven suspected terrorists and discovered three improvised explosive devices Sept. 26.

After receiving the tip that a large bomb was buried beneath a road in south Baghdad, Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment investigated the area and discovered exposed wires leading from the suspected bomb site to a nearby house.

The unit raided the house, seized the suspects and found a series of linked roadside bombs at the site. The largest of the three bombs contained more than 200 pounds of homemade explosives. The other two IEDs each consisted of two artillery rounds.

An explosives ordnance disposal team was called in and conducted controlled detonations on the explosives and artillery rounds.

The 3/3 ACR patrol discovered anti-Coalition propaganda inside the home. In a bag hidden in a nearby canal, they also found a cache consisting of cell phones, batteries, and homemade detonating devices.

"The tip that led our forces to these roadside bombs was essential to the success of the mission," said Maj. Raul Benitez, 4th Brigade Combat Team intelligence officer. "This shows that Iraqi civilians are tired of the death and destruction they see on a daily basis and are willing to make their voices heard to make their neighborhoods safer."

In other combat operations, more than 100 Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment conducted an air and ground assault in south Baghdad.

The unit searched three different objectives during the assault, captured four terror suspects and seized bomb-making materials, detonation cord, blasting caps and electrical wire.

Iraqi Security Forces and Task Force Baghdad officials continue to encourage all Iraqi citizens to report suspicious behavior by e-mailing baghdadtipshotline@yahoo.com or calling one of the TIPS hotlines at 07901737723 or 07901737727.

A Task Force Liberty unit has detained an individual after an attack Sept. 29 in Balad.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team conducted three counter fire missions in response to a mortar attack around 6:50 p.m. and detained a suspect who ran from the scene to a nearby house.

An Iraqi citizen positively identified the detainee, who tested positive for explosives.

Injured Iraqi’s were taken to Balad Hospital and a coalition forces base for treatment.

Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers continue to thwart attempts by terrorists who try to carry out lethal attacks in Baghdad.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers in east Baghdad stopped a suspicious vehicle at 7 p.m. Sept. 28. The operator of the vehicle tried to escape but was detained. Soldiers discovered the suspected terrorist had a rocket-propelled grenade in his possession.

"Any person found with a rocket-propelled grenade is up to no good," said Capt. Matthew Dawson, an operations officer with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. "We will continue to work with Iraqi Security Forces in our zone in the aggressive pursuit of all terrorists."

A half hour later, Iraqi Security Forces near Salman Pak discovered a bomb concealed in a motorcycle and deactivated it before it was detonated.

"This shows the vigilance and professionalism of the Iraqi Security Forces," said Col. Joseph DiSalvo, commander of 2nd BCT. "They are alert and focused on keeping the community safe from the terrorists who want to do nothing but kill innocent Iraqis."

At 9 a.m. Sept. 29, Iraqi Police responded to a terrorist attack on a bus carrying civilians. Police reported that four civilians were killed and five were wounded when terrorists fired small arms into the bus.

"This is another example of the horror the terrorists are bringing to Iraq. These people were innocent and that anyone could target their vehicle is unconscionable," DiSalvo said.

A tip from an Iraqi civilian helped Iraqi Army Soldiers free an Iraqi woman taken hostage by a criminal gang operating in the Al Rashid district of central Baghdad Sept. 26.

After receiving the tip, Iraqi Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 1st Commando Brigade headed out in a large convoy to find the captive.

When the Soldiers arrived in the neighborhood, they were approached by an Iraqi citizen who gave them the address of the suspect’s house.

Residents of the neighborhood continued to provide assistance to the security forces, allowing the Commandos to quickly assault the house. In a few minutes, the Commandos cleared the house and detained all four members of the gang.

The four men in the criminal gang claimed to have been threatened by a local terrorist leader operating in the Risala neighborhood of southwest Baghdad, according to Commando forces. The terrorist leader allegedly threatened to kill the gang members if they did not capture and deliver the hostage, an unidentified Iraqi woman, who was believed to be a spy for Coalition Forces.

The Iraqi Commandos returned the woman to her family safely, less than 24 hours after she had been abducted.

Officials in Iraq's Kurdistan region have carried out more than 2,400 interviews and have compiled 12 tonnes worth of documents containing evidence of alleged crimes committed by Saddam Hussein's regime against the local population, according to a top government official. Kurdistan human rights minister, Muhammad Ihsan, also said that during their investigations some mass graves have been unearthed. Tests carried out on the remains of 214 people buried in the graves showed signs that they "died from the effects of chemical weapons," Ihsan told the Kurdish language newspaper, Khabat.

The documents have been handed over to the special war crimes tribunal created to try Saddam and some of his closest collaborators. He added that the Kurdish authorities "had nothing to do with the process of the trial" but that the material was only meant to "assist" the tribunal.

