BEIRUT, Lebanon — The last time the world heard from Imad Mughniyeh, he was masterminding terror spectaculars in the 1980s and 1990s — bomb attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets, kidnappings and hijackings. But for nearly 15 years, no one has known exactly what the Hezbollah commander was doing. The only confirmation of his whereabouts came when he was killed Feb. 12 in a car bombing in Syria.
Now Hezbollah officials and associates are describing a previously unknown role for Mughniyeh: Far from being too busy fleeing enemies, he was a key commander for Hezbollah in its 2006 war with Israel. He was among the leading military and security strategists — if not the very top himself — of the group and a member of its decision-making committee, according to those who had knowledge of Mughniyeh before he was killed Feb. 12 in Damascus.
"Hezbollah's top architect of that war was Imad Mughniyeh," Anis Naccache, a 57-year-old longtime associate, told The Associated Press. "You can say he was like a staff general (chief of staff)." In a speech Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah credited Mughniyeh with leading the group to two victories — the 2006 war and a Hezbollah guerrilla war in 2000 that led to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from its last positions in southern Lebanon.
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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jFv4susic5cPFaxPQyyksfvQxhEAD8V27DL01
Singapore terror suspect escapes
Wednesday, Feb 27 2008
Singaporean security forces searched Thursday for an escaped terror suspect who allegedly plotted to crash a plane into Singapore's airport, authorities said.
Mas Selamat Kastari, said to be commander of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group's Singapore arm, escaped Wednesday from a detention center. He was allegedly involved in plans about seven years ago to attack Singapore targets including the U.S. Embassy, the American Club and government buildings.
"Mas Selamat was the leader of the Singapore (Jemaah Islamiyah) network. He walks with a limp and is presently at large," the Home Affairs Ministry said in a statement. "Extensive police resources have been deployed to track him down." It did not say how he escaped.
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ALPINE, Texas — Cleanup was under way in West Texas on Wednesday after nearly 90 cars from a train carrying hazardous materials derailed and prompted temporary evacuations, Union Pacific Corp. said. The train was traveling from Louisiana to California when 86 cars came off the track around 11:50 p.m. Tuesday. The two-person crew was not injured, said James Barnes, a spokesman with Omaha, Neb.-based UP.
A dozen or so homes were evacuated as a precaution, but residents returned home after officials determined no chemicals had been released, Barnes said. Some cars were carrying a solvent used in the chemical and pharmaceutical field..
The cause of the derailment was under investigation, Barnes said. Alpine is about 220 miles east of El Paso.
http://ap.amarillonet.com/pstories/state/tx/20080227/251692689.shtml
Grenade explodes prematurely in southern Philippine town, killing would-be bomber
February 28, 2008
MANILA, Philippines: A grenade exploded during a town fiesta in the southern Philippines, killing a would-be bomber and wounding four people, police said Thursday.
The police chief in General Santos city, Senior Superintendent Robert Po, said the grenade held by the bomber went off before he managed to penetrate crowds celebrating the city's foundation anniversary late Wednesday. The blast caused panic among hundreds of people, and Radio DZBB reported that police were questioning some of the injured.
Po said investigators were working to determine the bomber's identity and affiliation, but suspected he may have been linked to a notorious extortion gang, the Al-Khobar group. The group, which authorities believe has ties to Muslim extremists operating in the southern Philippines, has been blamed for at least a dozen explosions in the region targeting bus companies and business establishments.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/28/asia/AS-GEN-Philippines-Grenade-Blast.php