| Islamic World News | |
| 22 Jun 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
| Saudi Islamic Justice: 22 Indonesians Awaiting Beheading in Saudi Arabia | ||
 Australia may use fingerprints to ID burqa wearers
Pak: Fears of a network within the Army
Most Pakistanis think Bin Laden's death bad: New Polling Data
Peace committee leader among three killed in Peshawar car bomb
Policeman, five militants killed in Khyber
Six Afghan police killed in checkpoint attack
Pakistanis see India as bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaida: Poll
2 killed in blasts in northwest Pakistan
Pakistan ranks 12th on failed states index: Report
Indonesian Govt to pay ‘blood money’ for Darsem
Turkey strips prominent Kurd of parliament seat
NATO raids Khoms and Nalut in west Libya: state media
US envoy found Syrian town Badly Damaged and Deserted
Dubai: Islamic countries told to spend more on research and development
40 al-Qaida militants escape Yemen jail: Officials
Pak minister hints Osama behind Benazir murder
Gujarat riot victims may file plea to make cop a witness
Indian Clerics protest against pictorial representation of Prophet (pbuh)
Muslim groups demand CBI probe, In Bhanjanpur (Bihar, India) killing.
Samjhauta Express blast: Aseemanand wanted special group to plant bomb
Shahzad was killed in Islamabad: Police
Abbottabad raid, Shahzad’s murder: PM forms probe commissions
Kayani faces no coup threat over Osama raid, says US
British military warns Cameron over hasty Afghan troop withdrawal
Kin of those in Pak jails appeal to govt
Nawaz trying to pit govt against army: Zardari
Abbottabad raid and Saleem Shahzad commissions set up
Shahzad case allegations are one of general nature, say Punjab police
Iran captures four bomb suspects in southeast: state TV
Yemeni troops battle al-Qaeda
India-Pak: Babur tried to disrupt war game
3 Indonesian militants get prison for terror plot
Abu Dhabi helps end Sharjah’s petrol woes Staff Report
Obama set to unveil Afghan troop cuts
EU extends Syria sanctions as violence continues
Israeli leaders test nuclear bunker in defence drill
Iran shipping line rejects US sanctions as ‘unfair’
Israel approves housing construction in Gaza
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Australia may use fingerprints to ID burqa wearers
| ||
| Saudi Islamic Justice: 22 Indonesians Awaiting Beheading in Saudi Arabia | |
Australia may use fingerprints to ID burqa wearers
Pak: Fears of a network within the Army
Most Pakistanis think Bin Laden's death bad: New Polling Data
Peace committee leader among three killed in Peshawar car bomb
Policeman, five militants killed in Khyber
Six Afghan police killed in checkpoint attack
Pakistanis see India as bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaida: Poll
2 killed in blasts in northwest Pakistan
Pakistan ranks 12th on failed states index: Report
Indonesian Govt to pay ‘blood money’ for Darsem
Turkey strips prominent Kurd of parliament seat
NATO raids Khoms and Nalut in west Libya: state media
US envoy found Syrian town Badly Damaged and Deserted
Dubai: Islamic countries told to spend more on research and development
40 al-Qaida militants escape Yemen jail: Officials
Pak minister hints Osama behind Benazir murder
Gujarat riot victims may file plea to make cop a witness
Indian Clerics protest against pictorial representation of Prophet (pbuh)
Muslim groups demand CBI probe, In Bhanjanpur (Bihar, India) killing.
Samjhauta Express blast: Aseemanand wanted special group to plant bomb
Shahzad was killed in Islamabad: Police
Abbottabad raid, Shahzad’s murder: PM forms probe commissions
Kayani faces no coup threat over Osama raid, says US
British military warns Cameron over hasty Afghan troop withdrawal
Kin of those in Pak jails appeal to govt
Nawaz trying to pit govt against army: Zardari
Abbottabad raid and Saleem Shahzad commissions set up
Shahzad case allegations are one of general nature, say Punjab police
Iran captures four bomb suspects in southeast: state TV
Yemeni troops battle al-Qaeda
India-Pak: Babur tried to disrupt war game
3 Indonesian militants get prison for terror plot
Abu Dhabi helps end Sharjah’s petrol woes Staff Report
Obama set to unveil Afghan troop cuts
EU extends Syria sanctions as violence continues
Israeli leaders test nuclear bunker in defence drill
Iran shipping line rejects US sanctions as ‘unfair’
Israel approves housing construction in Gaza
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Saudi Islamic Justice: 22 Indonesians Awaiting Beheading in Saudi Arabia: Minister
June 21, 2011
Padang, West Sumatra. Indonesia has disclosed that as many as 22 migrant workers are facing the same fate as an Indonesian maid who was beheaded by Saudi Arabian authorities on Saturday.
Indonesian authorities have alleged that Ruyati binti Sapubi killed her employer because she was frequently verbally abused and held in the country against her will.
Speaking on Monday, Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said 22 workers “may also face the same punishment.”
He said in total, there were a total of 316 Indonesians involved in legal cases in Saudi Arabia, 22 of whom had been sentenced to death by beheading with a sword.
He said the Indonesian government would strive to ensure they did not meet the same fate as Ruyati.
Antara
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/22-indonesians-awaiting-beheading-in-saudi-arabia-minister/447996
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Australia may use fingerprints to ID burqa wearers
Jun 22, 2011
Australian police are considering using fingerprints to identify people wearing face-covering veils, after a judge said he could not be sure a burqa-clad woman was who she told police she was.
The judge said this week that a case against Carnita Matthews, who a magistrate earlier found had made a false complaint against police, could not be upheld partly because he could not be sure she had made the complaint.
The complaint was made by a burqa-wearing woman to a Sydney police station but officers never saw the woman's face.
"I am not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that she made the complaint," Judge Clive Jeffreys said on Monday.
Following the decision, New South Wales state Police Minister Mike Gallacher said he would ask police to consider improved identification strategies for those wearing items such as the burqa -- which covers a woman's head and body.
One such strategy could be that "where the person elects not to remove their facial covering that they can provide a fingerprint as a means of identification", he told ABC television.
Gallacher said it was possible that fingerprints could be included on statutory declarations and other statements to ensure they were authentic.
The New South Wales government said regardless of religion or gender, all people were required to obey the law.
"Whether you're wearing a clown's mask, whether you're wearing a motorcycle helmet, whether you're wearing a face veil of any form, police can and have the power to demand that you remove it,"
http://www.asianage.com/international/australia-may-use-fingerprints-id-burqa-wearers-903
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Pak: Fears of a network within the Army
Jun 22, 2011
ISLAMABAD: A Brigadier of the Pakistan Army has been detained for his alleged links with the Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was banned by the Pervez Musharraf regime in 2004. This was confirmed on Tuesday by Director-General Inter Services Press Relations Athar Abbas, who said the detention was reflective of the zero tolerance the Army had for such elements within its rank and file.