Asked about reports that Saddam's trial may take place abroad, Ihsan said: "We Kurds oppose the transfer of Saddam to an international tribunal and from the start we asked for a 'mixed trial' that is one that would be conducted by Iraqi judges in coordination with international experts, since Iraq is not a member of the International Criminal Court."

"Iraqi judges don't have enough experience in dealing with trials involving crimes against humanity," he added.

Algerian voters have overwhelmingly backed a partial amnesty for Islamist rebels in a nationwide referendum. A total 97 percent of people voted in favour of the amnesty, interior minister Noureddine Zerhouni announced on Friday. The amnesty aims to end more than a decade of bloody conflict but also to provide a personal vote of confidence for Algeria's president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to consolidate his grip on power. Despite eyewitness accounts of a low attendance in Thursday's polling, in which over 18 million Algerians were eligible to vote, Zerhouni said the turnout was 79.5 percent.

Provided they were not involved in rape or mass killings, Bouteflika's so called "charter for peace and national reconciliation" grants a pardon to Islamic militants who rose up against the army-backed regime in 1992, after it cancelled elections that the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) was poised to win. It bans top Islamists from politics, a move analysts say was intended to ensure the support of Algeria's powerful army. The charter also praises the army for its role in protecting state institutions during the civil war.

Besides the 150,000 reportedly killed in the 'Fitna' or 13-year-long Islamic uprising, thousands allegedly disappeared. Bouteflika's charter offers compensation to victims and their families, though no details have been provided of how that will be administered.

A female terrorist was arrested on Friday before carrying on a suicide-bombing using an explosive-belt in Baghdad's Al-Harj market.

In a statement, an Iraqi police source said security forces deactivated the explosive-belt and arrested the female whose identity and nationality was concealed.

Previously in northern Iraq's Tal Afar city, a female terrorist had carried through a suicide-bombing close to a military volunteers' recruitment center, leading to the death of six people and injuring 30.

In another development, US forces arrested one of the terrorists involved in northern Baghdad's Balad town car-bombs that killed 85 people and injured 112 on Thursday.

In a release, a US army commander said Thursday's car-blasts were supported with mortar attacks by terrorists, adding that the mortars' location was uncovered and assaulted by the Multi-National Forces (MNF).

He explained that one person was arrested while attempting to flee the site and admitted involvement in the terrorist attack.(end) mhg.

Security Forces Nab 44 Terrorists, Seize Weapons Caches
American Forces Press Service ^ | Sep 30, 2005 | unattributed

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1494550/posts
Posted on 09/30/2005 7:41:38 PM CDT by SandRat

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2005 – Iraqi security forces and multinational forces from Task Force Freedom detained 44 suspected terrorists and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq Sept. 26-30, military officials reported. Iraqi police seized a weapons cache during a cordon-and-search operation in eastern Mosul on Sept. 28. The cache included artillery rounds, rocket-propelled grenades, rockets, and blasting caps. The weapons were confiscated for future destruction.

During five operations in Tal Afar between Sept. 26 and 29, soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, detained 17 individuals suspected of terrorist activity. Suspects are in custody.

During a cordon-and-search operation in Tal Afar on Sept. 28, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, confiscated a large sum of money, a rifle, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. In a Sept. 30 raid in Tal Afar, soldiers from the same unit also detained five individuals suspected of being connected to a suicide bombing in Tal Afar on Sept. 28.

Also on Sept. 28, a cordon-and-search operation conducted by soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, in northern Mosul resulted in the detention of six individuals suspected of terrorist activity.

Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, detained two individuals suspected of terrorist activities and confiscated pistols and a large sum of money during operations south of Mosul Sept. 27. The soldiers also detained two individuals suspected of terrorist activities during operations in southern Mosul Sept. 29.

In western Mosul, soldiers from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, detained one individual suspected of terrorist activity during a cordon-and-search operation Sept. 28. The soldiers also killed two terrorists attempting to detonate a car bomb on a coalition convoy in western Mosul on Sept. 29. The explosives were destroyed. During multiple operations in western and central Mosul on Sept. 30 soldiers from this unit detained eight individuals suspected of terrorist activities and confiscated AK-47s, a machine gun and a pistol.

In southern Mosul, soldiers from 172nd Brigade Support Battalion detained one individual suspected of terrorist activity at Forward Operating Base Marez Sept. 29.

Also during operations Sept. 29, soldiers from the 65th Military Police Company detained two terrorists.

Soldiers from 52nd Infantry uncovered a weapons cache in the city of Buwayr, south of Mosul on Sept. 28. The weapons were confiscated for future destruction.

(From a Multinational Force Northwest news release.)

