| Islamic World News | |
| 27 Jun 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
| Hague Court Issues Warrant for Qaddafi for War Crimes | ||
 Riyadh: Shoura passes amendment to allow women’s franchise
In a first, Taliban unleash female suicide bomber in Pak
Girl, 8, dies in blast as jihadis force her to carry bombs
Nigeria: 25 killed in 3 bomb attacks in northeast
Two Spanish soldiers, 32 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
One soldier killed in attack in eastern Turkey
Suicide bomber attacks Iraqi police station, two killed
In a Terrorist Act, 8 injured in Pak blast
‘Islam-centric’ Pak Army divided on US-led war against Muslim extremists
Cleric Asks Indonesian Ulema to Issue Fatwa against Female Migrant Workers
Israel warns media against boarding Gaza flotilla
Pakistan expels 18 British military trainers: Report
Pakistan upset at being left out of US-Taliban talks
Alleged links to Hizbut Tahrir: Army brass undecided on action against servicemen
Palestinians going ahead with UN statehood bid
Gaddafi renews vote offer to end war
Trial of 85 Qaeda suspects begins in Saudi Arabia
Khamenei warns against American goals in Pak
Israel approves economic sanctions against Iran
Egyptian deputy PM says US, Israel stoking religious strife
As pullout nears, US intel back to Taliban hunting
Pak to set up databank on terrorists
No details about 26/11 Pak panel visit to India
Headley gives insight into LeT terror courses aimed at Kashmir
250 families flee anti-terrorist operation in Kurram
2 Bangladeshi ex-ministers in dock for 2004 ULFA arms haul
Karzai accuses Pak of firing 470 rockets into Afghanistan
5 lakh tourists visited J&K in 2011
Headley worked for U.S. drug agency, LeT
Yemen protesters want President’s sons to leave
Military Command: Spike in U.S. Deaths in Iraq Raises Worries
MQM files petition in Sindh High Court
Syrian troops close in on Lebanon border
‘Saleh to appear on TV in two days’
Saudi brothers in Bahrain trial face life in jail
Pakistanis warned against compensation rumors
Iran says EU ‘distorting reality’
Turkey praises Obama’s Afghan plan
Israel backed out of flotilla apology three times, report says
In Ramadi, Rift between Residents and Soldiers Imperils Stability
Chaos in Yemen Creates Opening for Islamist Gangs
Dubai Metro, one of the safest in the world Shafaat Ahmed
Son of Yemeni leader voices support for dialogue
Malaysia protest backers accused of communist plot
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Muammar Gaddafi is to be charged in relation to the killing of protesters
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| Hague Court Issues Warrant for Qaddafi for War Crimes | |
Riyadh: Shoura passes amendment to allow women’s franchise
In a first, Taliban unleash female suicide bomber in Pak
Egyptian deputy PM says US, Israel stoking religious strife
Girl, 8, dies in blast as jihadis force her to carry bombs
Nigeria: 25 killed in 3 bomb attacks in northeast
Two Spanish soldiers, 32 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
Military Command: Spike in U.S. Deaths in Iraq Raises Worries
In Ramadi, Rift between Residents and Soldiers Imperils Stability
Shine a light on the dark side of ‘the long war’
Chaos in Yemen Creates Opening for Islamist Gangs
Malaysia protest backers accused of communist plot
Gaddafi renews vote offer to end war
‘Saleh to appear on TV in two days’
One soldier killed in attack in eastern Turkey
Suicide bomber attacks Iraqi police station, two killed
In a Terrorist Act, 8 injured in Pak blast
‘Islam-centric’ Pak Army divided on US-led war against Muslim extremists
Cleric Asks Indonesian Ulema to Issue Fatwa against Female Migrant Workers
Israel warns media against boarding Gaza flotilla
Pakistan expels 18 British military trainers: Report
Pakistan upset at being left out of US-Taliban talks
Alleged links to Hizbut Tahrir: Army brass undecided on action against servicemen
Palestinians going ahead with UN statehood bid
Trial of 85 Qaeda suspects begins in Saudi Arabia
Khamenei warns against American goals in Pak
Israel approves economic sanctions against Iran
As pullout nears, US intel back to Taliban hunting
Pak to set up databank on terrorists
No details about 26/11 Pak panel visit to India
Headley gives insight into LeT terror courses aimed at Kashmir
250 families flee anti-terrorist operation in Kurram
2 Bangladeshi ex-ministers in dock for 2004 ULFA arms haul
Karzai accuses Pak of firing 470 rockets into Afghanistan
5 lakh tourists visited J&K in 2011
Headley worked for U.S. drug agency, LeT
Yemen protesters want President’s sons to leave
MQM files petition in Sindh High Court
Syrian troops close in on Lebanon border
‘Saleh to appear on TV in two days’
Saudi brothers in Bahrain trial face life in jail
Pakistanis warned against compensation rumors
Iran says EU ‘distorting reality’
Turkey praises Obama’s Afghan plan
Israel backed out of flotilla apology three times, report says
Dubai Metro, one of the safest in the world
Son of Yemeni leader voices support for dialogue
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Hague Court Issues Warrant for Qaddafi for War Crimes
By MARLISE SIMONS
PARIS — The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants on Monday for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi , his son Seif al-Islam and his chief of intelligence, Abdullah al-Sanoussi on charges of crimes against humanity stemming from the first two weeks of the uprising in Libya that led to a NATO bombing campaign.
The issuing of the arrest warrants immediately raised the issues of how — and if — the court could gain custody of the men without having police powers of its own.
Lawyers following the court argue that the shortest route would be for Libyan rebels to capture the suspects. Failing that, NATO, now in the 100th day of its air campaign against Colonel Qaddafi’s forces, could expand its mandate to include the arrest of the three Libyans. But any overt or covert operations to track down the suspects would require that NATO leaders revise their current policy of having limiting the alliance action to aerial attacks.
In the prosecutor’s office, there was a sense that the United Nations Security Council should find ways to help the court go beyond statements and mere threats of action.
But diplomats may oppose such a move on the grounds that they want to keep open the road to a political solution, as they did following the prosecution’s first request for the arrest warrants in May. Even so, Mr. Qaddafi and his inner circle have consistently resisted suggestions that they be given safe passage into exile abroad.
After 40 years in power, Colonel “Qaddafi has made clear his determination to hang on; it defies belief that his arrest warrant is an obstacle to a negotiated settlement of the Libya crisis,” said Richard Dicker, a director of Human Rights Watch.
But diplomats have also made it clear they see arrest warrants as useful tools against politicians identified as potential war criminals. Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, who is wanted by the court on genocide charges, remains strong at home, but he has skipped a number of international meetings to avoid the possibility of arrest. Even leaders from countries friendly to Mr. Bashir have kept him away by saying envoys from other countries would stay away from gatherings if he were present.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/world/africa/28libya.html?_r=1&ref=global-home&pagewanted=print
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Riyadh: Shoura passes amendment to allow women’s franchise
By MD RASOOLDEEN
Jun 27, 2011
RIYADH: A majority of the Shoura Council members voted for an amendment to a draft resolution on Sunday to allow women to vote in the municipal elections.
