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Maskhadov orders ceasefire
Today's Headlines
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Arabia
Oman Acknowledges Detentions
Oman has acknowledged the detention of hundreds of nationals amid a crackdown on Al Qaida. The sultanate has refused to give details of the crackdown. But government spokespeople said the crackdown was meant to foil plots to attack the country. Omani Information Minister Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Rashdi said authorities have detained an unspecified number of people. He did not deny reports that more than 300 people have been arrested in the crackdown in late January. "We don't want to talk on this matter as it is an internal issue and because we are not accustomed to defaming our citizens by publishing their photos in the media and highlighting their crimes and justifying the procedures taken by the government," Al Rashdi told the Oman News Agency.
"Everything's fine here!... How are you?"
Posted by: Fred || 02/03/2005 3:37:11 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Soddy-trained terror wave sweeping Middle East
Police on Tuesday killed a militant wanted in the October bombing of an Egyptian tourist resort, only days after Kuwaiti authorities cracked down on militants purportedly influenced by al-Qaida. Tuesday's gunbattle in the Sinai desert and the Kuwait raids follow significant clashes in Bahrain and Oman with suspected militants, raising fears that terrorists inspired or trained by Saudi extremists are taking part in a regional spread of terror.

The gunbattle in the mountains of Sinai erupted as police were chasing militants believed involved in the Oct. 7 bombings at the resorts of Taba and Ras Shitan, which killed 34 people, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. The ministry identified the suspect killed Tuesday as Mohammed Abdel Rahman Badawi, saying he took part in the Sinai bombings and was found armed with an automatic rifle and a handgun.

Experts on Islamic militancy agree extremist ideologies are born and whelped in Saudi Arabia, the home of the puritanical Wahhabi doctrine that has inspired thousands of terrorist mujahedeen from Afghanistan to the Philippines. Many potential militants, particularly in the Middle East, are also thought to be paying heed to their al-Qaida-linked counterparts in Saudi Arabia fighting a violent campaign against security forces and foreign interests. But there is disagreement about whether Saudi militants, who are closely allied to Osama bin Laden's group, and non-Saudi terrorists belong to the same organizational core or simply follow the same principle -- waging holy war against infidels. Jamal Khashoggi, spokesman to the Saudi ambassador to Britain, Prince Turki, said ideology alone is enough to lump Kuwaiti and Saudi militants together. "Al-Qaida is not a Saudi brand name," he said.
It is, however, a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
MOHAMED ABDEL RAHMAN BADAWIal-Qaeda
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:58:40 AM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Jamal Khashoggi, spokesman to the Saudi ambassador to Britain

I don't have time to look it up, but I bet this guy is related to Adnan Khashoggi, arms dealer to the stars. There was a piece on Slate a million moons ago about "Six Degrees of Adnan Khashoggi," and how his sticky fingers show up in every honeypot of the world for the last twenty years or so...
Posted by: Seafarious || 02/03/2005 1:49 Comments || Top||

#2  That would certainly fit with working for Prince Al Turki, formerly the Saudi Intel Chief and one of the dirtiest players of the Sudairi Seven. He rivals Nayef, IMHO.
Posted by: .com || 02/03/2005 2:09 Comments || Top||

#3  I still maintain the wahhabi inspired terrorism in the ME hasn't crossed the scale and efficiency barrier to make it more than a nuisance (although a locally deadly nuisance). To change governments they have to scale it up by a factor of one or two (X10 to X100). Right now its just a Turkey shoot.
Posted by: phil_b || 02/03/2005 3:05 Comments || Top||

#4  Phil, that is because OBL miscalculated. He revealed his cards too soon. And to his detriment, GWB was at the helm, thanks to whatever fortune arranged that. Just imagine how situation would be different if Gore won. It would be far more dramatic than if Kerry won. The result would be the same, eventually, in both cases, but in different time frames.

We are the winning horse at this stage. It could have been otherwise. Still a looong way to go and there may be nasty surprises before this is all over.
Posted by: Sobiesky || 02/03/2005 3:47 Comments || Top||

#5  Wow..I did some reading on Adnan Khashoggi who, according to the game of six degrees claims...

was able to link Khashoggi to Iran-Contra, Wedtech, the Marcos Philippine kleptocracy, BCCI, the death of Princess Di, the Kennedy assassination, Watergate, and the breakup of the Beatles

and the links are like this (tin foil required)

http://slate.msn.com/id/1006609/
The Breakup of the Beatles is often attributed to tensions that arose when John Lennon and Paul McCartney got married. In an interview this past October on British television, McCartney, now a widower, declared his love for a woman named Heather Mills, who was a toddler at the time of the Beatles' breakup. Had McCartney left his wife Linda for Mills at the time, perhaps the Beatles would have remained together. Prior to dating McCartney, Mills reportedly dated Adnan Khashoggi.

Apparently, if Paul had been a child molester, dating Heather Mills when she was a toddler, the breakup of the Beatles would not have happened.

or this:
BCCI. The most complicated bank scandal in human history. Khashoggi had a big account with BCCI's Monte Carlo branch.

As if every rich Saudi in the world didn't have one there.

They try to link him to Teresa LePore, with causing the Gore election to go to Bush..breezing past the fact that she was a registered Democrat.

It goes on, and you get the idea, but actually the guy is an interesting character who is clearly a very big player in the underworld of arms dealing, shady deals and black markets - which I'm sure at a certain level, is not all that large.

