Top 9/11 mastermind held in Pak

Islamabad - March 2 - Khalid Shaikh, a senior operative in Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, was captured in a joint raid by CIA and Pakistani agents. Intelligence officials regard Khalid Sheikh as a far bigger catch than the other two major Qaeda figures captured so far, Abu Zubaydah and Ramzi bin al-Shibh. He is perhaps the most senior Al-Qaeda member after bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Khalid Shaikh's ties to terrorism are deep. He is the uncle of convicted 1993 World Trade Counter Centre conspirator Ramzi Yousef and one of his elder brothers also belongs to al-Qaeda. He also has been linked to last year's bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia. 

Hindustan Times - March 3, 2003.

Lashkar threat to Vajpayee, Advani

New Delhi - March 2 - PTI - The Lashkar-e-Tayyeba has issued a fresh threat to unleash a spate of suicide attacks in India and their targets include Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee among others, reports Pakistani media. Lashkar also threatened Deputy Prime Minister of India, L.K. Advani, saying that his days were numbered, Pakistani weekly The Friday Times reported. Lashkar chief Hafeez Saeed said in his taped speech (played at a mosque in Rawalpindi), "Listen to Musharaf! We shall not submit to you or your government….. We will not allow you to besmirch the jihad…." The speech did not spare the US Ambassador to Pakistan, Nancy Powell, and said "We cannot tolerate unholy presence of Nancy Powell…..Pakistan should cleanse itself from her unholy existence." Meanwhile, a former army general, Lt. General Nishat Ahmed warned that chances of war with India were ripe because Islamabad was not keeping its word. "Cross-border infiltration is on. The government may not be supporting it but it is certainly looking the other way." 

Hindustan Times - March 3, 2003.

'Qaeda to target Pearl Harbour'

Washington - March 3 - Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network planned to attack the United States naval base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, using hijacked airliners, The Washington Times reported on Monday. Intelligence reports about the threat to the naval base were sent to senior United States officials in the past two weeks and coincided with reports that Al-Qaeda was planning a major attack, the newspaper reports. The Washington Times cited officials familiar with the intelligence reports as saying that Al-Qaeda was planning to take aim at Pearl Harbour because of its symbolic value, which had been bombed in World War-II by the Japanese.

The Indian Express - March 4, 2003.

Osama may choose death over disguise

Singapore - March 3 - The world's most wanted man is unlikely to stoop to radical disguise to escape capture by the agents who netted his operations chief, say some who have met Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden may have to shift hiding places, but would prefer to die a martyr rather than face arrest or shave his trademark luxuriant beard grown in keeping with Islamic practice, Pakistani Afghan expert Rahimullah Yusufzai said. Bin Laden must be nervous after the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11 attack. Udai Bhaskar, Deputy Director of the Institute of Defence Studies in New Delhi, said, "Whether, first lf all, he is alive or not; if alive, is he hurt, does he pose the threat or danger that is perceived?" "The Pakistan authorities will now be very concerned that the leaders of Al Qaeda are spread out over the country," said Mr. Ysufzai. "The fact that the top three Al Qaeda arrested were all found in urban areas of Pakistan means there will be more pressure on Pakistan to find others."

The Asian Age - March 4, 2003.

Britain plans terror 'catastrophe' exercise

London - March 3 - Britain announced plans on Monday to simulate a "catastrophic incident" in London as part of intensified contingency preparations for any terror attack. Last month, Prime Minister Tony Blair issued a warning that groups such as Al Qaeda will try to attack Britain for its staunch support of the United States. "Future planned exercises will cover a catastrophic incident in central London, disruption to the national gas supply and flood defences," Mr. David Blunkett, Home Secretary, said in a statement. "The programme is expected to cover 11 key capabilities, such as, mass evacuation and decontamination," he added. Mr. Tony Blair has said he is bombarded almost daily with new intelligence about threats to UK interests, and government officials have said privately it is probably only a matter of time until the militants strike. Mr. Blunkett's announcement coincided with the BBC quoting a senior government advisor as saying Britain was ill-prepared to deal with a smallpox attack. Mr. Blunkett said reserve armed forces could be deployed to help authorities deal with a terror attack. Britain has arrested more than 200 terror suspects since the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

The Asian Age - March 4, 2003.

Philippines airport blast leaves 19 dead, 114 injured

Davao - March 4 - At least 19 people were killed and 114 people wounded in a blast at southern Philippines airport on Tuesday, officials said, but reports said the death toll could climb to 30. A powerful bomb tore through a waiting shed at the Davao city international airport at about 5.15 p.m., while another explosion hit a bus terminal at the city. There were no reports of injuries in the second blast. Meanwhile, three people were slightly injured when a bomb exploded outside a government building in the southern Philippines city of Tagum minutes after the Davao airport blast, officials said. Tagum city chief of police Marcelo Pintac told the radio station that an unidentified man planted a home-made explosive at the fence of the city health office, which exploded at 6.00 p.m. "The police right now are on high alert and are guarding vital installations," Pintac said.

Hindustan Times - March 5, 2003.

Pentagon spreads its spy net worldwide

Washington - March 4 - The Defence Intelligence Agency, the espionage and counter-espionage arm of the Pentagon, is to be expanded into a world-wide network of spies to collect information on terrorist organizations and other military targets, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday. Department of Defence officials told the newspaper the goal is a team "capable of handling a range of assignments - from reconnaissance for military operations to long-term clandestine work in which Pentagon spies would function like CIA case officers, working undercover to steal secrets and recruit informants." They would receive CIA training at the agency's southern Virginia training facility. "Pentagon officials stressed that the plans were being pursued in close coordination with the CIA, and that the Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld and CIA Director George Tenet have discussed the matter," the Times reported, adding that officials at the CIA refused to comment. Officials told the Times a major objective of the new spy plan is to produce more "actionable intelligence," a Pentagon term for information leading to military operations. 

