July 2008

Grenade blast kills 3, injures 11 in southern Philippines

Suspected communist guerrillas launched a series of attacks Thursday in the southern Philippines, lobbing a grenade that killed three people and raiding a police station and a gold mining company, officials said. The pre-dawn grenade blast, which also injured 11 people, ripped through the Park n Go bakeshop in Compostela Valley's Nabunturan township, where communist rebels, extortion gangs and other armed groups operate. In the same province's gold-mining township of Monkayo, communist New People's Army guerrillas harassed a mining company, prompting an hour-long clash that killed a rebel and wounded two policemen…..(AP, 3 Jul 08)

US soldiers find bodies of 14 civilians in Iraq

US soldiers found the bodies of 14 civilian men in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra, officials said Thursday.  A government spokesman said the dead had not yet been identified……(DPA, 3 Jul 08)

Islamist Rebels Ambush Ethiopia Troops in Central Region

Ethiopian troops who have been attacked repeatedly across several towns in central Somalia this week were ambushed again on Thursday, Radio Garowe reported. The Ethiopian army convoy left bases at the border town of Fer Fer and was reportedly en route to a base outside of the town of Beletwein when Somali rebels attacked.

One Islamist fighter told Radio Garowe that their fighters had retreated back towards Beletwein, the capital of Hiran region which has been under the control of the Islamic Courts militia since Saturday…….(Garowe, 3 Jul 08)

Clashes in Somalia kill 53, dozens wounded

At least 53 people were killed in Somalia when Islamist insurgents clashed with Ethiopian troops and Ugandan peacekeepers in separate battles, a human rights group said on Wednesday. The latest flare-up in the 18-month-old insurgency came a week before a U.N.-mediated ceasefire between an Islamist faction and the interim Somali government is to take effect……(Reuters, 2 Jul 08)

Suicide attack on NATO convoy causes injuries: Afghan officials

A suicide car bomber rammed a NATO-led convoy in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Wednesday, causing a number of injuries, Afghan police said. A NATO spokesman confirmed a car bomb attack but had no details of casualties. Afghan police border commander General Abdul Raziq said that a Canadian NATO convoy was struck by the blast on the highway linking Kandahar city to the troubled town of Spin Boldak, near the border with Pakistan……(AFP, 2 Jul 08)

U.S. helicopter shot down in Afghanistan

A helicopter belonging to U.S.-led coalition troops was shot down by small-arms fire south of the Afghan capital on Wednesday, but there were no serious injuries to those on board, the U.S. military said. The pilots landed the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter safely and evacuated all personnel before it caught fire in the Kharwar district of Logar province, where Taliban militants are known to be active……(Reuters, 2 Jul 08)

Terrorist plows bulldozer into vehicles

Three people were killed and 66 were wounded - one moderately and the rest lightly - on Wednesday afternoon when a bulldozer driver went on a rampage in downtown Jerusalem.  A half-dozen cars were flattened and others were overturned by the Caterpillar vehicle. A bus was also overturned, and another bus was heavily damaged……(Jerusalem Post, 2 Jul 08)

Woman shot dead in South Thailand

A gunman shot dead a female villager in Narathiwat's Rusoh district Wednesday morning just as she dropped off her daughter at a local school… A letter, written in Thai, was left next to the victims' body. It said: "You kill Malays, I will kill Thai"…..(Nation, 2 Jul 08)

Chinese engineer kidnapped in Afghanistan: governor

An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier stands guard near the wreckage of a car in the Chak district of Wardak province, west of Kabul, in 2007. Unknown gunmen kidnapped a Chinese road engineer in southern Afghanistan, an official said Tuesday. The Chinese national and his Afghan driver were kidnapped Monday in Wardak province…..(Today, 2 Jul 08)

39 killed in Somalia fighting: residents

At least 39 people were killed on Tuesday in fighting that erupted when Islamist insurgents attacked Somali, Ethiopian and African Union forces in the capital and central region, residents said. The clashes, some of the most serious in months, came a week before a deadline for the implementation of a truce agreement signed by rival factions last month in Djibouti was due to expire……(AFP, 1 Jul 08)

Six killed in Iraq's Diyala province

Insurgents killed six people in Iraq's Diyala province on Tuesday, including three in a series of attacks which began with the killing of a member of an anti-Qaeda group, local police said.Early on Tuesday, gunmen targeted a checkpoint in the village of Al-Abbara, south of Diyala's capital city of Baquba, and killed one member of a local anti-Qaeda group who was manning the checkpoint, a police officer said. The gunmen then carried his body to a house and bombed it, killing a neighbor…..(AFP, 1 Jul 08)

Five aid workers kidnapped in Somalia: group

Somali gunmen have kidnapped five local employees of an Italian charity and the United Nations in the latest attack on humanitarian staff in the country, the head of the Italian group said on Tuesday. Elio Sommavilla, founder of the Water For Life charity, told Reuters four of those kidnapped worked for his charity, identifying the fifth as an agronomist with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

FAO in Rome could not confirm the kidnapping….(Reuters, 1 Jul 08)

Roman Catholic priest killed in Nepal in suspected terrorist attack

A Vatican-affiliated news agency says a Roman Catholic priest has been killed in Nepal in a suspected terrorist attack. AsiaNews says the Rev. John Prakash died after armed men broke into his residence in the eastern city of Sirsiya and set off an explosive device. Prakash was 62. The agency says police suspect a terrorist group called the Terai Defense Army. It says the group has demanded money from the principal of the local Catholic school in the past……(AP, 1 Jul 08)

Communist rebels kill 2 soldiers, torch tower in continuing attacks in Philippines

Communist rebels killed two soldiers in a public market and torched a cellular phone tower in the southern Philippines as the latest flare-up in the 40-year-old insurgency showed no sign of abating, officials said Tuesday.