Identified as Brigadier Ali Khan, serving in the Regulation Department at the Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the officer was apparently picked up in May, soon after the U.S. raid in Abbottabad .
rigadier Khan's links to the Hizb ut-Tahrir (The Liberation Party), which describes itself as a global Islamic political party established in 1953, are under the scanner along with the possible network that this organisation may have established within the Army.
Soon after the May 2 action in Abbottabad, pamphlets of the Hizb ut-Tahrir were apparently found in several cantonment areas inciting people to revolt against the establishment and help in the formation of an Islamic caliphate. One poster said: “Oh, sincere officers within Pakistan's armed forces, remove the traitors amongst the civilian and military leadership, fulfill your obligation by establishing the Khilafah.”
The Hizb ut-Tahrir has also been actively trying to spread its word via Facebook, emails and SMSs commenting on current issues including the Budget and promising that “indirect taxes like General Sales Tax would be ‘haraam' [forbidden] in the ‘Khilafat'…” This is not the first such case. One of the earliest recorded instances of religious rightwing elements penetrating the Army dates back to 1995 when “Operation Khilafat” was attempted by some officers to topple the Benazir Bhutto government and take over the General HQ.
Air Force personnel were reportedly involved in an assassination bid on the former President, Pervez Musharraf, and explosives used in the attempt were stolen from a PAF depot. And, the nature of the attack on PNS Mehran last month point towards inside help for the terrorists.
http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/22/stories/2011062257742100.htm
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Most Pakistanis think Bin Laden's death bad
Jun 22, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis largely disapprove of the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, with a majority believing the Al-Qaeda chief's death is a bad thing and relations between Washington and Islamabad will suffer as a result, new polling data show.
The findings of two Pew Research Center surveys reflect widespread anti-Americanism in a country where many view the US as the main reason for rising Islamist violence that has killed thousands, even as many of the same Pakistanis hold the militants behind such attacks in low regard.
The survey results also show a deep pessimism among Pakistanis about the future of their nation and the caliber of their leaders. Roughly nine in 10 Pakistanis say they are dissatisfied with the direction the country is heading.
US Navy SEALs killed Bin Laden on May 2 in the northwest Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad. The unilateral raid outraged Pakistani leaders, who called it a violation of their country’s sovereignty while insisting they had no idea Bin Laden was hiding on their soil.
Ordinary Pakistanis also were stunned by their military’s seeming impotence during the incident, though the Pew surveys show that the army remains widely popular, or at least more popular than the country’s civilian leadership.
The surveys were part of the Pew Center’s Global Attitudes Project. The first was conducted from April 10-26 among 1,970 Pakistanis. The second was taken May 8-15 among 1,251 Pakistanis and was nearly identical to April’s poll except that it also included questions about Bin Laden.
Because of security issues, not all regions of Pakistan could be reached, but both surveys cover around 85 percent of the Pakistani population. The margin of sampling error for the April survey is 3 percentage points, while it is 4 percentage points for the May survey.
The May survey found that 63 percent of Pakistanis disapproved of the Bin Laden raid, while 10 percent approved and 27 percent gave no opinion.
More than half — 55 percent — saw the terror chief’s death as a bad thing, 14 percent saw it as a good thing, while around one-third expressed no opinion. And of those surveyed, 51 percent said the relations between the US and Pakistan would worsen as a result of the raid.
The May poll also showed that the Bin Laden raid had little to no impact on Pakistani attitudes toward the US, which were already overwhelmingly negative.
Nearly 70 percent of Pakistanis surveyed view the US as an enemy, while fewer then 1 in 10 see it as a partner, both surveys showed. Around three in four have an unfavorable opinion of America, both polls showed.
Though the survey didn’t get into the details of why people dislike the US, anecdotal evidence over the years suggests that many Pakistanis believe the American military presence in neighboring Afghanistan, and Washington’s uneasy alliance with Pakistan’s government, has spurred extremists to carry out attacks in their country. There is also residual anger at the perception that the US abandoned Pakistan after enlisting its help to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Many Pakistanis say violence in their country will end if the US would withdraw from Afghanistan and stop interfering in Pakistan’s affairs. US leaders have long tried to convince Pakistanis that Islamist extremists pose an existential threat to their country’s future.
The post-Bin Laden survey also did not delve into why so many people viewed the Al-Qaeda leader’s death as a bad thing.
But it’s possible that many Pakistanis were worried about violence by Islamist extremists seeking to avenge Bin Laden. The first major revenge attack occurred May 13, when two suicide bombers struck a paramilitary training center in northwest Pakistan, killing 87 people. Overall, more than 150 people have died in suicide and other attacks since the May 2 raid.
The large numbers of people who declined to give an opinion on the Bin Laden killing may also have been reflective of the many Pakistanis who in the immediate weeks following the raid didn’t necessarily believe Bin Laden was dead and thought the entire thing was staged as part of a bigger conspiracy.
For ordinary Pakistani citizens, Bin Laden’s death is unlikely to have the same kind of impact on their daily lives as the numerous other problems facing their nation, including unemployment, rising prices, and corruption.
Some 60 percent of Pakistanis think the economy will worsen during the next year; just 13 percent believe it will improve.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval ratings have plummeted to 11 percent from 20 percent a year ago, the surveys showed. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who has generally fared better in public eyes than the president, has also seen his ratings fall to 37 percent from 59 percent in 2010.
Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani received a 52 percent favorability rating, while one in five Pakistanis rated him unfavorably. Kayani is considered the most powerful man in the country, but the Bin Laden raid has dented his image. In the April poll, he received a 57 percent favorable rating.
Despite the Bin Laden raid, 79 percent of Pakistanis believe the military has a positive influence on the country. The army, which has ruled Pakistan for about half of its 64-year existence, is generally regarded as one of the few competent institutions in the country.
Support for the Pakistani military’s campaigns against extremist groups has waned since 2009, when more than half of Pakistanis supported going after Taleban fighters in the Swat Valley, a picturesque northwest region that was once a tourist haven. The Swat operation has largely succeeded.
Today, just 37 percent of Pakistanis support using the army to fight militant groups in the lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan or other parts of the northwest.
Fewer Pakistanis than in past surveys are very or somewhat worried that extremist groups will take over the country — two years ago, 69 percent expressed such concern, while now it is 55 percent.
Nonetheless, extremist groups are generally unpopular among Pakistanis. Just 12 percent view Al-Qaeda in a positive light, while both Pakistan and Afghan Taleban groups receive favorability ratings of less than 20 percent.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned militant outfit that has been suspected of involvement in attacks on India is better perceived: 27 percent of Pakistanis surveyed view the group favorably, while 37 percent view it unfavorably.
In fact, 57 percent of Pakistanis polled said they saw India as a bigger threat to their country than the Taleban or Al-Qaeda. The two nuclear-armed nations have fought three wars since they gained independence from Britain in 1947.
http://arabnews.com/world/article459088.ece
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Peace committee leader among three killed in Peshawar car bomb
June 22, 2011
PESHAWAR: A car bomb explosion in Matni area of Peshawar killed three people including one policeman and peace committee leader Ijaz Bacha while injuring seven people on Monday.