There was a difference of opinion on an article in the annual report of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, which was tabled Sunday during the council's 44th regular session, chaired by the Shoura Council Vice President Bandar Hajjar.
The voting took place during a closed-door session.
Women will not be able to either vote or contest in the upcoming elections in September for half of the members of the country's municipal councils.
“This was a general recommendation,” Mohammed Almuhanna, media spokesman for the Shoura Council, was quoted as saying in an earlier statement. “It has nothing to do with the current elections but is rather a recommendation for future elections.”
Hundreds of women around the Kingdom have joined an online campaign called Baladi, Arabic for “My Country”, in protest at their exclusion from the municipal elections.
In April, dozens showed up at voting registration centers in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to demand their right to vote but were turned down by officials.
The house also approved the draft penal code designed to counter terrorism and financing terror-related activities. The suggestions for the draft penal code were tabled by the council's Security Affairs Committee.
Shoura Council Secretary-General Muhammad Al-Ghamdi explained that it is part of the Kingdom's efforts to fight terror in the Kingdom. He added that Saudi Arabia is framing a national strategy to fight terrorism and terror-related activities.
The penal code will also help the Kingdom coordinate actions against terrorist activities with other countries to ensure security and stability in the region, he added.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article462204.ece
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In a first, Taliban unleash female suicide bomber in Pak
Jun 27, 2011
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The Pakistani Taliban said on Sunday the group had sent a husband and wife suicide squad to carry out an attack on a police station in northwestern Pakistan that killed 10 people, a rare instance of militants using a woman as a bomber.
The pair entered the police station in Kolachi on Saturday and said they were there to lodge a complaint, said Imtiaz Shah, a senior police official . Once inside, the two attacked with grenades and machine guns, triggering a fivehour standoff with police.
Both attackers, including the woman wearing a burqa, eventually blew themselves up. They killed eight police officers and two civilians, said Mohammad Hussain, another police official.
"This shows how much we hate Pakistani security institutions ," Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan said. Ahsan claimed it was the first time the militant group had used a female suicide bomber.
However, Pakistani officials said a female suicide bomber wearing a burqa attacked a World Food Program food distribution centre in northwestern Pakistan late last year, killing 45 people.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack in Khar, the main city in the Bajur tribal area, but never claimed it was carried out by a female bomber. Still, that was believed to be the group's first attack by a female suicide bomber.
Male suicide bombers often don the burqa as a disguise . In 2007, officials initially claimed Pakistan's first female suicide bomber had killed 14 people in the northwest town of Bannu. But the attacker was later identified as a man.
Islamic militants in Iraq have used female suicide bombers several times because women in their burqas are seen as able to pass more easily through security.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/In-a-first-Taliban-unleash-female-suicide-bomber-in-Pak/articleshow/9008182.cms
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Egyptian deputy PM says US, Israel stoking religious strife
June 27, 2011
CAIRO: Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Yahia al-Gamal on Sunday accused the United States and Israel of fomenting religious tensions to weaken his country.
“The United States and Israel are behind the religious sedition in Egypt” as “they realise this is the only way to break up the country,” the MENA news agency reported, quoting his comments on television.
“Israel is trying to do this because Egypt is the most important power in the region,” he said.
At least three people were hurt Saturday during clashes between Muslims and Christians in a village in the Sohag governorate over the reported building of a church.
Egypt has been gripped by insecurity and sectarian strife since a revolt that toppled President Hosni Mubarak on February 11.
Coptic Christians, who account for up to 10 per cent of Egypt’s 80-million people, complain of discrimination and have been the targets of sectarian attacks.
Fierce clashes broke out on May 7 between Christians and Muslims in northwest Cairo’s working-class district of Imbaba where 12 people were killed, scores injured and a church set ablaze, according to court figures.
The National Council for Human Rights had put the death toll at 15.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/27/egyptian-deputy-pm-says-us-israel-stoking-religious-strife.html
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Girl, 8, dies in blast as jihadis force her to carry bombs
Jun 27, 2011
KABUL: An eight-year-old Afghan girl was killed when insurgents detonated a bomb in a bag which they had given her to take to police nearby, the interior ministry said on Sunday. The incident happened in the southern province of Uruzgan on Saturday, the ministry said in a statement.
"The enemies of peace and stability committed another unforgivable and shameful crime — an explosive-laden bag was handed to her and she was told to take it to police ," the statement said. "The child, pure-hearted and in good faith, took the bag and moved towards the police vehicle . As she got close to the police vehicle, the enemy detonated the bomb by remote control, killing the innocent child." No police or other civilians were killed, it added.
The ministry did not specify which insurgent group was responsible but the Taliban are the main militant group waging a near-decadelong insurgency against the Western-backed Kabul administration .
The attack happened on the same day 38 people were killed by a suicide car bombing at a hospital in Logar province, south of the capital Kabul.
There have been occasional cases of insurgents using female bombers — or more commonly of fighters dressing as women in head-to-toe burqa coverings — but the use of children had been almost unheard of until recently.
In May, Afghan police paraded four boys, all under 13, they said had been recruited as bombers from their homes in neighbouring Pakistan. One of the boys said they had been told they would live through the suicide attacks.
The Taliban later denied they were recruiting children to carry out suicide attacks.
The latest incident comes as four Nato troops were killed over the past two days, including two Spanish soldiers who died on Sunday after a homemade bomb exploded in western Afghanistan.
Military and civilian casualties hit record levels in 2010, the most violent year of the war since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in 2001. This year is following a similar trend, with violence growing across Afghanistan since the Taliban announced a spring offensive at the beginning of May.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Girl-8-dies-in-blast-as-jihadis-force-her-to-carry-bombs/articleshow/9008124.cms
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Nigeria: 25 killed in 3 bomb attacks in northeast
Jun 27 2011
Maiduguri: Men riding motorcycles threw bombs into outdoor beer gardens Sunday night in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least 25 people in attacks bearing striking similarities to others carried out by a radical Islamic sect in the region, police said.
The bombs exploded in the restive city of Maiduguri, home to the sect known locally as Boko Haram. While the sect did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack late Sunday, the assault bore the hallmarks of the group now waging assassinations and attacks against the Nigerian government.
The bombs exploded around 5 pm at several outdoor beer gardens in Maiduguri, which is about 540 miles (870 kilometres) from Nigeria's capital, Abuja. Borno state, where Maiduguri is the capital, is under Muslim Shariah law, but several outdoor beer gardens exist.
