July 2008

Islamist terrorism higher in Europe, or US?

'Since 9/11, there have been over 2,300 arrests connected to Islamist terrorism in Europe in contrast to about 60 in the United States." Thus writes Marc Sageman in his influential new book, Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks in the Twenty-First Century (University of Pennsylvania Press). This one statistical comparison inspires Sageman, in a chapter he calls "The Atlantic Divide", to draw sweeping conclusions about the superior circumstances of American Muslims. "The rate of arrests on terrorism charges per capita among Muslims is six times higher in Europe than in the United States." The reason for this discrepancy, he argues, "lies in the differences in the extent to which these respective Muslim communities are radicalized." He praises "American cultural exceptionalism," admonishes European governments "to avoid committing mistakes that risk the loss of good will in the Muslim community," and urges Europeans to learn from Americans. Sageman's argument rehashes what Spencer Ackerman wrote in a New Republic cover story of late 2005, when he found that "Europe's growing Muslim culture of alienation, marginalization, and jihad isn't taking root" in the United States……(Jerusalem Post, Daniel Pipes, 3 Jul 08)

Freed Sudan terror suspect angry at bombers, Britain

One minute, Omer Almagboul says, he and his fellow Sudanese flatmate were lazing at their student flat in England, recovering from a big night out. The next, their lives changed for ever….Almagboul was caught up with his friend Shadi Abdelgadir in a police net trawling for people who helped the men who tried to blow up London buses and trains on July 21, 2005 -- two weeks after suicide bombers in the city killed over 50 people… After an ordeal lasting nearly three years, a British jury cleared the two last month of all charges including failing to disclose information under the Terrorism Act and aiding and abetting a criminal. Kabashi was convicted.……(Reuters, 3 Jul 08)

Second al Qaeda suspect freed from British jail

An Algerian accused by Britain of links to Osama bin Laden and bomb plots in the United States and France has been freed on bail after more than seven years in prison, a spokeswoman for a British tribunal said on Thursday.

The man, who under British legal restrictions can be identified only as "U," is the second senior militant suspect to be freed since mid-June. While the government says they are dangerous, it lacks enough evidence to put them on trial in Britain and has so far failed in legal battles to get them deported, although its case to expel U is still going through the courts……(Reuters, 3 Jul 08)

Fears About New Fatah Islam in Bourj Barajneh Refugee Camp

The Syrian-backed Fatah-Intifada faction in Beirut's Bourj al-Barajneh refugee camp has been split, the daily Al Liwaa reported on Thursday.  It quoted Palestinian sources as expressing fear over the new development at the camp. Al Liwaa said Abu Ali Hadid, a Palestinian born in Jordan and a resident of Bourj al-Barajneh, now heads the breakaway faction which groups about 30 armed elements. It said Abu Hadid enjoys the backing of Jihad Q., an official who lives in Lebanon……(Nahar Net, 3 Jul 08)

Details on Colombia Hostage Operation Right Out of Spy Thriller

First accounts on the rescue operation, now being provided by Colombian military officials, while still veiled on some key points, suggest that Colombia carried out a spectacularly successful sting operation in which Colombian commandos pretended to be FARC officials come to take the hostages to a new location for a possible diplomatic negotiated exchange. According to Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos in his Bogota news conference, Colombia infiltrated FARC's 1st Squad and Secretariat. How that infiltration contributed to the commando operation was not specified, beyond apparently providing the geographic location of the hostages. Whatever the mechanism -- government agents run inside FARC? -- Colombian intelligence tricked the FARC into believing that the hostages, who had been divided in three groups by the FARC, should be brought together in a single group to be handed over to FARC leader Alfonso Cano for a possible diplomatic, negotiated solution to the hostage crisis that would achieve FARC political objectives. As a result, FARC's high command agreed to travel with the hostages as a means of transferring them to Cano on a helicopter that actually belonged to the Colombian military and was actually manned by Colombian intelligence personnel…….(Counterterrorism Blog, 3 Jul 08)

Assessing the FARC Hostage Rescue

The first reports about the Colombian military’s rescue of the 15 hostages held by FARC (in Spanish) indicate an impressive intelligence operation. The hostages were held in three separate locations. Colombian intelligence had infiltrated one of the FARC fronts holding the hostages as well as the FARC Secretariat. They told the front commander “Cesar” that the hostages were being transferred on the orders of FARC chief Alfonso Cano. After gathering the hostages in one location the FARC unit was met by a helicopter, ostensibly from an NGO (that doesn’t actually exist). Then the hostages were loaded onto the helicopter and the FARC commander and his deputy were taken captive to be handed over to judicial authorities. The other members of the FARC front were permitted to escape. The fifteen hostages were rescued without firing a shot. The long nightmare of the hostages and their families is finally over……(Terror Wonk, 3 Jul 08)

Turkish Media: Detained Secular Activists to be Tried on Terror Charges

Turkish media say prosecutors are set to indict a group of prominent secular activists suspected of involvement in an alleged coup plot against the Islamic-leaning government. The Turkish broadcaster NTV quotes Istanbul's deputy chief prosecutor Wednesday as saying authorities have completed the indictment against suspected members of the alleged hardline secularist network Ergenekon. He says the suspects will be tried on terrorism charges. Turkish media say the indictment does not yet include 21 people detained Tuesday as part of an ongoing police investigation into the network. The indictment refers instead to several others already in detention for suspected links to Ergenekon. A senior Turkish military commander, General Ilker Basbug, has called for calm in the aftermath of Tuesday's detentions, which include two retired generals, Hursit Tolon and Sener Eruygur and a prominent journalist, Mustafa Balbay. General Basbug said Turkey is passing through difficult days, and he urged citizens to act responsibly and carefully.  Officials say Ergenekon is suspected of plotting disturbances and assassinations to undermine the government and trigger an army takeover…..(VOA, 2 Jul 08)

FACTBOX - Tensions running high in Turkey

Tensions are running high in Turkey as the ruling AK Party fights for survival in court and police detain prominent retired generals, journalists and opposition politicians as part of a long-running investigation into a suspected coup plot against the government. Here is a summary of the key issues…..(Reuters, 2 Jul 08)

Chicanery in Turkey

The Justice and Development party has been rightly regarded, until very recently, as one of the most successful political movements in Europe. While other Turkish parties neglected the grassroots, the AKP built up a stronger and stronger following among ordinary Turks in the country's rapidly expanding cities. It did so in part because of its emphasis on the Islamic values with which these voters, many of them still influenced by the traditional ways of the countryside from which they, or their parents, had come, were comfortable. Equally important was hard organisational work, and the fact that, long before it achieved national power, the party was providing many poor and disadvantaged people with the welfare services reflected in its current title. It coped with bans on its activities by reinventing and renaming itself, gaining as it did so a greater degree of loyalty from supporters affronted by the attempt to prevent them making the political choice they desired. The party then diluted its Islamic emphasis and discarded some of its more fantastical policies, like its advocacy of an Islamic Union to parallel the European Union. It emerged instead as the party of Europe, as the party of big business as well as small business, as a centre-right party but also as the party of labour and of social reform. It helped that it possessed, in Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of those astute and charismatic "big barons" around whom Turkish politics has often revolved in the past…….(Guardian, 2 Jul 08)