Terrorism Headlines of the Week

Domestic

Home grown Islamists may hit US: FBI chief

WASHINGTON -- The United States could be attacked by "home grown" Islamist terror groups, the FBI's chief has warned.
FBI Director Robert Mueller told the London Financial Times newspaper in an interview published Thursday that the United States could face attacks from "home-grown terrorism" very similar to the July 7 bombings in London that killed 52 people and wounded another 700, Mueller said.

When asked if the United States could face such attacks from "home-grown groups", Mueller answered emphatically: "Absolutely, it could," the Financial Times said.
Mueller said the need for international cooperation in law enforcement and intelligence sharing was urgent because of the developing threat in a number of countries from "home-grown extremists".

Source: United Press International

'Specific intent' is key to jury in Al-Arian trial

TAMPA - "Specific intent" is emerging as the crucial question that will decide the guilt or innocence of Sami Al-Arian and three co-defendants, as their federal conspiracy case edges to a close.
The phrase came up repeatedly Tuesday, as attorneys for the defense and prosecution debated the instructions the judge should give jurors about the law at the trial's close. The jurors were not present for the discussion.

Defense attorneys asked that written instructions to jurors tell them the government must prove defendants "specifically intended" to commit unlawful acts, on behalf of Palestinian Islamic Jihad - and did.
It is not enough, argued defense attorneys, for the government to show that defendants associated with the PIJ, which committed unlawful acts. The government must show that defendants specifically intended to help the PIJ commit violent acts.

U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr. agreed and explained it this way: "If you're a member (of the PIJ) you're not guilty. You have to show that you knew there'd be violence and you participated in the furtherance of it." The PIJ has claimed responsibility for more than 100 deaths in Israel and the occupied territories. Prosecutors allege that Al-Arian, a former University of South Florida professor, and co-defendants Sameeh Hammoudeh, Ghassan Ballut and Hatem Fariz worked through organizations in Tampa to help the group raise money to commit some of these killings. But defense attorneys say their clients worked for the charitable activities of the PIJ and, therefore, should not be convicted of crimes.

Source: St. Petersburg Times

International

Emirates think tank warns Persian Gulf states might be al-Qaida's next target

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The al-Qaida terror network poses a real danger to the freewheeling countries of the Persian Gulf, which may be its next target, and must be tackled seriously, a government-run think tank warns.
The report, published by the government-run Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, said Osama bin Laden's terror network is busy recruiting and sinking roots in the region.
The passage of time without coordination and action, "gives terrorism more opportunities to set a foothold and recruit new members in preparation for another wave of terrorism in the region," the center said.

Terror attacks in the gulf region have been concentrated in Saudi Arabia, which launched an aggressive anti-terror campaign in 2003, killing and arresting many members of the al-Qaida network in the oil-rich kingdom.
The United Arab Emirates has so far been spared even though it has been a key player in the U.S.-led war on terrorism. Authorities have arrested at least two alleged high-profile al-Qaida members, passed laws against money laundering and kept a close watch on Islamic charities.

Terrorism specialists have said Dubai was an ideal logistical hub for al-Qaida because of its liberal, cosmopolitan lifestyle and freewheeling business rules. Other gulf states, such as Bahrain and Qatar, could also be targeted because of their close ties to the United States. Like Dubai, they are home to a huge expatriate work force.

Source: The Associated Press

Al-Qa'eda boss jailed for Sept 11 attacks

The head of an al-Qa'eda cell in Spain was jailed for 27 years yesterday for his role in the September 11 attacks in America at the end of Europe's biggest trial of Islamist terrorist suspects.
Imad Yarkas, alias Abu Dahdah, one of 24 defendants on trial in Madrid, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in the attacks and of heading a terrorist organisation.
The verdict made him the only person with a standing conviction of links to the attacks in New York and Washington.

In Germany in 2003, Mounir el-Motassadeq, a Moroccan, was convicted of having a role in September 11, but was acquitted of this at a retrial last month, and jailed instead for seven years for membership of a terrorist organisation.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Terror suspects eyeing up Paris metro, airport: report

PARIS - Terror suspects detained in France had been eyeing up the Parisian metro network, an airport and the headquarters of the domestic intelligence service as possible targets, sources close to the investigation said on Tuesday.
The suspicions were based on an intelligence tip-off from Algeria and from telephone surveillance, although there is no hard evidence they had settled on a particular target, they said.
Nine people were detained by police early Monday in a series of raids west of Paris in what officials said was a crackdown on suspected Islamic terrorist activities.

Among those being held is Safe Bourada, 35, who was released from prison in 2003 after five years for helping organise a series of bomb attacks in France in 1995 for the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA).