Lawal Abdullahi, a spokesman for the federal Nigeria Police Force, said the bombs struck at least three beer parlors in the state.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/809207/
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Two Spanish soldiers, 32 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
June 27, 2011
HERAT: Two Spanish soldiers and 32 Taliban fighters were killed in separate incidents of violence in Afghanistan, the defence ministry said on Sunday. The soldiers were carrying out a reconnaissance patrol when the blast occurred some 20 kilometres north of Qala-e-Naw city in Badghi province, the ministry said in a statement. Another three Spanish soldiers were injured in the blast and were evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in the village of Bala Murghab. They suffered broken bones and bruises in the explosion. The Taliban were killed during an operation in Badghi, the official sources said, adding that four Afghan army soldiers were also killed. “The operation was intensified last night and since then there are over 57 Taliban fighters killed, wounded and captured,” army commander General Shahzada said. “Unfortunately, four Afghan army soldiers have been killed and three others wounded during the operation since last night,” he said. Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\06\27\story_27-6-2011_pg7_14
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Military Command: Spike in U.S. Deaths in Iraq Raises Worries
By TIM ARANGO
BAGHDAD — Two American soldiers were killed Sunday in Iraq, the military command said, making June the worst month in combat-related fatalities for United States forces in Iraq in more than two years. The casualties also reflected the dangers ahead as the United States prepares to withdraw all its troops from Iraq by the end of the year.
The June total of so-called hostile-related deaths of American soldiers is now 11, the most since May 2009, when 12 were killed, according to icasualties.org, an online database that tracks the deaths of foreign forces in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
In a statement issued Sunday night, the American military said the two soldiers were killed “conducting operations” in the north. It did not elaborate, but that terminology is usually meant to indicate the deaths were caused by enemy attack. In the deadliest single-day death toll since 2009, five soldiers were killed June 5 when a rocket struck Victory Base Complex, the military’s base near the Baghdad airport. A sixth later died of his wounds.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/world/middleeast/27iraq.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print
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In Ramadi, Rift Between Residents and Soldiers Imperils Stability
By JACK HEALY and YASIR GHAZI
RAMADI, Iraq — This palm-lined city along the Euphrates, once a deadly stronghold of the insurgency, has been hailed as one of Iraq’s greatest turnaround stories, the first major urban area where militants were driven back and life slowly returned to shattered neighborhoods.
But a rift has opened in recent weeks between local leaders of this Sunni-dominated area and Iraqi soldiers who serve here but answer to leaders in Baghdad’s Shiite-led government. Residents have accused Iraqi Army units of shooting civilians, meddling in local politics, raiding homes with little justification and detaining residents indefinitely.
The distrust, highlighted by public protests and calls for the army to withdraw, has challenged the durability of security gains in Ramadi and across the huge western reaches of Anbar, the main Sunni province and a crucial proving ground for Iraq’s stability. The tensions also highlight the disputes that seem to be spreading across the country and seem likely to linger long after the last American soldiers leave: conflicts of local autonomy versus national control, sectarian power struggles and fierce debates over who, in the end, should be entrusted to keep Iraqis safe.
In mid-June, hundreds of residents filled the streets of the predominantly Sunni holy city of Samarra, in Salahuddin Province in central Iraq, to demand that a unit of Iraqi troops leave.
In Ramadi, resentments came to a boil this month after Iraqi soldiers shot and killed a local police captain who had fought alongside American Marines against Sunni insurgents fighting under the banner of Al Qaeda in Iraq. The Iraqi Army said he had been trying to flee an arrest warrant on terrorism charges, but tribal leaders and local politicians said the charges were trumped up and called him a hero whose death demonstrated the impunity of security forces in the area.
The Iraqi soldiers who guard checkpoints and rumble through the streets in camouflaged Humvees say they are preserving a hard-fought and fragile peace in Anbar. The Iraqi Army is one of the country’s most trusted institutions, but many local leaders have come to see the soldiers as heavy-handed occupiers with little concern for the community — a charge once lobbed at American troops.
“The army is interfering in schools and vegetable markets,” said Sheik Faisal Hussein Essawi, one of several tribal leaders who have organized protests calling for the soldiers to withdraw. “They are everywhere. The city is turning into a military camp.”
Officials with the Anbar Operations Command, an Iraqi force that oversees security in the province, defended the army’s role. They said that corrupt and incompetent local police had failed to prevent bombings and pursue militants in cities like Ramadi and Falluja, forcing Iraqi soldiers to move in over the past eight months.
Anbar’s fate is critical both to Iraqis and the departing American forces. According to icasualties.org, some 1,335 American service members were killed here, as well as untold thousands of Iraqi civilians, soldiers and members of the American-backed Awakening militias that fought Al Qaeda in Iraq.
At least 3,200 American troops remain, though they have largely pulled out of the cities and focus on training Iraqi security forces and helping local leaders and commanders address flaws in security.
Violence edged higher as the latest tensions flared. This month, insurgents planted four explosives at a police commander’s house outside of Falluja, killing four of his relatives. Days earlier, suicide bombers killed 15 people in an attack on security forces in Ramadi.
Col. Louis J. Lartigue of the United States 4/3 Advise and Assist Brigade in Anbar said the increase appeared to fit a pattern of spikes and lulls in attacks. He said he was encouraged that local politicians and military leaders were at least sitting down to discuss their differences.
“When they do have these problems, they come forward to figure out what the best way ahead is,” he said. Control of Iraq’s cities is a central issue in a country where two-thirds of the people live in urban areas. As Iraq stabilizes, army units are supposed to withdraw and focus on weak points in national defense, like border security, and cede the cities to the national and local police.
After protests erupted in Anbar, the army acquiesced to some of the residents’ demands, saying it would withdraw troops from the center of Ramadi. But an official with the Anbar Operations Command, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak with reporters, predicted a surge in violence if soldiers were relegated to their bases or to patrolling Iraq’s vacant western borders.
“We’ll put the police back in charge, and you’ll see what happens,” the official said. “If they see someone’s relative is a terrorist, they won’t report it.” He said that the Iraqi Army had pursued only legitimate targets, and fired only on suspects who posed a threat.
But local leaders seethe over what they call the Iraqi military’s excessive use of force.
Maj. Majid Salim, a deputy police chief, said army troops did not coordinate arrests with the local police, and had destabilized security by eroding the relationship between residents, tribal sheiks and security officials.
In October, Iraqi troops killed a 12-year-old girl and an elderly man in a raid to arrest a former security officer suspected of terrorism. Two months ago, soldiers shot and killed a driver in what the local police called a dispute over where the man had parked his car. Security officials said they had a warrant for his arrest.
And this month, a truck carrying Iraqi soldiers drove to the farm of Hamid Ahmed Shahab, a local police commander, to arrest him on a 2009 terrorism warrant, which American officials confirmed was valid. When Mr. Shahab bolted for his car, soldiers shot him in the back.
The Iraqi Army would not identify the charges against Mr. Shahab, but they said they found two guns in his car. The Iraqi military official called his killing “the right thing” to do.
But his death deepened the distrust and discord between military officials and tribal leaders, and touched off several protests. Mr. Shahab’s relatives said the Iraqi Army had killed a brave police captain who had lost two brothers to Qaeda attacks, then joined American forces to hunt down insurgents in 2007.
Two Marines who fought among the palm groves and irrigation canals of the village of Juayaba, just outside Ramadi, confirmed the relatives’ version of events, saying that Mr. Shahab — also known as Abu Ali — played a critical role in leading a tribal revolt against Al Qaeda that gained momentum and spread.