Yemen: US delegation in Yemen to negotiate release of Guantanamo detainees

Yemen's government held talks Thursday with a visiting U.S. delegation in hopes of securing the release of about 100 Yemenis held at the Guantanamo Bay prison, a Yemeni official said. The Yemeni detainees make up the biggest national group of prisoners remaining at the facility on a U.S. naval base in Cuba. Yemen's government has given the U.S. delegation assurances that it will put detainees on trial if they are suspected of terrorism, said Ali Saleh, a senior official at the country's Human Rights Ministry……(AP, 2 Jul 08)

Smoke and mirrors in the Khyber Valley

After a 10-hour operation at the weekend, Pakistan said that paramilitary forces had reclaimed the strategic Khyber Agency from Taliban militants, at the same time implying to Washington that the country is serious about going after the Taliban. The Khyber Agency borders Afghanistan and is a vital transit point for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supplies going into Nangarhar province of that country.  But while pockets of Taliban were chased from some of their hideouts, the operation was directed against the wrong area and the wrong people, underscoring the government's reluctance for direct confrontation with the Pakistani Taliban……(Asia Times, 2 Jul 08)

Charity used 'terror' group to distribute aid in Gaza

A Sydney charity has admitted channeling aid into the Palestinian territories through an Islamic organization banned by Australia and the US for its alleged links to terrorism. Muslim Aid Australia has used Interpal - an organization proscribed by former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer and declared a "specially designated global terrorist" organization by US President George W. Bush in 2003 - to distribute medical aid in Gaza. Interpal is a British-based humanitarian group also known as the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund. It has been cleared of terror links by the British Charity Commission but failed three years ago to have its proscribed listing revoked in Australia…..(Australia, 2 Jul 08)

Why Zimbabwe Won

The tragic failure of the African Union to take any steps to sanction the fraudulent and violent regime of Robert Mugabe was a given as soon as the despot sat at the table. Because Mugabe knew his audience, or what was to be his jury. Mugabe, correctly, told many other leaders that “their claims to power were no more legitimate than his,” and chastised other for holding even worse elections than he did. The tragedy for Africa is that Mugabe is right. And because he is right, Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, remains an open wound, hospitable to radical Islamist groups (Somalia, Kenya, South Africa etc. for al Qaeda……(Douglas Farah, 2 Jul 08)

Mehsud challenged by new militant bloc

Conflicts surfaced within the ranks of militant leaders on Tuesday when Taliban commanders from the Ahmedzai and Utmanzai Wazir tribes announced the formation of a bloc against Baitullah Mehsud. “We have formed a bloc to defend the Wazir tribes’ interests in North and South Waziristan,” Taliban commander Maulvi Nazir told Daily Times in Wana. He said the bloc was established on Monday. Nazir joined hands with Haji Gul Bahadar, a Taliban chief from North Waziristan, after several weeks of discussions. Differing views: “The two Taliban commanders do not have good relations with Baitullah Mehsud, and both Gul Bahadar and Maulvi Nazir disagree with Baitullah’s methods of conducting jihad inside Pakistan,” the analysts said……(Daily Times, 2 Jul 08)

NEFA: FARC in Transition-Fatal Weakening of the Hemisphere's Oldest Guerrilla Movement

Al-Qaeda finds three safe havens for terror training

Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organization, driven out of Afghanistan and defeated in Iraq, is re-emerging in strength in three alternative safe havens for training, operational planning and recruiting – Pakistan, Somalia and Algeria – according to Western intelligence and defense sources. The core al-Qaeda headquarters in the tribal areas of Pakistan pose the gravest threat to the United Kingdom. But in Somalia and in Algeria, where the so-called al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was set up in 2004 as a powerful bin Laden offshoot, the organization is recruiting energetically and its leaders are believed to have aspirations to hit Western targets…one American estimate is that up to 2,000 militants, many of them foreigners, are in training compounds in Pakistan. Al-Qaeda also appears not to be short of experienced operational commanders. One senior figure who was responsible for carrying out research into nuclear, chemical and biological systems when the organization was in Afghanistan, is believed to be involved in trying to produce unconventional weapons to target the West. That is known to be al-Qaeda’s top ambition… Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has moved to the front line of terrorist operations, including suicide truck bombings and the murder of European tourists. The nationalist Algerian terrorist group has been converted into an organization posing a threat beyond Algeria’s borders…The same transformation is occurring in Somalia, particularly in the south. A large number of radicalized Somalis are living in Britain and it is feared that instead of going to Pakistan for jihad training, they are traveling to Somalia…..(Times Online, 2 Jul 08)

Ragtag Insurgency Gains a Lifeline From Al Qaeda

…Their nationalist battle against the Algerian military was faltering. “We didn’t have enough weapons,” recalled a former militant lieutenant, Mourad Khettab, 34. “The people didn’t want to join. And money, we didn’t have enough money.” Then the leader of the group, a university mathematics graduate named Abdelmalek Droukdal, sent a secret message to Iraq in the fall of 2004. The recipient was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and the two men on opposite ends of the Arab world engaged in what one firsthand observer describes as a corporate merger. Today, as Islamist violence wanes in some parts of the world, the Algerian militants — renamed Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb — have grown into one of the most potent Osama bin Laden affiliates, reinvigorated with fresh recruits and a zeal for Western targets……(New York Times, 1 Jul 08)

An Interview With Abdelmalek Droukdal

Following is a transcript of audio responses to questions from The New York Times for Abdelmalek Droukdal, the leader of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The responses were in Arabic and were translated by The New York Times……(New York Times, 1 Jul 08)

An al-Qaeda Threat in the United Arab Emirates?

