placemark
At least seven Islamist Abu Sayyaf rebels were killed late Saturday in a clash with government troops in the southern Philippines, a navy commander said. Commodore Geronimo Defensor said the clash erupted when pursuing marines caught up with the guerrillas near the seashore of Balimbing island in Tawi-Tawi province, 1,050 kilometres south of Manila.
Defensor said among those killed was Abu Sayyaf commander Jundam Jamalul, alias Black Killer, who has a 40,000-dollar bounty on his head offered by the United States government for his involvement in the kidnapping of western tourists in Malaysia's Sipadan island in 2000.
"There was initial tracking of the bandits on Friday night in nearby Capual island," he said. "Our troops finally caught up with them in Balimbing." Defensor said the government troops did not suffer any casualties during the clash. The troops also recovered firearms and the twin-engine motor boat used by the rebels.
The military have launched an offensive against the al-Qaeda- linked Islamist Abu Sayyaf rebels since August last year on the nearby island of Jolo. Abu Sayyaf is the smallest but most violent Islamist rebel group in the southern Philippines. The rebels were blamed for deadly terror attacks in the country.
AP staffer found shot in the head in Iraq
Jan. 5, 2007
The body of an Associated Press employee was found shot in the back of the head Friday, six days after he was last seen by his family leaving for work.
Ahmed Hadi Naji, 28, was the fourth AP staffer to die violently in the Iraq war and the second AP employee killed in less than a month. He had been a messenger and occasional cameraman for the AP for 2 1/2 years.
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http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467670422&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
London plot suspect says he's innocent
Fri Jan 5, 2007
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A British Muslim suspected in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners flying from Britain last summer reiterated his innocence Friday after a judge extended his detention for two more weeks.
"I am innocent," Rashid Rauf told reporters in Rawalpindi, a garrison city near capital of Islamabad. "I ask Pakistan government to do me justice," said the thin, bearded man wearing a traditional Pakistani loose robe and a prayer cap.
Rauf, who also has a Pakistani passport, was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agents in August on a tip from their British counterparts. At the time, Pakistan identified him as a key suspect in the alleged terror plot, sparking a security alert in Britain that saw mass cancellations of flights to and from Heathrow Airport for several days in August and increased restrictions on carry-on items.
However, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court dropped terrorism charges against Rauf on Dec. 13 and held him accountable only for possessing bomb-making materials and living in Pakistan without valid documents. Later, a higher court — acting on an appeal by Pakistani authorities — suspended the anti-terrorism court's ruling until Jan. 15.
On Friday, Rauf was brought before a judge who extended his detention until Jan. 19. His lawyer, Hashmat Habib, said his client had been implicated in a false case, and that he would prove his innocence. He said no date has been set by the court for the start of the trial. Rauf arrived in Pakistan soon after his uncle was stabbed to death in 2002. Pakistan has said British authorities had asked Pakistan to extradite Rauf in connection with a murder inquiry. Pakistan and Britain do not have an extradition treaty, and Pakistani officials have said that no decision has been made on the extradition request.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070105/ap_on_re_eu/pakistan_british_suspect_1