“He basically created this revolution on his own,” said Capt. Thomas P. Daly, who chronicled his tour in Anbar in “Rage Company,” a memoir. “I can name terrorists that this guy killed. This dude hated Al Qaeda. He hated them with a passion.”
Mr. Shahab linked up with a Marine company in early 2007 and began accompanying them — sometimes leading them — on raids to capture Qaeda suspects, the Marines said. He recruited scores of other tribal fighters and helped choke off relentless bomb attacks against the Marines.
“He was instrumental in the success of that area,” said Capt. Craig A. Trotter. “A true Iraqi hero for his people.”
This month, a few dozen of Mr. Shahab’s kinsmen gathered near a security checkpoint to demand justice for his death. Security forces stood at the ready, but let the men demonstrate.
After about an hour, and slightly disappointed by the turnout, the men climbed into their cars and drove off. A few hundred yards away, at the entrance to the city, a banner greeted visitors with the words, “Ramadi was and always will be a city of peace.”
Two Iraqi employees of The New York Times contributed reporting from Anbar Province.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/world/middleeast/27ramadi.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print
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Shine a light on the dark side of war
David Ignatius
June 27, 2011
GENERAL John Abizaid used the phrase "the long war" to describe America's battle with Islamic extremism after September 11, 2001. When I first heard him say it, in the dark days of 2004, as Iraq was spiralling downwards, I had the feeling it would last for most of our lifetimes.
Behind this decades-long battle, Abizaid said, was the political modernisation of the Islamic world - the explosive process of change that he likened to the revolutions and anarchic movements that swept across Europe in the 19th century.
This is the overarching conflict from which Barack Obama wants to withdraw American troops - not because the turbulence is over but because big American expeditionary forces aren't the right answer. He suggested this larger shift on Wednesday night. After a "difficult decade, the tide of war is receding . . . These long wars will come to a responsible end".
You can fault some of the particulars of Obama's policy. I'm puzzled about the logic of his timetable for reversing the surge he announced 18 months ago: pulling out 10,000 troops this year is OK, but why yank out a further 23,000 in the middle of next year's fighting season?
That encourages a battered Taliban to hang on awhile longer, rather than bargain for a truce. It repeats the tip-your-hand mistake I thought Obama made back in December 2009, when he set a date for beginning the withdrawal of his surge forces even as he ordered them into battle.
But on the larger theme, I thought Obama had it right. This period of expeditionary wars does need to come to an end - not just because America is weary and broke, but because the dialectic of history has brought the world to a new place. If American military might has been shown to have limited effect in shaping events over the past 10 years, so have the terrorist strategies of al-Qa'ida and the Taliban.
When Osama bin Laden declared war on the US in the 1990s, he made two assumptions, both of which turned out to be wrong. He argued that if America were hit hard by a terrorist attack, it would run away, just as it had from Lebanon after the 1983 bombings and from Somalia in 1994.
In his last moments, bin Laden surely knew this bet on US softness had been mistaken. "The message," said Obama, quoting an unnamed American soldier, "is we don't forget. You will be held accountable, no matter how long it takes."
Bin Laden's second conviction was that al-Qa'ida could supplant the corrupt, autocratic rulers who had perverted governance in the Arab world. They are indeed in retreat, but not because of al-Qa'ida. What's powering the Arab Spring are citizen movements for democratic change. Wherever al-Qa'ida has tried to impose theocratic "emirates", as in Iraq's Anbar province, it has burned itself out. As for the Taliban, its chief weapon in Afghanistan is raw physical intimidation. This isn't a movement on the rise.
What was striking about Obama's speech was the lack of fanfare that so often accompanies US rhetoric about foreign policy. He admitted the reality that "we won't try to make Afghanistan a perfect place".
While talking about America's "singular role," he wasn't imagining us as a shining city on the hill but as a nation bruised by recent experience - one that is "as pragmatic as we are passionate". My translation: no more Teddy Roosevelt charges into the fray, at least not for a while.
What worries me is US reliance on the harshest weapons in our arsenal - the killing machine that is the US counterterrorism force. With Predator drones and the "capture or kill" night raids of the Joint Special Operations Command, America has found a way to punish its enemies without risking large US casualties.
Obama concluded that this side of counterinsurgency works far more reliably than the uncertain, nation-building aspect. The embrace of counterterrorism tactics makes sense as an exit strategy from Afghanistan, and as a continuing check against al-Qa'ida. But America should understand this is a dark face of war - something perilously close to combat by assassination. It needs more debate before it's elevated to a cornerstone of American strategy.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/shine-a-light-on-the-dark-side-of-war/story-e6frg6ux-1226082315388
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Chaos in Yemen Creates Opening for Islamist Gangs
By ROBERT F. WORTH
ADEN, Yemen — The ancient port city of Aden is now virtually surrounded by roving gangs of Islamist militia fighters — some linked to Al Qaeda — who have captured at least two towns, stormed prisons and looted banks and military depots in southern Yemen.
Yet the Yemeni government, still busy fighting unarmed protesters farther north, has done little to stop these jihadists. Members of the military, the police and local officials have fled their posts across much of southern Yemen. The country’s American-trained counterterrorism unit has not been deployed. It is no surprise that many Yemenis believe the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, intended it all to happen.
Asked whether the jihadists could soon attack or even overwhelm this strategic coastal city of 800,000, Gen. Muhammad al-Somli — the one commander who has made any serious effort to fight them — said, “I cannot rule anything out.” The governor of neighboring Abyan Province, Saleh al-Zawari, who fled almost a month ago after militants captured the capital there, said the area would turn into “another Taliban state like Afghanistan” if something were not done soon.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/world/middleeast/27yemen.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print
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Malaysia protest backers accused of communist plot
06/27/2011
Malaysian authorities accused 30 detained opposition members Monday of conspiring to overthrow the government and to revive communist ideologies after the activists were arrested ahead of a banned political rally.
Opposition parties and human rights groups insisted it was a ludicrous accusation aimed at demonizing activists planning a massive street demonstration on July 9 to demand greater electoral transparency.
The detention of the 30 and the allegations against them mark a dramatic escalation in tensions between the government - dominated for decades by the ruling National Front coalition - and its political rivals before the rally, which could become Malaysia's biggest in nearly four years. It comes ahead of national polls widely expected by mid-2012.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim urged police Monday to release them, calling the communist claim "a flimsy pretext."
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/06/27/malaysia-protest-backers-accused-communist-plot.html
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Gaddafi renews vote offer to end war
June 27, 2011
TRIPOLI – The Libyan government on Sunday renewed its offer to hold a vote on whether Muammar Gaddafi should stay in power, a proposal unlikely to interest Gaddafi's opponents but which could widen differences inside NATO.
Pressure is growing from some quarters within the alliance to find a political solution, three months into a military campaign which is costing NATO members billions of dollars, has killed civilians, and has so far failed to topple Gaddafi.
