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EYE SPY Intelligence News...
By Donald Napier
US
Shamed by Abused Iraqis Pictures
Shocking pictures of Iraqi POWs being
abused by American soldiers in one of Saddam's old torture prisons have
caused world-wide outrage.
Inmates at Abu Ghraib prison, near Baghdad, were also shown stacked in a
naked human pyramid and being forced to simulate sex acts as the US soldiers
posed and smiled in pictures screened by CBS.
Iraqi prisoners were also confined naked for three consecutive days without
toilets in damp, unventilated cells with floors 3ft by 3ft, it is claimed.
Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was "appalled" by the pictures. Some
commentators fear the abuse will destroy the Coalition's faltering authority
in Iraq.
The shocking treatment allegedly handed out to Iraqi soldiers by their
American captors has been revealed by one of the US soldiers accused of
abusing the prisoners.
Army Reserves Staff Sergeant Ivan "Chip" Frederick, 37, claims his
commanders silenced his questions about harsh, humiliating treatment of
inmates.
He is one of several soldiers and officers facing court martial for alleged
dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, assault and indecent acts.
A US general has also been suspended over the alleged abuse of prisoners by
US troops in jails she ran.
Brigadier General Janice Karpinski is among seven officers being
investigated following claims that soldiers under their command mistreated
detainees.
A journal kept by Frederick was given to the Associated Press by his uncle,
William Lawson, who said the Army has treated his nephew unfairly.
He said the soldier was being made a scapegoat for commanders who gave him
no guidance on managing hundreds of Iraqis with just a handful of poorly
equipped troops.
Mr Lawson said Frederick started keeping a journal to keep track of what had
happened before he was assigned a military lawyer.
Lieutenant Commander Nicholas Balice, spokesman for the Central Command,
which is in charge of US forces in the Persian Gulf, said he could not
comment on Frederick's statements, but he said allegations against the
soldier were properly investigated.
Frederick is one of six members of the 800th Military Police Brigade facing
courts-martial for allegedly humiliating prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
CBS television's 60 Minutes II broadcast pictures of the alleged abuse and
an interview with Frederick on Wednesday. The other soldiers' names have not
been released.
U.S. Forces Kill Two Taliban Suspects
U.S. forces battled Taliban holdouts in
a forbidding mountain range in southern Afghanistan, killing two fighters
and arresting two others, an Afghan governor said Thursday.
Also Thursday, international peace keepers announced that they and Afghan
security forces had arrested 17 people in the capital in a sweep against
suspects allegedly trying to plant a bomb.
Four people were arrested in the first phase of the operation early
Wednesday afternoon - three near Kabul stadium and a fourth about a
half-mile away, in front of the Finance Ministry. Explosives experts found
three detonators in the vest of the last suspect and later found a fuse and
high explosives, the peace keepers said in a statement.
Some 13 others were taken into custody in a raid on a home late Wednesday in
the capital believed to belong to the leader of a 10-man terrorist cell.
``The apprehension brought to a close an ongoing surveillance operation that
successfully identified, tracked and apprehended the individuals before a
suspected terrorist act could be perpetrated,'' said the e-mailed statement
by peace keepers, called the International Security and Assistance Force,
said in a statement.
It was not clear what the target was or whether the men were affiliated with
the Taliban or its allies. No Afghan or peacekeeping authorities were
injured in the raid. The 6,500-strong peacekeeping contingent has been
involved in several other operations in recent days, arresting two senior
members of renegade warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's forces.
The fighting involving U.S. forces occurred Wednesday in the Tangi mountains
of Zabul province, said provincial Gov. Khial Mohammed. U.S. forces had
received a tip that an unspecified number of Taliban fighters were hiding
there, he said. There were no American casualties in the gun battle, which
lasted four hours.
Five AK-47 rifles and one rocket launcher were seized during the operation,
Mohammed said. It was not clear whether any of those killed or captured were
senior Taliban members. The U.S. military could not immediately be reached
for comment.
Meanwhile, a bomb exploded near a bazaar in the southern city of Kandahar,
damaging a nearby shop and killing the suspected attacker, the local
military commander said Thursday. Kandahar borders Zabul to the south,
though there was no indication the two incidents were related.
The bomb went off Wednesday night when the bazaar was closed, Gen. Khan
Mohammed told The Associated Press. He said he believed it may have gone off
by accident as the man was setting it up.
The general said the route near the bazaar is often used by Afghan and U.S.
military vehicles, but it was not clear what the target was, or who was
behind the botched attack.