Source: Agence France Presse

(HINT: France MIGHT consider keeping these people in prison for more than 5 year. Like maybe until they're.....dead)

Pentagon delays trial of alleged Taliban fighter from Australia

MIAMI - (KRT) - The Pentagon announced a month long delay in the resumption of the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, war crimes trial of alleged Taliban member David Hicks of Australia.
Military officials said there will likely be a Nov. 18 motions hearing in the first U.S.-run Military Commission since World War II. A senior Pentagon official had earlier set an Oct. 20 deadline to resume the trial.
But Army Col. Peter Brownback, the presiding officer, found Nov. 18 to be the first date when all the lawyers in the case would be free, said Air Force Maj. Michael Shavers, the Pentagon's spokesman for Military Commissions.

Hicks, 30, has been held at Guantanamo since January 2002 - soon after his capture in Afghanistan.
A former Outback cowboy-turned-Muslim convert, he is among the best known of the 500 or so captives held as "enemy combatants" at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba.

The Pentagon alleges that he engaged in a worldwide al-Qaida conspiracy by training at its camps in Afghanistan in 2001. It does not specify any direct role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but says Hicks met Osama bin Laden once, complained about a lack of English-language al-Qaida training manuals, then did some translations himself. Later, he was allegedly in league with Taliban forces that fought off the U.S. invasion.

Source: Knight Ridder News

Navy seizes 2 tons of explosives in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Troops raided a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout on an island off Basilan in Mindanao before sunrise Tuesday and seized more than two tons of chemicals and blasting caps used in the manufacture of homemade explosives, officials said.
They said elite members of the naval anti-terror Task Force 61, backed by amphibious vehicles, stormed Pilas island near Basilan and raided the hideout where they recovered 42 bags of ammonium nitrate and boxes of blasting caps, including barrels of gasoline.

Mindanao navy chief Commodore Rufino Lopez said the raid was part of an anti-terror campaign in the troubled region, where security forces are battling Abu Sayyaf militants with links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. "There is an ongoing anti-terror operation," Lopez said.
He did not say how many soldiers and amphibious vehicles were used in the operation, except that their number was sizable.

Source: Sun Star

High turnout as Algerians vote on peace charter that would amnesty killers

ALGIERS (AFP) -- Algerians have turned out en masse to vote on a peace charter presented by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as the only hope of ending a conflict that has left 150,000 dead but which opponents dismissed as a pretext to extend presidential powers. Interior Minister Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni said the turnout was 79.49 percent in Thursday's referendum whose approval will result in many of those jailed for the killings being freed.
"This strong turnout bears witness to the will of the Algerian people to resolve once and for all the crisis in Algeria," Zerhouni said on public television.

The results of the referendum were expected to be announced Friday during a press conference, with the Algerian press sharing the widespread belief that a "yes" result was guaranteed from the 18-million strong electorate.
Bouteflika launched a "civil reconciliation" initiative at the start of his first five-year term in 1999, leading to a partial amnesty for thousands of Islamists who laid down their arms.

The program was endorsed overwhelmingly in a referendum, and Bouteflika was reelected in 2004 largely because the peace initiative helped quell the fighting that erupted after the army cancelled an election in 1992 which Islamist politicians were poised to win.
The violence has eased considerably in recent years, but some 50 people have been killed in September during referendum campaigning.

Source: Agence France Presse

Suspected kidnapper of Italian aid worker arrested in Kabul

KABUL (AFP) - The suspected kidnapper of an Italian aid worker was arrested in Kabul more than three months after the hostage was released, police said.
"Timur Shah, the kidnapper of aid worker Clementina Cantoni, was arrested at around 23H30 (17H00 GMT) tonight in 11th district of Kabul," police spokesman General Mahboob Amiri told AFP.
"He was captured with two of his friends after a tip-off," Amiri said.
"They were handed over to intelligence department for interrogation. We don't know yet if the two other men were involved in the kidnapping of the Italian worker," he said.

Source: Agence France Presse

Al-Qaida linked group head arrested in Pakistan

Pakistani security agents raided a home near the capital of Islamabad and arrested the head of an al-Qaida linked outlawed militant group accused of killing hundreds of minority Shiites, a security official said Wednesday.
Asif Chotto, the reputed head of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, was captured with other suspects in Rawalpindi, a garrison city near Islamabad, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, according to the AP.
Chotto is believed to have masterminded major attacks against Shiites in recent years.

Although Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao refused to confirm or deny the arrest, another intelligence official said Chotto was in the custody of a Pakistani spy agency and was being questioned.
"He is a major catch. We were looking for him for the past three years," said the official, who also did not want to be named because he is not authorized to discuss cases with reporters.

The official gave no further details other than to say that Chotto was involved in several bomb attacks against Shiites in the southern city of Karachi, the eastern city of Lahore and Sialkot and elsewhere.

Source: The Associated Press

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