Moussa Ibrahim, a spokesman for Gaddafi's administration, told reporters in Tripoli the government was proposing a period of national dialogue and an election overseen by the United Nations and the African Union.
"If the Libyan people decide Gaddafi should leave he will leave. If the people decide he should stay he will stay," Ibrahim said.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0611/27/FrontPage/index.php?id=9
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‘Saleh to appear on TV in two days’
By GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN
Jun 27, 2011
RIYADH: Hectic political consultations among Yemeni officials were under way here Sunday night to decide further course of action, including the return of wounded President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
"The Yemeni president is also preparing to address the nation on television within the next two days, probably after he goes back to Sanaa," said an Arab diplomat on the condition of anonymity.
He said that the Yemeni officials had "sought medical advice" in preparation for Saleh's return. Saleh is currently in the Riyadh-based Armed Forces Hospital receiving treatment for severe wounds he suffered in an attack on his palace early this month. His two sons, who command military units, have played a crucial role in protecting their father's regime and keeping his grip on power in his absence.
The diplomat did not give a return date for the president nor when he would make his televised address. He said Saleh has sought the advice of his aides, including Abdul-Karim Al-Eryani, on his future plans. Al-Eryani and some other top Yemeni officials have been in Riyadh for the last two days.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article462210.ece
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One soldier killed in attack in eastern Turkey
June 27, 2011
One soldier was killed and three were wounded late Sunday when allaged members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, opened fire on a military vehicle in Saray town of the eastern province of Van.
Two of the wounded soldiers were taken into surgery, while the third soldier's condition was not critical, Van governor has said.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=one-soldier-killed-in-attack-in-eastern-turkey-2011-06-27
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Suicide bomber attacks Iraqi police station, two killed
June 27, 2011
A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to a police station north of the capital on Sunday, killing three people and wounding 18 others, authorities and health officials said.
Two police officers were killed and 10 others were wounded in the attack in Tarmiyah, about 50 kilometers north of Baghdad, two police officer and one medical official said.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to release information.
Meanwhile, an Iraqi court has sentenced the wife of a slain al-Qaeda leader to 20 years in prison on terrorism-related charges, an Iraqi judicial spokesman said.
Twenty-four people were killed on Thursday in three separate attacks in Baghdad, including 21 in a triple bombing at a crowded market, and an American contractor working for USAID whose convoy was hit by an improvised bomb.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/348689/Suicide-bomber-attacks-Iraqi-police-station-two-killed.html
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In a terrorist Act, 8 injured in Pak blast
June 27, 2011
At least eight persons were injured when a bomb went off at a police post in Multan city in Pakistan’s Punjab province, officials said.
Officials had initially said three policemen were killed in the attack but later revised the account after it became clear that no one had died.
Multan police chief Amir Zulfiqar said three policemen were among the injured and that no one was killed.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the blast was caused by a bomb planted in a motorcycle, Zulfiqar told the media at the site of the attack.
Earlier, district administration chief Zahid Zaman had said that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber but this was dismissed by Zulfiqar.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/348661/8-injured-in-Pak-blast.html
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‘Islam-centric’ Pak Army divided on US-led war against Muslim extremists
Jun 27 2011
Islamabad: Disciplinary violations in Pakistan’s defence forces have increased in the recent years as hearts and minds of military officials remain divided on the issue of the so-called American war on terror.
Ever since the then military ruler Pervez Musharraf decided to join the United States-led war on terror, numerous military officials have either opted to seek premature retirement or were sacked or forcibly retired for not willing to be part of this controversial war.
The military authorities, however, never shared with the media the number of such military officials.
It was Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who in a recent statement cautioned the military to stick to its fundamentals (Islamic ideology) to save the state and the institution of the army from collapse.
He warned that any effort to divide the armed forces on secular and religious lines would be disastrous for both the state and the military.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/809268/
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Cleric Asks Indonesian Ulema to Issue Fatwa against Female Migrant Workers
June 27, 2011
Former head of Nahdlatul Ulama National Board (PBNU) Hasyim Muzadi asked the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) to issue a fatwa against sending female migrant workers to foreign countries.
Hasyim cited the protests from religious leaders of Robithoh Alam Islami, an international Islamic organization founded in 1962, regarding Indonesia's practice of sending female migrant workers overseas.
"Isn't sending a woman to a faraway place without a mahram (any man with whom a woman has a blood or foster relationship) forbidden by Sharia law?,” Hasyim was quoted as saying by news portal Detik.com. “Doesn't sending the women lower Islam and Indonesia itself? Why doesn't Pak Hasyim talk to the Indonesian president?” said Hasyim, echoing the questions of many Muslim clerics in the World Islamic League that took place in Mecca in 2010.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/cleric-asks-indonesian-ulema-to-issue-fatwa-against-female-migrant-workers/449354
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Israel warns media against boarding Gaza flotilla
Jun 26, 2011
JERUSALEM: Israel is threatening to bar international journalists from the country for years if they board ships attempting to breach the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.
A flotilla of Gaza-bound ships is due to set sail soon, perhaps this week.
On Sunday, Israel’s Government Press Office issued a statement calling the flotilla “a dangerous provocation” and an “international violation of Israeli law.” It says participation in the flotilla “is liable to lead to participants being denied entry into the state of Israel for 10 years” and to additional sanctions.
Israel imposed the blockade in 2007, after Hamas overran Gaza.
Israel eased a land blockade after a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla last year. The naval blockade remains intact.
Elsewhere, the Israeli cabinet on Sunday approved broad economic sanctions against Iran.
“The government of Israel authorised economic sanctions against Iran and companies that trade with it,” a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article462078.ece
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Pakistan expels 18 British military trainers: Report
June 27, 2011
The Guardian reports that British military trainers were sent to Pakistan to train the paramilitary police.
According to a report in a British newspaper on Sunday, Pakistan has expelled a team of British military trainers that were sent to help with the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda.
The Guardian reported that the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence has confirmed the withdrawal of at least 18 military advisers from Pakistan.
The report suggests that the troops were sent back as “the fallout from the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden continues to rock relations between Islamabad and its western allies.”
The trainers were deployed as part of a £15 million programme to train the paramilitary Frontier Corps.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/197301/pakistan-expels-18-british-military-trainers-report/
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Pakistan upset at being left out of US-Taliban talks
By Munizae Jahangir
June 27, 2011
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani said that Pakistan iss not part of the negotiations between Washington and the Taliban and is upset about it.
“We have told America that we are not happy with this,” said Haqqani in an exclusive interview with Express 24/7.
The Obama administration has recently confirmed that it had established contacts with the Afghan Taliban though it insisted the negotiations were at a preliminary stage. It is widely believed that the US has deliberately kept Pakistan at bay about its efforts to seek a peace deal with the Taliban ahead of the phased withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Earlier, a statement issued by the foreign ministry after talks between State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and US deputy special representative Frank Ruggiero, in cloaked diplomatic language complained that “the minister underscored the importance of clarity and strategic coherence as well as transparency to facilitate the Afghan people and the Afghan government in the process for peace and reconciliation.”