``These are enemies of Afghanistan,'' Khan Mohammed said.
Holdouts from the ousted Taliban, al-Qaida militants and supporters of
Hekmatyar have launched frequent attacks, most in southern and eastern
Afghanistan.
21.04.2004
At
least 55 dead in Basra blas
At least 55 people have been killed and 200 wounded after car bombs hit
three police stations in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, a freelance
reporter said.
The reporter counted corpses at the morgue of Sadr Teaching Hospital that
were brought in from the scene of the blasts on Wednesday. A hospital
official said the bodies of 39 victims had been identified while at least 16
other bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
Also on Wednesday, a blast in the southern town of Zubeir, near Basra,
killed three Iraqis and wounded two British soldiers, the British military
said.
A British spokesman had no other details on the explosion 25 km (16 miles)
south of Basra.
20.04.2004
South Africa court releases Al-Qa'idah suspect on bail
A
possible Al-Qa'idah member accused of stealing Libyan gold and using it to
fund Usamah Bin-Ladin's terrorist network has been released on bail of 8,000
rands in Pretoria. 702 Eyewitness News this morning exclusively revealed
that Libya wants to extradite Ibrahim Ali Abubakr Tantush [phonetic] for
gold theft and alleged terrorist links. 702's Layton Beard reports.
The Libyan government alleges Ibrahim Ali Abubakr Tantush has links with the
Al-Qa'idah terrorist network of Usamah Bin-Ladin. Tantush strongly denies
these claims, saying Libya has trumped up charges against him for
antigovernment protests he was involved in as a student.
Tantush has applied for asylum in South Africa and fears he will be
persecuted if returned to Libya. The Libyan government is, however, adamant
they want Tantush extradited to Tripoli as soon as possible.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Solidarity say they doubt Tantush
will be fairly tried in Libya, and believe he is one of many Al-Qadhafi
dissidents forced to seek asylum.
Tantush's extradition case has been postponed until the end of June. Until
then he's out on 8,000-rand bail.
13.4.2004
Russia mulls pull-out after hostages seized
Russia, a strong critic of the U.S.-led military operation in Iraq, has
confirmed that eight of its nationals working for an energy company have
been taken hostage in Baghdad.
An unnamed Foreign Ministry source was quoted on Tuesday as saying that
Moscow was now considering evacuating all of its 500 or so nationals, most
of whom work in Iraq's energy and power sectors.
"I confirm the fact that eight employees of Interenergoservis company in
Baghdad have been kidnapped," ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said.
A Baghdad correspondent of Russia's 1st Channel television said up to 20
gunmen attacked the villa where the Russians lived minutes after they
returned from work on Monday.
Russia, with France, Germany and China, opposed U.S.-led military operations
in Iraq from the start and has refused to contribute any forces to the
U.S.-led coalition there.
"The gunmen disarmed the guard and searched the villa," the correspondent
said. "Initially they seized nine Russian specialists but approximately an
hour later put one in a taxi, which took him to company headquarters."
"The Iraqi authorities were immediately informed and appeared as puzzled as
we are as to why Russians were kidnapped," he added. "They promised to
investigate the attack as soon as possible."
Interfax news agency quoted another Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Boris
Malakhov as saying Moscow was considering unspecified means to protect
nationals working in Iraq.
The agency, quoting an unnamed ministry source, said Russia was mulling a
plan to evacuate all 500 or so Russian nationals on Emergencies Ministry
planes.
"Such a possibility is being considered," the source said.
The source said the Russian embassy was undertaking its own steps to free
the hostages. "We have some means at our disposal," said the source.
Interfax said Russia had about 500 specialist workers in Iraq, working in
energy sectors, many employed by a company building a power plant outside
Baghdad. The Russian embassy in Baghdad is believed to number around 40
staff.
Earlier, Arabic television station Al Jazeera, citing an unnamed Russian
source, had reported that 11 Russians were seized after a shoot-out between
Iraqi guards and the abductors.
"Secret" London conference reportedly activated Iraqi "Shi'i resistance"
Informed sources in London have revealed that a decision to activate "Shi'i
resistance" in Iraq was made at a conference held in the British capital,
London, in mid-March 2004. Representatives of major Islamic movements
attended the conference, in addition to some dignitaries close to Shi'i
leader Muqtada al-Sadr.
Yesterday, "Islamonline" network attributed the following to a
representative of one of the major Islamic movements in Europe, who asked
not to be named: "The activation of the Shi'i front against the US
occupation in Iraq was the most prominent recommendation that resulted from
the discussions of the secret Islamic conference, which was held in London
on 13 and 14 March 2004."