New People's Army guerrillas shot dead the troops in Compostela Valley province's Nabuturan township, snatching the men's rifles before fleeing on a motorcycle, said Chief Superintendent Andres G. Caro II, the regional police chief……(AP, 1 Jul 08)

June 2008

Taliban shura backs Baitullah

A shura of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Sunday endorsed Baitullah Mehsud’s announcement about suspending all peace agreements and negotiations with the government in Fata and the NWFP.  TTP spokesman Maulvi Omar told Dawn on phone that the shura at a meeting held at an unspecified place and endorsed Mehsud’s announcement that all agreements reached with the provincial and federal governments would stand suspended and talks would be discontinued.  Citing reasons for suspending the peace deals, the spokesman said that despite agreements the government had launched operations against Taliban in Swat, Khyber Agency, Jandola and Darra Adamkhel……(Dawn, 30 Jun 08)

Taliban aims to control rural phones

Taliban forces have discovered a novel tactic to move undetected through strongholds at night - blow up cellular telephone towers unless local officials turn off the networks from dusk to dawn. The strategy has been used widely in rural areas of Kandahar and Helmand provinces in southern Afghanistan midwinter, said U.S. officials, who estimate that at least 50 towers have been attacked in Helmand province alone. U.S. officials, however, said the tactic is just as likely to alienate locals, who have grown accustomed to keeping in touch with family and friends…..(Washington Times, 30 Jun 08)

Islamists Ambush Troops Outside Mogadishu

Heavily armed Islamic fighters have attacked convoy vehicles escorting the deputy police commander of Baidoa town (the seat of the government on his way to the town from Mogadishu residents said.  At the attack occasion the commander with two armed vehicles full of soldiers was passing in Belidowgle area of lower Shabelle region where sudden fighting started……..(Shabelle, 30 Jun 08)

Philippines: Blast Kills One, Injures 16 In Northern Philippines; Improvised Bomb Defused In South

MANILA, PHILIPPINES: A hand grenade exploded inside a billiard hall in the northern Philippines, killing one man and injuring 16 other people, while a bomb found in the volatile south was safely defused, police said Monday (30 June). Baguio police spokesman Virgilio Hidalgo said investigators believe the blast late Sunday (29 June) was linked to a gambling argument……(AP, 30 Jun 08)

Police: 3 judges targeted by bombs in Iraq

A police officer says three Iraqi judges have been targeted by bombs in different areas of Baghdad, resulting in injuries but no deaths.  The officer says one of the bombs that exploded Monday injured the head judge in Sadr City, Ghanim Abdullah al-Quraishi, along with his wife and daughter. The other two judges escaped unharmed…….(AP, 30 Jun 08)

8 killed in India market bomb blast

At least eight people have been killed in a bomb blast at a crowded village market in India's troubled north-eastern Assam state, police said.  The separatist United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), fighting for an independent homeland for the state's more than 26 million people, was suspected to be behind the attack, according to police.  More than 45 people were wounded in the blast at Kumarikata, a small village near the border with Bhutan in Assam's Baska district…..(Reuters, 29 Jun 08)

Gunmen assassinate head of Basra city intelligence in Iraq

Head of intelligence in Basra city was assassinated in Baghdad, said a security source Sunday.  The source told KUNA that gunmen assassinated Brigadier Jaber Musaed, head of the intelligence service in the southern city of Basra…..(KUNA, 29 Jun 08)

Iraqi Qaeda group claims Anbar attack

The self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, started by al Qaeda and fellow Sunni militant groups, said in a statement it was behind Thursday's attack by a bomber wearing an explosive belt that killed more than 25 people and wounded many others. Iraqi police put the death toll at 20 people and the U.S. military said three U.S. Marines and two interpreters had been killed. The bomber struck a tribal council meeting in the town of Garma, 30 km (20 miles) northwest of Baghdad. "(They) have sided with the Crusaders ... and they violated the honor of Muslims and stole their money in the name of fighting terrorism,"…..(Reuters, 28 Jun 08)

Three U.S.-led soldiers and Afghan interpreter killed

Three members of Afghanistan's U.S.-led coalition force and an Afghan interpreter were killed when their convoy was blown up by a bomb near the Afghan capital, the force said in a statement on Friday.  Thursday's attack in Wardak, southwest of Kabul, took the number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan in June to 39, the highest monthly toll since U.S.-led troops ousted the Taliban in late 2001…….(Reuters, 27 Jun 08)

Nine Soldiers Killed in Mogadishu Attack, Fighting Breaks Out - Witnesses

Armed Islamic fighters have shot dead up to nine Somali transitional government soldiers in Deynile neighborhood north of Mogadishu an official and witnesses said later Thursday.  Witnesses confirmed the ambush, the latest in a string of attacks in Mogadishu……(Shabelle, 27 Jun 08)

Bomb Kills Marines, Iraqi Tribal Leaders

Two bombings in Iraq on Thursday killed at least 40 people, among them three Marines and two interpreters who were part of a civil affairs team meeting with Sunni tribal leaders, U.S. military officials said. Thirteen Americans, including two civilians, have been killed in Iraq since Monday, most of them during or immediately after meetings with local leaders or officials. The pattern illustrates the continuing risks that service members and diplomats face as they attempt to build up the Iraqi government……(Washington Post, 27 Jun 08)

Somali pirates demand US$1 million ransom for kidnapped Europeans, official says

Somalia needs urgent medical aid to save thousands of malnourished children and wounded adults who are trapped in one of the most violent, lawless countries in the world, an international aid group said Thursday. Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, treated more than 2,500 children suffering from acute malnutrition in the towns around Mogadishu, the country's shattered capital, in May alone. More than 2,000 people have been treated for traumatic injuries since the beginning of the year…..(AP, 26 Jun 08)