Haqqani’s statement is also the first official recognition of Pakistan’s displeasure at being excluded from the endgame in Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/197215/pakistan-upset-at-being-left-out-of-us-taliban-talks/
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Alleged links to Hizbut Tahrir: Army brass undecided on action against servicemen
By Qaiser Butt
June 27, 2011
ISLAMABAD: The military command has yet to decide whether the recently arrested army officers should be tried by a court martial or be dismissed from the army, said Brig (retd ) Shaukat Qadir, who is familiar with the procedure.
Last week, the army had detained Brigadier Ali Khan, an officer who had been serving at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, for his alleged ties to extremist organisations. A day later, four army majors were arrested for their alleged links with the banned organisation Hizbut Tahrir.
The adjutant general of the Pakistan Army will decide the issue after receiving the findings of the board of inquiry (constituted by him) to investigate the allegations against the arrested officers.
The board of inquiry will give the full right of defence to the five officers detained for having links with the United Kingdom-based outfit Hizbut Tahrir and also for breaching army discipline.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/197204/alleged-links-to-hizbut-tahrir-army-brass-undecided-on-action-against-servicemen/
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Palestinians going ahead with UN statehood bid
June 27, 2011
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said on Sunday that with no renewal of peace talks on the horizon, the Palestinians would pursue their unilateral bid for recognition in September.
“I say that if negotiations have failed we will go to the United Nations for membership,” Abbas told a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and his Fatah party.
“Until now there have been no new incentives to return to negotiations,” he said.
The meeting, in the West Bank city of Ramallah where Abbas has his headquarters, was called to make preparations for the UN campaign.
Abbas had indicated that the Palestinians would be willing to give up the September bid for recognition of a Palestinian state if long dormant peace talks with Israel could be resurrected.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/27/palestinians-going-ahead-with-un-statehood-bid-2.html
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Trial of 85 Qaeda suspects begins in Saudi Arabia
June 27, 2011
RIYADH: Eighty-five al Qaeda suspects went on trial in a special Saudi security court on Sunday in connection with deadly attacks carried out in the kingdom, state news agency SPA said. The defendants face charges of belonging to al Qaeda, of taking part in attacks on public buildings and residential compounds, and of smuggling and possession of weapons, it said. Thirteen of the group are accused of participating in the May 2003 car bombings of three residential compounds that left 129 people dead or wounded, including women and children, SPA said. Nine US nationals were among 35 of those killed. SPA said the arrests of the 85 suspects had foiled plots to attack two air bases, a residential compound in the Eastern Province of the Gulf state and on state oil giant Aramco.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\06\27\story_27-6-2011_pg7_17
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Khamenei warns against American goals in Pak
June 27, 2011
TEHRAN – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has warned that the US was trying to achieve its illegitimate goals in Pakistan through sowing discord in the Muslim country.
According to Iranian Media reports, Seyed Ali Khamenei who met Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari here in Tehran on Saturday underlined all-out expansion of ties between Iran and Pakistan.
Ayatollah Khamenei cautioned that Washington is trying to sow seeds of dissension in Pakistan to meet its illegitimate goals, but the awareness of Pakistani people concerning ominous intention of the US has caused more resistance of the nation against US hegemonic plots. Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei received Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0611/27/FrontPage/index.php?id=5
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Israel approves economic sanctions against Iran
June 27, 2011
Jerusalem (CNN) -- The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday decided to expand economic sanctions against Iran, aligning its policies with the United States and Europe on trade with the Islamic republic.
Among the sanctions is an amendment to Israel's money laundering law that allows for more oversight and control over those trading with Iran. "It was also determined that state contact with companies that trade with Iran will be restricted," a government statement said.
The sanctions cover any type of trade with Iran, including private companies, a spokesman for Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
As part of the sanctions, Israel will declare Iran and "bodies linked to it" to be enemy elements.
Full report at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/26/israel.iran/
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As pullout nears, US intel back to Taliban hunting
Jun 27, 2011
WASHINGTON: Military intelligence officers were scrambling a year ago to collect and analyze the social, economic and tribal ins and outs of each valley and hamlet in Afghanistan.
This information wasn't the kind of secret or covert material many military intelligence specialists were used to. But it was seen as crucial to helping commanders tell the good guys from the bad, learn what Afghans really needed from their government and undermine the Taliban-led insurgency by winning hearts and minds.
President Obama's announcement on Wednesday that the US will start bringing home troops next month is part of a gradual scaling back of American operations and ambitions in Afghanistan that is driving a shift away from that labour-intensive attention to local detail. The old model of military intelligence is back and hunting the Taliban and al-Qaida is the No 1 priority.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/As-pullout-nears-US-intel-back-to-Taliban-hunting/articleshow/9008169.cms
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Pak to set up databank on terrorists
Jun 27, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's civilian and military law enforcement agencies engaged in counter-terrorism efforts have decided to create a consolidated databank on terrorists, according to a media report on Sunday.
The issue was discussed at a recent meeting of civilian and military law enforcement agencies, which agreed to rope in the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to create and maintain the databank.
It emerged at the meeting that government departments at the national and provincial levels were maintaining data on terrorists for their own use and the information was fragmented in the absence of a central authority, the Dawn newspaper quoted its sources as saying.
It becomes "very difficult" to check the identity of a suicide bomber or terrorist on a speedy basis irrespective of whether he or she is a Pakistani or a foreigner, the sources said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-to-set-up-databank-on-terrorists/articleshow/9004637.cms
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No details about 26/11 Pak panel visit to India
June 27, 2011
Despite its commitment, Pakistan has failed to convey to India as to when its judicial commission will visit here to take the statement of the magistrate, who had recorded the confession of Ajmal Kasab, to pursue the 26/11 attacks case.
During the Home Secretary-level talks held in New Delhi in March, India had agreed to host Pakistan’s judicial commission to take statements of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate RV Sawant Waghule, Investigating Officer Ramesh Mahale and the doctor who carried out the post-mortem of the terrorists.
Islamabad has been maintaining that it is necessary to send the commission to India as part of the judicial process of the 26/11 case in Pakistan and promised at the Home Secretary-level talks that they would do so by May 15.
“More than a month after the agreed date, Pakistan has not been able to convey to us when they are sending the commission to India,” an official said.
The Government has already conveyed to the Bombay High Court that Sawant and Mahale should be available for questioning by the Pakistani commission.
The commission wants to interview the Indian officials in connection with the trial of seven Pakistani suspects, currently in a jail in that country, in the 26/11 case.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/348774/No-details-about-26/11-Pak-panel-visit-to-India.html
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Headley gives insight into LeT terror courses aimed at Kashmir
June 26, 2011
Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyeba runs a series of well-oiled courses for budding terrorists, ranging from religious indoctrination to military and intelligence training, which are aimed at boosting militancy in Kashmir.
David Headley, a Pakistani-American LeT operative, provided an insight into the religious, military and intelligence training being imparted by LeT, which has been responsible for the Mumbai attacks and is considered a threat by the US, in his testimony during the recently-concluded trial of co-accused Tahawwur Rana.