A reliable Shi'i source said that the conference included the prominent
Islamic movements in Europe; representatives of the Islamic movement in Iraq
with both its Shi'i and Sunni parts, especially a representative of the
young Imam Muqtada al-Sadr; a representative of the international
organisation of Hezbollah; and representatives of other Islamic
organisations from the Middle East region.
The source did not clarify whether the adoption by Muqtada al-Sadr
supporters of a line of confrontation with the occupation forces in Iraq was
a direct result of that conference or not, or whether the conferees decided
a specific form or date for activating the "Shi'i resistance".
The same source said: The conference was held under the title "Islamic
Movement and Iraq". It was accompanied by a complete media blackout; it was
kept top secret and was held in one of the Islamic centres in London. Its
aim was to find the necessary means to activate the Shi'i front within the
Iraqi resistance as the conferees emphasised that the Sunni resistance
alone, which was active within the Sunni Triangle, was not enough to change
the balance against the US occupation in Iraq.
The attendants reached a formula that would give the movement of Muqtada al-Sadr
a wider margin of manoeuvrability against the US occupation on the ground;
this would be implemented by establishing a state of boycott, and hence
confrontation against the occupation.
The same source said that the representatives of the Islamic movements
agreed on an agenda consisting of three basic points about Iraq. These three
points were: first, speeding up the integration of Shi'is in the resistance
movement; second, avoiding any armed clashes between the Shi'is and the
Sunnis in Iraq in the period that would follow the hand over of authority to
the Iraqis; and third, calling for the establishment of an Islamic, plural,
and democratic system that would be protected from any western targeting in
the future, a matter that could be achieved by utilising the previous
Islamic experiences.
Bush says U.S. intelligence may need reform
U.S. President George W. Bush says U.S. intelligence operations may need to
be reformed because of weaknesses that allowed the September 11, 2001,
attacks to take place.
After the attacks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central
Intelligence Agency were criticised for failing to "connect the dots" of the
plot because of factors such as poor information sharing and inadequate
analysis.
An August 6, 2001, presidential intelligence document, made public by the
White House on Saturday under pressure from the 9/11 commission, said the
FBI had detected patterns of suspicious activity that pointed toward
possible preparations for hijackings or other attacks.
It also said the FBI was conducting 70 full field investigations about al
Qaeda's presence in the United States. But U.S. national security adviser
Condoleezza Rice, in her public testimony to the commission last week,
pointed to structural problems in U.S. intelligence that prevented all
agencies from sharing information.
Bush, at a news conference on Monday with visiting Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak, said he was hoping to hear recommendations about what needs to be
changed from the commission investigating the hijacked airliner attacks.
"Now, the 9/11 commission hearings are going to analyse that which went on
and hopefully bring recommendations forward to help this administration and
future administrations do our solemn duty to protect the American people,"
he said. "And that's why I think the hearings are a good thing, particularly
when they address any weaknesses in the system."
OPPOSED PANEL'S CREATION
Bush, who originally opposed creation of the 10-member, bipartisan panel and
only allowed Rice to testify under oath and in public after coming under
pressure, pointed to her comment that "now may be a time to revamp and
reform our intelligence services."
"And we look forward to hearing recommendations. We're thinking about that
ourselves and we look forward to working with the commission," he said.
A Newsweek poll released on Saturday showed six out of 10 Americans felt the
Bush administration underestimated the threat of terrorism prior to
September 11, 2001. The poll of 1,005 adults also showed a 51 percent
disapproval rating for President George W. Bush's conduct of the war in
Iraq, where violence has flared up in the last week.
California Rep. Jane Harman, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence
Committee and the author of intelligence reform legislation, said Bush's
statement "signals that he and other top officials may finally be snapping
out of their deep state of denial over our intelligence failures."
Bush continued to insist that the August 6, 2001, memo did not include
information that could be acted on. The release of the memo had been
demanded by members of the commission, and Democrats on the panel questioned
whether Bush could have done more to prevent the attacks.
"I'm confident that had they found something that was a direct threat to
America they would have brought it to my attention," Bush said.
Nuclear inspectors arrive in Iran
Five UN nuclear inspectors have arrived in Tehran to try to confirm whether
Iran has stopped suspicious nuclear activities - including, as it has twice
promised to do, suspending the building and assembling of centrifuges for
uranium enrichment.
The US and other nations accuse Iran of attempting to hide a nuclear weapons
programme and are pushing the United Nations to impose sanctions. Tehran
insists its wants only atomic energy.