Dozens die as bombers target Iraqi government

At least 38 people were killed Thursday as bombers targeted an Iraqi municipal headquarters and a provincial governor's office. Col. Fawzi Fraih, civil defense director of Anbar province, said a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt during a meeting of tribal sheiks in Karmah, about 20 miles west of Baghdad. Officials said the sheiks were members of a group opposed to al-Qaida in Iraq and were meeting with Americans when the attack occurred. At least 20 people were killed and 12 others wounded……(MSNBC, 26 Jun 08)

Bomb hits US-led patrol near Afghan capital, militants killed in south

A bomb hit troops from the U.S.-led coalition patrolling south of the Afghan capital Thursday, causing an unspecified number of casualties, the coalition said. In neighboring Pakistan, the government denied that its main spy agency was behind a recent assassination attempt on the Afghan president and took aim at Kabul for failing to prevent the attack. The bomb struck the coalition convoy on Thursday morning during a patrol in Wardak province…..(AP, 26 Jun 08)

Roadside bombs kill 4 US soldiers in spike of violence against American forces

A U.S. soldier was killed in an attack by an armor-piercing roadside bomb Wednesday in Baghdad in a spike of violence that pushed to at least 10 the number of Americans who have died here this week. The soldier was killed by an explosively formed penetrator, or EFP, at about 9 a.m. in the predominantly Shiite eastern half of Baghdad, the military said. The powerful bombs are believed to come from Iran and have been used by Shiite extremists to kill hundreds of American forces…..(AP, 25 Jun 08)

Many killed in Iraqi bomb attacks

At least 30 people have been killed in two bombings in Iraq. The first occurred in the town of Karma, west of Baghdad, where a suicide attacker detonated a bomb at a local council meeting, killing at least 12.  More than a dozen people were wounded. It was the third attack in a week against a local administrative branch of the US-backed Iraqi government….(BBC, 26 Jun 08)

Somali pirates release Turkish ship

Pirates have released the Turkey-flagged cargo ship MV Arean which was seized off the lawless Somali coast at the end of May but a German ship seized at the same time is still being held, elders who negotiated the deal said Wednesday. "The vessel was released last night (Tuesday) around 8 pm local time (1700 GMT) - the pirates took delivery of a ransom of one million dollars before they released the ship," one of the mediators…..(DPA, 25 Jun 08)

22 Slain in Pakistan, Officials Say

Officials say Taliban militants have killed at least 22 rivals after taking dozens of captives in clashes in Pakistan's volatile northwest. The fighting near the South Waziristan tribal region began Monday when fighters attacked villages outside Jandola town. Militants loyal to Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud took captives from a rival, pro-government faction, headed by Turkistan Bitani……(AP, 25 Jun 08)

Kabul parades ‘Pakistani bombers’

Afghan authorities paraded two alleged Pakistani militants before the media in chains and handcuffs on Monday in a fresh attempt to highlight cross-border infiltration by insurgents. The governor of southern Kandahar province said the two men were would-be Taliban suicide bombers, but one of the Pakistanis told reporters he had only entered Afghanistan to fight US-led and NATO-led forces. The public display comes just over a week after Afghan President Hamid Karzai sparked a major diplomatic row by threatening to launch attacks on militants based on Pakistani soil. Jihad, not suicide bombing: “I came to Afghanistan for jihad but am not a suicide bomber,”…..(AFP, 25 Jun 08)

Head of Mosul Municipality killed

Gunmen showered car of the head of Mosul Municipality with a hail of gunfire on Wednesday killing him along with his driver, a security source said. The source told KUNA the unidentified armed men attacked the vehicle of Khaled Mahmoud in the region of Al-Baladiat in the north of Mosul, killing him and his driver instantly……(KUNA, 25 Jun 08)

90 Iraqis wounded in car bomb: US military

A car bomb attack in northern Iraq's restive city of Mosul has wounded at least 90 civilians, the American military said Wednesday. The attack which occurred late Tuesday was carried out by Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the military said.

A nearby coffee shop was also destroyed in the attack……(AFP, 25 Jun 08)

Taliban militants kill 28 members of tribal peace committee in Pakistan

Taliban militants have killed at least 28 members of Tribal Peace Committee (TPC) in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal agency, bordering Afghanistan, officials said. Their dead bodies were found Wednesday near Jandola district, security officials told KUNA on Wednesday. They added that two more members of the TPC were still missing……(KUNA, 25 Jun 08)

Three American Soldiers Killed in Iraq

Three American soldiers and an interpreter have been killed in a bombing in northern Iraq. A military statement says the deaths occurred late Tuesday night in Nineveh province…….(AP, 25 Jun 08)

Pirates kidnap four tourists off coast of Somalia: officials

Pirates kidnapped four foreign tourists, including a woman and a child, while they were sailing off the coast of Somalia's northern Puntland region, officials said Tuesday.

The four, whose identities were not immediately clear, were seized on Monday near the coastal town of Lasqorey, Puntland senior presidential adviser Bile Mohamoud Qabowsade told AFP.

"They were four tourists -- two men, a woman and a child. They were taken by pirates after they came close to the coastal area and we are trying to trace them by deploying our forces around the area,"……(AFP, 24 Jun 08)

Jandola falls to Baitullah, nine killed

Militants loyal to Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud captured Jandola, a town at the entrance to the South Waziristan tribal region, on Monday after a battle with pro-government tribesmen, police said.
At least six people, four tribesmen and two militants, were killed in the fighting for control of the town, the gateway to Waziristan, they said. “The Taliban have taken over Jandola,” and taken seven tribesmen hostage, the area’s police chief, Barkat Ullah, told Reuters…..(Reuters, 24 Jun 08)

Pakistan tribe gather dead after Taliban take town

Pakistani Taliban militants told rivals to collect the bodies of their men on Tuesday in a northwestern town the Taliban seized the previous day, a tribal elder said. Militants loyal to Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud seized the town of Jandola, on the main road into the South Waziristan ethnic Pashtun tribal region on the Afghan border, in fighting on Monday. The fighting comes as the government tries to end violence by Mehsud through talks despite concerns from the United States, which says negotiations and peace deals give militants a free hand to plot attacks……(Reuters, 24 Jun 08)