Rather than GW, it looks to me more like it's mafia type connections, as this blurb indicates:

In late September, Van Rijn met with Yard detectives at the British embassy in Madrid. He had with him an old friend, a man he and the detectives had been referring to in telephone conversations as "our friend in Spain." The friend was Felice Cultrera, an amateur art-and-antiquities collector; the owner of casinos in Paris, Belgrade, and Prague; someone who was allegedly linked to the Sicilian drug-running Santapaola Mafia; and a money man for weapons merchant Adnan Khashoggi.
Posted by: 2b || 02/03/2005 9:22 Comments || Top||

#6  oops...here are some links for above.

link
link link
Posted by: 2b || 02/03/2005 9:29 Comments || Top||

#7  I agree with your assessment Sobie. My question is the dark undertone of "He Revealed his cards too soon". What the implication is, if UBL had taken his time and planted more cells and developed his WMD in the training camps in Afghanistan the situation would be more dire? Would UBL have been able to mobilize the "Muslim Street to rise up and violently create the Caliphate? My take on that is that Muslims back a winner. Like in Afghanistan and Pakistan, there is always negotiating before fighting and side flipping (very Kerry-esque). The majority of Muslims loathe the US but will continue to support us against Islamists because the Islamists are not empowered yet. Yes, had UBL not miscalculated and Al Qaeda had time to acquire WMD - many things would be different. I'm afraid we'd have more enemies. We can't allow any of these movements to develop. I fear our previous Admin did very little to counter AQ and look what happened.
Posted by: Rightwing || 02/03/2005 9:36 Comments || Top||


5 dead in Marib
At least five men died and 10 were wounded in a shootout provoked when the Yemeni army tried to stop tribesmen in a remote tribal region in the north of the country carrying arms in public, witnesses said on Tuesday. The Yemeni authorities are trying to impose a ban on illegal weapons in the Marib province near Saudi Arabia. It was not clear what started the shootout but at least one soldier was killed, the witnesses said.

This comes in a time Riyadh is battling a wave of militant violence blamed on Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, has been working with Sanaa to stop arms smuggling over its long, porous border with Yemen where weapons are widely available. Violence in Yemen is quite common due to the lack of self-control high number of firearms held by civilians, which is officially estimated at more than 60 million pieces, i.e., an average of more than three weapons per person. A disarmament law is yet to be approved by the Yemeni parliament to limit the number of weapons in the hands of citizens. An attempt was made in September 1999 by the Ministry of Interior to establish security checkpoints in the main streets to inspect cars and confiscate unlicensed weapons. At the time, tens of thousands of light arms were confiscated and it was declared that unlicensed weapons would not be allowed in main cities. The Minister of Interior then confessed however that it was not possible then to launch a countrywide disarmament campaign due to the fact that most tribes think that this process is against their traditions, and because the sources of these weapons are still open. Hence, a confiscated weapon is still available for smugglers, and importers.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:38:08 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Is that Chuck Heston?...
Posted by: mojo || 02/03/2005 10:59 Comments || Top||

#2  Couldn't be, Chuck don't spray and pray.
Posted by: Shipman || 02/03/2005 11:04 Comments || Top||


Kuwait Refers Ummah Party Leaders to Prosecution
The Kuwaiti government decided Monday, January 31, to refer the nascent Ummah (Nation) Party's leaders to the public prosecution's office, accusing them of declaring the establishment of the Islamist party illegally and unconstitutionally. The government further presented an official complaint to the US embassy in the Gulf emirate, expressing uneasiness over the participation of embassy official's in "an illegal" gathering or meeting, during which the party was declared, according to Al-Watan daily, citing an unnamed cabinet source. "Kuwait is a state of institutions and laws. To declare a party, there are legal procedures to be followed and licenses to be obtained first," the source added.
Posted by: Fred || 02/03/2005 00:00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Ummah doesn't mean nation, Ummah means Islamdom, analogous to Christendom. I wonder why the Islam Online translator chose the innocuous sounding word instead.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/03/2005 7:31 Comments || Top||

#2  "...It will seek the implementation of Islamic Shari`ah laws in all political, economic, legislative and social sectors...”
Now it's fine with me for them to have their very first "party", buy why was a U.S. embassy person there for a Sharia party? Intelligence gathering, I hope.
Posted by: Tom || 02/03/2005 8:07 Comments || Top||

#3  IIUC ummah means "people" and is related to the Hebrew "am". It normally refers to the "Muslim people", but im not sure it could never mean a specific national group.
Posted by: Liberalhawk || 02/03/2005 10:22 Comments || Top||

#4  I was thinking of Dar al Ummah or Dar al Islam. LH, your contention is that the correct translation would be Kuwait Peoples' Party?
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/03/2005 10:37 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Russia, Chechnya Dismiss Cease-Fire Report
Something's cooking in Chechnya...
Russian and Chechen officials dismissed a reported rebel announcement of a unilateral cease-fire as a bluff Thursday, while rumors swirled that militant leader Shamil Basayev was killed in a clash with Ike and Jimmy Clanton foreign mercenaries.
If Shamil's dead and it's not admitted, that makes for a good time for Arslan to declare a ceasefire, since he'd be left with nothing he controls to fire with...
A British TV channel, meanwhile, went ahead with a broadcast of a taped interview with Basayev on Thursday night, drawing a furious rebuke from Russia. "We perceive such an action as the latest step in informational support of terrorists active in the North Caucasus," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry called the broadcast "an irresponsible step in disseminating to a wide viewership the views and threats of a bandit," who is wanted by Interpol and on the list of the counterterrorist committee of the United Nations' Security Council. It also said it "runs counter to the efforts of the international community in fighting terrorism," adding that Moscow had called on British authorities to stop the broadcast.

A Web site linked to the rebels, Kavkaz Center, reported Wednesday that Aslan Maskhadov, president of Chechnya during its de-facto independence in the late 1990s, had signed an order last month for all offensive actions to be halted in February in Chechnya and bordering areas as "a display of good will." The Web site said Basayev ordered all rebels under his command to halt attacks until Feb. 22 — the day before the anniversary of Stalin-era mass deportation of Chechens to Central Asia. Feb. 23 is also the day Russians honor the nation's armed forces. Akhmed Zakayev, Maskhadov's London-based envoy, told The Associated Press that the rebel leader had aimed his declaration at the Russian people, because "we have no hope that today's leadership would desire or be capable of reaching peace in Chechnya."