Express 24s/7 correspondent Umar Farooq reported that unidentified assailants had planted a bomb on a motor-bike before parking it outside the residence peace militia member, Ijaz Bacha.
The militia’s head Qadir Khan, said that the attacker quietly fled after parking his motor-bike after which a loud explosion took place.
DSP Matani, Sahibzada Sajjad confirmed the casualty figure, saying that four police men had also been injured in the attack. He added that the explosion, which took place shortly after eight pm, was the result of a car bomb.
Up to 20 shops in the vicinity of the blast had also been damaged.
“At least three people were killed and seven others were wounded,” senior police official Kalam Khan, adding he could not immediately confirm the type of device used, reported AFP
Local sources confirmed that three people were killed and more than seven others were wounded.
The injured were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital.
Security forces had cordoned off the area.
Who is Ijaz Bacha?
40-year old Ijaz Bacha worked actively against terrorism and was eager to restore peace in the area. He provided his house to the police to temporarily set up a police station, as there was none in the area.
A checkpost located in the area is also ascribed to his name.
Bacha was at the checkpost with other police officials when the blast took place.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/192834/peshawer-blast-kills-three-injures-10/
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Policeman, five militants killed in Khyber
Jun 22 2011
PESHAWAR: At least five militants and a tribal policeman were killed in a militant ambush and a bomb attack at checkpoints in Pakistan’s tribal belt on Wednesday, officials said.
The ambush took place before dawn at the Sarband checkpoint just outside the town of Bara in Khyber district, part of Pakistan’s tribal region on the Afghan border where Taliban and al Qaeda-linked networks have bases.
“More than 30 militants launched a two-pronged attack on a police checkpoint and after a gunfight five militants were killed while two policemen were wounded,” senior police official Mohammad Ijaz told AFP.
Police had recovered the bodies of the five militants, he added.
The bomb blast occurred at a tribal police checkpoint in the town of Jamrud in Khyber and killed a policeman and wounded three others, Khyber administrator Shafeerullah Khan said.
“One tribal policeman was martyred and three others were wounded in the bomb blast at the checkpoint,” Khan said.
Local police and government officials confirmed the attack and death toll.
A covert US drone war targets Taliban and al-Qaeda commanders in Pakistan’s rugged northwest tribal region and bomb attacks there are common.
Nearly 4,500 people have been killed across Pakistan in attacks blamed on Taliban and other extremist networks based in the tribal belt since 2007.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/22/five-militants-killed-in-clash-outside-peshawar.html
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Six Afghan police killed in checkpoint attack
Jun 22 2011
GHAZNI, Afghanistan: Six Afghan police officers were killed Wednesday when armed militants attacked their checkpoint in the central province of Ghazni, sparking gunbattles, a security official said.
“The attack started at around 7:00 am and six police officers were killed during a gunfight with the attackers,” Sayed Amir Shah, the head of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency in Ghazni province, told AFP.
“The gunfire is still ongoing,” Shah said.
A spokesman for the interior ministry in Kabul told AFP that he was “aware of an incident” in Ghazni and that the department was “working to get an accurate toll about the casualties”.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/22/six-afghan-police-killed-in-checkpoint-attack.html
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Pakistanis see India as bigger threat than Taliban, al-Qaida: Poll
Jun 22, 2011
A majority of Pakistanis describe al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's death as a bad thing.
WASHINGTON: Most Pakistanis see India as a bigger threat than the Taliban and the al-Qaida and disapprove of the US military operation that killed Osama bin Laden, according to a new poll.
Although al-Qaida leader bin Laden has not been well-liked in recent years, a majority of Pakistanis describe his death as a bad thing. Only 14 percent say it is a good thing, according to a poll released on Tuesday by the Pew Research Centre.
Moreover, many Pakistanis believe the US raid on bin Laden's hideout, which was located about 35 miles from Islamabad, will have a negative impact on the already strained relations between the US and their country.
The poll also indicates that concerns among Pakistanis about an extremist takeover and support for using military force against extremist groups are slipping, but the groups themselves remain widely unpopular.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistanis-see-India-as-bigger-threat-than-Taliban-al-Qaida-Poll/articleshow/8948199.cms
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2 killed in blasts in northwest Pakistan
Jun 22, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Two persons were killed and three others injured as two bombs went off in the Khyber tribal region of northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, police said.
The first blast was caused by a roadside bomb in Jamrud area of Khyber Agency in the morning, police officials and witnesses were quoted as saying by TV news channels.
A passer-by was killed by the explosion.
Within an hour, the second blast occurred in the same area near a check post manned by the Khasadar militia.
One member of the militia was killed and three more were injured.
The injured were taken to a hospital in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
No group claimed responsibility for the blasts.
Security officials said a preliminary investigation had revealed that the second blast was triggered by remote control.
Security personnel blocked roads for a while and kept people away from the site of the attack.
Several militants groups, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Islam, are active in Khyber Agency, the main supply route for NATO forces in Afghanistan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/2-killed-in-blasts-in-northwest-Pakistan/articleshow/8948024.cms
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Pakistan ranks 12th on failed states index: Report
June 22, 2011
Pakistani flood-displaced boy Babir Ali looks on by the tents at a college converted to a camp by the army. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Pakistan ranked number 12 on a list of the “most failed states”, according to an annual report published in the Foreign Policy* magazine on Tuesday.
The report titled “The Failed States Index 2011” compiles a list of countries in terms of vulnerability. From refugee flows to poverty, public services to security threats, the list takes together a country’s performance on this battery of indicators to reflect its stability.
In both 2009 and 2010, Pakistan took the number 10 spot on this index, whereas in 2008 it was ranked number nine.
Amongst Pakistan’s neighbouring states, Afghanistan ranks 7 while Iran ranks 35. FP magazine states that these countries are on ‘alert’.
Bangladesh ranks 25, and Sri Lanka is 29 on this list.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/193321/pakistan-ranks-12th-on-failed-states-index-report/
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Indonesian Govt to pay ‘blood money’ for Darsem
Dina Indrasafitri
06/22/2011
Free Darsem: Daud Tawar, the father of Darsem, an Indonesian migrant worker in Saudi Arabia who is currently on death row, shows a picture of his daughter at the House of Representatives while pleading for her rescue. The government will pay Rp 4.7 billion (US$545,200) in blood money to free her.
The government says it will pay Rp 4.7 billion (US$545,000) in “blood money”, or compensation, to the family of a murder victim to stop the execution of an Indonesian migrant worker.
Darsem, a housemaid from Subang, West Java, was sentenced to death by a Saudi Arabian court for murdering her employer after he allegedly attempted to rape her.