The Asian Age - March 5, 2003.

35 terror groups operate in India, Pathak tells LS

New Delhi - March 4 - As many as 35 militant organizations, including Al Qaeda, are engaged in terrorist activities in various parts of India, said the Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs, Harin Pathak, in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The list of organisations include Lashker-e-Tayyaba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Harket-ul-Mujahideen, United Liberation Front of Assam, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist), the People's War and all its front organiations, Maoist Communist Centre, Al-Badr and the Al Qaeda among others. In response to a related question, Mr. Pathak said the Centre hds asked the state governments to constitute "inter-state intelligence support teams." The teams will be given suitable training by the Intelligence Bureau to upgrade their operational capabilities to deal with terrorism effectively, Mr. Pathak said.

The Asian Age - March 5, 2003.

Suicide attack kills 15 in Israel

Haifa - A suicide bomber blew himself up aboard a crowded bus in this northern city on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people, injuring dozens and ending a two-month lull in suicide bombings in Israel. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which comes as Israel's new hard-line government is pressing ahead with a two-week-old offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza, and as the Palestinian Authority is considering far-reaching reforms.

The Times of India - March 6, 2003.

Serbian PM assassinated

Belgrade - March 12 - Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic, was assassinated on Wednesday by unknown gunmen who ambushed him outside the government complex, police sources said. He died of his wounds in a Belgrade hospital. Witnesses said two suspects were arrested, and one was injured in shooting. Djindjic, 50, appeared to have been targeted earlier also on February 21, when a truck had suddenly cut into the lane in which his motorcade was traveling to Belgrade's airport.

Hindustan Times - March 13, 2003.

'Osama sets up women suicide squads to bomb US'

Dubai - March 12 - The Al-Qaeda network has set up squads of female suicide bombers who take orders from the world's most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden and will target the United States, a newspaper (the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Aswat) reported today. The newspaper published an email interview with a woman calling herself "Um Osama", who told the daily her instructions came from the suspected Saudi terrorist mastermind and "brothers in Al-Qaida and the Taliban" via mullah "Self Edin". The women bombers include Afghans, Arabs, Chechens and other nationalities. "We are preparing for the new strike announced by our leaders and I declare that it will make America forget……the September 11 attacks in 2001," Um Osama said. "Our organization is open to all Muslim women wanting to serve the (Islamic) nation. particularly in this very critical phase," as the United States moved towards an invasion of Iraq. 

The Statesman - March 13, 2002

10 killed, 90 hurt in explosion in Mumbai train

Mumbai - March 13 - Ten people were killed (including 3 women) and over 90 injured (including 21 in serious condition) on Thursday when two simultaneous explosions occurred on a local train at 8.45 p.m. at Mulund rail station in north-east Mumbai. The police said the explosions, which blew off the roof the ladies carriage, were caused by a bomb planted between the two carriages. No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts so far. A police official described the scene: "It is a mess out there. We have rushed fire personnel, wireless vans and officers, but commuters rushed many of the injured to hospitals in and around Mulund on their own."

Hindustan Times - March 14, 2003

Six killed in Ulfa's 'army day' attack

An unrelenting United Liberation Front of Assam struck on its "army day", killing six people in Goalpara district of Assam, one of the Northeastern States of India, on Sunday, March 9 . The unofficial figure was 11. Militants detonated an IED planted on National Highway 37 at Bamunkhopa near Goalpara town around 5.30 p.m. The target was a CRPF bus on its way to Goalpara, but a packed passenger bus caught the impact of the blast. 

Hindustan Times - March 17, 2003.

Militants storm police post in J&K, kill 11

Jammu - March 16 - Militants swooped on a police post in Udhampur district of J&K late on Saturday night, killed 11 (including 9 policemen) people and left later setting fire to several houses in the village before the policemen could retaliate. Four policemen are missing, believed to have been abducted by the militants. Before disappearing from the village, the militants set fire to 7 houses belonging to members of the village defence committee. Director General of Police, J&K, A.K. Suri said the attack was the militants' revenge for the police killing top Hizb leader Amanullah. The police post attacked on Sunday had played a key role in neutralizing militants in the area.

Hindustan Times - March 17, 2003.

Militants gun down 24 in Kashmir

Nadimarg (Pulwama) - 15 unidentified militants, dressed in Army fatigues, barged into Nadimarg village in Kulgam (inhabited by 11 Kashmiri Pandit families - district Pulwama), on Sunday night and shot dead 24 persons (all Hindu Kashmiri Pandits), including 11 women and two children, by disarming the police personnel manning a nearby picket. They fired at villagers indiscriminately by asking them to stand in a queue for identification. The policemen offered no resistance and the militants took away four self-loading rifles, three .308 rifles, a carbine and a wireless set, according to officials. While the police officials put the number of militants at 25, eyewitnesses said there were four to seven of them. Pooja Devi, who lost her husand and daughter in the massacre, said, "I heard one of them call a resident of this village by name." No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack. Blaming police laxity, Mohan Lal Bhat, a student and the lone survivor of his family, said that only seven out of nine policemen posted at the picket were present at the time. Admitting the security lapse, deputy inspector general of police, Anantnag-Pulwama range, M.A. Anjum, said the policemen on duty had been taken into custody for dereliction of duty.

The Times of India - March 25, 2003.

Worth Knowing

$28 billion has been spent by the U.S. military to fight global terrorism since the September 11 attacks.

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