Jihadi internet forums have picked up on recent British and American warnings about possible al-Qaeda terror attacks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)… Prompted by the UK-U.S. warning, posts such as one entitled “Is the Honeymoon between Bin Laden and UAE Shaykhs over?” discussed reasons behind the possible change in al-Qaeda’s stand toward the UAE. Forum contributor “Uqqu” stressed that what has kept al-Qaeda from targeting the UAE is an understanding whereby al-Qaeda turns a blind eye on the UAE shaykhs’ un-Islamic practices (having “turned the country into a whorehouse”), in return for the UAE allocating funds for al-Qaeda’s use. The post also claims that the UAE broke this agreement by extraditing 30 Egyptian Islamists to Egypt and arresting UAE citizens the government claims were involved in a plot to highjack a plane and fly it into Dubai’s Burj al-Arab, the world’s tallest hotel……(Jamestown, 1 Jul 08)

Jalaluddin Haqqani Challenges Mullah Omar’s Leadership of the Taliban

Since the reemergence of the insurgency in 2002, Afghanistan has witnessed a largely united insurgent front under the banner of the Taliban. To date there have been few records of disputes and differences within the Taliban. The unity of different groups of insurgents under the Taliban banner and the obedience of the rank and file of the group to the orders of Mullah Omar as their only Amir has been a key to the success and revival of the Islamist resistance. But seven years after the fall of the Taliban, disputes about the direction of the movement have begun to emerge within Mullah Omar’s mujahideen.  Small clashes inside the insurgency have been followed by deep divides within the Taliban. A recent letter from Jalaluddin Haqqani has asked for a change in the leadership of the Taliban……(Jamestown, 1 Jul 08)

Turkey and Iraqi Kurds Agree to Disagree on PKK’s Terrorist Status

In an interview with Italian newspaper Il Tempo, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani stated that “the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] is not a terrorist organization.” Barzani also added that “if the PKK rejects Turkey’s commitment to hold talks with it, the PKK can be then considered as terrorist” (Il Tempo, June 21). Peyamner, the official media organ of Barzani’s political party (the Kurdistan Democratic Party—KDP), did not report on his statements, although the other main Iraqi Kurdish political party (the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan—PUK) did post a story containing the interview (PUKMedia, June 22). Naturally, Turkish media immediately picked up on Barzani’s statement……(Jamestown, 1 Jul 08)

Hezbollah said to train Shiite militiamen in Iraq

Hezbollah instructors trained Shiite militiamen at remote camps in southern Iraq until three months ago when they slipped across the border to Iran _ presumably to continue instruction on Iranian soil, according to two Shiite lawmakers and a top army officer. The three Iraqis claim the Lebanese Shiites were also involved in planning some of the most brazen attacks against U.S.-led forces, including the January 2007 raid on a provincial government compound in Karbala in which five Americans died…..(AP, 1 Jul 08)

Saudi Columnist: "Aren't the UAE Islands Also Arab Territory, Which Iran Occupied By Force of Arms?"

In a June 17, 2008 article in the Saudi daily Al-Jazirah, columnist Muhammad bin 'Abd Al- Latif Aal Al-Sheikh writes about the arrogance of the northern Arab states vis-à-vis the southern ones, arguing that the Gulf states should not support them or their causes unless and until they support the Gulf states against Iran......(MEMRI, 1 Jul 08)

"The network of militants from Mauritania to Libya sees U.S. interests as legitimate targets because Washington backed the region's "criminal" governments and stole Algerian oil."

Al Qaeda's growing north Africa network plans to attack U.S. interests seeking control of the region's energy riches, its Algerian-based leader said in remarks published on Tuesday.  The network of militants from Mauritania to Libya sees U.S. interests as legitimate targets because Washington backed the region's "criminal" governments and stole Algerian oil, the New York Times quoted Abdelmalek Droukdel as saying.  "We found America building military bases in the south of our country and conducting military exercises, and plundering our oil and planning to get our gas," Droukdel, also known as Abou Mossab Abdelouadoud, was quoted as saying.....(Reuters, 1 Jul 08)

Al-Qaeda's Account of Its Predicament in Iraq: A Statistical Analysis of the ISI's Achievement Reports

According to reports by U.S. officials on the death toll in Iraq, since September 2007 there has been a significant drop in casualties among U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces, as well as among Iraqi civilians. For example, the number of Iraqi civilians killed across the country in September 2007 dropped by 50 percent compared to the average number of deaths in previous months, [1] and in May 2008, the reported death toll among U.S. troops in Iraq was the lowest in months. [2] This drop in casualties indicates a decline in the abilities and effectiveness of Al-Qaeda in Iraq……(MEMRI, 30 Jun 08)

Charges Are Filed In Cole Bombing

U.S. military prosecutors yesterday charged a detainee at the Guantanamo Bay prison with murder and other crimes for allegedly planning the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole warship, a bombing that killed 17 U.S. service members and injured nearly 50 others. Pentagon officials announced eight charges against Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi citizen of Yemeni descent. He has been in U.S. custody since late 2002, and is one of three detainees the government has acknowledged subjecting to an interrogation technique that simulates drowning.

Nashiri's "waterboarding" at the hands of CIA interrogators -- a technique that human rights groups around the world have condemned as torture -- figures to be a central element of his case. Defense attorneys immediately vowed to challenge any evidence obtained by coercion….(Washington Post, 1 Jul 08)

Pentagon announces charges in USS Cole bombing

The Pentagon said Monday it is charging a Saudi Arabian with "organizing and directing" the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole _ and will seek the death penalty. Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann, legal adviser to the U.S. military tribunal system, said charges are being sworn against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi of Yemeni descent, who has been held at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006. The charges still must be approved by a Defense Department official who oversees military tribunals set up for terrorism suspects. If they are approved, al-Nashiri he will be the first person charged in the United States in connection with the attack nearly eight years ago…..(AP, 1 Jul 08)

Terrorism: Cargo planes are security risk, says former Met police chief

Cargo planes present a major threat to Britain's security, according to the former Metropolitan police commissioner Lord Stevens, who warns today that terrorists could use them to transport hazardous materials or simply blow them up. In a report on Britain's borders, in which he accuses the government of failing to draw up a clear border security strategy, Stevens says the world's air cargo system is now vulnerable to terrorists……(Guardian, 1 Jul 08)

Cold war among coalition parties worries US: Boucher concerned over Fata situation

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher has expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and said that the government is not concentrating on the problem because of the judges issue and a cold war among coalition partners. Mr Boucher, who is on a three-day visit to the country, spent a busy day in the federal capital on Monday and met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik, former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani……(Dawn, 1 Jul 08)

Musharraf warns against NATO strike

President Pervez Musharraf told a five-member US Congressional delegation on Monday that Pakistan would not tolerate a recurrence of US-led Nato attack on Pakistani troops from Afghanistan. “The targeted attack on Pakistan’s observation post on June 10 was absolutely intolerable,” presidential spokesman Maj-Gen (retd) Rashid Qureshi quoted President Musharraf as saying…….(Dawn, 1 Jul 08)

June 2008

US counter-terror raid kills relative of Maliki

A US Special Forces counter-terrorism unit conducted a raid that reportedly killed a relative of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, senior Iraqi government officials said yesterday. The killing touched off a high-stakes diplomatic crisis between Washington and Baghdad as US military officials refused to comment for the second day in a row…The dawn raid on Friday was in the town of Janaja, near Mr Maliki's birthplace in the southern, mostly Shia Muslim province of Karbala.  Ali Abdulhussein Razak al-Maliki, who was killed in the raid, was related to the Prime Minister and had close ties to his personal security detail……(Australian, 30 Jun 08)

Is Osama bin Laden Dying ... Again?