Mohammad Saeedi, a top official of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation of
Iran, said that it had stopped building and assembling centrifuges.
Iran has also committed to meet deadlines on disclosing the source of traces
of its weapons-grade uranium and on answering questions about its recently
discovered programme to make advanced P-2 centrifuges to enrich uranium,
possibly to weapons grade.
12.04.04
:Optimism
over hostages fades
Optimism that three Japanese civilians held hostage in Iraq would be quickly
released evaporated today, when Tokyo's top government spokesman backtracked
on an earlier statement and said authorities were no longer confident about
their safety.
The comments were a sharp contrast with official remarks the day before
indicating they believed there would be an imminent release of the three
hostages, including an 18-year-old aid worker. Japanese media had even
reported that the military was readying transport planes in Kuwait to bring
them home.
"At one point we were able to make the judgement from various perspectives
that they were safe, but now that's unconfirmed," said Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yasuo Fukuda.
The hostages were being held by a previously unknown group calling itself
the Mujahedeen Brigades.
The group has demanded that Japan pull its troops out of Iraq within three
days or it would burn the three hostages alive.
The hostages were taken amid a recent spate of kidnappings in Iraq,
including the abduction of seven Chinese men on Sunday. But some foreigners
were also being released - insurgents freed a Briton and said they were
letting go eight other captives of various nationalities.
For the Japanese hostages' families, the uncertainty was taking its toll.
"The anxiety is overwhelming," said Takashi Imai, the father of the youngest
of the three hostages, 18-year-old Naoki Imai. "I know the troops are in
Iraq to make a contribution - but so is our son. They can't just let him be
killed."
Imai, who graduated from high school last month, is a member of a group
trying to raise awareness about the health hazards facing civilians in Iraq
from depleted uranium munitions used by US troops.
Another hostage, 34-year-old Nahoko Takato, worked with street children in
the war-torn country. The third hostage is a freelance photo journalist.
11.04.04.
Sudan: Al-Jazeera broadcaster sentenced to one month in prison
Khartoum North Criminal Court chaired by, Judge Umar Amin, has sentenced the
Al-Jazeera [TV] channel broadcaster, Aslam Salih, to one month imprisonment
and a fine of 1m [Sudanese] pounds, and another one month in prison
effective from the end of the first sentence in case he fails to pay the
fine.
The accused was convicted under Article 66 of the criminal law which deals
with publishing false information and Article 66 of the Customs Act which is
related to intercepting or blocking a public servant's way.
Two
Russians go on trial in Qatar for Chechen exile's murder
Court hearings in the case of two Russian nationals arrested on suspicion of
involvement in the murder of Chechen separatist Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in
Doha started in Qatar today.
The court has held its first session. The hearing was attended by
representatives of the Russian embassy in Qatar and the defendants' lawyers.
11.04.04
'BOMBERS
CALLED BRITAIN'
Spanish police believe a British radical Islamic leader was contacted by
suspected terrorists shortly before they blew themselves up in Madrid.
It has reinforced their theory that the Madrid train bombings, which killed
191 people, were supported by radicals in the UK.
The Spanish newspaper El Pais said investigators had little information
about the British leader.
However, they are convinced he is a senior Moslem figure and possibly an
imam.
Seventeen people, 13 of them Moroccan, have been charged in connection with
the bomb attacks.
Seven terrorist suspects blew themselves up last Saturday - at least six
more are still being sought by police.
They include a suspected leading member of the al Qaida terrorist group in
Europe, Amer Azizi.
More than 1,800 people were injured when 10 bombs ripped through four
commuter trains at the height of the Madrid rush hour on March 11.
A month later, as Spain remains on high alert, 46 are still being treated in
hospital.
Men
Accused of Terror Plot
Five men suspected of being involved in an alleged terrorist bomb plot are
due in court.
They were arrested in the South East last week in a series of anti-terror
raids involving more than 700 police officers.
The operation uncovered half a tonne of ammonium nitrate fertiliser which
was seized from a west London self-storage unit.
Four of the men were charged with conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to
endanger life or injure property under the Explosives Substance Act 1883.
They were Anthony Garcia, 21, of Ilford, Essex; 20-year-old Jawad Akbar from
Crawley, West Sussex; Omar Khyam, 22, of Crawley and 32-year-old Waheed
Mahmoud, also from Crawley.
Three men, Garcia, Khyam, and Nabeel Hussain, 18, from Horley, Surrey, were
charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 with possession of an article for
purposes of terrorism.
All five men are to face Belmarsh Magistrates' Court, south-east London.