"The Foreign Ministry has sent three officials to [Riyadh] to arrange for the payment. Hopefully it will be settled within a day or two,"Mahfudz Siddiq, chairman of House of Representative's Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, said on Wednesday.
Darsem's father, Daud Tawar, who was
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/06/22/govt-pay-%E2%80%98blood-money%E2%80%99-darsem.html
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Turkey strips prominent Kurd of parliament seat
22 June 2011
Turkish authorities stripped a prominent Kurdish activist of the parliamentary seat he won in the June 12 polls, citing a terror-related conviction, news agency reported.
Hatip Dicle, currently in jail awaiting trial in a separate case, had been expected to be freed after he was elected to parliament as an independent candidate from Diyarbakir, the largest city of the Kurdish-majority southeast.
The Higher Electoral Board however ruled late Tuesday that Dicle was not eligible to stand in the elections because of a 20-month jail sentence he had received under Turkey’s anti-terror law.
The legal jumble arose from the fact that the Appeals Court upheld Dicle’s sentence just four days before the elections, when the list of candidates had been confirmed.
Dicle was convicted over a speech deemed ‘propaganda for an armed terrorist organisation’ — a reference to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has led a bloody separatist insurgency in the southeast since 1984.
Dicle was among 36 candidates who were elected to parliament with the backing of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Turkey’s main Kurdish political movement which is seen as close to the PKK.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/June/middleeast_June610.xml§ion=middleeast
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NATO raids Khoms and Nalut in west Libya: state media
Jun 22 2011
TRIPOLI: Nato warplanes carried out raids Tuesday on the towns of Khoms and Nalut in western Libya, state television and official news agency JANA reported.
Nato targeted two checkpoints in the Khoms region 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of Tripoli, the television report said. It added that the control points were “civilian” intended to “organise traffic movements.”
If the strikes were confirmed, it would mean the Western alliance had moved into a new stage of operations in the west of Libya, aiming at checkpoints on the highways leading into the capital Tripoli.
Until now, Nato had limited itself to attacks on military installations and armour.
JANA meanwhile reported raids on Al-Ghazaya in the Nalut region southwest of Tripoli. This region has for months been the scene of violent clashes between rebels and troops loyal to leader Moamer Qadhafi.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/22/nato-raids-khoms-and-nalut-in-west-libya-state-media.html
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US envoy found Syrian town Badly damaged and Deserted
Jun 22 2011
WASHINGTON: The US ambassador in Damascus has visited northern Syria and found the flashpoint Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughur to be badly damaged and deserted, the State Department said Tuesday.
Syrian troops seized the town, long a hotbed of hostility towards the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, on June 13. Most residents had already fled fearing an onslaught after being accused of massacring security forces.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Ambassador Robert Ford, and envoys from other countries, had been given a tour of Jisr al-Shughur by Syrian officials on Monday.
“He was briefed there by Syrian military intelligence. And the ambassador had a chance, along with his diplomatic colleagues, to see for himself the results of the Syrian government’s brutality,” she told reporters.
“What they saw was an empty town,” Nuland said. “He will be making a report.” He will be analyzing what he heard from Syrian officials, and he will be continuing to make our views known, not only to the government of Syria, but to the opposition, that this brutality has got to end,” Nuland said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/22/us-envoy-found-syrian-town-empty.html
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Dubai: Islamic countries told to spend more on research and development
22 June 2011
DUBAI - The position of Islam towards science has developed more in the direction of achieving advance knowledge and know-how in a pragmatic way that the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) has encouraged research and development programmes to its member states.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of OIC, said at the opening of the three-day Conference on Belief in Dialogue: Science, Culture and Modernity that the OIC had requested member states to ensure that their individual contribution to research and development is not inferior to half of the two per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He personally proposed that the leading countries of the OIC should reach one per cent of GDP on research and development (R & D) resulting in its member states doubling an average spending to 0.41 per cent from 0.2 per cent in 2005.
The OIC Secretary-General said that Turkey, for instance, has increased its research and development gross expenditure from 0.48 per cent of its GDP in 2003 to 0.85 per cent now, indicating significant progress towards its target to increase gross R&D expenditure to two per cent of GDP by 2013. “I am confident that the continuation of similar trend will help us achieve the target of R & D expenditure of one percent of the GDP specified in the Ten-Year Programme of Action by leading IC countries.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/June/theuae_June588.xml§ion=theuae
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40 al-Qaida militants escape Yemen jail: Officials
Jun 22, 2011
SANAA: At least 40 al-Qaida militants escaped from a jail in southern Yemen, said security officials.
The militants attacked their guards and seized their arms early today, just as bands of heavily armed militants attacked the prison in the city of Mukalla on the Arabian Sea.
According to officials, those who escaped included militants convicted on terror charges or held in protective custody pending their trial.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Today's escape was the latest sign that Yemen's upheaval has emboldened al Qaeda militants to challenge authorities in the country's nearly lawless south.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/40-al-Qaida-militants-escape-Yemen-jail-Officials/articleshow/8950832.cms
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Pak minister hints Osama behind Benazir murder
Jun 22, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik has revealed that al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden was involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
"The assassins and perpetrators of Benazir Bhutto's murder have been identified. Some have been arrested while others have been declared proclaimed offenders," 'The Daily Times' quoted Malik, as saying.
"If party leadership will allow, I will disclose who they were, where the plan was prepared and how they came to Rawalpindi," he added.
Malik said that since the matter was subjudice he would not comment any further on the case.
Benazir was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack as she was leaving Liaqat Bagh in Rawalpindi after addressing a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) rally on December 27, 2007.
It came two weeks before the scheduled Pakistani general election of 2008 in which she was a leading opposition candidate.
The following year, she was named one of seven winners of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-minister-hints-Osama-behind-Benazir-murder/articleshow/8949991.cms
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Gujarat riot victims may file plea to make cop a witness
22 June 2011
Ahmedabad: A Gujarat court Tuesday allowed victims of the 2002 communal riots to file a plea for calling as witness Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sanjiv Bhatt who blamed Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the carnage.
Judge B.J. Dhandha told the lawyer of the victims of a massacre at the Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad that they may file a plea anytime during the final hearing.
Victims' lawyer S.M. Vora earlier sought adjournment of the final hearing to file the plea.
Prosecution lawyer R.C. Kodekar started the final argument in the case to establish role of the various accused in the massacre that claimed lives of over 80 people in Gulberg Society Feb 28, 2002 during the statewide communal riots that followed the Godhra train burning that left 59 Kar Sevaks dead.
Full report at:
http://twocircles.net/2011jun21/gujarat_riot_victims_may_file_plea_make_cop_witness.html
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Indian Clerics protest against pictorial representation of Prophet Mohammad in Text Book
22 June 2011
By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Lucknow: Infuriated over pictorial representation of Prophet Mohammad in a text book, the Muslim clerics demanded action against the publisher and action against the concerned authorities on Tuesday. Letters have been faxed to National Commission for Minorities (NCM) for taking cognizance of the incident.