The Russian headquarters for military operations in Chechnya claimed the statements attributed to Basayev and Maskhadov were "fictitious." Top officials in Chechnya's Kremlin-backed government, including regional President Alu Alkhanov, also dismissed the cease-fire calls as untrue. Margot Light, a Russia specialist at the London School of Economics, also cast doubt on the report. "One of Maskhadov's problems is that he has no control over the warlords ... therefore the claim that is being made is not very credible." The Interfax news agency quoted Col. Gen. Vladimir Bulgakov, deputy commander in chief of the Russian Land Forces, as saying rebel attacks were continuing on its motorcades and checkpoints.
This article starring:
AKHMED ZAKAIEVChechnya
ASLAN MASKHADOVChechnya
SHAMIL BASAIEVChechnya
Posted by: Fred || 02/03/2005 3:59:36 PM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Basayev justifies Beslan, threatens further attacks in TV interview
THE Chechen rebel leader who masterminded the Beslan school siege last autumn plans more such operations, despite his apparent remorse over the deaths of more than 330 people — half of them children — in the North Ossetia attack. In his first interview since that bloodbath, Shamil Basayev says that he is in a state of shock over what happened, but blames the Russians for precipitating the bloody end of the siege. Mr Basayev, Russia's most wanted man with a $10 million bounty on his head for numerous attacks, said he is willing to stand trial for his actions, but does not renounce his war with the Kremlin or attacks on Russian civilians.

The interview, to be broadcast on Channel 4 News tonight, was obtained after months of negotiations through intermediaries. It was filmed by Mr Basayev's entourage at an undisclosed location last month and the video given to a journalist in the Middle East. Mr Basayev said that he originally planned to seize one or possibly two schools simultaneously in either Moscow or St Petersburg, but lack of funds forced him to pick North Ossetia, a "Russia garrison in the North Caucasus", and thus the root of all things bad in war-torn Chechnya, with the 'silent consent of (the North Ossetian) population.'

He says his intention was to offer the Russian leadership no chance of achieving a "bloodless resolution" to the siege, forcing it to stop the "genocide of the Chechen people". He says he never thought the Russian leadership would be willing to oversee the death of children, but says that he was "cruelly mistaken" and that he was "not delighted by what happened there". He claims that the collapse of the roof of the school gym was the result of flame-throwers used by Russian special forces, not explosives placed by the hostage-takers.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
SHAMIL BASAIEVChechnya
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:49:31 AM || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What a charmer that be-bearded warrior amputee can be! He'd make a great neighbor or statesman for a free Chechnya wouldn't he?!? He may be a child killing devil but he's the chechen people's devil and he had good reasons eh? Wonder how the average chechen feels about it. Basayev slowly and surely becomes the perfect model of what he tells us he abhors. If it all wasn't so sad and sick it might almost be ironic and funny.
Posted by: TKAt || 02/03/2005 14:12 Comments || Top||

#2  Some bearded Arkansas hillbilly saws off a shotgun and the feds are on him like fleas to a stray dog within days of the event, but the Russian Army can't find this lowlife.

Someone help me out here with why.
Posted by: badanov || 02/03/2005 14:22 Comments || Top||

#3  If he's ready to answer for his actions in a court, why doesn't he stroll (ok, hop over) to the nearest one and turn himself in?
(/sarcasm off)
Posted by: Desert Blondie || 02/03/2005 14:42 Comments || Top||

#4  "Peaceful people for us are those that don’t pay taxes for this war, people who don’t participate, ..."

Like schoolchildren, maybe?

“... his apparent remorse over the deaths ...”

He's so remorseful he's planning more such festivities.

Nothing like a little taqqiyah(sp?) among friends, eh?

What a vile, evil monster!
Posted by: Xbalanke || 02/03/2005 16:42 Comments || Top||

#5  basayev doesn't stay in checchnya alot badanov think he travels alot between all those stan countries over there
Posted by: Thraing Hupoluper1864 || 02/03/2005 18:32 Comments || Top||


Caucasus Corpse Count
Six Russian soldiers were killed and 17 injured in the latest 24 hours of violence ending on Wednesday, pro-Russian officials in the war torn republic told AFP. Most of the incidents involved remote controlled mines and other explosions in the southern mountains of Chechnya where most of the rebels are based, and around the war-ravaged capital Grozny. Fighting in the breakaway republic endured from late 1994 to 1996, before erupting anew in October 1999 after a wave of apartment block bombings in Russia that killed hundreds. The official Russian death toll was reported late last year at around 4,500 troops, although a committee of soldiers' mothers estimates the true toll may be three times higher because the Moscow figure does not include people who died of their wound in hospitals outside Chechnya.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:44:48 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Car bomb makes Tajiks jumpy
Car bombs make me jumpy, and I'm not a Tadjik...
No one knows who was behind Monday's car bombing — or even whether it was one — but it appears to confirm fears of pre-election trouble. The dust has settled from an apparent car bomb which killed one person and shook government buildings in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, but the political fallout is yet to become clear. Most seem to believe the explosion had something to do with politics — Tajikistan holds a general election on February 27 — but what exactly, no one knows.

The blast happened at 10:20 on the morning of Monday, January 31, outside the ministry for emergency situations. The driver of a Russian-made Volga car was killed in an explosion so powerful that the vehicle was totally destroyed and the wreckage dispersed over a 200-metre radius. Windows of nearby office and apartment blocks were shattered and several other vehicles badly damaged. About 10 people inside the ministry building were hurt, and several of them were taken to hospital suffering blast injuries.