Three other men, also arrested during the raids, have been released on bail
pending further inquiries.
Rebels Threaten to Burn Hostages Alive
Iraqi rebels have turned to kidnapping and death threats in a bid to
split the allied coalition as the Shiite revolt continued across the
country.
Three Japanese civilians were threatened with being burned to death in three
days after being kidnapped by men who demanded Tokyo's withdrawal from the
coalition in return for their freedom.
Japan refused to bow to the masked kidnappers demands made in a video shown
on the Arab satellite television Al-Jazeera.
Iraqi insurgents also kidnapped seven South Korean Christian missionaries,
two Israeli Arabs and a Briton, who was seized on Tuesday.
The kidnappings represented a new tactic targeting foreigners in Iraq in
order to pressure their governments, which are allied with the United
States.
It could affect UN workers, journalists, aid workers, Christian
missionaries, security personnel and those doing business with the Iraqi
government.
In the video, captors armed with automatic rifles and swords and calling
themselves Mujahedeen Squadrons, stood over the blindfolded Japanese - two
men and a woman. The black-garbed men pointed knives and swords at the
captives' chests and throats as they lay on the floor of a room with
concrete walls.
At one point, a gunman dressed in black put a knife to the throat of one of
the men whose eyes widened in panic and he struggled to try to get free. The
woman wept and hid her eyes as another gunman tried to pull her hands away
from her face and he pressed a knife toward her throat.
The three Japanese were taken in southern Iraq, editors at Al-Jazeera said.
It wasn't clear who the captors were, but Shiite militiamen in black garb
have been engaged in an uprising in the south this week. Japanese troops are
based outside the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.
08.04.2004
Let's Talk to Bin Laden - Mowlam
Former cabinet minister Mo Mowlam has called on the British and American
governments to hold talks with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida.
Mowlam also said that by carrying out military campaigns in the Middle East,
Britain and the US were acting as "a recruitment officer for the
terrorists".
In a TV interview which will be broadcast on Easter Sunday, the ex-Northern
Ireland Secretary and former Labour MP for Redcar described the current
hard-line approach to the war on terror as "completely counterproductive".
She told Tyne Tees TV's Sunday Interview that Britain and America must open
a dialogue with their enemies.
Interviewer Tony Cartledge asked if she could imagine "al-Qaida and Osama
bin Laden arriving at the negotiating table".
She replied: "You have to do that. If you do not you condemn large parts of
the world to war forever.
"Some people couldn't conceive of Gerry Adams or Martin McGuinness getting
to the table but they did."
She added: "If you go in with guns and bombs, you act as a recruitment
officer for the terrorists."
Mowlam, who stepped down as an MP in 2001, said she was ready to criticise
the Government she once served in her new one-woman show, particularly about
its policy on Iraq and the Middle East.
She also confirmed on the programme that she has completely recovered from a
brain tumour.
Police Foil Deadly Poison Terror Attack
Police have foiled a poison gas attack in Britain. A highly toxic
chemical called osmium tetroxide was to be used in a device, ABC News
reported in the US.
The chemical compound, which can be bought on the Internet, causes victims
to choke to death in agony. It also attacks the cornea and can lead to
blindness.
It could have been used by terrorists to target the Tube in London, Gatwick
Airport or a busy shopping centre, ABC News said.
Police and security services in the UK were alerted after mention of the
chemical was picked up at the GCHQ electronic listening centre, ABC News
said.
They moved to stop any possibility of it being used.
Osmium tetroxide has a pungent smell and comes from the Greek word for
"stench".
It is used in research laboratories as a staining agent in electron
microscopy.
Despite being considered extremely hazardous, small amounts can be obtained
through the Internet for about £100.
Experts say it could be "piggybacked" on to a conventional bomb which would
see the invisible chemical dispersed into a crowd of people. As they die,
victims would suffer asthma-like symptoms known as "dryland drowning".
Police in Britain have not said that they have found any osmium tetroxide.
And while al Qaida has included plans for chemical attacks in training
manuals, it has so far used conventional devices.
06.04.2004.
Teenager Faces Terror Charges
A 17-year-old youth arrested during a series of anti-terror raids has
been charged with conspiracy to cause explosions.
The teenager, who was arrested a week ago during raids across London and the
Home Counties, is accused of conspiracy to cause explosions with intent to
injure or damage property.
He will appear at Bow Street Magistrates' Court tomorrow, which will be
sitting as a youth court.
Police arrested eight people and searched several properties in the South
East last Tuesday in connection with a suspected al-Qaida terror attack.