The alleged picture has appeared in a text book of Class IV titled ‘Moral Education Ethics’ published by Active Mind Publications, Allahabad. The book is written by Chandra Prakash and is approved by ICSE boards and is in circulation across the country including several schools in Lucknow. Muslims have objections over the depiction of Prophet through a caricature in Chapter-6, Being Good and Gentle, on page no.35.
"We are living in a secular country where hurting religious sentiments is an offence. This act has been done deliberately by the publishers and ICSE board. Islam does not allow any pictorial representation of Holy Prophet and we demand its withdrawal," said Maulana Hashmi Miyana Kichauchvi on Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://twocircles.net/2011jun21/clerics_protest_against_pictorial_representation_prophet_mohammad.html?
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Muslim groups demand CBI probe, In Bhanjanpur (Bihar, India) killing.
22 June 2011
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: About 20 days after the gruesome killing of poor residents of Bhajanpur village in Forbesganj, a group of Muslim organizations here has gathered courage and demanded a CBI probe into the June 3 police firing. The group will hold a protest march to Raj Bhawan tomorrow and submit a memorandum to the Governor.
“The villagers are very poor. It’s unimaginable that they possess weapons. Men, women and children came out to demand restoration of their old road. They must not have even imagined that the police would shoot them. The police shot at chest, neck and head. This is a clear case of murder,” said Ashique Bhagalpuri, state president, Indian Union Muslim League. He, along with other leaders of Muslim groups, was addressing a press conference here today.
Why no action against police and no compensation for the victims by the state government even after the passage of 20 days? “Nitish Kumar is running his government on the support of bureaucrats. That’s why he does not want to harm them.”
On the silence of Muslim leaders on this killing, Mr Bhagalpuri said: “They are not leaders. They are just dalals.”
Full report at:
http://twocircles.net/2011jun21/muslim_groups_demand_cbi_probe_will_meet_guv_wednesday.html
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Samjhauta Express blast: Aseemanand wanted special group to plant bomb
Rajinder Nagarkoti
Jun 22, 2011
PANCHKULA: Main accused in the Samjhauta Express blasts Swami Aseemanand wanted to form a special group to plant bombs on the train. While it was decided to have three groups, Aseemanand pitched for a fourth group, which Sunil Joshi, another key accused now dead, did not agree to.
This was revealed in the chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Aseemanand on Monday. The blast took place on February 18, 2007, killing 38 people, mostly Pakistanis.
NIA said in the chargesheet that in order to execute the conspiracy, Sunil Joshi had formed three groups and he had also briefed Aseemanand and others about the method.
According to Joshi, Group-1 was to have white collared people who would help in motivating youth for the missions and provide shelter to field workers. Group-2 would have members who could procure raw material for fabricating bombs and Group-3 with people who would fabricate the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and plant them at separate areas.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Aseemanand-wanted-special-group-to-plant-bomb/articleshow/8945542.cms
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Shahzad was killed in Islamabad: Police
By Asad Kharal
June 22, 2011
LAHORE: The Punjab police have concluded that investigative journalist Saleem Shahzad was killed in Islamabad, and not in Sarai Alamgir, where his body had been dumped.
The autopsy report into Shahzad’s murder states that he had died 48 hours before the autopsy was conducted. Police suspected that his body was dumped in the Upper Jhelum Canal near Sarai Alamgir to mislead investigators since his car was taken there and parked on GT Road after the murder, according to the investigation report, a copy of which was made available to The Express Tribune.
Islamabad police have arrested a suspect for his involvement in the abduction and murder of Shahzad while the Punjab Police have not yet made any arrests. Shahzad, who was bureau chief of Asia Times Online in Pakistan, disappeared after driving off for a talk show on Dunya TV.
There is not a single lead that could help narrow down the scope of the investigation and “bring into sharp relief any possible suspect(s),” stated the report. The investigation was entrusted to a three-member team headed by DIG Establishment Punjab Shoaib Dastageer.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/193850/shahzad-was-killed-in-islamabad-police/
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Abbottabad raid, Shahzad’s murder: PM forms probe commissions
By Zia Khan
June 22, 2011
ISLAMABAD: After weeks of bitter controversies, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has formed two judicial commissions mandated to investigate how Osama bin Laden managed to live undetected in Pakistan and the inability of the armed forces to intercept the surgical strike conducted by US commandos to kill him and to investigate the murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad.
Gilani reconstituted the commissions he initially announced earlier this month, both headed by serving Supreme Court judges, after Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was formally approached for a consultation on the nominations. He gave his consent after the government wrote to him on Sunday through the law ministry. The commissions crashed before taking off when the judges Gilani nominated to head them refused to undertake the assignments without the chief justice’s consent in violation of judicial norms.
The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was blamed for intelligence failure when US commandos killed Bin Laden in Abbottabad. Fingers were once again pointed at the agency when Shahzad, famous for his news stories revealing alleged links between Pakistani security service and al Qaeda, was kidnapped and brutally killed. While the ISI said it was embarrassed by the American raid, it denied involvement in Shahzad’s murder.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/193880/pm-gilani-approves-formation-of-commissions/
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Kayani faces no coup threat over Osama raid, says US
Jun 22, 2011
NEW DELHI: The US feels that Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani faces no risk of being overthrown by his subordinates said to be seething with anger against America's unilateral action in taking Osama bin Laden out in the Abbottabad raid.
"I have seen no indication of Kayani's leadership being at risk," visiting US assistant secretary of state Bob Blake said. His remark came against the backdrop of reports that the feeling of humiliation in Pakistani barracks over the Abbotabad raid combined with resentment over American operatives active on Pakistani soil has led to a groundswell of discontent against Kayani.
However, Blake talked of a renewed effort on Kayani's part to engage with the US. He said the Pakistan army chief had helped US take out the wreckage of the helicopter which crashed inside Osama's compound. The US was anxious not to let China lay its hands on the debris of the chopper.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Kayani-faces-no-coup-threat-over-Osama-raid-says-US/articleshow/8943602.cms
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British military warns Cameron over hasty Afghan troop withdrawal
Jun 22, 2011
LONDON: Senior British army figures on Wednesday warned David Cameron not to "fall into the trap" of a hasty Afghan troop drawdown, a day after the premier scolded the military for claiming it was overstretched.
Head of the British army General Peter Wall cast doubt on Prime Minister Cameron's 2015 deadline for the withdrawal of combat troops during an interview for a BBC documentary due to be aired Wednesday.
"Whether or not it turns out to be an absolute timeline or more conditions-based approach nearer the time, we shall find out," Chief of the General Staff Wall told the "Afghanistan: War Without End?" programme.
Meanwhile, former army chief Richard Dannatt urged Cameron not to be tempted to accelerate the withdrawal by US President Barack Obama's expected announcement that 10,000 US soldiers are to be brought home.
