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A daily, open source, around the world tour of international security-related news.
By Professor Joseph B. Varner
Global War on Terror
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A leading human rights group on Tuesday accused Ethiopian troops in Somalia of killing civilians and committing atrocities, including slitting people's throats, gouging out eyes and gang-raping women. In a new report, Amnesty International detailed chilling witness accounts of indiscriminate killings in the Horn of Africa country and called on the international community to stop the bloodshed. Ethiopia's government said the report was unbalanced and "categorically wrong." The London-based rights group said testimony it received suggested all parties to Somalia's conflict have committed war crimes. But it singled out Ethiopian troops, who are in the country to back Somalia's U.N.-sponsored government, for some of the worst violations. (Source: AP)
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Lebanon began an investigation Monday into allegations that the militant Hizbullah group set up surveillance cameras near the Beirut airport to monitor the comings and goings of anti-Syria Lebanese politicians and foreign dignitaries. The charges have intensified political tensions in the country, giving a new twist to the war of words between Lebanese factions that support the Western-backed parliament majority and the Hizbullah-led pro-Syria opposition. Judicial officials said Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza ordered the investigation after receiving documents from the defense and interior ministers about Hizbullah's alleged placement of cameras just outside the airport in the Lebanese capital. (Source: AP)
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Intelligence sources and Western diplomats have told The Times that a new force, an Algerian group calling itself Al Qaeda in the Land of Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), aims to create an arc of influence throughout North Africa by spreading Osama bin Laden’s “brand” through a fusion of disparate fundamentalist groupings. Ernst Uhrlau, the head of the German foreign intelligence agency, said recently: “We are watching the activities of Al Qaeda in North Africa with great concern. A handful of groups have become ensconced there, largely unobserved, and are strengthening bin Laden’s terrorist network. What is evolving there brings a completely new quality to the jihad on our doorstep.”
In Tunisia this week the French President Sarkozy echoed this nervousness. Sarkozy warned: “Who could believe that if tomorrow, or after tomorrow, a Taliban-type regime were established in one of your countries in North Africa, Europe and France could feel secure?” In 2006, on the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat , a fundamentalist group that has rejected an Algerian offer of an amnesty and pardon, announced its “merger” with Al Qaeda and an oath of allegiance to bin Laden. (Source: The Times-UK)
Islamic fighters say an overnight U.S. airstrike blasted a remote area of central Somalia hours after armed civilians met there, but no one was hurt. The U.S. military denies the report. Two Islamic insurgents say they heard airplanes overnight and about 10 explosions in the Odam rural area where armed civilians had been meeting Monday. They alleged the strike was carried out by the U.S., though they gave no evidence.
A spokesman for the U.S. military in Tampa, Florida, said the U.S. had "no activities there overnight." Last week, a U.S. airstrike killed the suspected leader of Al Qaeda in Somalia and 24 other people. (Source: AP)
Four police officers were killed when a roadside bomb exploded in Grozny, Chechnya, Russian prosecutors said Monday. An investigation into the incident by the Russian prosecutor's office of the Chechen Republic in under way, ITAR-TASS reported. Criminal proceedings have also been initiated in connection with the incident. According to Chechen police, the explosion happened at 11:10 p.m. Sunday, ITAR-TASS reported. It struck officers of the district's Interior Ministry as well as a patrol service regiment that was on duty. The explosion was detonated by a radio-controlled device at a crossroads. (Source: UPI)
The intelligence communities of the European Union and the United States are moving apart in their perception of the Al Qaeda threat. CIA Director, Michael Hayden, said the intelligence agencies of the United States and the European Union view differently what he termed terrorism and other issues. Hayden said his government regarded Al Qaeda as part of a global threat while EU members focused on law enforcement. Still, Hayden said U.S. and EU intelligence cooperation was closer than ever. (Source: World Tribune)
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FBI Director Robert Mueller said last week that the FBI has uncovered small groups of Al Qaida terrorists in the United States, although he declined to provide details.