A ninth man, believed to be a 27-year-old teacher of Pakistani descent, was
arrested in Crawley, West Sussex, on Thursday evening.
The eight detained last Tuesday are being held at the high security
Paddington Green police station in central London.
Under anti-terrorism laws, police can apply for extensions to detain
suspects for questioning for up to 14 days without charge.
More than 700 police officers were involved in the operation, which came as
half a ton of ammonium nitrate fertiliser was seized from a west London
self-storage unit.
The material was capable of creating a bomb similar to the one used in the
2002 terror attack on Bali, police claim.
In Canada, police have confirmed that a man held on terrorism charges was
linked to last Tuesday's arrests.
Canadian software engineer Mohammad Momin Khawaja, 24, appeared in court
accused of being involved in terrorist-related activity since November 2003
in Ottawa and "at or near the City of London, England", the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police said.
06.04.2004
Ukrainian peacekeepers in Iraq put on high alert
Kiev, 6 April: Ukrainian peace keepers deployed in the Iraqi towns of Al-Kut,
As-Suwayrah, (?Al-Hai), and outside Badra (a fort on the Iraqi-Iranian
border), have been put on high alert, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry
press-service told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday [6 April].
Ukrainian servicemen are taking measures aimed at stabilising the situation
in their area of responsibility.
"At 0700 Moscow time (0300 gmt) on Tuesday, Ukrainian peace keepers deployed
in the Iraqi town of Al- Kut seized the local city hall, the television
station, the bridge and other crucial facilities. They also blocked, and
then apprehended armed guerillas, who had been attempting to set up firing
positions for firing at the base of the Ukrainian 6th Detached Mechanised
Brigade," a press-service official said.
"Given the fact that almost the whole of Iraq was swept by rallies,
conducted by radical Shi'i leaders, these measures are just preventive
steps," he said.
According to him, the measures were taken by the 6th brigade in order to
prevent escalation of violence and crimes towards local residents,
authorities and Ukrainian peace keepers operating in the Wasit province.
The Wasit province governor and the commanding officer of the 6th brigade
agreed to cut down on the number of Ukrainian peace keepers patrols for the
duration of rallies in Al-Kut. This decision was taken in order to prevent
an increase in tensions, as well as an armed confrontation with participants
in the rallies.
[Yesterday the Ukrainian Defence Ministry denied media reports saying that
Shi'i radicals drove Ukrainian peace keepers out of Al-Kut; see Interfax-Ukraine
news agency, Kiev, in Russian 1347 gmt 5 Apr 04.]
Australian official denies passport errors useful to terrorists
Australia's Foreign Affairs Department has denied that thousands of mistakes
[un]covered in Australian passports assist terrorists. In the last financial
year [ending 30 June] some 3,800 passports the department issued were found
to have errors, including more than 500 which had the wrong photographs or
signatures.
The head of the department's passports division, Ian Kemish, says rather
than assist terrorists, passports with errors hinder them.
There can be no suggestion that passports containing these kinds of errors
might be to the advantage of terrorists. Frankly, a passport containing
incorrect details is no more useful to a terrorist than one issued with all
the details correct. In fact, it's less useful.
IAEA chief to head for Iran late on 5 April
Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Muhammad
Al-Baradi'i is due to depart for Tehran Monday night [5 April] to discuss
Iran's nuclear programmes.
According to the press department of the agency, IAEA spokesman Mark
Gwozdecky and the head of operational safeguards are to accompany Al-Baradi'i
in his one-day visit, his third since February of this year.
Al-Baradi'i is expected to return to Vienna on Wednesday.
Police Officer Killed in Madrid Terror Sweep
A police officer was killed and eight other people were injured in an
explosion in a Madrid suburb on Saturday where police were hunting for
suspects in the March 11 bombings.
An Interior Ministry source earlier on Saturday confirmed an operation was
under way in the suburb of Leganes linked to the investigation into the
train bombings that killed 191 people, but declined to provide further
details.
A photographer at the scene heard the explosion and said a number of
ambulances rushed to the scene.
An Interior Ministry source confirmed an operation was under way in the
south-western Madrid suburb of Leganes to hunt for suspects in the suspected
al Qaeda-linked train bombings on March 11 that killed 191 people.
The source declined to provide further details.
News agency Europa Press said police were trying to arrest three people who
had taken refuge in a block of flats.
State radio said the explosion was a "controlled" one but there was no
immediate confirmation.
It said about 40 homes in the area were evacuated.