…Nothing has characterized the fruitlessness of the hunt for the al-Qaeda leader so much as the recurrent — and mostly inaccurate — reports that he is seriously ailing, or even at death's door. In 2002, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said bin Laden had kidney disease, and that he had required a dialysis machine when he lived in Afghanistan. That same year, the FBI's top counterterrorism official, Dale Watson, said, "I personally think he is probably not with us anymore." Since then, of course, bin Laden has appeared on multiple videos looking healthier than ever. Now the CIA has produced a report saying that bin Laden has long-term kidney disease and may have only months to live…..(Time Magazine, 30 Jun 08)

Pakistan: Negligent on Terror?

…According to a new Pentagon report released on Friday, Taliban militants in Afghanistan have regrouped after their fall from power and "coalesced into a resilient insurgency." That resilience, according to military officials in Afghanistan, has a lot to do with their ability to find sanctuary in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas along the border. The day before the report's release, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a press briefing that he had "real concern" that Pakistan was contributing to Afghanistan's instability by failing to prevent militants from crossing into Afghanistan to carry out attacks on coalition forces. Cross-border attacks on U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan have gone up 40% over the past several months. Gates attributes the increase to cease-fire accords with Islamist militants in which Pakistan's coalition government agreed to pull the military out of their areas in exchange for a promise not to attack government institutions. The deals meant that "the pressure was taken off" the militants, who are now "free to be able to cross the border and create problems for us," Gates said……(Time Magazine, 30 Jun 08)

Amid Policy Disputes, Qaeda Grows in Pakistan

…The new plan, outlined in a highly classified Pentagon order, was intended to eliminate some of those battles. And it was meant to pave a smoother path into the tribal areas for American commandos, who for years have bristled at what they see as Washington’s risk-averse attitude toward Special Operations missions inside Pakistan. They also argue that catching Mr. bin Laden will come only by capturing some of his senior lieutenants alive. But more than six months later, the Special Operations forces are still waiting for the green light. The plan has been held up in Washington by the very disagreements it was meant to eliminate. A senior Defense Department official said there was “mounting frustration” in the Pentagon at the continued delay……(New York Times, 30 Jun 08)

Military admits having intelligence on fatal terrorist attack

The General Staff on Saturday confirmed newspaper’s claims that the army had prior intelligence on an attack against security forces in the Southeast by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that left 13 soldiers dead, but noted that the unit in question had been duly warned. The person who leaked the document proving the existence of prior knowledge of the PKK’s attack had been discovered and would be punished accordingly, a statement posted on the Web site of the Office of Chief of General Staff said on Saturday. The statement also warned newspapers that it would be taking the necessary measures to protect itself in the face of what it called recent “hateful” attacks by the media…..(Today’s Zaman, 30 Jun 08)

Swiss Government Reveals Euro Terror Threats

The Swiss federal police revealed in May that they were closely monitoring certain web forums linked with al-Qa’eda in order to stamp out any potential safety issues. Spain downed Germany in the final in Vienna last night to bring an end to both their 44-year trophy drought and a tournament that passed without any widespread controversy off the pitch.  But Switzerland’s defense and sports minister, Samuel Schmid, revealed that "certain preparations had been carried out for an attack" on the host nations, and insisted these were entirely separate from earlier threats…..(Goal, 29 Jun 08)

Al-Qa'eda style terrorists planning UK attacks with ambulances bought on eBay

Terrorists may be planning to launch suicide bomb attacks in Britain using former NHS ambulances and police cars bought on auction website eBay, police chiefs have warned. The Association of Chief Police Officers said ministers must legislate to stop the sale of such vehicles amid fears that al-Qa'eda inspired extremists may import a tactic already used in Iraq and Israel. Every year dozens of police cars, ambulances and fire engines are sold. Some are fully marked and can be bought for as little as £1,500…..(Telegraph, 29 Jun 08)

Saudi minister: 90 per cent of detained terror suspects are Saudis

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Naif bin Abdul-Aziz said Sunday that 90 per cent of suspected terrorists arrested in security sweeps since the beginning of this year are Saudi nationals.  Of the 701 people of different nationalities have been arrested since the beginning of the year, 520 people are still in detention…Five terror cells, which were plotting to spread chaos by attacking oil facilities in the country, have been broken up, the Saudi minister told the pan-Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat…..(DPA, 29 Jun 08)

NEFA Exclusive: An Interview with Mangal Bagh, Commander of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) - Pakistan
The NEFA Foundation has obtained an exclusive video-recorded interview with Mangal Bagh, the charismatic, de-facto leader of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) in control of approximately three-quarters of Pakistan’s Khyber Agency. Bagh took control of Lashkar-e-Islam approximately two years ago from its original founder Deobandi cleric Mufti Munir Shakir. In the span of those two years, LI has evolved into a tribe-based militant outfit which has successfully wrested control of the area from criminal networks and the central government. On June 28, 2008, the Pakistani army launched military operations targeting positions held by Mangal Bagh and LI in the Khyber Agency…..(NEFA, Jun 08)

Diploma Mills Could Enable Terrorist Infiltration

Today’s edition of the New York Times reports on the nefarious activities of a “diploma mill” that has been successfully operating for some time, amassing huge profits while conspiring with its customers to provide anyone with the money, a worthless diploma that provides the illusion of academic achievement. These diplomas undermine the integrity of our workforce and may even undermine national security. As the article notes, visas can be issued to aliens who are able to document that they have degrees that would qualify them for employment in the United States, when in fact they have no such education and may have no intention of securing the job they apply for but simply desire to enter our country for other purposes… Today inspectors simply note the arriving student is admitted for D/S (Duration of Status). This removes a potential area of monitoring whether or not a student is still enrolled in school. There is a program known as SEVIS that is supposed to keep track of foreign students and exchange visitors in our country. The problem is that with the lack of resources at ICE, a student who stops attending school may well be reported to our government, but in the game of “hide and seek” the student who decides to drop out of school may hide but the government has precious little in the way of resources to “seek.”… The 9-11 Commission Staff Report on Terrorist Travel begins with the paragraph:“It is perhaps obvious to state that terrorists cannot plan and carry out attacks in the United States if they are unable to enter the country. Yet prior to September 11, while there were efforts to enhance border security, no agency of the U.S. government thought of border security as a tool in the counterterrorism arsenal. Indeed, even after 19 hijackers demonstrated the relative ease of obtaining a U.S. visa and gaining admission into the United States, border security still is not considered a cornerstone of national security policy…