Powerful explosion destroys car in Kosovo's tense north; no injuries reported

A powerful explosion destroyed a car Tuesday in Kosovo's tense north, which is dominated by the Serb minority that opposes independence for Kosovo, police said. An explosive device was placed under a car belonging to a Serb member of Kosovo's police force and detonated, police spokesman Besim Hoti said. No one was hurt in the overnight blast in the northern part of the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, which is split between majority ethnic Albanians and minority Serbs……(AP, 24 Jun 08)

26 killed in Sri Lanka's fresh fighting

Twenty-one Tamil Tiger guerrillas and five security personnel were killed while over 40 wounded in fresh fighting in Sri Lanka's northeast, official sources said Tuesday. The Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) of the ministry of defense said 10 rebels were killed in the north-eastern Weli-Oya region. Eleven were gunned down in sporadic clashes in north-western Mannar and northern Vavuniya regions Monday……(New Kerala, 24 Jun 08)

Baghdad blast kills 4 Americans

A bomb struck a municipal council building Tuesday in Baghdad's Shiite Sadr City district, killing four Americans, including two soldiers and two U.S. government civilian employees, U.S. officials said. At least six Iraqi civilians also died. U.S. troops captured a suspect who tested positive for explosive residue after fleeing the scene, the military said. It blamed Shiite extremists for the attack……(AP, 24 Jun 08)

Bomb kills 10 at Baghdad council meeting

A bomb killed 10 people including two U.S. government employees and two U.S. soldiers at a council meeting in the Baghdad stronghold of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Tuesday, officials said……(Reuters, 24 Jun 08)
 

Officials: Iraqi councilman kills U.S. soldiers

A member of an Iraqi city council shot at U.S. forces Monday outside Baghdad, killing at least three soldiers, two Iraqi Interior Ministry officials said. But the U.S. military said one coalition soldier and an "enemy" were killed and five others were wounded. The military said it is investigating. The Iraqi official fired an AK-47 at U.S. troops after they entered the City Council building in al-Madaen, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, according to one Interior Ministry official. The councilman killed at least three people and wounded four……(CNN, 23 Jun 08)

Mortar attack strikes US-allied Sunni group north of Baghdad, killing 10, wounding 24

Iraqi officials say a mortar attack north of Baghdad has killed 10 members of a U.S.-allied Sunni group that has joined forces with the Americans against al-Qaida in Iraq. Maj. Mohammed Thawra says about 10 mortar shells slammed into the group's headquarters and a checkpoint late Sunday in Udaim, a Sunni town 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Thawra, an Iraqi army battalion commander in Udaim, said Monday that 24 members of the so-called awakening council also were wounded in the attack……(AP, 23 Jun 08)

Militants abduct 17 police in Pakistan's Khyber Pass

Suspected pro-Taliban Militants kidnapped 17 Pakistani policemen from posts on the road through the Khyber Pass, the latest insecurity on the vital supply route for Western forces in Afghanistan. Militants attacked four checkposts on the winding road through the pass that leads to the Afghan border on Sunday night, kidnapping the policemen and wounding one in a brief exchange of fire…..(Reuters, 23 Jun 08)

At Least 15 Killed by Female Bomber in Iraq

A female suicide bomber killed at least 15 people, including several police officers, and wounded dozens Sunday in an attack in front of a government building in Diyala province, Iraqi and U.S. officials said. It was the second time this year that a suicide bomber, apparently intent on killing police officers, attacked the busy downtown area of the provincial capital, Baqubah, about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad……(Washington Post, 23 Jun 08)

Militants abduct 17 police in Pakistan's Khyber Pass

Suspected pro-Taliban Militants kidnapped 17 Pakistani policemen from posts on the road through the Khyber Pass, the latest insecurity on the vital supply route for Western forces in Afghanistan. Militants attacked four checkposts on the winding road through the pass that leads to the Afghan border on Sunday night, kidnapping the policemen and wounding one in a brief exchange of fire…..(Reuters, 23 Jun 08)

Afghan official: Suicide car bomber kills 4 civilians in western town

Police say a suspected suicide car bomb has killed four civilians in western Afghanistan. Police official Abdul Shuqur says the sports utility vehicle exploded at a market in the town of Shindand on Monday afternoon…..(AP, 23 Jun 08)

11 beheaded in sectarian violence in Pakistan

At least 11 Shia Muslims were executed by a rival Sunni group in Pakistan's Kurram agency, a volatile north-western tribal district, a tribal leader said Monday. The beheaded bodies of eight people from the Shia tribe Toori were found dumped in Arawali and three in the Sadda area of the district, tribal chief Ali Akbar told the Geo news television channel. However, Kurram's administrator, Azam Khan, confirmed only eight deaths. "According to our information, eight bodies have been found so far,"…..(DPA, 23 Jun 08)

Qaeda urges Somali insurgents to fight on-Web video

An al Qaeda leader said a U.N.- brokered peace deal between the Somali government and some opposition figures was worthless and called on Islamist insurgents in the Horn of Africa nation to fight on. "Do not accept anything less than an independent Islamic state, that does not recognize the legitimacy of international (law) ... and does not look to the East or to the West," Abu Yahya al-Libi said in a video posted on pro-al Qaeda websites on Sunday. Libi praised hardline Islamists for rejecting a June 10 peace deal between Somalia's interim government and some opposition figures, saying he said "was not worth the paper it was written on"……(Reuters, 22 Jun 08)

Somalia: Explosion in Mogadishu Claims Three Soldiers

A remotely-controlled land mine explosion aimed at a Somali government troop convoy passing in Dharkenley neighborhood caused the death of three government troops and injured four others according to eyewitnesses.