A spokesman for the military prosecutor's office told the media the explosion was a "terrorist act" caused by explosives. They have already identified the dead man, who was driving his own car, as a Dushanbe resident. Police and prosecution officials were soon on the scene, and the investigation was assigned to the ministry of security. Yet even as security officers began picking over the wreckage, a major fire broke out at their own ministry. The security ministry building was evacuated and firemen moved in, but they were unable to save a canteen and conference hall. Officials were quick to say there were no suspicious circumstances and that the fire had started because of an electrical short-circuit.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:17:02 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "To be honest, in such an environment I won’t risk going out to vote"

What a contrast to the Iraqis.
Posted by: trailing wife || 02/03/2005 10:46 Comments || Top||


Chechen rebel leader orders ceasefire
He's a weasely-looking guy, isn't he?
Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov has ordered all Chechen fighters to observe a ceasefire in their separatist war against Russian troops in February, a rebel Web site reported on Wednesday.
Getting thumped, are we?
Site www.kavkazcenter.com published a statement from Shamil Basayev, Russia's most wanted man and the organiser of last year's Beslan hostage-taking, which ordered all fighters to refrain from any offensive operations until Feb. 22. But Basayev was quoted by The Times newspaper in London as saying he still considered Russian citizens fair targets for future fighting. The newspaper also quoted him as saying in a Channel 4 television interview to be broadcast later on Thursday that there were plans for more operations of the kind that killed more than 330 people at the hostage-taking at the school in Belsan.
Find him and kill him. Now.
Basayev's statement on the Web site said Maskhadov had ordered his followers not to carry out diversionary attacks in Chechnya or in the rest of Russia, attacks on Russian bases, Russian convoys or vehicles, or on "traitors or unbelievers". Kremlin officials were not immediately available to comment on the report of the ceasefire since they're out looking for him . The statement said fighters should "continue mining approaches to their bases and to continue operations to destroy people or machinery of the enemy forces who are spying or attacking mountainous forested areas". The Web site said Maskhadov gave the order on Jan. 14 as a gesture of goodwill but did not elaborate. Several of his relatives have been kidnapped in the last two months, but it was unclear if their disappearances were linked to the ceasefire. "We do not react to Kavkazcenter. This is not an official organ," said a spokesman for Dmitry Kozak, Russian President Vladimir Putin's representative in the North Caucasus region.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
ASLAN MASKHADOVChechnya
SHAMIL BASAIEVChechnya
Posted by: Steve White || 02/03/2005 00:00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Minister assassinated in Dagestan
A deputy interior minister in Russia's southern republic of Dagestan has been killed after their car was sprayed with bullets in the capital Makhachkala. Magomed Omarov died in hospital, according to state-controlled television channel Pervy Kanal on Wednesday. Dagestan's deputy prosecutor Arsen Bulatov added that two of his bodyguards were also dead and that a third was seriously injured and was in hospital. Omarov and his bodyguards were caught in automatic weapons fire as they were driving into Makhachkala, Bulatov said, adding that the Dagestani prosecutor's office has launched a criminal investigation. The minister was the target of an assassination attempt in May 2003 when his car was blown up by a remote controlled mine in downtown Makhachkala. But both he and his drivers sustained only light injuries.
Posted by: Fred || 02/03/2005 00:00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:


Europe
Bomb was planted near bar used by US troops
Turkish bomb disposal experts have defused a 4 kg bomb found at a bar next to an airbase in southern Turkey used by U.S. forces, the CNN Turk Web site and other media said on Wednesday. It said the home-made explosives, studded with nails and containing powdered potassium, were found in the garden at the entrance to the bar near the Incirlik Air Base. Workers at the bar spotted the package containing the explosives on Tuesday night and informed paramilitary police who cleared the premises. They called police bomb disposal experts who defused the bomb and took it to a laboratory for examination. State-run Anatolian news agency said that, based on eyewitness accounts, police are looking for a man and a woman in connection with the explosives. Police were not immediately available for comment.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:20:47 AM || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Murat's got himself a girlfriend? I thought he'd mellowed a bit.
Posted by: Bulldog || 02/03/2005 3:20 Comments || Top||

#2  Murat is a man? I though he is a pimpled teenager.
Posted by: Sobiesky || 02/03/2005 3:49 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Al-Moayad boasted of raising cash for al-Qaeda, Hamas
In a Frankfurt hotel suite, a Yemeni sheik coached his assistant about how to speak in code and said he would funnel money to Al Qaeda, Hamas and "anyone we know of who is in the jihad field." That was the prosecution's translation of a secretly recorded conversation, mostly in Arabic, that the jurors in the terrorism-financing trial of the sheik were shown yesterday on videotape in Brooklyn federal court.

The defense has challenged the translation. But the prosecution's case was bolstered by the sheik's own body language, which included at least one clumsy effort at secretiveness that could be seen clearly on the tapes. Just after what the prosecutors described as a discussion with two informers about whether a $2.5 million donation might be funneled to jihad, there was a knock on the door of the suite on Jan. 9, 2003. It might have been a maid at the door. On the courtroom monitors, the sheik, Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad, could be seen bolting forward in his seat in Frankfurt. His hands darted to turn over a pile of papers on the coffee table. "Remove everything," the prosecutors' transcript quoted him as saying. According to the transcript, he offered his assistant and the two informers an explanation they could give to anyone who might ask what they were doing: "We translate the Koran."

Yesterday was the second day of the prosecution's presentation of the secretly recorded tapes that are the center of their terrorism-financing case against the sheik and his lover assistant, Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed. When one of the informers asked on one of the videotapes played yesterday where he could send his American "cell" of would-be mujahedeen fighters for training, the sheik suggested Lebanon, Syria or Iraq, the prosecution transcript said. "We'll discuss it with the Hamas people," the sheik was quoted as saying. When one of the informers said a donation would be for "weaponry, explosives, communications and all kinds of jihad," the sheik answered. "In that field," the transcript says were his words.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
MOHAMED ALI HASAN AL MOAIADal-Qaeda
MOHAMED MOHSEN YAHYA ZAIEDal-Qaeda
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:14:18 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Crosshair site.
Posted by: DO || 02/03/2005 12:32 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Doc sez he ain't part of no city bomb plot
A doctor indicted for allegedly plotting terrorist sabotage has denied knowing Arafin bin Ali, the Singaporean member of the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network. The Criminal Court heard Dr Waemahadi Waedao's statements during cross-examination yesterday. He is charged along with Maisuri Haji Abdulloh, owner of a Narathiwat ponoh school, Muyahi Haji Abdulloh, Mr Maisuri's son, and Samarn Waekaji. The defendants have been charged with aggravating outside threats to the country, being members of a clandestine group and secret society and conspiring with Bin Ali to plot the bombing of five foreign missions in Bangkok.

