Free Republic

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi militant suspected of involvement in beheadings and other bloody attacks told Iraqi authorities that his group has links with Iran and Syria, according to a tape aired Friday by an Arabic TV station funded by the U.S. government. Moayad Ahmed Yasseen, leader of Jaish Muhammad, which is Arabic for Muhammad's Army, was captured nearly two months ago in Fallujah, the former guerrilla stronghold west of Baghdad. Alhurra television, which has its headquarters in Washington, said the tape of his purported confession was made Dec. 24 and provided to the station by Iraq's Ministry of Defense....

KARACHI: Recent attacks on Christians and Westerners in Pakistan were part of a coordinated campaign by Pakistani Islamic militant groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Taliban, The Washington Post said on Saturday, quoting military and security sources. Hours after a grenade attack on a chapel at a Presbyterian hospital killed three people on Friday morning, top security aides to President Pervez Musharraf told him they had intelligence reports that factions of at least two banned Pakistani groups had joined forces for attacks on Westerners and Christians, senior officials familiar with the briefing said. Security officials said that the top...