Clearly immigration fraud is a huge problem and one that our government is all but ignoring! Its not that they don't know, there have been enough hearings and GAO reports, it seems that most of these leaders believe that the flood of illegal aliens into our country will create new voters that they hope will vote for them and their party… Diploma mills are cranking out thousands of bogus diplomas that can be used to enable aliens, including aliens from countries that are identified as being "Special Interest" countries because of their sponsorship of terrorism and ICE is missing in action!.....(Counterterrorism Blog, 29 Jun 08)

Diploma Mill Concerns Extend Beyond Fraud

The man said he was a retired military officer from Syria, which the American government deems a sponsor of terrorists. He wanted credentials as a chemical engineer, useful for getting a visa to work in the United States. Could James Monroe University help?  For $1,277, it did. Within days, he received three undergraduate and advanced degrees in chemistry and environmental engineering, based on his “life experience,” according to documents in federal court. Although the degrees looked authentic, Monroe had no faculty or courses; the “adviser” evaluating “life experience” was a high school dropout….(New York Times, 29 Jun 08)

Pakistani Forces Move In On Taliban

28 Hundreds of Pakistani military and police forces moved into the key northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday to head off a possible attack by the Taliban and other Islamist insurgents, marking the first major military operation in Pakistan's fractured border region since a new government was elected in February. The buildup of security forces in Peshawar, a provincial capital of 3 million about 30 miles from Afghanistan, and a nearby tribal area may signal a strategic shift in the country's struggle to quell extremist activity. Meanwhile, a top Taliban leader in Pakistan said he was suspending talks between his allies and the government……(Washington Post, 29 Jun 08)

America's fury as Hamza smuggles hate messages to Bin Laden's No 2... From UK jail cell

American counter-terrorism chiefs are demanding a full explanation from Britain of how radical cleric Abu Hamza was able to smuggle murderous messages from his UK prison cell to Al Qaeda's deputy leader. The major diplomatic row comes in the wake of a long-running battle by US prosecutors to extradite the former imam of London's Finsbury Park mosque to stand trial in America. Hook-handed Hamza was jailed for seven years in Britain in 2006 for inciting murder and racial hatred and is held at Belmarsh prison, South-East London, supposedly one of Britain's most secure jails…..(Daily Mail, 28 Jun 08)

Pakistan orders deportation of 8 foreigners studying at Islamic seminary

An Islamic seminary says the Pakistani government is deporting eight foreign students. Mufti Naeem Ahmed, head of the Jamia Binuria seminary, says the Interior Ministry is ordering the students to leave the country within 15 days. The students are from the United States, Thailand and Fiji…Pakistan's Islamic seminaries have been accused of being breeding grounds for militants. Several leaders in the Taliban militia fighting U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan graduated from religious schools in Pakistan……(AP, 28 Jun 08)

Taliban Imperil Pakistani City, a Major Hub

In the last two months, Taliban militants have suddenly tightened the noose on this city of three million people, one of Pakistan’s biggest, establishing bases in surrounding towns and, in daylight, abducting residents for high ransoms.  The militants move unchallenged out of the lawless tribal region, just 10 miles away, in convoys of heavily armed, long haired and bearded men. They have turned up at courthouses in nearby towns, ordering judges to stay away. On Thursday they stormed a women’s voting station on the city outskirts, and they are now regularly kidnapping people from the city’s bazaars and homes. There is a feeling that the city gates could crumble at any moment. The threat to Peshawar is a sign of the Taliban’s deepening penetration of Pakistan…..(New York Times, 28 Jun 08)

Bomb experts probe blast

Police in Oslo have called in bomb experts to help investigate a mysterious explosion during the night.  The blast occurred just outside an emergency bomb shelter at Lysejordet, on Oslo's far west side. Police received a report of the explosion just after 3am Monday, and also think it's strange that they didn't receive more calls. The emergency bomb shelter is located adjacent to a neighborhood with many homes, near the border to Bærum……(Aftenposten, 28 Jun 08)

More on the Growing Criminal-Terror Nexus

Those who are skeptical of the growing ties between drug trafficking organizations and terrorist groups-which I think will be the real war we will be fighting for many years, given the resources obtainable by drug trafficking organizations-should read the latest UN Office of Drugs and Crime report. Among the many interesting findings is that the two areas of greatest increase in illicit production of drugs in the world are in the hands of designated terrorist groups: the Taliban in Afghanistan and the FARC in Colombia. A third party involved in the expansion of drug production is Burma, a rogue criminal state. This bodes ill for the rest of the world…Afghanistan saw a 17 percent increase in opium production, and now accounts for 92 percent of the world’s heroin. Some 80 percent of the poppy was grown in five southern provinces where Taliban fighters profit from drugs. Burma, which is able to control the country so that almost no disaster relief can reach starving citizens, somehow managed to let its opium crop increase 29 percent. It’s poppies are not as productive as those in Afghanistan, so it share of the world market is not so high. Colombia saw a 27 percent increase in coca production, and continues to produce about two-thirds of the world’s cocaine. Most of that coca came from regions under the FARC’s control, “just like in Afghanistan,” …But the equal danger is that these groups will use their wealth to wreak havoc in areas where 1) the US has a vital and ongoing interest and 2) where fragile states are struggling mightily, and perhaps in vain given that they are outgunned and out financed by the narcos, are trying to make life more bearable for their peoples…….(Douglas Farah, 27 Jun 08)   Full Report: UN 2008 World Drug Report

U.N. Finds Afghan Opium Trade Rising

Afghan opium poppy cultivation grew 17 percent last year, continuing a six-year expansion of the country's drug trade and increasing its share of global opium production to more than 92 percent, according to the 2008 World Drug Report, released Thursday by the United Nations. Afghanistan's emergence as the world's largest supplier of opium and heroin represents a serious setback to U.S. policy in the region. The opium trade has soared since the U.S.-led 2001 overthrow of the Taliban, which had eradicated almost all of the country's opium poppies. The proceeds from the illicit trade are helping finance a resurgent Taliban that is battling U.S. and allied troops……(Washington Post, 27 Jun 08)

Iraq: Police say al-Qaeda has infiltrated force

Police in the Iraqi city of Falluja have said that al-Qaeda members have infiltrated the country's security forces.
"Now we have the proof that al-Qaeda terrorists have managed to infiltrate the Iraqi security forces," said the head of police in Falluja, Faysal al-Zubei in an interview with the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper.  Al-Zubei was speaking about Thursday's suicide attack in which at least 20 people were killed at a local council meeting in the town of Karma, east of Falluja, in Anbar province…..(AKI, 27 Jun 08)