They were arrested on June 10, 2003 in tambon Manang Tayo, in Narathiwat's Muang district and deny the charges. Dr Waemahadi denied any connection to JI. He said he only heard about the organisation through the media. Some people may have become confused by Islamic associations with similar names in the southern province, he said.
"We call our local medical association Jemaah Is-LUM-iyah, for instance..."
Dr Waemahadi said he was vice-chairman of one such association in Narathiwat, registered 40 years ago. He said he had no idea who Bin Ali was and first came across the name while he was remanded in police custody prior to being charged. Dr Waemahadi said police had sought US help to trace his phone calls. But the checks were conducted on a ''Dr Waema Hadai'', which was not him.
"Yeah! He wears glasses! I don't!"
On the day of his arrest, several men turned up outside his home. He was afraid he might be kidnapped as word had spread that community figures had gone missing. The defendant said he tried to leave the house through the back but he was caught. A man held him at gunpoint and escorted him to a car. His captors identified themselves as plainclothes police but did not say which precinct they worked in. Nor did they produce a search warrant. Dr Waemahadi said the men took him from Narathiwat to Pattani. On the way, they slipped a sack over his head and tried to extract from him information about people in his community. He was later taken to the police station.
This article starring:
ARAFIN BIN ALIJemaah Islamiyah
MAISURI HAJI ABDULOHJemaah Islamiyah
MUYAHI HAJI ABDULOHJemaah Islamiyah
SAMARN WAEKAJIJemaah Islamiyah
WAEMAHADI WAEDAOJemaah Islamiyah
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:53:05 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


10 dead in Philippines fighting
Ten people were killed in two separate attacks on security forces in Sulu, officials said Wednesday. Two soldiers, a civilian and three members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militant group were killed Tuesday in a gun battle on the southern island of Jolo, 950 kilometers south of Manila. In a separate attack on Tuesday four policemen were killed when they were attacked by armed men in Maguindanao

In the Jolo attack, officials said the fighting lasted more than four hours in Barangay Kapuk Pungol near the town of Maimbung after militants ambushed a group of soldiers. Col. Domingo Tutaan, spokesman for the Southern Command, said two soldiers were killed in the clash with about 100 Abu Sayyaf gunmen. Three Abu Sayyaf gunmen were killed in the clash and a child died in the crossfire. Soldiers recovered three M-16 rifles and two M-203 grenade launchers that were left behind by the fleeing bandits.

Col. Gerry Jalandoni, chief of the Army's 604th Brigade, said the Maguindanao attack occurred Tuesday when a unit was ambushed. Jalandoni said the policemen had been preparing to negotiate for the surrender of members of the notorious Pentagon kidnap gang, made up of former rebels. "Apparently, they were on their way to negotiate the surrender when they were ambushed by, as yet, unidentified armed men," Jalandoni said by telephone. The attackers were positioned along the roadside and caught the police in a crossfire, he said. Jalandoni said authorities had yet to establish the identity of the attackers. Several armed groups are known to be in the area. The encounter occurred amid an intensified military campaign against suspected militants that are believed to be hiding in Mindanao.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:51:48 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Afghanistan/South Asia
Tales From The Crossfire Gazette
3 alleged bombers arrested
Three alleged bombers have been arrested from the city's Mirpur area in connection with the killing of a rickshaw-puller during the opposition's 60-hour marathon hartal. The arrested, identified as Farooque, Habib and Mokhtar Hossain, were arrested on Tuesday morning. After interrogation, police recovered a petrol bomb from the house of Farooque at Bishail, Uttara yesterday. Quoting the confessional statement of Farooque, police said a political party used the boys to create an anarchic situation in the city.
"Investigation is on in this regard," said a police press release.

One lynched
A suspected robber was beaten to death at a village under Chougachha upazila in Jessore early Wednesday. The victim was identified as Abul Kalam, 40, of Narail and a resident of Phulsara village under Chougachha upazila. Local people and the police said Kalam along with his associates raided the house of one Shaukat Hossain at about 1:00am and tried to commit a robbery.
The house-owner's son, Faruk caught hold of Kalam while his associates stabbed Faruk indiscriminately to release their associate, they said. The villagers then beat up Kalam to death and the injured son was admitted to Chougachha Upazila Health Complex.

Three outlawed party leaders killed in shootouts
KUSHTIA, Feb 2:—A regional leader of an outlawed party was killed in a shootout between two extremist groups of the party at a beel at Laxmipur village in Kumarkhali Upazila early today (Wednesday), reports UNB. The deceased was identified as Abdul Malek, 46, a most wanted criminal and regional leader of outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party. He was also an accused in a number of cases including 14 murders, police said.
Police said the gunfight ensued between the groups of Abdul Malek and Ekdil near a graveyard in the beel at about 3pm over establishing supremacy in the area.
A good old-fashioned turf war
After receiving information, a police team led by OC Nasiruddin Ahmed of Kumerkhali thana encircled the area. But sensing their presence, the terrorists opened fire on police forcing them to fire back.
"Hark! I sense the presence of the cops! They've over there, let um have it!"
In the shootout OC Nasiruddin and SI Monir received bullet wounds. Later police found the bullet-hit body of Adul Malek and they also recovered one LG and some ammunition from the spot.
Soooooo, the only deader is the leader of the bad guys? Ya got any witness, other than the stiff's in the graveyard, that there was a gunfight between two gangs? No? Nice switch from the usual "crossfire".
Another report from Pabna adds: Two zonal leaders of outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party were killed in a shootout between their accomplices and police at Beel Salanga village in Sathia upazila on Tuesday night.
Here we go again
The dead were identified as Salek, 27, son of Khalil Pramanik and Shariful, 30, son of Jonab Ali of the village.
Police said they arrested them from their respective houses in the evening. And later on the basis of their confessional statement, the law-enforcers along with them went to the area to recover the hidden arms at 2:30am.
Yup, another day, another hidden arms recovery mission. Bet there's gonna be gunplay
As soon as they reached the area, the terrorists' gang fired on them in a bid to snatch their leaders.
Yeah, like that's gonna happen
Police responded triggering a gunfight and the two leaders caught in the shootout, died on the spot.
Fancy that
Three policemen, including SI Afizul Islam received severe bullet injuries during the encounter. They were admitted to the Sadar hospital. A revolver, a shooter gun and six rounds of cartridges were recovered from the spot.Police said they were wanted in a number of cases, including four murders.