In House Judiciary Committee testimony, Mueller was asked about cells of Al Qaeda in the country. “As to your first question as to whether we have found affiliates or, as you would call them, cells of Al Qaeda in the United States, yes, we have. Again, I cannot get into it in public session, but I would say yes, we have.” Mueller defended the FBI’s Muslim outreach program that critics say have put the bureau in a role of providing legitimacy to Muslim groups that support overseas extremists. (Source: World Tribune)
Iraq
About 3,500 American soldiers are scheduled to leave Iraq in the coming weeks, the U.S. military announced, part of a plan to reduce the number of troops who were part of last year's "surge" by 20,000. The soldiers, part of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, will redeploy to Fort Benning, Georgia. The U.S. sent some 30,000 additional troops into Iraq last year to help stem growing violence. The troop increase, a truce by a key Shiite Muslim militia and the rise of Sunni fighters who allied with the U.S. in the battle against Al Qaeda were credited with a sharp decrease in bloodshed during the last 10 months. The soldiers are part of the third of five "surge" brigades scheduled to leave the country. The other two are expected to return to the U.S. by the end of July, leaving an estimated 140,000 troops in Iraq after a peak of more than 160,000. (Source: AP)
United States
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Admiral Eric T. Olson said Monday in his first interview since becoming commander of U.S. Special Operations Command last July that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are making such heavy use of the nation's Green Berets and other elite warriors that they cannot fulfill their roles in other parts of the world Olson said, "We're going to fewer countries, staying for shorter periods of time, with smaller numbers of people than historically we have done." (Source: AP)
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Eight ships that were supposed to be the government's latest, best weapon for stopping terrorists, illegal immigrants and smugglers now float unused in a U.S. Coast Guard shipyard in Baltimore, the symbol of a nearly $100 million taxpayer debacle. Instead of patrolling, the ships were deemed unfit for the high seas after just a couple of months of use and eventually will be dismantled without ever fulfilling their promise. The Coast Guard hopes to finally put the problems with its much maligned "Deepwater" program behind it, taking ownership this month of a brand new 418-foot national security cutter that was built from scratch after contractors bungled the modernization of the earlier eight ships. Commissioning of the USCGC Bertholf will be the next major step in a 25-year, $24 billion project to extend the Coast Guard's reach further than ever before beyond U.S. shores. Taxpayers, however, won't see much benefit until the Bertholf is tested and cleared for duty over the next couple of years. (Source: Washington Times)
Africa
Zimbabwe's ruling party urged supporters Tuesday to refrain from violence in the build-up to a presidential election run-off, accusing the West of trying to turn the region into a "theatre of war". (Source)
Americas
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No procedures to cancel or suspend a private operator's certificate when problems are found.
No structured oversight of private operators.
No collection or analysis of safety data to ensure the program's effectiveness.
The review was obtained by the Star under access to information legislation.
Chief of Defence Staff, General Rick Hillier, has warned that Canada's armoured vehicles are limited in the amount of protection they can carry, so the military is starting to look for a replacement in the near future. The Chief of the Defence Staff said the LAV-3s are excellent and many improvements have been made to ensure that troops in Afghanistan are better protected. However, General Hillier also points out that the LAV-3's suspension and other technical aspects of the vehicle have been pushed to the limit by the improvements. That, in turn, prevents more armour or other systems from being installed. (Source: Ottawa Citizen)
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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have charged that tens of thousands of Sri Lankans living in Canada have been funding the Tamil Tigers' terrorism campaign through a secret strategy of profiling carried out using Canada's electoral database. In what amounts to the most detailed examination of alleged terrorist fundraising ever filed in a federal court, the national police force claims as much as $50,000 a month was being drawn from bank accounts in Toronto and funnelled to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. The Tigers' operation in Canada, responsible for providing 15 per cent of global funds for the secession movement, identified potential donors by postal code and used a "sales team" of locals to extract the cash, alleges the 400-page police affidavit unsealed in the Federal Court of Canada this week. The affidavit suggests the Toronto offices of the World Tamil Movement - a non-profit organization - may have been generating funds for the Tigers. The RCMP says it has also obtained a significant letter sent to Toronto from the head of the Tamil Tigers. Velupillai Prabhakaran, one of the world's most sought-after fugitives, is said to have urged that Canadian Tamils commit about 15 per cent of the global contribution to his cause. In 2006, the RCMP raided the Montreal and Toronto offices of the World Tamil Movement, just days after the Conservative government declared the Tamil Tigers a banned terrorist entity. (Source: Globe and Mail)
Ottawa is giving $5 million to the provinces and territories to ensure they’re able to respond when disaster strikes, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said Monday during a stop in Toronto to kick off Emergency Preparedness Week. The funds, available under the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program, are expected to support some 360 local emergency preparedness projects aimed at purchasing new equipment, enhancing training and emergency management planning. (Source: Chronicle Herald)
Asia
The risk of a human influenza pandemic remains real and is probably growing as the bird flu virus becomes entrenched in poultry in more countries, health officials warned on Tuesday. Some 150 experts are attending a meeting hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to update its guidance to countries on how to boost their defences against a deadly global epidemic. The H5N1 avian flu virus has infected flocks in much of Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. Experts fear it could mutate into a form that passes easily from person to person, sparking an influenza pandemic that could kill millions. (Source: Reuters)
China's outbreak of child-targeting hand-foot-mouth disease is spreading, with nearly 12,000 cases and 26 deaths reported by officials. The disease is caused by a virus that causes small, blister-like bumps in the mouth, hands and feet. The blisters may also appear in the diaper area and on the legs and arms. The worst-affected is China's eastern Anhui province, where 22 children have died in Fuyang City alone, Xinhua reported.