Spain is holding 15 people, many of them Moroccan, over the March 11
commuter train bombings.
Interior Minister Angel Acebes said earlier that a bomb found on a Spanish
high-speed rail track on Friday contained the same explosive and may have a
similar detonator to the bombs that blew up four commuter trains last month.
The government refused to put the blame on any group for Friday's bomb but
the reported similarities between the bombs led Spanish media to conclude
that Spain may have narrowly escaped another mass killing at the hands of
Islamic militants.
"We see how the terrorist threat is a serious and real threat and all
efforts to combat it every day...are absolutely essential," Acebes told a
news conference.
High-speed trains from Madrid to the southern Spanish city of Seville began
running again on Saturday after the 12-kg (26-lb) bomb found on the line on
Friday was defused.
05.04.2004.
Jordanian paper says three suspected
terrorists at large Al-Qa'idah members
Amman: Asma Khadr, the official spokesperson for the government, has told
Al-Ra'y that the specialised security services took all the necessary
measures to prevent the terrorist group from achieving its goals.
She pointed out that a detailed statement clarifying all aspects of the
issue will be issued once the investigation is complete. She assured
citizens that the security situation is under control, and that the measures
taken so far only seek to serve the investigation until the security
apparatuses succeed in gathering all pieces of evidence related to this
issue.
She said that if the investigations prove that the two explosives-laden
vehicles entered Jordan via Syria, that would not mean that this took place
with the knowledge of the Syrian authorities, or that the latter are
responsible for what took place.
She stressed the depth of fraternal relations between Jordan and Syria. She
also valued Syria's stand and its condemnation of any act that would target
Jordan's security and stability. She pointed out that the Al-Ramtha area,
which is an official border post on the Jordanian-Syrian borders, is a vast
area. She denied reports that Jordan issued an official announcement about
the place from which the two vehicles came.
Meanwhile, the security apparatuses have stepped up their search for the
explosives-laden vehicles and the detonators for the third consecutive day.
The search operations included all northern, southern, and eastern areas of
the country. The security services also imposed tight security measures
around the capital [Amman].
The security apparatuses are using advanced devices to search for the
explosives-rigged vehicles. These search operations are carried out by the
security apparatuses' officers and members, who have the necessary expertise
and skill to find weapons and explosives.
The investigations conducted so far have proved that the suspected
terrorists, for whom the security forces are looking, belong to the Al-Qa'idah
Organisation, and that they have links with Ahmad Fadil Nazzal al-Khalayilah,
also known as Abu-Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, who is wanted by Jordan in connection
with a number of terrorist acts.
The investigations have also indicated that criminal Muwaffaq Ahmad al-Adwan,
two photographs of whom were published, always changes his appearance by
growing a beard. The security apparatuses, therefore, dealt with this issue
in a discreet manner before they decided to publish his two photographs -
one with and another without a beard - to make it easier for citizens to
identify him.
A reward amounting to 70,000 dinars will be given to anyone who gives
information about the three criminals.
04.04.04.
Fire damages UN tribunal for Rwanda's offices in
Tanzania
A huge fire started on Friday
2nd April in the building housing the International Criminal Tribunal for
Rwanda and damaged a section of the building.
According to security officers from the tribunal, an electrical fault in a
small room packed with electrical installations, is to blame for the fire
which started at 6 a.m.[local time] in the morning.
The room is also claimed to house various types of communication equipment.
China releases two of three Tiananmen Mothers
China has released two of the three Tiananmen Mothers who were detained by
security police several days ago. But the best known of the three, Ding
Zilin, whose son was shot dead during the pro-democracy protests in 1989, is
still being held. The Tiananmen Mothers are a network of relatives of
victims of the Beijing massacre who campaign for the government to take
responsibility for the killings.
Checkpoints to be removed from Chechnya's capital
Khankala (Chechnya), 2 April: All checkpoints could be dismantled in Groznyy
in April, RIA-Novosti was told at the regional command headquarters of the
counter terrorist operation in the North Caucasus.
"Chechen president Akhmat Kadyrov has stated that there will be no
checkpoints left in Groznyy after 20 April. He said the agreements to this
effect have already been reached with all the relevant agencies," the
headquarters' press service says.
Two checkpoints in the Chechen capital have already been removed.
04.04.2004
Iraqi official Al-Sumaydi'i says defence minister to be named 3 April
Iraqi Governing Council [IGC] member Samir Shakir al-Sumaydi'i has said that
the name of the new Iraqi defence minister will be announced the day after
tomorrow [4 April]. He expressed strong condemnation of what took place in
the city of Al-Fallujah the day before yesterday.