"Obama may wish to withdraw troops for his domestic political purposes but I am quite sure our prime minister will not fall into the same trap," the former soldier told The Times.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/British-military-warns-Cameron-over-hasty-Afghan-troop-withdrawal/articleshow/8946403.cms
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Kin of those in Pak jails appeal to govt
Yudhvir Rana
Jun 22, 2011
AMRITSAR:As the news of Jagir Kaur's appeal made to government to take up the issue of her brother Kirpal Singh's release from Pakistan jail during the ensuing foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan, relatives of those lodged in Pakistan jails have surfaced making similar appeals to the government.
Amrik Singh, son of Surjit Singh, a former Border Security Force (BSF) jawan told TOI that his father was lodged in Kot Lakhpat jail for the past 41 years, even as BSF had declared him dead long back. Jagir Kaur had urged the Centre to take up the issue of release of her brother from Pak jail. Kirpal Singh is waiting for death sentence in Pakistan for the past 20 years. Another Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh is also in Kot Lakhpat jail.
Sarabjit's sister is currently in Pakistan to meet him in the jail. Amrik said his father was posted at Sambha sector in Jammu and Kashmir during 1971 Indo-Pak conflict, where he was arrested by Pakistan army. He informed that BSF declared him dead after the force failed to trace him. He said the recently released Indian prisoner from Pakistan's Kot Lakhpat jail, Gopaldas, had also confirmed the presence of Surjit Singh.
Surjit Singh's daughter Parvinder Kaur said her father was arrested in 1982 on charges of spying and since then, he was lodged in Pakistan jail. She said the family was surprised to know about the well-being of Surjit Singh when they received a letter from written from Kot Lakhpat jail. She said her father was sentenced to death but former late prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto converted Surjit Singh's death sentence into life imprisonment. She said in 2005, her father had written another letter from Kot Lakhpat jail.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kin-of-those-in-Pak-jails-appeal-to-govt/articleshow/8946555.cms
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Samjhauta Express blast: Aseemanand wanted special group to plant bomb
Rajinder Nagarkoti
Jun 22, 2011
PANCHKULA: Main accused in the Samjhauta Express blasts Swami Aseemanand wanted to form a special group to plant bombs on the train. While it was decided to have three groups, Aseemanand pitched for a fourth group, which Sunil Joshi, another key accused now dead, did not agree to.
This was revealed in the chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Aseemanand on Monday. The blast took place on February 18, 2007, killing 38 people, mostly Pakistanis.
NIA said in the chargesheet that in order to execute the conspiracy, Sunil Joshi had formed three groups and he had also briefed Aseemanand and others about the method.
According to Joshi, Group-1 was to have white collared people who would help in motivating youth for the missions and provide shelter to field workers. Group-2 would have members who could procure raw material for fabricating bombs and Group-3 with people who would fabricate the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and plant them at separate areas.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Aseemanand-wanted-special-group-to-plant-bomb/articleshow/8945542.cms
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Shahzad was killed in Islamabad: Police
By Asad Kharal
June 22, 2011
LAHORE: The Punjab police have concluded that investigative journalist Saleem Shahzad was killed in Islamabad, and not in Sarai Alamgir, where his body had been dumped.
The autopsy report into Shahzad’s murder states that he had died 48 hours before the autopsy was conducted. Police suspected that his body was dumped in the Upper Jhelum Canal near Sarai Alamgir to mislead investigators since his car was taken there and parked on GT Road after the murder, according to the investigation report, a copy of which was made available to The Express Tribune.
Islamabad police have arrested a suspect for his involvement in the abduction and murder of Shahzad while the Punjab Police have not yet made any arrests. Shahzad, who was bureau chief of Asia Times Online in Pakistan, disappeared after driving off for a talk show on Dunya TV.
There is not a single lead that could help narrow down the scope of the investigation and “bring into sharp relief any possible suspect(s),” stated the report. The investigation was entrusted to a three-member team headed by DIG Establishment Punjab Shoaib Dastageer.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/193850/shahzad-was-killed-in-islamabad-police/
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Abbottabad raid, Shahzad’s murder: PM forms probe commissions
By Zia Khan
June 22, 2011
ISLAMABAD: After weeks of bitter controversies, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has formed two judicial commissions mandated to investigate how Osama bin Laden managed to live undetected in Pakistan and the inability of the armed forces to intercept the surgical strike conducted by US commandos to kill him and to investigate the murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad.
Gilani reconstituted the commissions he initially announced earlier this month, both headed by serving Supreme Court judges, after Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was formally approached for a consultation on the nominations. He gave his consent after the government wrote to him on Sunday through the law ministry. The commissions crashed before taking off when the judges Gilani nominated to head them refused to undertake the assignments without the chief justice’s consent in violation of judicial norms.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/193880/pm-gilani-approves-formation-of-commissions/
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Kayani faces no coup threat over Osama raid, says US
Jun 22, 2011
NEW DELHI: The US feels that Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani faces no risk of being overthrown by his subordinates said to be seething with anger against America's unilateral action in taking Osama bin Laden out in the Abbottabad raid.
"I have seen no indication of Kayani's leadership being at risk," visiting US assistant secretary of state Bob Blake said. His remark came against the backdrop of reports that the feeling of humiliation in Pakistani barracks over the Abbotabad raid combined with resentment over American operatives active on Pakistani soil has led to a groundswell of discontent against Kayani.
However, Blake talked of a renewed effort on Kayani's part to engage with the US. He said the Pakistan army chief had helped US take out the wreckage of the helicopter which crashed inside Osama's compound. The US was anxious not to let China lay its hands on the debris of the chopper.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Kayani-faces-no-coup-threat-over-Osama-raid-says-US/articleshow/8943602.cms
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British military warns Cameron over hasty Afghan troop withdrawal
Jun 22, 2011
LONDON: Senior British army figures on Wednesday warned David Cameron not to "fall into the trap" of a hasty Afghan troop drawdown, a day after the premier scolded the military for claiming it was overstretched.
Head of the British army General Peter Wall cast doubt on Prime Minister Cameron's 2015 deadline for the withdrawal of combat troops during an interview for a BBC documentary due to be aired Wednesday.
"Whether or not it turns out to be an absolute timeline or more conditions-based approach nearer the time, we shall find out," Chief of the General Staff Wall told the "Afghanistan: War Without End?" programme.
Meanwhile, former army chief Richard Dannatt urged Cameron not to be tempted to accelerate the withdrawal by US President Barack Obama's expected announcement that 10,000 US soldiers are to be brought home.
"Obama may wish to withdraw troops for his domestic political purposes but I am quite sure our prime minister will not fall into the same trap," the former soldier told The Times.