Pakistan Denies Role in Attack

Pakistan on Thursday sharply denied that its powerful intelligence agency was behind an attempt to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai in April, saying the accusations by Afghan officials were politically motivated. Pakistani Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar said the allegations against the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, were "untrue and baseless."  "The ISI is a professional organization and it doesn't interfere in the affairs of any other state," Mukhtar said in a telephone interview, adding that the accusations were an attempt to bolster Karzai's political standing in Afghanistan, which has long had strained relations with Pakistan……(Washington Post, 27 Jun 08)

Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement Leader Dr. Khalil Ibrahim: I Support Peaceful Relations with Israel

Following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on June 15, 2008…..(MEMRI, 27 Jun 08)

Thailand: Trains to resume in Muslim south despite more violence

Rail services to the provinces of southern Thailand will resume on Saturday, five days after being suspended due to a deadly train attack by suspected Muslim rebels. Trains to the southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani were halted after four people were killed by alleged Muslim rebels in an attack on a train in Yala. The three Muslim-majority provinces have been at the centre of a separatist insurgency in which more than 3,000 people have been killed since early 2004……(AKI, 27 Jun 08)

The Next Generation of Radical Islamist Preachers in the UK

In the last few years the British government has imprisoned, exiled or deported most of Britain’s most high-profile jihadist preachers such as Abu Hamza, Omar Bakri and Abdullah Faisal. In 2006, it also passed laws prohibiting the “glorification” of terrorism to prevent new preachers from gaining similar prominence. However, as a range of fresh plots and convictions show, these measures have not yet halted jihadist recruitment. Within the last two years, several groups of would-be terrorists have been convicted of planning to kidnap and behead British Muslim soldiers in Birmingham, join jihadis in Pakistan and carry out terrorist attacks in the UK. Other cases currently being heard by courts or awaiting trial include alleged plots to bomb several trans-Atlantic airliners and set off bombs in restaurants. The growing evidence that many of these plotters have often been radicalized within the last two years suggests that extremists in the UK have adapted to anti-terrorism measures rather than being silenced by them [1].  The 2006 Terrorism Act—arguably the most significant counter-terrorism measure taken by the British government since 2001—prohibited giving talks or producing and distributing material that might “glorify terrorism” or which could encourage others to commit acts of terrorism…The British government’s counter-terrorism initiatives have done substantial damage to older terrorism networks based around veterans of jihadist conflicts in Afghanistan, Algeria and Bosnia. However, a new generation of radicals is now arising to take their place. In many cases, these men are brought up in the UK, speak fluent English and are better able to work around counter-terrorism laws and avoid conflict with the police than the older generation of largely foreign-born radicals. These new extremists are not just based in a few prominent mosques but are widely dispersed throughout Muslim communities around the country. Despite this dispersal, the internet allows extremists to remain in contact, to keep abreast of ideological, military and strategic issues affecting the worldwide jihad and to communicate with like-minded radicals around the UK and abroad.……(Jamestown, 26 Jun 08)

Kurdish Activism in Europe: Terrorism versus Europeanization

…There are two contrasting Kurdish movements in Europe. The pan-European “Kurdish movement” saw the arrest of Abdullah Ocalan and the Turkish accession process as an opportunity to improve the situation of Kurdish Turkey through legal and democratic means. Hence, they developed a new lobbying force, using various pressure tools including lawsuits, briefings, petitions or demonstrations. The PKK network, on the other hand, has not changed and continues to exploit European lack of coordination. The PKK still uses and supports terrorism activities both in Turkey and in Europe. Therefore, nothing is more distinct than the use of the EU’s strengths by the Kurdish movement, and the use of the EU’s weaknesses by the PKK. Surprisingly, European diplomats and security agencies have failed to notice and capitalize on this evolution. However, the Europeanization of the Kurdish movement offers a formidable avenue to improve the EU-Turkish relationship and eventually lead to the accession of Turkey to the EU.……(Jamestown, 26 Jun 08)

The Mahdi Army: New Tactics for a New Stage

Iraqi radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has issued a statement describing a new strategy for attacking Coalition forces (alkufanews.com, June 13). The statement follows a year of intense military pressure against his Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) militia and a series of confusing and sometimes contradictory decisions. The hard-line cleric, who has not been seen in public for months, issued orders to reorganize his militia into a civilian branch and a small but select armed wing commissioned to fight Coalition forces. Only three months earlier al-Sadr had announced his retirement and admitted failure in his efforts at “liberating Iraq” (see Terrorism Monitor, May 1).
Muqtada’s statement was proclaimed in the mosques by his aides during the weekly prayer of his followers on Friday, June 13 (almanar.com, June 13). A written copy—signed the previous day—was published on a pro-Sadr web site: “Everyone knows that we will not abandon the resistance against the occupiers until liberation or death, but you individuals in Jaysh al-Mahdi should know, and this is an obligation on you, that the resistance will be restricted to a group which will be authorized by a written statement by me soon. Those will be people with experience, management, awareness and sacrifice.……(Jamestown, 26 Jun 08)

Liberal Syrian Journalist Abi Hassan: My Day in Haifa

On May 30, 2008, the liberal Arab website Al-Awan published an article by Syrian journalist Abi Hassan, in which he describes what he would do if he were in Haifa……(MEMRI, 26 Jun 08)

‘European Muslim converts moving to Peshawar’

Several European converts to Islam have started to take up residence in the suburbs of Peshawar, an area where militancy is growing, police officials said on Wednesday. “We were surprised to learn that European converts to Islam are staying in Peshawar in areas where the security situation is extremely volatile,” said police officials monitoring the areas of Peshawar where militancy has increased recently. Requesting anonymity, they said that the converts were of Scottish, British and Norwegian origin. The police officials said that they had been apprised of the whereabouts of six European converts in the past five months. “The number of such people could be much higher as the matter has not been fully investigated. There could be converts from other countries as well,”…..(Daily Times, 26 Jun 08)

Internet 'is infecting UK children with extremist Muslim messages'

West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Norman Bettison warned social networking sites were being used to spread messages of hate to children – but stopped short of calling for extremist chat on sites such as Facebook to be banned. Mr Bettison was speaking on the day that he revealed a 12-year-old white schoolboy was among 124 people being dealt with by police in a new project combating Islamic-inspired violent extremism… Sick films were distributed to classmates on their mobile phones, prompting a teacher to march the boy to the local police station. His comments come just weeks after the Yorkshire Post reported how children in the region were being groomed by al-Qaida……(Yorkshire Post, 26 Jun 08)