The blast was heard in Mogadishu. Eyewitness Hassan Salah Muse told Shabelle that on the occasion the bomb went off underneath, the exploded Government vehicle has rolled over to the ground……(Shabelle, 22 Jun 08)

Sunni Group Announces Execution of 2 Iranian Policemen

An armed Sunni group said Friday that it had executed two Iranian policemen, and it threatened to kill 14 others abducted a week ago in an area near the border with Pakistan. Iranian authorities did not immediately react to a videotape purporting to show the killings, part of which was aired Friday by the al-Arabiya satellite channel, based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Iran has accused the United States of assisting the group, known as Jundallah, or God's Brigade……(Washington Post, 21 Jun 08)

Pirates Deny Food for Russian Captives

The livelihood situation for Russian sailors on board a ship captured by pirates off Somalia's coast last month is deteriorating sources said. The captain of the German-owned Lehmann Timber ship was able to contact his family, and his father says the sailors have no food, no fresh water and no medical aid.  "The pirates are tired of waiting for a ransom from the ship owner. So they vent it on the crew members. The seamen have been lying without moving for days on end now," says Vladimir Bartashev, captain's father.  The ship, seized three weeks ago, could run out of fuel within two days……(Shabelle, 21 Jun 08)

Kidnapped Frenchman released in Afghanistan

A French businessman who was abducted in southern Afghanistan last month has been released safely along with two Afghan colleagues, the French foreign ministry announced Friday. Johan Freckhaus, 37, was released on Thursday, nearly a month after he was abducted on his way from the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in southeast Afghanistan to the capital Kabul, along with the two Afghan colleagues……(AFP, 20 Jun 08)

Suicide bomber ambushes military convoy, killing 6

A suicide bomber attacked a military convoy as it drove through a town in southern Afghanistan Friday, killing five civilians and one soldier from the U.S.-led coalition, officials said. Mohammad Hussein Andiwal, the police chief of Helmand province, said the lone bomber, who was on foot, struck as the vehicles were passing a market area in the town of Gereshk on Friday morning……(AP, 20 Jun 08)

Sri Lanka clashes kill 29: government

At least 26 Tamil Tiger guerrillas and three government soldiers have been killed in clashes across Sri Lanka's northern regions, the defense ministry said Friday. Confrontations in the districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya and Mullaitivu since Thursday killed 26 rebels, the ministry said, adding that 47 guerrillas were also believed to have been wounded.……(AFP, 20 Jun 08)

Israeli security officials say Jewish settler fired rocket at Palestinian village

Israeli security officials said Friday that students from a far-right Jewish theological seminary at a West Bank settlement recently built a crude rocket and fired it a nearby Palestinian village, although it failed to reach its target. The officials said troops in the area heard a loud explosion and initially thought Palestinians were attacking the settlement of Yitzhar, where the seminary is situated. ……(AP, 20 Jun 08)

Mogadishu clashes leave 13 dead

At least 13 people, most of them civilians, were killed in the Somali capital Mogadishu when fighting broke out between Islamic insurgents and Ethiopian forces, witnesses and officials said Friday. The clashes erupted late Thursday after insurgents attacked Gulwadeyaasha camp, a Somali government base in southern Mogadishu, as well as a stadium where Ethiopian forces are based.……(AFP, 20 Jun 08)

Nigeria attack stops Shell's Bonga offshore oil

Nigerian rebels attacked Royal Dutch Shell's Bonga oilfield off the coast of Nigeria on Thursday, shutting down a tenth of the country's oil output in a rare attack on a deepwater facility. The strike on a key floating production storage and offloading vessel some 120 km (75 miles) off the Nigerian coast caused the Anglo-Dutch giant to stop output from Bonga, which has a nameplate capacity of 220,000 barrels per day. The rebel Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility and warned of further attacks……..(Reuters, 19 Jun 08)

Somalia fighting kills 17 despite peace pact

Fighting between Islamist-led insurgents and allied Somali-Ethiopian troops has killed at least 17 people, residents said on Wednesday, underlining the lack of impact of a U.N.-brokered peace agreement.  One attack on a troop patrol on Tuesday night prompted return fire towards Mogadishu's SOS hospital, killing three people outside……(Reuters, 18 Jun 08)

Somalis flee terrorism, pour into Kenya

Ayan Ali Hassan decided to leave Mogadishu when militiamen boarded her school bus and kidnapped two screaming boys. For Abdi Gadir Osman, the moment came when a mortar slammed into his mother's home, killing her while she slept on a hot afternoon. They are among some 20,000 Somalis who decided to flee their homeland this year, heading to the Dadaab refugee camp in eastern Kenya where they recalled a life of terror in Mogadishu. For the refugees, this dusty, sweltering expanse is still a better home than their wretched capital…..(AP, 18 Jun 08)

Hezbollah supporters stone U.S. envoy's motorcade in S Lebanon

Supporters of Shiite militant group Hezbollah threw stones at the motorcade of U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Lebanon, Michel Sison, in the southern city of Nabatiyeh on Wednesday, the official National News Agency reported. Hezbollah supporters attacked the motorcade with stones when Sison, on a tour to south Lebanon, was having lunch at the residence of deputy head of the chamber of commerce and industry in Nabatiyeh, Abdullah Bitar….(Xinhua, 18 Jun 08)

Car bomb shatters Baghdad's calm, kills 51

A car bomb ripped through a busy commercial street in a Shiite area of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 51 people and wounding scores more in the deadliest blast in the capital in more than three months.  Many victims were trapped in their apartments by a raging fire that engulfed at least one building, according to police and Interior Ministry officials, who also said about 75 people were wounded…..(AP, 18 Jun 08)

Bali bomber warns of al-Qaida attacks if executed

An Islamic militant awaiting execution in Indonesia for carrying out the 2002 Bali bombings has warned that al-Qaida would be "very likely" to launch revenge attacks if authorities kill him, a magazine reported.  Imam Samudra and two other Indonesian militants were sentenced to death in 2003 for their roles in the suicide attacks that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, at two nightclubs on the resort island of Bali……(AP, 18 Jun 08)

Somali president targeted in bomb

Two policemen have been killed in the Somali capital after their vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb.