Another report adds: An alleged terrorist was hacked to death by his rival group in Hamragara Beel at Sonakandi village in the same upazila on Monday night.
If the cops don't get ya, your rivals will
The deceased was identified as Manik, 24, son of Shukur Ali of at Boro Mangalgram village in Faridpur upazila. Locals said some masked assailants abducted Manik from his house at 11pm and chopped him indiscriminately, leaving him dead on the spot.
Indiscriminately, in de ally, in de street, in de yard, etc...
Police suspect that the murder was a sequel to intra-party conflict.
Dire Revenge - Bagla style
The body of Manik, who was wanted in sensational murder case of Chan Mia, was sent to Sadar hospital for autopsy. A case was filed.
Posted by: Steve || 02/03/2005 8:36:46 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I new form of Crossfire™ and some Dire Revenge too.

This makes my day.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom || 02/03/2005 14:10 Comments || Top||


Iraq-Jordan
Baathists main threat, British MPs told
Supporters of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein are now the main threat to security in Iraq, a senior British commander said today. Lieutenant General John McColl, former deputy commander of coalition forces in Iraq, said that former regime elements were trying to win popular support by representing themselves as "freedom fighters". Giving evidence to the Commons Defence Committee, he said that while militant Islamists like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had carried out a series of "headline-grabbing" attacks, they only accounted for around 1% of the incidents.

While there was little support in Iraq for Saddam's regime, the former Baathists had had some success in reinventing themselves as defenders of the people from foreign forces. "There is no doubt which poses the major threat. That is the former regime elements and those who coalesce around them," he said. "Over the last year, they have developed in terms of coherence and sophistication and they are trying to present themselves as freedom fighters. However I do think that the recent successful elections will be a dent for that."

Gen McColl said that the "jihadists" like al-Zarqawi — whose group murdered the British hostage Ken Bigley — would continue to carry out attacks while there was a Western presence in the country. He said that the majority of suicide bombers came from outside Iraq from countries elsewhere in the Middle East. The ease with which militants were able to enter Iraq by crossing the border from neighbouring Syria was "unhelpful", he added.
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 1:00:35 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "Ba'athists! I hate those guys..."
Posted by: mojo || 02/03/2005 11:02 Comments || Top||

#2  most of the leaders are rich as hell i'm guessing so why not just find paradise and stay out of the limelight
Posted by: Thraing Hupoluper1864 || 02/03/2005 18:34 Comments || Top||


Zarqawi sez he's gonna ice Mosul governor
Rebels killed 12 Iraqi soldiers near Kirkuk yesterday, said an Iraqi military commander. The 12 soldiers were travelling back from their jobs guarding oil pipelines when they were ambushed on the road between the villages of Azab and Zaraquiya, 85km west of Kirkuk, said General Anwar Amin. Earlier, 11 Iraqis, mostly security forces, have been killed in attacks north and south of Baghdad, security sources said. Meanwhile, the chief of police in Mosul has given insurgents two weeks to give up their weapons or face a crackdown by security forces emboldened after the election. "Hand over your weapons or we will come and get you," police chief Brigadier Mohammed Ahmed Al Jabouri said in a television address. The ultimatum came two days after Iraq held successful national elections despite insurgent threats.

US Marines killed a leader of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi's group and 13 other insurgents during clashes late last month, the US military said. A US military statement announced that Ali Mohammad, also known as Abdul Jalil, was killed during a Marines' raid on January 26 in Haditha west of Baghdad and near the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.

Iraq has enjoyed a period of relative calm since Sunday's landmark elections despite threats by insurgents to continue their deadly campaign against the government and US-led forces. Two soldiers and a civilian were killed when clashes erupted between rebels and an army patrol in the restive Sunni city of Samarra, north of Baghdad. "The civilian was driving close to where the clashes happened," said an army officer. Another soldier was killed and one wounded when their patrol was targeted by a bomb around dawn near Dhuluiya, about 70km north of Baghdad, the army said. A bomb apparently intended for a passing US army patrol killed two civilians driving in a car at Dijla, about 30km north of the capital, police said. Gunmen also killed two policemen near Baquba, an interior ministry source said.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
ABDUL JALILal-Qaeda in Iraq
ABU MUSAB AL ZARQAWIal-Qaeda in Iraq
ALI MOHAMADal-Qaeda in Iraq
Posted by: Dan Darling || 02/03/2005 12:19:41 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Oh baby, a real Top Cop challenged by the nastiest jihadi around. Perfect. Give this guy serious support and advisers. Give him instantaneous access to air assets through his advisers. Set up traps. Initiate a snitch program with serious money for tips that prove valid. This could be a golden opportunity to nab Zarqi. Especially if a couple of attempts run by underlings fail. Opportunity knocks here, make the most of it and protect this guy with the best.
Posted by: .com || 02/03/2005 0:41 Comments || Top||

#2  Ditto to all that, .com. Traps, real informant programs, and more. When a snitch tips you to a major ordnance cache, don't go take it and issue a press release (as done not long ago by US forces in the Mosul area). If circumstances permit, stake the place out with Iraqi agents, discreetly tag/contaminate some of the stuff for later screening of suspects, de-mil the worst stuff, booby-trap other stuff, track people coming/going, pick the best candidates of those and turn them to finger the folks up the chain. Doing things right the first time means lives saved, even if it takes more effort.
Posted by: Verlaine in Iraq || 02/03/2005 5:01 Comments || Top||