'Hamas willing to be more flexible on prisoner swap deal'

Hamas is willing to be more flexible regarding the number of prisoners it wants released in a swap deal involving captured IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, close sources to the group told the Persian Gulf Al-Halij newspaper on Thursday…….(Jerusalem Post, 26 Jun 08)

Somalia conflict kills more than 2,100 this year

Conflict in Somalia has killed 2,136 civilians so far this year, bringing the death toll since an Islamist-led insurgency began in early 2007 to 8,636, a local human rights group said on Thursday. The Mogadishu-based Elman Peace and Human Rights Organization said it had also recorded 11,790 injuries since the start of last year, when rebels began attacking the Somali government and its Ethiopian military allies…..(Reuters, 26 Jun 08)

Afghanistan sacks police chief over jail break

The Afghan government sacked the police chief of Kandahar on Thursday for negligence after some 400 Taliban prisoners and 700 criminals escaped this month in one of the biggest jail breaks in history. The Taliban scored an important tactical and propaganda win when a suicide bomber in a fuel truck smashed into the gates of Kandahar prison on June 13 and militants stormed the building, setting their comrades free. The prison break was a major embarrassment for the Afghan government as it showed Taliban insurgents were able to mount a large operation in the heart of the country's second city……(Reuters, 26 Jun 08)

Pakistan losing fight against the Taliban

Pakistan's battle against the Taliban threatened to spiral out of control yesterday after Islamic militants extended their control in the lawless North West Frontier region. Emboldened by an increasingly weakened and demoralized security force, Taliban fighters moved in to the outskirts of the provincial capital. Peshawar, surrounding the city and placing it virtually under siege……(Independent, 26 Jun 08)

“Al-Qaeda helpers operating in Bosnia”

Bosnian Deputy Anti-Terrorism Security Minister Vjekoslav Vuković says there probably are organizations operating in the country linked to Al-Qaeda. "We have obtained certain information and indicators that some of these organizations are active in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but under different names. Individuals who worked in outlawed organizations are now running others, which suggests that they are still active in Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Vuković told Banja Luka daily Nezavisne Novine. He said that security and police agencies in Bosnia-Herzegovina had information about organizations and individuals listed by the UN as accomplices to terrorism, and certain measures were being taken accordingly…..(B92, 26 Jun 08)

Government Offices Threatened With 1080 Poison - New Zealand

Three letters sent to Government buildings have claimed they contain the poison 1080 in the last 24 hours.

The Reserve Bank, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Parliament Buildings have been targeted.

Detective senior sergeant Paul Borrell said he believed the three letters were linked because in all three letters the sender had said the letters contained the poison used in pest control. He said the substance is being sent to the ESR for analysis……(National Terror Alert, 25 Jun 08)

Is Pakistan Ready For Another 9/11?

Brahmdagh Bugti, a terrorist recruited and sheltered in Afghanistan, is planning a spectacular operation in Balochistan. The information coming from intelligence intercepts paints a picture of an attack on Pakistani Balochis by terrorists pretending to be soldiers of the Pakistani military. The objective is to spark a separatist uprising in the province. The timing of the plan is perfect. All ground reports indicate that terrorists armed and financed by unidentified backers in Afghanistan have strengthened their positions since March, exploiting political instability in the country.  This report is one of several that indicate a wide scale leadership failure in Pakistan on multiple levels……(Analyst-Network, 25 Jun 08)

New Report Urges Continued Caution Toward Jemaah Islamiyah

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute issued a report on Wednesday which noted that Jemaah Islamiyah continues to pose a "significant threat to both Australian and regional security interests." The report claimed that the group had splintered between a fanatical hardcore and a less extreme wing, but could still muster 900 militants. (Though largely semantics, there are probably thousands of hard-line militants in Indonesia belonging to overt paramilitary groups; it is doubtful that very many of them would claim any affiliation with Jemaah Islamiyah.) The report urged the Australian and Southeast Asian governments to remain vigilant against violent radicalism……..(Counterterrorism Blog, 25 Jun 08)

ASPI Report - Neighborhood watch: The evolving terrorist threat in Southeast Asia

Dangerous Times in Colombia and Iraq

Among the most dangerous times in a counter-insurgency campaign, inherent in asymmetrical warfare, is when the insurgency is close to being defeated. Desperate to remain relevant and to motivate its followers as the situation becomes more trying, the groups grasp for a spectacular action that will give it a new lease on life. In both Iraq, where al Qaeda in Iraq seems to be in deep trouble, and in Colombia, where the FARC is on the ropes, public statements by officials give hints of a premature sense of triumph……(Douglas Farah, 25 Jun 08)

Iraqi PM gives pardon to Amara militants who surrender within week

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki Wednesday issued a decree, in his capacity as commander of the armed forces, by which Amara militants who surrender to the authorities within a week are given a pardon, provided they have no blood on their hands……(KUNA, 25 Jun 08)

Iran issues warning over nuclear program

Iran's parliament speaker warned the West on Wednesday that it may face "a done deal" if it provokes Iran, a stern hint that Tehran could build nuclear weapons if attacked. The speaker, Ali Larijani, who was once Iran's top nuclear negotiator, also warned that a "short opportunity is left" for a deal with Iran over its nuclear program, which the U.S. and some of its allies fear is aimed at producing a bomb. Iran has long denied it intends to build a nuclear weapon, saying its program is meant only to generate electricity. Larijani, one of Iran's most powerful politicians, did not directly warn that Iran could change its intentions, but his vague comment appeared aimed at raising that possibility….(AP, 25 Jun 08)

Iran to pull assets from EU over sanctions: minister

Iran will withdraw assets from the European Union in response to the tightening of sanctions imposed over its nuclear programme, Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari said in an interview published on Wednesday.  ‘We are going to withdraw the money and invest elsewhere,’ Mahdi was quoted as saying by Austrian daily Die Presse. ‘If you withdraw more than $100 billion, then of course this will bring about a scarcity of money and have an impact on the world economy.’……(Reuters, 25 Jun 08)

Rockets Hit Israel, Breaking Hamas Truce

Three Qassam rockets fired from Gaza on Tuesday struck the Israeli border town of Sderot and its environs, causing no serious injuries but constituting the first serious breach of a five-day-old truce between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic group that controls Gaza. The crack in the calm came on the eve of a looming political crisis in Israel: barring last-minute maneuvers and back-room deals, a preliminary reading of a bill for the dissolution of the Israeli Parliament scheduled for Wednesday was expected to garner a majority of votes in the legislature, and threatened to break up the country’s governing coalition……(New York Times, 25 Jun 08)