Al-Sumaydi'i, who is a member of the IGC Security Committee, said that the
post of defence minister is a political position and does not preclude
affiliation to any political party or movement. What is important, he said,
is for the person to be qualified and capable of interacting with the new
mentality of the Iraqi army. He added that the administrative team will
consist of civilians.
Al-Sumaydi'i pointed out that the number of Iraqi army members will reach
60,000 within seven months, but added that this will not be enough, and
completing the numbers and equipment will require one to two years.
03.04.2004
NATO Welcomes Seven Nations, Ministers Discuss Terror
The world's most successful defence alliance
welcomed seven new countries into the organisation on Friday 2nd April.
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Slovakia
officially
joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation during a ceremony at the
alliance's headquarters in Brussels. Following the symbolic flag-raising
outside the headquarters building, the foreign ministers of the seven new
countries took their seats as full NATO allies.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the seven nations all
once
members of the Warsaw Pact demonstrate that "freedom is irrepressible."
At the heart of NATO is Article 5, which says an attack on one ally is an
attack on all. The seven new nations join in the "commitment to defend each
others' security and territorial integrity," Scheffer said. "This is the
strongest, most solemn commitment nations can undertake."
Secretary of State Colin Powell represented the United States at the
ceremony.
On April 1, he held a pres conference with reporters from the new NATO
nations. He said the growth of NATO might make it more difficult to achieve
consensus for the alliance, but that it is worth it.
"At 26, it will be that much more difficult (to achieve consensus)," he
said.
"But if we're going after the right kinds of issues, and if we're doing
something that really is in the best interest of all of our people, then
we'll
be able to achieve the consensus necessary."
Following the ceremony, the NATO foreign ministers discussed strengthening
NATO's contribution to the fight against terrorism. Ministers also
considered
the situation in Kosovo in the aftermath of the recent upsurge in violence,
and
assessed NATO's operations in Afghanistan.
In the press conference, Powell spoke about the threat of terrorism to
NATO.
He
said that terrorist acts draw the NATO countries together, and said this
was
the case following the Madrid bombings, the bombings in Istanbul and the
attacks of Sept. 11. "More and more people have com to the realisation that
they are not safe," he said.
Terrorism is not a result of the coalition deposing Saddam Hussein, he
said.
Probe into blasts in Uzbek capital under way
An investigation into the series of blasts in Tashkent is under way and
identification of the blast victims is being carried out, Uzbek
Prosecutor-General Abdurashid Qodirov told an ITAR-TASS correspondent today.
Qodirov said that "precise data on the victims of the terrorist acts who
have already been identified cannot be made public yet", saying that this is
confidential to the investigation.
Twenty-two people were killed as a result of the series of terrorist acts in
the Uzbek capital and Bukhara Region on 29-30 March.
01.04.2004
SEARCH FOR KARADZIC FAILED
A dramatic overnight operation has failed to catch the world's most wanted
war-crimes suspect - former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic.
Nato troops surrounded a building in the town of Pale, which was once his
stronghold. Shots were fired and an explosion was heard.
Karadzic is accused of genocide over the massacre of as many as 8,000 Muslim
men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995, at the height of the Bosnian civil war.
Captain Dave Sullivan, spokesman for the Nato-led force Sfor, said: "We
searched an administrative accommodation building but we failed to locate
him."
The wife of Serbian Orthodox priest Jeremija Starovlah said that her husband
and son were injured when troops burst into the family home next to the
church.
"We were awoken by shooting. Soldiers burst into the house and immediately
took them to another room...a soldier put a gun to my head. I heard my
husband cry for help but I could do nothing."
The raid began when a convoy of US troops rolled into Pale shortly after
1.15 a.m. (2315 GMT), according to a witness.
Gunfire and an explosion were heard, and at least four Nato helicopters
hovered over the centre of the small town, in mountains above the Bosnian
capital.
Around 40 American, British and German troops took part.
"Despite precautions, two civilians were injured inside the house. They
received blast injuries," Capt Sullivan said.
It appeared to be the first time that the Karadzic manhunt had resulted in
injury to civilians and it was likely to anger Bosnian Serbs.
Sfor has in recent months intensified its seven-year hunt for Karadzic,
wanted by the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague on two charges
of genocide for the slaughter of Bosnian Muslims in the 1992-95 war.
The former leader of the breakaway Bosnian Serb republic has a price of $5m
on his head.
He and his former army commander General Ratko Mladic rank as the most
wanted Balkan fugitives still at large.
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