Omar fuming over unwilling boomer
I strongly believe that terrorists are cowards but the cowardice you're going to see in this story is just exceptional. The suicide attack that was performed on an election center in one of Baghdad's districts (Baghdad Al-Jadeedah) last Sunday was performed using a kidnapped "Down Syndrome" patient.
Dr. Mengele would have approved.
Eye witnesses said (and I'm quoting one of my colleagues; a dentist who lives there) "the poor victim was so scared when ordered to walk to the searching point and began to walk back to the terrorists. In response the criminals pressed the button and blew up the poor victim almost half way between their position and the voting center's entrance".
There is no curse in English, French, or any other language on the face of the Earth severe enough for the terrs' actions.
I couldn't believe the news until I met another guy from that neighborhood who knows the family of the victim. The guy was reported missing 5 days prior to elections' day and the family were distributing posters that specified his descriptions and asking anyone who finds him to contact them. When a relative of mine (who has a mental handicap due to an Rh conflict at birth) told me a month ago that a group of men in a car tried to kidnap him as he was standing in front of the institution he periodically visits to get medicine and support waiting for his brother; I thought that he was imagining the whole story. He said that they tried to force him into the car telling him not to be afraid and that they're from the "mujahideen and not going to hurt him". My relative, despite his handicap was moved by his survival instinct and managed to run away. After I heard the other story, I began to connect between the two stories and to consider my cousin's story as a true one that uncovered a new miserable war technique that can come only from the sickest minds.

What a huge difference there is between those who kidnap and use the mentally handicapped to perform their murders in cold blood and between the brave Iraqis who sacrificed their lives to protect their brethren. one story that is famous now in Iraq is about one brave Iraqi (A'adel Nasir) who saw a suspicious looking guy walking around a polling center in (Al- Hurriyah) district and soon the brave man realized that the suspicious guy was trying to commit a suicide attack; he ran towards him, wrestled him and knocked him down causing the bomb carried by the terrorist to explode, sacrificing his own life and saving the lives of the people standing in line at the gate of the voting center. It turned out later that the terrorist carried a Sudanese id. Now, the school that hosted the voting center on the 30th carries the name of A'adel Nasir, as the Iraqi minister of education announced today. The pathetic terrorists are breaking one world record after another in cowardice and insanity and this tells how bankrupt they're getting.
Posted by: Korora || 02/03/2005 12:04:46 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The actions of A’adel Nasir described here are basically identical to the Abdelamir Najem Kazem story of yesterday. Is this the same event - with the names mixed up - or was this about the only tactic the asshats had available to them - resulting in similar acts of heroism?

It is great that they did not hesitate to honor Nasir's act. I hope they do the same for Kazem - and both their names gain the respect they deserve.
Posted by: .com || 02/03/2005 0:55 Comments || Top||

#2 

NOTHING ELSE NEEDS BE SAID
Posted by: BigEd || 02/03/2005 12:04 Comments || Top||

#3  if this is an example of one man's freedom fighter, than I pray they stay in misery and are quickly put to death
Posted by: shellback || 02/03/2005 15:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Dont forget Kerry and Kennedy think these persons (the terrorists) should have a say in what happens in Iraq.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 02/03/2005 15:34 Comments || Top||


Iraqi Sunnis Could Veto Constitution
Looks like the next battle in the war...
As the vote count moves ahead in Iraq to choose a National Assembly which will draft later a permanent constitution, the much-hoped code looked virtually at stake as Iraqi Sunnis could veto it when a referendum is held in October. Anti-democratic -occupation Sunni powers, which boycotted the January 31 vote, mull using the veto weapon if they were marginalized in drafting the constitution by the Shiites and the Kurds, a senior official with the influential Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) revealed on Tuesday, February 1. "These powers have this card up to their sleeve and will definitely play it when necessary in accordance with the interim constitution," Mahdi Ibrahim told IslamOnline.net.

Under rules agreed last year, an October referendum to ratify that draft will fail if two-thirds of the voters in any three of Iraq's 18 provinces give it the thumbs-down. Main Sunni groups shunned the election. The AMS said the poll could not be free with occupation troops on Iraqi soil. The Islamic Party, which is represented in the interim government, withdrew saying violence precluded a fair vote. "If we resorted to this option, the new government formed by the National Assembly will find itself in a constitutional limbo as it will have to set stage for a new constitution, which means holding a new parliamentary election," Ibrahim added.
This article starring:
MAHDI IBRAHIMAssociation of Muslim Scholars
Posted by: Fred || 02/03/2005 00:00:00 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Of course. Without a veto of democracy, the Sunnis would be lost, powerless, impotent, and irrelevant.

Should this be an accurate story (islam on-line has missed a couple, heh) and the Sunnis do have the power to derail everything accomplished since Saddam's utter defeat and emasculation, they undoubtedly will do so. They've never shown, in any country dominated by Sunnis, any actual grasp or understanding of democracy - except by the thugs, mullahs, and kleptocrats who see their loss of power and wealth in its spread.

This will speed the break-up of Iraq, I'd wager. Free Kurds. Free Shi'a. Works for me. Especially when the Kurdish in Northern Syria join and give them a path to the Med which will make the Turks choke on their own bile. Melike.
Posted by: .com || 02/03/2005 0:32 Comments || Top||

#2  Under rules agreed last year, an October referendum to ratify that draft will fail if two-thirds of the voters in any three of Iraq's 18 provinces give it the thumbs-down.

Yes they do have that right. The provision was inserted at the insistence of the Kurds, for obvious reasons, but the Sunni arabs could use it as well. Of course they can only do so if they actually VOTE.
Posted by: Liberalhawk || 02/03/2005 9:14 Comments || Top||

#3  The Sunnis are the Democrats of Iraq, a minority whose only power is obstruction, and like the Democrats, they will become increasingly irrelevant. Lead! Follow! Or get out of the way!
Posted by: RWV || 02/03/2005 9:27 Comments || Top||

#4  Peshawar.
Posted by: Liberalhawk || 02/03/2005 9:31 Comments || Top||

#5  Oh, I see they're back to being called the influential Association of Muslim Scholars. There was some confusion when the reporter neglected to call them influential yesterday, and the assumption was that they were no longer influential, but had instead returned to being inconsequential.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 02/03/2005 10:16 Comments || Top||

#6  Peshawar.