Three other people were injured in the attack which occurred a few minutes after a convoy carrying President Abdullahi Yusuf had driven past. The attack followed fierce fighting in Mogadishu on Tuesday in which at least seven people were killed…..(BBC, 18 Jun 08)

Local Taliban commander’s house blown up

Security personnel blew up the house of a local Taliban commander during a pre-dawn raid in the city, said a district police official on Tuesday.  Security personnel carried out the operation at about 4.30am, blowing up the house of local Taliban commander Hayatullah who had allegedly carried out attacks on Manjhi Khel police checkpost on Monday night. Hayatullah and his brother Faridullah were not in the house at the time of the operation…..(Daily times, 18 Jun 08)

Roadside bomb kills 4 Afghan police, hurts 3

Four police were killed and three others were injured as a roadside bomb struck a van of border police force in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province Wednesday, an official said. A bomb planted by militants hit a vehicle of police in Ali Shir district at 11:00 a.m. local time, killing four policemen on the spot and wounding three others….(Xinhua, 18 Jun 08)

AQIM Claims Bomb Attacks on French Contractors in Algeria
The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new communiqué from Al-Qaida’s Committee in the Islamic Maghreb claiming responsibility for several recent terrorist attacks in Algeria, including a June 8 bombing near the Beni Amrane train station which killed a French contractor working for the Razel corporation. According to the statement, “following much preparation and careful observation, the mujahideen decided to target the French delegation, despite the heavy security blanket provided by their apostate servants.” The AQIM also claimed responsibility for another recent operation of note – a twin suicide bombing attack on June 4 targeting an Algerian army outpost in Burj Kaifan. In the statement, the group explained, “After following up, making preparations, and observing it over the space of four months, the mujahideen discovered two vulnerabilities. First, the overcrowding of its main gate at closing time each Wednesday evening as the men were inspected upon leaving through the gate. The second was the gathering of these apostates at a café nearby to the barracks… Consequently, the mujahideen decided to attack these two vulnerable points with a pair of martyrdom operations.” The AQIM also directed a final message to “the crusaders and their servants from among the apostates”: “we are coming, by the will of Allah, so start digging your own graves.”….(NEFA, 17 Jun 08)

NEFA Report: AQIM Claims Bomb Attacks on French Contractors in Algeria

Motorbike bomb kills four anti-Qaeda fighters

A bomb hidden on a motorcycle exploded at a checkpoint in northern Baghdad on Tuesday, killing four fighters of a group battling Al-Qaeda militants, Iraqi security officials said. The attack took place at around 10:00 am (0700 GMT) at a checkpoint run by the fighters in Al-Sulek neighborhood….(AFP, 17 Jun 08)

Gunmen kidnap 12 in Philippines

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped 12 people - teachers and students - in the southern Philippines on Tuesday, an army commander said. The victims were preparing for their classes when they were seized from the elementary school San Roque village in Kolambugan town, Lanao del Norte province, 810 km south of Manila.   Colonel Edwin Respicio, an army commander in the area, said most of the hostages were female. "Male pupils were left behind as the armed men fled with the victims on foot,"….(Hindustan Times, 17 Jun 08)

Iraqi television anchor shot dead

Gunmen shot dead an Iraqi journalist working as a news anchor for state-run television outside his house in the northern city of Mosul, the local head of the channel said. Mohialddin Abdulhamid, anchor for Al-Iraqiya channel in Nineveh province of which Mosul is the capital, was killed at around 8:00 am (0500 GMT) while on the way to work, the channel's bureau chief Yaarob al-Salim told AFP. Police in Nineveh province said the murder took place in northern Mosul's Hail al-Zirae neighborhood…..(AFP, 17 Jun 08)

Taliban militants destroy bridges in Afghanistan

Taliban militants destroyed bridges and planted mines in several villages they control outside southern Afghanistan's largest city in apparent preparation for battle, residents and officials said Tuesday. More than 700 families — meaning perhaps 4,000 people or more — had fled the Arghandab district 10 miles northwest of Kandahar city, said Sardar Mohammad, a police officer manning a checkpoint on the east side of the Arghandab River. Police on Tuesday stopped and searched every person passing on the road. On the west side of the river, hundreds of Taliban controlled around nine or 10 villages…..(AP, 17 Jun 08)

Hindu radicals behind Thane theatre blast

Two persons were arrested late on Sunday for allegedly planting explosives in two auditoriums and a movie hall in Mumbai’s extended suburbs over the past four months. Two of the three attempts had failed and live explosives were recovered from Vashi and Panvel, but the most recent effort on June 4 — in the parking lot of a Thane theatre — paid off, injuring seven people. The Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra police, which made the arrests, identified the duo as Ramesh Gadkari (50) and Mangesh Nikam (34), both Panvel residents……(Hindustan Times, 17 Jun 08)

Iraq: Female suicide bombers carry out fatal attacks

Fourteen female suicide bombers have blown themselves up in a series of attacks carried out in the past six months in the Iraqi province of Diyala. According to sources in the provincial council, al-Qaeda was planning another 25 attacks in the next few weeks. Many would be carried out by aspiring suicide bombers based in an armed cell in the mountains of Hamrein near the border of Iran…..(AKI, 16 Jun 08)

Boy dies and 16 injured in blast in Tando Adam

A boy died and 16 other people were injured in a bomb blast at a shop near Ghas Mandi on MA Jinnah road in the Tando Adam town of district Sanghar on Saturday.  An unidentified man had visited a local teashop at around 11.20am, and had asked the owner to look after a shopping bag for him. As the man left the shop, a bomb concealed in the bag exploded. A boy named as Siraj, 12 was killed and 16 people were rushed to a local hospital for treatment……(Daily Times, 15 Jun 08)