"He will not want to risk the investment in blood and treasure just for a domestic political agenda," he added.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/British-military-warns-Cameron-over-hasty-Afghan-troop-withdrawal/articleshow/8946403.cms
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Kin of those in Pak jails appeal to govt
Yudhvir Rana
Jun 22, 2011
AMRITSAR:As the news of Jagir Kaur's appeal made to government to take up the issue of her brother Kirpal Singh's release from Pakistan jail during the ensuing foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan, relatives of those lodged in Pakistan jails have surfaced making similar appeals to the government.
Amrik Singh, son of Surjit Singh, a former Border Security Force (BSF) jawan told TOI that his father was lodged in Kot Lakhpat jail for the past 41 years, even as BSF had declared him dead long back. Jagir Kaur had urged the Centre to take up the issue of release of her brother from Pak jail. Kirpal Singh is waiting for death sentence in Pakistan for the past 20 years. Another Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh is also in Kot Lakhpat jail.
Sarabjit's sister is currently in Pakistan to meet him in the jail. Amrik said his father was posted at Sambha sector in Jammu and Kashmir during 1971 Indo-Pak conflict, where he was arrested by Pakistan army. He informed that BSF declared him dead after the force failed to trace him. He said the recently released Indian prisoner from Pakistan's Kot Lakhpat jail, Gopaldas, had also confirmed the presence of Surjit Singh.
Surjit Singh's daughter Parvinder Kaur said her father was arrested in 1982 on charges of spying and since then, he was lodged in Pakistan jail. She said the family was surprised to know about the well-being of Surjit Singh when they received a letter from written from Kot Lakhpat jail. She said her father was sentenced to death but former late prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto converted Surjit Singh's death sentence into life imprisonment. She said in 2005, her father had written another letter from Kot Lakhpat jail.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kin-of-those-in-Pak-jails-appeal-to-govt/articleshow/8946555.cms
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Nawaz trying to pit govt against army: Zardari
Jun 22 2011
NAUDERO: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday called upon political forces to work for strengthening the country’s institutions and refrain from inciting clash of institutions.
“There is no single country in the world which survived or achieved progress after its institutions, including the army, were damaged. Do not speak against institutions. Do not talk about breaking them,” President Zardari said in a speech at a gathering of PPP workers on the occasion of the 58th birth anniversary of Benazir Bhutto.
The President was critical of some political forces for speaking against the national institutions, advising them to think of the nation instead of their personal interests.
“Some imprudent politicians want to divide the army’s officers and Jawans. It will have dangerous consequences,” he warned.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/22/nawaz-trying-to-pit-govt-against-army-zardari.html
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Abbottabad raid and Saleem Shahzad commissions set up
Jun 22 2011
ISLAMABAD, June 21: Acting rather swiftly after the Supreme Court had named the heads of inquiry commissions on the killings of Osama bin Laden and journalist Saleem Shahzad, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced on Tuesday the names of their members.
According to a handout, Prime Minister Gilani approved summaries sent by the ministry of law, justice and parliamentary affairs proposing the constitution of inquiry commissions.
The complexion of the Abbottabad commission would remain the same as earlier announced by the government, except Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim who had refused to be its member. Justice Javed Iqbal, senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court, will lead the probe into circumstances under which OBL was killed in a covert US military operation.
Other members of the commission are Lt-Gen (retd) Nadeem Ahmed, former inspector general of police Abbas Khan and former ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, with Cabinet Division Secretary Nargis Sethi as its secretary. The ministry of interior will provide secretarial support.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/22/abbottabad-raid-and-saleem-shahzad-commissions-set-up.html
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Shahzad case allegations are one of general nature, say Punjab police
Jun 22 2011
LAHORE: The Punjab police have said in a preliminary inquiry report that allegations of murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad against a particular intelligence outfit are of general nature and based on a sequence of events that are perceived to have culminated in his death.
IGP Javed Iqbal submitted the report in the Supreme Court on Monday and the provincial government emailed it to the media on Tuesday.
Mr Shahzad went missing in Islamabad on May 29 and his body was found in Mandi Bahauddin the following day. His car was abandoned on Sarai Alamgir-Mandi Road, about 31km from where his body was dumped.
The report says that friends, colleagues or family members [of the journalist] have provided no information specific enough that may pinpoint suspicion to individual level. “So far the investigation has not yielded any lead that could help narrow down the scope of the investigation and bring into sharp relief any possible suspect(s).”
It says that non-availability of any electronic gadgets in use of the deceased has greatly hindered the investigation. Efforts to access the email account have not been successful.
The call data record (CDR) analysis is an ongoing process. Callers of the telephone numbers provided so far have largely been identified. No specific information could be culled that may provide any lead about the perpetrator.
The IGP said in the report that the investigation was under way and would be finalised purely on merit and in accordance with law.
The report mentions the evidence collected by police and statements of the family members and colleagues of the deceased journalist.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/22/shahzad-case-allegations-are-one-of-general-nature-say-punjab-police.html
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Iran captures four bomb suspects in southeast: state TV
Jun 22 2011
TEHRAN: Iran has arrested four people wearing explosives vests who are suspected of plotting attacks on behalf of Sunni militant group Jundallah, the state television website reported on Tuesday.
“The four members of this group who were arrested attempted to enter Sistan Balochistan carrying explosive vests,” the southeastern province’s justice chief Ebrahim Hamidi told the website.
They now face “charges of espionage as well as cooperation with anti-revolutionary elements,” Hamidi said.
In recent years, Jundallah (Army of God) has claimed a series of deadly attacks in Sistan-Balochistan and adjacent provinces near the border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/22/iran-captures-four-bomb-suspects-in-southeast-state-tv.html
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Yemeni troops battle al-Qaeda
Jun 22, 2011
Aden: Battles raged on Tuesday between Yemen's Army and suspected al-Qaeda militants for control of the southern city of Zinjibar, said a military official, as the number of soldiers killed passed the 100 mark.
At least 100 soldiers have been killed since the violence in Zinjibar erupted more than three weeks ago, and 260 have been wounded, according to the official, updating an earlier toll.
Alleged al-Qaeda militants, who have named themselves Ansar al-Sharia (Supporters of Islamic Sharia law), have been controlling most of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, since late May.
The official told AFP by telephone that government air raids had destroyed “selected targets” around Zinjibar which he said were being used by the militants to launch attacks.
Pull back
The official added that some troops had been pulled back in a “tactical move”.
“We are facing heavy resistance from the network's militants as they are well-trained in gang fighting, and have foreign fighters within their ranks, including Arabs.”
Meanwhile, senior local official Ghassan Sheikh complained that the air strikes also destroyed homes, killing and wounding many civilians. — AFP
http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/22/stories/2011062257782100.htm
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India-Pak: Babur tried to disrupt war game
Manu Pubby
Jun 22 2011
New Delhi : The Pakistani warship that triggered a diplomatic squabble between India and Pakistan ahead of the foreign secretary level talks is a ‘history-sheeter’ that came dangerously close to Indian warships in the Arabian Sea thrice in the past eight months and even tried to disrupt war games being conducted by the Indian Navy in international waters.
