placemark
North Korea said Friday it is ditching a nonaggression pact and all other peace agreements with South Korea, in an apparent attempt to use the threat of an armed clash to press Seoul to give up its "confrontational" stance. The communist nation also said it will no longer respect a disputed sea border with the South, raising the prospect for an armed clash along the Yellow Sea boundary - the scene of deadly skirmishes between the two navies in 1999 and 2002.
South Korea said it regretted the North's latest move and warned it won't tolerate any attempt to violate the border. Analysts said Pyongyang's threats could signal it is preparing for an armed confrontation, but only as a way of ratcheting up the pressure on Seoul to get the neighbor to soften its hard-line stance - and attracting President Barack Obama's attention. "This signals that North Korea will stage a provocation" - probably near the maritime border, said Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.
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http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304639158&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
`Al-Qaeda video` recruits snipers to avenge Gaza
Thursday January 29, 2009
A new video purportedly from Al-Qaeda in Iraq urges Muslims to become snipers in order to avenge the Palestinian deaths caused by Israel`s three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip. The 30 minute documentary, entitled "From the Islamic State: Dedicated to Gaza, the courageous," underlines the military and religious aspect of a sniper in Islam. It begins by showing images of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, while images of Arab heads of state are seen cheering after a raid.
The aim of the video - produced by production house al-Furqan - is to invite Muslims from all over the world to do the same and kill the first unbeliever that crosses his path. "You must know that with a bullet whose cost does not exceed one dollar, you can kill a person who gets paid much more by their country. "If you feel that your heart is being squeezed and you are sorry about what is happening to Muslims, become a sniper and learn how to become one. Then approach God`s enemy and his closest prophet and put a bullet in his heart or head and you will see how much better you feel," said the message.
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