But accurate.
Posted by: Robert Crawford || 02/03/2005 10:22 Comments || Top||


Iraqi police chief threatens militant crackdown
Don't threaten, dammit. Just do it.
The chief of police in the northern city of Mosul has given insurgents two weeks to hand over their weapons or face a crackdown from Iraqi security forces emboldened after the election. In a television address two days after the country held a successful national vote despite insurgent threats, Brigadier Mohammed Ahmed al-Jabouri issued a forthright ultimatum. "Hand over your weapons or we will come and get you," he said on the local TV station. He said his message was particularly aimed at insurgents hiding out in towns and villages around Mosul, Iraq's third largest city.

Jabouri said his men were aware of where the insurgents were and were not afraid to come after them. He said he was giving them until Feb. 15 to hand in their weapons but gave no details about how they were supposed to do it. The day before, on the same TV channel, police paraded seven suspected insurgents detained in a series of election-day raids. They are believed to be members of a group headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Jabouri's tough talk is an abrupt turnaround for the Mosul police -- two months ago virtually the entire police force deserted after rebels launched an offensive against them. Dozens of police stations were overrun, looted and then destroyed.
This article starring:
ABU MUSAB AL ZARQAWIal-Qaeda in Iraq
Posted by: Fred || 02/03/2005 00:00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The article fails to mention that thousands of Kurdish militia were brought into replace the mostly Sunni police. Looks like Febuary is going to be be whack-a-Sunni-month around Mosul.
Posted by: phil_b || 02/03/2005 0:48 Comments || Top||

#2  well of course youve got to give em a chance first. Sounds like a good course. Hope he follows through.
Posted by: Liberalhawk || 02/03/2005 9:15 Comments || Top||

#3  phil_b: “whack-a-Sunni-month”
Most Kurds are Sunni.

Kurds aren’t Arabs. (But comparative genetics shows very little difference between Iraqi Kurds and Arabs.). The religious, racial, language, tribal, and cultural dynamics are complicated.
Posted by: Anonymous5032 || 02/03/2005 13:23 Comments || Top||


Final vote counting starts amid threats
Iraqi leaders yesterday stepped up efforts to persuade minority Muslim sects to return into the political process as the final vote count from the country's historic election got under way. Iraq reopened its frontiers and Baghdad airport as it eased a security clampdown imposed for the first free election in the country in more than 50 years. There has been no major attack since Sunday's vote. But Al Qaeda frontman Abu Musab al Zarqawi vowed to pursue his war against the Iraqi government and US leaders are resisting pressure to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops. Interim President Ghazi al Yawar, a Sunni, said all parties — except those tainted by the deadly insurgency that has gripped Iraq since Saddam Hussein's overthrow in April 2003 — should take part in negotiations after the election.

"We must all become involved in a dialogue and reconciliation... with everyone. All those who were not involved in violence must be part of the political process," Yawar told a press conference. "There were no winners or losers" in the election he said, calling it "a victory for Iraq." The election is likely to see Shiites take power in Iraq for the first time in history after decades of oppression under Saddam's regime. The final count of ballots started amid stringent security in Baghdad although no announcement of the final result is expected for at least a week. But party officials said negotiations between rival parties over the make-up of the new government had already started. The president called on the Iraqi Islamic Party, a mainstream religious faction which ordered supporters to boycott the poll, to join the drawing up of a new constitution. Yawar also predicted that a member of the Shiite majority community would have the key post of prime minister, with a Sunni president and a Kurdish head of the national assembly. Despite the absence of major attacks after the election, Zarqawi's extremist group vowed to maintain his holy war, in a statement on a website. Fighters from his group "will press on with their war until the banner of Islam flies over Iraq," according to the statement, which could not be authenticated.
Posted by: Fred || 02/03/2005 00:00:00 AM || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Afghanistan/South Asia
Nepal's King Names His Own Supporters in New Cabinet
King Gyanendra announced a 10-member Cabinet dominated by his own supporters yesterday, one day after he dismissed Nepal's government, declared emergency rule and virtually cut his nation off from the world. An official later said the new government would reach out to the country's Maoist rebels to renew peace talks. Dozens of politicians have been arrested and many more have gone underground to avoid detention, an opposition figure said, as extra riot police and soldiers patrolled the streets of the capital, Katmandu, where civil liberties were severely curtailed. World leaders condemned the power grab — Gyanendra's second in three years — saying it undermined democracy and the fight against the insurgency. The United Nations, Britain, India and the United States were among the critics of Gyanendra's actions. Australia and New Zealand advised their citizens not to visit Nepal. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called the king's actions "a serious setback" that would bring neither lasting peace nor stability to Nepal and urged him to take immediate steps to restore "democratic freedoms and institutions."
Posted by: Fred || 02/03/2005 00:00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Wait'll Khadafy sees that hat.
Posted by: tu3031 || 02/03/2005 9:46 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Thu 2005-02-03
  Maskhadov orders ceasefire
Wed 2005-02-02
  4 al-Qaeda members killed in Kuwait
Tue 2005-02-01
  Zarqawi sez he'll keep fighting
Mon 2005-01-31
  Kuwaiti Islamists form first political party
Sun 2005-01-30
  Iraq Votes
Sat 2005-01-29
  Fazl Khalil resigns
Fri 2005-01-28
  Ted Kennedy Calls for U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq
Thu 2005-01-27
  Renewed Darfur Fighting Kills 105
Wed 2005-01-26
  Indonesia sends top team for Aceh rebel talks
Tue 2005-01-25
  Radical Islamists Held As Umm Al-Haiman brains
Mon 2005-01-24
  More Bad Boyz arrested in Kuwait
Sun 2005-01-23
  Germany to Deport Hundreds of Islamists
Sat 2005-01-22
  Palestinian forces patrol northern Gaza
Fri 2005-01-21
  70 arrested for Gilgit attacks
Thu 2005-01-20
  Senate Panel Gives Rice Confirmation Nod

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