Details have now emerged that show that the PNS Babur has a history of aggressive behaviour at sea and last Thursday’s incident when it brushed past the INS Godavari while escorting the MV Suez is the third time that it has deliberately taunted Indian warships. It is also speculated that all three incidents are related to the Captain of the Pakistani warship, Azhar Naeem, who spent three years in the ISI before taking charge of the ship recently.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/807026/
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3 Indonesian militants get prison for terror plot
Jun 22, 2011
JAKARTA: Three Indonesians radicalized by the teachings of a firebrand Muslim cleric were sentenced Tuesday to six years in prison for involvement in a terror plot.
A Jakarta court found Muhammad Iqbal, Helmi Wardani and Kurnia Widodo guilty of violating anti-terrorism laws by making bombs and exploding them in trial runs for a terrorist attack. It said they gleaned their bomb-making knowledge from the Internet.
Presiding Judge Mustofa said the men were influenced by the preaching of Aman Abdurrahman, a radical cleric who was sentenced to nine years in prison in December for involvement in a militant training camp in westernmost Aceh province.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has battled militants with links to Al-Qaeda since 2002, when extremists bombed a nightclub district on Bali island, killing 202 people, most of them foreigners. A security crackdown since then has seen hundreds of militants killed or captured and convicted.
Mustofa said the three men, all in their thirties, were highly educated with no history of militancy until becoming radicalized through their participation in Islamic study at a mosque in West Java that was a base for Abdurrahman.
He said they planned to target police and local officials whom they considered their main enemy because of the government’s support for the US-led fight against terrorism.
http://arabnews.com/world/article459084.ece
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Abu Dhabi helps end Sharjah’s petrol woes Staff Report
22 June 2011
Motorists in Sharjah can heave a sigh of relief after three weeks of petrol shortage at Enoc and Eppco petrol stations in the emirate.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has stepped in to supply fuel to the oil retailers on the orders of General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The Sharjah Executive Council, at a meeting chaired on Tuesday by Shaikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council, thanked General Shaikh Mohammed for his initiative to solve the problem.
The council lauded him for bringing back ‘‘normalcy’’ in petrol supply which would ‘‘guarantee the comfort of citizens and the residents in the emirate so that everyone will benefit from it’’.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/June/theuae_June600.xml§ion=theuae
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Obama set to unveil Afghan troop cuts
22 June 2011
President Barack Obama will order his promised US troop drawdown from Afghanistan in a primetime address, which one official said would likely see 10,000 soldiers called home this year.
Obama will stick with his vow to begin pulling out US forces after an 18-month troop surge, but apparently heed Pentagon warnings that an overly swift withdrawal could imperil hard-won gains against Taleban insurgents.
A senior defence official said on condition of anonymity that the president would ‘likely’ order the return of about 5,000 troops this summer and 5,000 more by the end of 2011.
Another 20,000 troops, part of a 30,000 strong surge ordered in December 2009, would be withdrawn by the end of next year, meaning elevated force levels would remain through two more Afghan summer fighting seasons.
The president’s broadcast at 8:00 pm (0000 GMT) will take place as political attitudes shift on the war following the killing of Osama bin Laden, other heavy US blows against Al Qaeda and as US public support ebbs for the conflict.
‘The president will address the nation from the White House to lay out his plan for implementing his strategy — first unveiled in December 2009 — to draw down American troops from Afghanistan,’ Obama spokesman Jay Carney said.
The figure of 10,000 soldiers this year, if confirmed, appears higher than the ‘modest’ initial withdrawals the Pentagon had originally advocated, as Obama walks a delicate balance between political and strategic logic.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/June/international_June864.xml§ion=international
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EU extends Syria sanctions as violence continues
22 June 2011
AMMAN - European Union states have extended sanctions against Syria to four military-linked firms and more people connected with the violent suppression of anti-government protests, an EU diplomat said.
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, facing mounting international pressure and wider street protests against his rule despite a military crackdown that has killed more than 1,300 people, on Monday promised reforms within months.
But protesters and world leaders dismissed his pledges as inadequate and the violence continued on Tuesday with the killing of seven people by security forces during clashes in two cities between Assad loyalists and demonstrators, according to a leading activist.
The violence followed rallies organised by authorities in several cities in support of Assad, who has kept a low profile in the three months since the uprising against his 11-year rule began, inspired by popular protests across the Arab world.
The EU diplomat said Britain and France had prepared lists proposing to add fewer than a dozen individuals and entities to those already targeted by EU asset freezes and visa bans.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/June/middleeast_June607.xml§ion=middleeast
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Israeli leaders test nuclear bunker in defence drill
22 June 2011
JERUSALEM - Israeli leaders holed up in a new underground nuclear bunker on Wednesday as part of annual nationwide manoeuvres to prepare for a possible missile war with Iran, Syria and their Lebanese and Palestinian guerrilla allies.
Officials said it was the first time that the security cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had tested the bunker, dug deep in the western Jerusalem foothills over the past decade and dubbed the ‘Nation’s Tunnel’ by local media.
Israel has held increasingly sweeping civil defence drills since the 2006 Lebanon war, during which Hezbollah guerrillas fired thousands of short-range rockets at its northern towns. There have been similar salvoes from Hamas and other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip to the south, and Israeli officials say a future war could also involve non-conventional missile strikes by Syria and Iran.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/June/middleeast_June609.xml§ion=middleeast
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Iran shipping line rejects US sanctions as ‘unfair’
21 June 2011
TEHRAN - Iran’s national shipping line rejected on Tuesday as “unfair” the latest round of US Treasury sanctions imposed on its affiliated companies and individuals, the state television website reported.
“This action of America is unfair and against international law and regulations,” the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines said in a statement carried by the website.
On Monday, the US Treasury slapped IRISL-affiliated companies and individuals with measures targeting their operations in Britain, China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates in order to isolate them from US finance and commerce.
The Treasury said the latest move was a response to “Iran’s continued efforts to evade sanctions and its ongoing creation and use of new front companies, subsidiaries and affiliates to protect IRISL and to advance its proliferation activities.”
The United States and other world powers accuse Iran of seeking to acquire a nuclear weapons capacity under the guise of its civilian atomic work, a charge Tehran strongly denies.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/June/middleeast_June606.xml§ion=middleeast
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Israel approves housing construction in Gaza
21 June 2011
Israel has authorized construction of 1,200 new homes in the Gaza Strip, in what would be one of the largest housing projects in the seaside territory, military authorities said.
Israel’s Civil Administration, the military body that oversees civilian matters in the Palestinian areas, said it has authorized the construction of the 1,200 homes, as well as 18 badly needed schools, in southern Gaza.
Israel, which controls the cargo crossings into Gaza, has largely banned the entry of construction materials into the coastal strip since Hamas militants seized control of the area in 2007. Israel fears items like cement, metal and glass could be used for military purposes by Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/June/middleeast_June603.xml§ion=middleeast
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11:03 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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