Total number of cases reported in the province now exceeds 5,800, including 689 new ones registered Sunday. Of those, 1,314 remain hospitalized. Health officials say some cases have been triggered by enterovirus 71 or EV71, a highly contagious virus that preys on children usually between ages 2 and 6, the report said. The report said tests have shown 25 of the 26 deaths reported so far were as a result of EV71. (Source: UPI)
Deputy U.S. Secretary of State John Negroponte will travel to Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing this month, the State Department announced on Tuesday as the United States continues its push for a long-delayed declaration of North Korea's nuclear activities. Negroponte will travel to the three Asian capitals May 7 to 12 "for discussions with his counterparts on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues." The statement said Negroponte would consult with South Korea, Japan and China on recent developments in the region and political and economic issues and strengthen ties and cooperation on regional and global issues. It gave no other details. China hosts six-party talks aimed at getting North Korea to eventually give up all nuclear weapons and programs under a 2005 multilateral agreement. Tokyo and Seoul are involved as well. The agreement to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula was reached among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. (Source: Reuters)
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Pakistan's new government, already at odds over how to confront President Pervez Musharraf, faced new strains Tuesday over a delay in elections in which ruling coalition leaders had hoped to run for Parliament. (Source: AFP)
Europe
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Russian and U.S. officials are to sign an agreement on civilian nuclear power that would reverse decades of little cooperation and hand Russia lucrative deals on storing spent nuclear fuel. A U.S. Embassy official says the deal is to be signed Tuesday, the last day of Vladimir Putin's Presidency. Dmitry Medvedev succeeds Putin as president Wednesday. Work on the agreement got under way after Putin and President Bush pledged to increase cooperation in this field at the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg in 2006.
The Bush administration's willingness to reverse course and work with Russia appears to reflect the U.S. view that Moscow is now a partner in the effort to persuade Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions. (Source: AP)
Russia's deployment of extra troops in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia has brought the prospect of war "very close", a minister of ex-Soviet Georgia said on Tuesday. Separately, in comments certain to fan rising tension between Moscow and Tbilisi, the "Foreign Minister" of the breakaway Black Sea region was quoted as saying it was ready to hand over military control to Russia. (Source: Reuters)
Middle East
World oil reached a new record price near 121 dollars a barrel as concerns over the United States economy eased, analysts said Tuesday. (Source: AFP)
Security and medical officials say Egyptian border police have fatally shot a Nigerian man who was trying to cross illegally into Israel. The security official says the guards also shot three Sudanese men and one woman who were also trying to sneak into Israel on Tuesday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. (Source: AP)
It was reported that by day, Awad al-Qiq was a respected science teacher and headmaster at an UNRWA school in Gaza. By night, Palestinian militants said, he built rockets for Islamic Jihad. An Israeli air strike killed Qiq, 33, last week. His family denied he had any militant links, despite a profusion of Islamic Jihad posters at his home. But militant leaders hailed him as a martyr who led Islamic Jihad's "engineering unit." (Source: Reuters)
Israel and the Palestinian Authority are both unhappy over a request by U.S. Secretary of State Rice that they publish a memorandum of understanding on the progress of their final-status negotiations to date before President Bush arrives on a visit next week. "The work of drafting such a document will merely halt the progress and the momentum," argued one Israeli official. Both Israel and the PA would prefer to keep this progress under the media's radar for now. Israeli officials who met with Rice said their impression is that she is determined to produce an achievement at almost any price, given the political capital that both she and Bush have invested in the Palestinian issue over the last year. (Source: Ha'aretz)
An intoxicated Arab man from Kuwait who claimed he had a bomb briefly held three Jewish teenagers captive in their Polish hotel room on Monday. Police forces stormed the room at central Warsaw's Holiday Inn and released the captives unharmed. No explosives were found in the hotel, which was evacuated during the incident. (Source: Jerusalem Post)
The Gaza Health Ministry said one man was killed, five were wounded and one is still missing after a cross-border smuggling tunnel collapsed on Monday. (Source: AP/Ynet News)
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Hizbullah now has about 27,000 rockets and missiles, more than double its supply before the 2006 war, Israeli officials say, including Iranian missiles capable of hitting Tel Aviv. Israeli officials say Hizbullah's most potent weapons include about 500 Iranian Zilzal guided missiles, with ranges of 77, 136 and 186 miles. In addition, Hizbullah has 4,000 to 6,000 Iranian Fajr 3 and Fajr 5 rockets with ranges of 27 and 46 miles, respectively. And Syria has provided an estimated 20,000 rockets. Hizbullah is stronger than before the war. They have improved their antitank capabilities, the number and quality of their rockets. Western security officials say they discovered last year that Iran was procuring telescopic sights for antitank guns and rocket-propelled grenades from an Eastern European country. Communications among Iranian diplomats revealed that the sights were earmarked for Hizbullah, say the officials. Iran also furnished night-vision equipment and binoculars. (Source: Los Angeles Times)
An Iranian envoy said Monday his government will not submit to extensive nuclear inspections while Israel stays outside the global treaty to curb the spread of atomic weapons. Nuclear safeguards are far from universal, he said, adding that more than 30 countries are still without a comprehensive safeguard agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure full cooperation with that U.N. body. (Source: AP)