2 killed, 12 wounded in bomb explosion in south Nepal

A bomb exploded at a busy bus station in south Nepal, killing two people and wounding 12, officials said Sunday. The bomb exploded as passengers waited for a bus at the station Saturday night at Chandranigahapur town, about 150 miles south of the capital, Katmandu. Rautahat district's chief official Durga Bhandari said two of the injured were in critical condition and 10 others were in serious condition…..(Star Tribune, 15 Jun 08)

Militants kidnap 28 Iranian border guards near Pak border

Pakistani border security forces were put on high alert after suspected militants kidnapped 28 Iranian soldiers posted at checkposts on the Iranian side of the border in the bordering province of Sistan-Baluchestan, said a report here on Saturday. Citing sources, the local English daily "Dawn" reported that Iranian authorities informed Pakistani officials about the kidnapping on Friday and sought their help in tracing and freeing the soldiers. "The Iranian government has sought our help," an official said, adding that Pakistani forces had been alerted…..(KUNA, 14 Jun 08)

34 people killed and 21 other injured in Kidal

Two Malian soldiers have been transferred from Adrar province hospital to Algiers Hospital, following serious injuries they have been subject to in their heads, during clashes taking place northern Mali between the Malian Army and Tuareg rebels. 34 people were killed, while 21 others injured, during an attack led by Tuareg rebels on a Military barrack in the extreme north of Mali, near the Algerian Timiaouine region, a colonel in the Malian Army told El Khabar. The same source mentioned that 13 Malian soldiers died, and 7 others injured, during the attack, which took place last Wednesday…..(El Khabar, 14 Jun 08)

Somalia: UN driver killed by gunmen

The United Nations World Food Program said on Friday that gunmen shot and killed one of its truck drivers in southern Somalia.  The food agency said that the driver, Hassan Abdi, was killed shortly after dawn on Thursday near the village of Leego. He was part of a convoy of WFP-contracted trucks carrying 328 metric tons of food from Mogadishu to the Bay and Bakool regions. The killing of Abdi is the third murder of a WFP-contracted driver in war-torn Somalia this year……(AKI, 13 Jun 08)

Somalia Insurgent Group Say Attacked President On Way To Airport

The main Islamist insurgent group in Somalia claimed an attack targeting President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as he was preparing to fly out of the country, according to an Internet statement on Friday.

"The lions from the Young Mujahedeen Movement launched a surprise attack on Thursday against the convoy of the apostate Abdullahi Yusuf...as he was heading to Mogadishu airport," said the statement published on a Web site used by radical groups including al-Qaida…..(AFP, 13 Jun 08)

Chechen gunmen attack Russian-patrolled village, kill 3 servicemen

Armed Chechens attacked the Russian-controlled village of Binoi killing three people and setting houses of Russian security servicemen afire.
Interfax news agency reported on Friday that 25 gunmen led by Osman Muntsigov attacked the mountainous village, killing three persons believed to be serving with the Russian authorities……(KUNA, 13 Jun 08)

Suicide bomber targets convoy in Afghan

A suicide bomber on Friday targeted a foreign military convoy while the US-led coalition killed several militants and a civilian woman in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. The suicide car blast in the eastern province of Nangarhar only killed the bomber, said Abdul Ghafoor, spokesman for the Nangarhar police department. The bombing took place in the Bareekab area on the Jalalabad-Torkham highway, the spokesman said without providing information about any casualties among the foreign troops or their nationalities……(DPA, 13 Jun 08)

Two British troops, militants killed in fresh Afghan violence

Two British soldiers were killed after coming under fire in troubled southern Afghanistan, while a woman and several militants were killed in a US-led operation, officials said Friday. Separately a NATO military convoy survived a suicide bombing unharmed on Friday in the latest in a string of such attacks which are mostly attributed to the hardline Islamist Taliban movement…..(AFP, 13 Jun 08)

Blast in Falluja Damages Sunni Party’s Main Office

A leading Sunni political party’s headquarters in western Iraq was blown up early Thursday morning, while in southern Iraq, where Shiite factions have been fighting one another, a powerful bomb was discovered on the road to an important Shiite shrine. Both episodes pointed to probable tensions in the months ahead of provincial elections in which factions are fighting hard to ensure that they have a place at the political table…….(New York Times, 13 Jun 08)

Middle East: Israeli air strikes target Palestinians

Israeli air forces killed three and injured two others in an aerial attack targeting Palestinian militants on Friday, reported the Palestinian news agency Maan. The attack took place near the Abu Bakr as-Siddiq Mosque in the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza. Three militants from the Islamist Hamas movement's armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, were killed…….(AKI, 13 Jun 08)

Taliban vow to avenge US attack that killed Pakistani troops

Taliban militants on Thursday pledged to take revenge for the US airstrike that destroyed a Pakistani army post near the Afghan border and killed 11 paramilitary troops this week. "We have the right to defend our country. Any aggression by NATO forces inside Pakistan will be responded with full force," said Dr Asad, a spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The Pakistani border post came under fire in the remote tribal district of Mohmand Agency when US planes targeted Taliban fighters fleeing after an attack on Afghan and NATO forces late Tuesday…..(DPA, 12 Jun 08)

Five dead in Somalia airport shelling as president flies out

At least five civilians died Thursday when Islamic insurgents attacked government soldiers near Mogadishu airport just minutes after Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed took off, residents and officials said. Heavy fighting followed the shelling, with Somali soldiers backed by Ugandan peacekeepers beating off the attack…..(DPA, 12 Jun 08)

Rebels take 2 Philippine marines hostage in bid to secure release of militant's nephew

Muslim rebels lured two Philippine marines into a meeting about a possible surrender then seized them as hostages to demand the release of a rebel commander's nephew, officials Thursday. The Philippine navy said the military was working for the safe release of the two corporals, Jessie Duatin and Bernie Alcabasa, after they were taken at gunpoint by Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels led by Commander Malat Sulaiman, who also is known as Long Masud…….(AP, 12 Jun 08)