50-year-old Headley told the court that he went for religious training by the LeT in 2002; the three-month operational military training in 2003; and the LeT leadership course in 2004. In between, he did a course in intelligence in 2003.
“I did the basic -- the religious course in the beginning. I did a preliminary course, a military. And then I did the advanced course. Then I did the intelligence course. Then I did the anti-terrorist course. Then I did the leadership course. And that’s it,” Headley told the court in response to a question from the defence attorney.
All these courses, he said, were directed towards fighting in Kashmir.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/348694/Headley-gives-insight-into-LeT-terror-courses-aimed-at-Kashmir.html
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250 families flee anti-terrorist operation in Kurram
June 27, 2011
PESHAWAR: Around 250 families have moved out of central Kurram Agency after the start of an operation by the security forces against militants. According to a private TV channel, a camp has been set up at New Durrani village with a capacity to accommodate 1,500 families. Sources said arrangements had been made at the camp for the provision of necessary ration to the IDPs. People have been asked to get themselves registered at the camp to get the required facilities.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\06\27\story_27-6-2011_pg1_3
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2 Bangladeshi ex-ministers in dock for 2004 ULFA arms haul
June 27, 2011
Two former ministers were among 11 new suspects accused by Bangladeshi police in a supplementary chargesheet filed on Sunday in the country’s biggest ever arms haul case of 2004 when 10-truck loads of weapons destined for ULFA hideouts in India were seized.
“We have submitted the supplementary chargesheet on Sunday (before a court in southeastern port city of Chittagong) following our extended investigation into the case,” an official of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police told PTI.
Former State Minister for home Lutfuzzaman Babar and ex-industries minister Matiur Rahman Nizami of the of the past BNP-led government and ex-chiefs of the two intelligence agencies and United Liberation Front of Assom (ULFA) chief Paresh Barua, were among the 11 accused in the chargesheet.
The supplementary chargesheet came on an earlier court order for an extended investigation into the 2004 arms haul when a consignment of 10-truck loads of weapons believed to be destined to northeastern India’s ULFA hideouts, were seized in Chittagong.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/348764/2-Bangladeshi-ex-ministers-in-dock-for-2004-ULFA-arms-haul.html
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Karzai accuses Pak of firing 470 rockets into Afghanistan
Jun 27 2011
Kabul: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has accused Pakistan of firing 470 rockets into two eastern Afghan provinces over the past three weeks, which reportedly killed 36 people, including 12 children.
According to Afghan border officials, the attacks took place in areas of Kunar and Nangahar provinces where NATO forces have withdrawn, and where Pakistani Taliban moved in behind fleeing civilians, Fox News reports.
Karzai indicated that Pakistani government forces are responsible for the bombardment, and "they should be stopped immediately."
"If they are not being carried out by Pakistan, Pakistan should make it clear who is behind the attacks," Karzai was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the presidential palace.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/809213/
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5 lakh tourists visited J&K in 2011
M Saleem Pandit
Jun 27, 2011
SRINAGAR: With peace continuing to prevail over J&K, around five lakh domestic as well as foreign tourists have visited the state since January.
The violence-free spell has also led many countries to review their adverse travel advisories. German ambassador Thomas Matussek, who was in Srinagar on an official tour, said he would recommend withdrawal of the travel advisory. "There has been peace in the Valley. There is a need to review the advisory," he said.
Recognizing that years of militancy have taken a huge toll on the economy, even separatist leaders, including Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani, have appealed to domestic tourists to keep their date with Kashmir. Geelani has asked Kashmiris to apprise visitors.
Government figures show 485,828 odd tourists arrived in the Valley since January this year. This includes 442,540 domestic and 13,207 foreign tourists. Amarnath shrine is expecting three lakh pilgrims so far.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/5-lakh-tourists-visited-JK-in-2011/articleshow/9007143.cms
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Headley worked for U.S. drug agency, LeT
Jun 27, 2011
WASHINGTON: David Coleman Headley, who has pleaded guilty to his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, went for training with the Lashkar-e-Taiba while he was still working as an informant for the United States government's Drug Enforcement Administration.
Testifying before a Chicago court during the recently concluded trial of co-accused Tahawwur Rana, Headley admitted that he was still working with the DEA when he first attended an LeT meeting in 1999.
“Yes,” Headley answered, when the defence attorney for Rana asked: “1999 [the year when Headley visited Pakistan for Lashkar meeting]. But you were still working with the DEA when you went into the first Lashkar meeting [in 1999], where you made a donation, correct?”
“Did you report to the DEA that you had gone to Lashkar meetings?” Headley was asked. He replied in the negative.
“When you say working for the DEA, I was signed, because I would sign up for periods of time. So I was working for them, but not on any case at that time. I was signed up with them at that time,” Headley clarified.
Responding to the questions from the defence attorney, Headley said that even though he was not assigned any particular task by the DEA, he was in contact with it and was under obligation to inform it if he came to know something of interest to the agency.
“Prime motivation”
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/27/stories/2011062762991300.htm
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Yemen protesters want President's sons to leave
Jun 27, 2011
SANA'A: Hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters rallied across Yemen on Sunday, demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh's powerful sons and other members of his inner circle leave the country.
Mr. Saleh is currently in Saudi Arabia receiving treatment for severe wounds he suffered in an attack on his palace early this month. His two sons, Ahmed and Khaled, both command military units and have played a crucial role in protecting their father's regime and keeping his grip on power in his absence.
On Sunday, protesters in the cities Sanaa, Ibb, Taiz and others chanted slogans calling for Mr. Saleh to step down and for his sons and other family members to flee. Some demonstrators shouted “Saleh's orphans have to leave the country.”
Yemen's political crisis began in February with protests by largely peaceful crowds calling for Mr. Saleh's ouster after nearly 33 years in power. A crackdown has killed at least 167 people, according to Human Rights Watch. — AP
http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/27/stories/2011062759651200.htm
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MQM files petition in Sindh High Court
By Irfan Aligi
June 27, 2011
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) filed a petition in the Sindh High Court on Monday against the postponement of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections in Karachi.
The petition was filed against alleged government interference in the elections and the Election Commission’s decision to postpone the elections.
Talking to the media, MQM MNA Haider Abbas Rizvi said that the independent judiciary will keep the facts in mind and grant justice to MQM.
He added that the elections that are being held are “unconstitutional” and said that “no one trusts the election results”.
The federal and Sindh government, along with the IG Sindh have been made parties in the petition.
Former MLA Azad Kashmir Tahir Khokhar filed the petition in which the MQM has requested an urgent hearing of the case.
On Sunday, MQM chief Altaf Hussain had asked the MQM’s Coordination Committee to file petitions in courts seeking to make the elections null and void.
Earlier, the MQM boycotted the AJK elections after they were postponed in Karachi due to security reasons.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/196834/mqm-to-file-petition-against-the-ajk-polls-altaf-hussain/
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Syrian troops close in on Lebanon border
June 27, 2011
DAMASCUS: Syrian troops pushed towards the Lebanese border as they pressed a deadly crackdown in central towns ahead of Monday’s opposition meeting in Damascus on the country’s unrest, activists said.