Attacks in east Afghanistan up 40 percent, U.S. says

Insurgent attacks in eastern Afghanistan rose by 40 percent in the first five months of this year over the same period a year ago, the U.S. commander of NATO forces in the region said on Tuesday.  While insisting NATO was making progress in establishing stability, Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser said he was "nowhere near" being able to state those efforts had achieved irreversible momentum……(Reuters, 25 Jun 08)

Afghan War Moves Into Unknown Territory

Despite the presence of U.S. forces, the Afghanistan-Pakistan border remains a refuge for dangerous elements, including the Taliban, al Qaeda, Pakistani militants and Kashmiri separatists. "We have got to make sure they don't become a coherent larger group that has one goal and one modus operandi. So that is what we are fighting," says Maj. Gen Jeffrey Schloesser. Terrorist attacks are up 40 percent from last year, a trend that U.S. commanders say can be partly blamed on Pakistan for negotiating peace treaties with militants along the border……..(ABC, 24 Jun 08)

Pakistan Army Denies Soldiers Are Aiding Taliban

The Pakistani Army has denied a U.S. report that Pakistani soldiers are aiding the Taliban in areas along the border with Afghanistan. The Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Mashriq quoted unnamed officials in the Pakistani Army as saying that the report is based on wrong information…….(MEMRI Blog, 24 Jun 08)

Poll of Pakistan Opinion Finds Public Blames U.S., not al-Qaida, For Country's Violence

A public opinion poll released in Paksitan on June 20th shows that 58 percent of Pakistanis support talks with the tribal militants, and that anti-U.S. sentiments remain negative. The pollsters found more than half of the respondents blame the U.S. for the violence occurring in Pakistan while few hold al-Qaida responsible, but that the U.S. has an opportunity to turn public opinion in its favor…..(VOA, 24 Jun 08)

The Paradise Boys: The Internal Debate over the Use of Child Jihadis in Iraq

…A jihadi forum chatter, nicknamed “Saif al-Umma,” raised the alarm about the apostasy of many Sunnis who had deviated from the path of jihad in Iraq, consequently paving the way for the establishment of the Sunni “Awakening councils” and the deployment of Iraqi security forces in significant parts of Iraq. The first generation of al-Qaeda, who fought for the last five years, were killed, arrested or compromised. Those remaining are closely watched by U.S. forces, making it difficult for them to participate in further insurgent operations. Therefore, the second generation of al-Qaeda, unknown to security forces, has had to fill in the gap and revert to smaller operations rather than full scale military strikes…Implying that he belongs to the second generation of al-Qaeda, al-Umma relates: “Once I was helping one of al-Qaeda’s soldiers, who was a guest in my house and older than me, in preparing media material for al-Qaeda. I asked him to enlist me with al-Qaeda’s field operation, but he refused and told me it’s too early for me to join and my time will come. Now I know what he meant. I will be with the second generation.” Therefore, the sleeper cells, adherents of Salafi-Jihadi ideology, are the core of the faceless second generation of al-Qaeda in Iraq set up by the ISI’s Ministry of Sharia. These sleeper cells have been secretly trained and preserved from exposure to security forces even at times when al-Qaeda was short on volunteers and badly needed more jihadis in the field. Al-Umma claims the second generation of al-Qaeda in Iraq is currently ready and waiting for instructions...….(Jamestown, 24 Jun 08)

Iraq: 'Hardship' behind women and child suicide bombers

Poverty, social deprivation and widespread unemployment are making women and children across Iraq vulnerable for recruitment as suicide bombers, according to a report released on Monday. As recently as Sunday, a female suicide bomber killed at least 15 people and wounded some 30 others in the central city of Baquba, north of Baghdad, local police were quoted as saying.  Baquba is the capital of the volatile al-Qaeda stronghold of Diyala province. "There around a million widows and hundreds of thousands of marginalised divorcees. This is made difficult by onerous procedures to receive social welfare, which is inadequate for the large numbers of impoverished women,"……(AKI, 24 Jun 08)

Fighting in Lebanon’s Palestinian Refugee Camps Result of Increased Islamist Influence

Approximately a year has passed since the outbreak of violence between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the armed Islamist group Fatah al-Islam in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in Northern Lebanon; and yet—one year later—the situation in the camps is far from being stable. On the contrary, episodes of violence have spread to the Ain al-Hilweh camp, and the conflict has broadened to include other Salafist factions, such as Jund al-Sham, or Asbat al-Ansar (Daily Star [Beirut], June 17).  In the past few months fighting has resumed in the Ain al-Hilweh camp, the largest Palestinian camp in Lebanon, located near the southern city of Sidon. Accordingly, Ain al-Hilweh—traditionally a foothold of Fatah and the former operating base of Yasser Arafat in the 1980s—is now increasingly under the control of Islamist groups (Ya Libnan, June 15). Among such factions, one of the most active has certainly been Jund al-Sham…….(Jamestown, 24 Jun 08)

Emerging Cracks in Somalia’s Islamist Insurgency

Serious cracks have emerged in the alliance of Somali Islamists who have been waging a holy war against Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) since 2006. In Djibouti, some Islamists regarded as moderates and led by Shaykh Sherif Shaykh Ahmad, chairman of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), signed a truce with the TFG on June 9 with the backing of influential clan leaders. The agreement becomes effective 30 days after signing and can be renewed after an initial 90 days. A UN-chaired Joint Security Committee will oversee the implementation of the truce (AFP, June 9). Some analysts say the deal signed by Shaykh Ahmad, who headed the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) before its ouster by a combined force of Ethiopian army and TFG soldiers in 2006, will do little to bring peace in the troubled country. The agreement calls for the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers to Somalia—excluding troops from neighboring states—120 days after the truce begins. Ethiopian troops will “withdraw its troops from Somalia after the deployment of a sufficient number of UN Forces” (Shabelle Media Network, June 13).…….(Jamestown, 24 Jun 08)

Can Turkey’s Anti-Terrorism Cooperation with Iran Lead to a Strategic Partnership?

Turkish Land Forces Commander General Ilker Basbug surprised some by announcing a partnership between Turkey and Iran in the fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist organization (Cumhuriyet, June 6). In fact, the debate on choosing Iran as a close partner is not new. In 2002, the then secretary of the National Security Council, General Tuncer Kilinc, suggested that “Turkey should be in search of new partnerships with Iran and Russia because the European Union does not help us at all” (Turkish Daily News, March 9, 2002; Sabah, March 3). The general’s remarks received harsh criticism from the Turkish press and other political observers at the time (Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, May 8, 2002).
This begs the question: What forms the common ground for Turco-Iranian relations? Is it a strategic partnership to smash the PKK, or is it a fundamental policy shift as Gen. Kilinc suggested back in 2002?…….(Jamestown, 24 Jun 08)

Taleban's '$100m opium takings'