Car bomb kills three in Baghdad

A car bomb struck an Iraqi police commando patrol in central Baghdad on Thursday, killing three people and wounding more than a dozen, a security official and a medic told AFP. The attack occurred at around 2:00 pm (1100 GMT) in the Al-Allawi district. One commando and two civilians were killed, and 15 people wounded, 12 of them commandos, the security official confirmed…..(AFP, 12 Jun 08)

Iraq road bomb kills three Kurdish security guards

A roadside bomb attack killed three security personnel from the Kurdish peshmerga forces deployed in the restive Diyala province of Iraq, a security official told AFP on Thursday. The attack took place in the town of Jalawla in Diyala late Wednesday, the security official from the peshmerga forces said on condition of anonymity……(AFP, 12 Jun 08)

Blast damages Internet café

A bomb blast damaged an internet cafe in the Phandu police station limits on Monday, police officials have said. Officials said unidentified militants blew up the cafe in the Malik Sarwar Plaza at around 11:30pm. The blast damaged the café slightly and no causalities were reported….(Daily Times, 11 Jun 08)

Iraqi police: Bomb kills 5 on minibuses in Baghdad

A bomb planted near a bridge in northern Baghdad killed five people on passing minibuses during rush hour Wednesday, Iraqi police said. A woman and a 7-year-old boy were among the dead, and at least 10 other people were wounded in the mostly Shiite neighborhood of Hurriyah, an officer said on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. Across town, two mortar rounds hit a busy street in the central Baghdad area of Karrada, killing a civilian and wounding five others…..(AP, 11 Jun 08)

Philippine Television Crew Believed to Be Kidnapped

A television news team from the Philippines’ largest network, including one of the country’s best-known journalists, was believed to have been abducted by members of the militant group Abu Sayyaf, officials said Tuesday.  The journalist, Ces Drilon, a senior reporter for ABS-CBN, was with her cameraman and driver when they were intercepted on Sunday by armed men in Sulu, a province in the south where Abu Sayyaf and other Islamic extremists are known to operate, the police said. Abu Sayyaf is fighting for a separate Muslim state in the southern Philippines……(New York Times, 11 Jun 08)

Somalia: Insurgents Attack Police Station, Commissioner's Home

Somali rebels attacked a police station in the capital Mogadishu Tuesday evening, less than a day after a United Nations-sponsored peace agreement was signed between the government and its opposition. Heavily-armed insurgents attacked the police station in Kaaraan, as well as the home of District Commissioner Abdullahi Mohamed Roble……(Garowe, 10 Jun 08)

Lebanon: Terrorist seriously wounded in refugee camp shooting

An Islamic terrorist was seriously wounded after being shot in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon, security officials said. The man, 27-year-old Jalal Hassanein, was evacuated a hospital in the nearby southern Lebanese city of Sidon after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Hassanein is close to one of the camp's terror chiefs, Shehadeh Jawhar….(AP/Jerusalem Post, 10 Jun 08)

Explosion in net cafe wounds five people in Pakistan

At least five persons were wounded when a bomb ripped through a net cafe in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, said police. A small bomb rocked net cafe in Mardan district of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP)…..(KUNA, 10 Jun 08)

4 Peshawar policemen killed in ambush

Four policemen were killed and a Station House Officer (SHO) was injured in an ambush within the Mattani Police Station precincts in Peshawar late on Sunday night. “[Unidentified] militants hid near a gas station and opened fire on the police van. It was a surprise attack -- the police party could not even retaliate because the hail of bullets was so sudden,”….(Daily Times, 10 Jun 08)

Head of Saddam tribe blown up in car bomb blast

The head of Saddam Hussein's tribe was blown up in a car bomb explosion in the town of Awja north of Baghdad on Tuesday, police said. Major Hassan Emhimid, a police officer in the nearby town of Tikrit, said a bomb appeared to have been attached to the underside of Sheikh Ali al-Neda's vehicle……(Reuters, 10 Jun 08)

Toy bomb explosion kills four children in Pakistan

Four children were killed in a Pakistani northern valley when a toy bomb exploded on Monday, police said. Children in Chitral valley were playing with a toy, they found in a field, when it exploded with a huge bang…….(Kuna, 9 Jun 08)

Bomb kills 20 in Algeria

A bomb exploded on Monday at a bus station in a town east of Algiers, killing 20 people, a security source said. The bomb went off in Bouira, some 120 km from the capital……(Reuters, 9 Jun 08)

Iraq: Car bomb kills at least four in Baghdad

At least four people were killed and 12 others were injured after a car bomb exploded in a commercial street in southern Baghdad on Monday.
The car, rigged with explosives, exploded on the al-Rashid camp highway, reported the Iraqi news agency Voices of Iraq, quoting an anonymous police source….(AKI, 9 Jun 08)

Suspected al-Qaida-linked militants abduct 3-person TV team in Philippines

Philippine security forces were searching Monday for a Manila television reporter and two cameramen believed to have been abducted by al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants while pursuing a story. ABS-CBN senior reporter Ces Drilon and her two crewmen were intercepted Sunday in volatile Jolo island's Maimbung township by armed men under Albader Parad, an Abu Sayyaf leader in the area, the regional police chief said……(AP, 9 Jun 08)

Nigerian militants seize oil vessel with 8 sailors

Armed militants in southern Nigeria ambushed an oil vessel belonging to Canada's Addax Petroleum on Monday and are holding eight naval personnel on board, a navy spokesman said. "Some naval ratings escorting an Addax boat were ambushed by militants who boarded the ship. There was limited exchange of gunfire because of the combustible nature of the cargo," Nigerian navy spokesman Henry Babalola said……(Reuters, 9 Jun 08)

Somalia: 20 Killed, 80 Wounded in Market Attack

Heavy fighting between Ethiopian-backed Somali government forces and Islamist-led in