The latest violence in Kseir, near the flashpoint city of Homs, forced “hundreds” of people to flee over the border into Lebanon, the activists said.
The exodus came as Turkey, where about 12,000 Syrians have already taken refuge in recent weeks, scrambled to erect a border tent city to accommodate a possible new influx of refugees.
Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP in Nicosia that shots rang out in Kseir – 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the border with Lebanon, and in Homs.
He said on Saturday, “Hundreds of residents fled from Kseir to Lebanon.” Four civilians were shot dead by security forces on Saturday, two in Kseir and two in Kiswah, south of the capital.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/27/syrian-troops-close-in-on-lebanon-border-2.html
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Saudi brothers in Bahrain trial face life in jail
Jun 26, 2011
DAMMAM: Saudi brothers Ali and Hussein Muhammad Hussein may be jailed for life after a Bahraini court charged them with attempt to occupy a police station on March 16, Al-Watan daily said Sunday.
It said the two Saudi brothers, two Iraqis and 15 Bahrainis were facing seven charges, including the attempt to destroy the Al-Khamis police station, incitement against the government, joining unlawful mobs, use of violence and acquisition of Molotov cocktails.
Quoting court sources, the daily said the defendants would be tried on the most serious charge of attempting to occupy a police station, for which the maximum punishment is a life sentence.
The next hearing is set on June 28 when witnesses will testify.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article462175.ece
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Pakistanis warned against compensation rumors
Jun 27, 2011
JEDDAH: The Consulate General of Pakistan in Jeddah has denied rumors being circulated among the expatriate community for nearly two months about distribution of flood compensation by the Saudi authorities.
“The Consulate General has taken urgent measures to convince some members of the community, who still believe that they will get compensation from the Saudi authorities, that there is no basis for this,” Al-Watan daily quoted Muhammad Tareq, media adviser at the consulate, as saying.
“The Consulate General has taken urgent measures to convince some members of the community, who still believe that they will get compensation from the Saudi authorities, that there is no basis for this.”
Some Pakistanis had told the newspaper that they came to know from a report aired by Radio Pakistan that distribution of compensation is still going on.
“I contacted the director of Radio Pakistan in Islamabad who in turn denied broadcasting anything about it. Several Pakistani nationals have also contacted the embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah to know whether there was any truth in the rumors. We informed all of them that there is no truth at all and they are baseless rumors.”
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article462173.ece
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Iran says EU ‘distorting reality’
Jun 26, 2011
TEHRAN: Iran accused the European Union of “distorting reality” on Sunday after the bloc slapped sanctions on the Syrian leadership and three high-ranking Iranian officials the EU said was helping Damascus crush dissent.
Alongside extended sanctions on Syria, the EU added three commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards — accused of supporting Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s suppression of anti-government protests — to a blacklist that imposes travel restrictions and freezes assets.
“The EU’s baseless claim linking Iran’s Revolutionary Guards with Syrian events shows its attempt to target propaganda against the Islamic Republic and to distort reality,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in an statement.
He denied Tehran was interfering in Syria’s internal affairs, saying: “The government and people of Syria enjoy the political and social maturity to resolve their domestic problems.”
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article462093.ece
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Turkey praises Obama’s Afghan plan
June 27, 2011
As the death toll rises in Afghanistan, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry endorses U.S. President Barack Obama’s Afghan withdrawal plan and reiterates its support for a “fully independent and sovereign Afghanistan” in a statement.
Afghan policemen rush towards the site of an attack at a Kabul police station June 18, 2011. Suicide bombers in army uniform attacked the Kabul police compound on Saturday, killing two policemen and a civilian in the second major attack inside the Afghan capital in under a month, Afghan officials said. REUTERS Photo
The announcement by United States President Barack Obama that the U.S. would begin withdrawing surge troops in July of this year is an important step toward establishing a full and independent Afghanistan, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday.
The ministry said in a statement that “our common objective is to ensure that Afghans take charge of their future and that Afghanistan is fully sovereign and independent. In this context, Afghanistan’s neighbors as well as other relevant actors in the region and beyond should respect Afghanistan’s sovereignty and continue their multi-dimensional contributions towards solidifying it. Afghan leadership of all processes related to Afghanistan is a fundamental principle.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkey-praises-obama8217s-afghan-plan-2011-06-26
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Israel backed out of flotilla apology three times, report says
June 27, 2011
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly accepted Turkey's request for an apology for the killing of Turkish citizens on board the Mavi Marmara in May 2010, but backed out on three separate occasions due to fear his coalition government might fall
Daily Hürriyet revealed a report Monday about secret meetings held between Turkish and Israeli governments. AP photo
Israel’s prime minister was set to apologize to Turkey for the deaths of nine activists in an ill-fated aid flotilla to Gaza, daily Hürriyet reported Monday, citing information leaked from secret meetings between Ankara and Tel Aviv.
The meetings were held in Geneva following a slight thaw in tensions between the two countries in the wake of Turkey’s decision to send water bombers to assist Israel in extinguishing forest fires in December. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Turkey for the gesture and had his photos taken with the Turkish pilots of the planes.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=israel-backed-out-of-apology-three-times-report-says-2011-06-27
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Dubai Metro, one of the safest in the world
27 June 2011
The number of 12,811 fines issued by the Metro’s security staff since its inception may seem big to many, reflecting a high number of violations.
But according to a senior official from RTA, it is very low compared to the other big cities in the world, where violations and crime levels are quite high. This, definitely makes Dubai Metro one of the safest in the world.
“Very few crime or antisocial cases have been reported on the trains or stations so far, and the dedicated Dubai Metro Police have not come across anything major so far. They are trained and ready to handle anything if they come across,” said Adnan Al Hammadi, CEO of RTA’s Rail Agency.
A few cases of theft and a few brawls had been reported. Apart from that there hadn’t been any untoward incidents, he added.
Though, the crime rate is absolutely low, 1.5 cases per million passengers, when compared to some of the other big cities in the world where the rates range between six to 15 cases per million passengers, there are near daily instance of violations that reflect in the number of fines issued.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/June/theuae_June735.xml§ion=theuae
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Son of Yemeni leader voices support for dialogue
27 June 2011
SANAA — The powerful son of Yemen’s embattled leader voiced support on Sunday for efforts spearheaded by the opposition and the acting president to find a solution to the nation’s political turmoil.
Ahmed Saleh, the son of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and commander of the elite Republican Guards, has played a key role in protecting his father’s government in the face of four months of mass anti-government protests calling for the regime’s ouster.
In a statement issued Sunday by his office, Ahmed “expressed his support” for attempts led by Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and opposition leaders to “reach a solution to the current crisis.”
The comments appeared to mark a turnabout for the president’s son, who has played the role of chief guarantor of his family’s grip on power since his father left for Saudi Arabia early this month to receive treatment for wounds he suffered in an attack on his palace.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/June/middleeast_June710.xml§ion=middleeast
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10:44 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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