Pakistan Arrests 9 Terrorism Suspects

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Rao Iqbal, Pakistani police chief shows grenade to media allegedly captured from terrorists, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 29 Jan 2009

From 'Voice Of America': Pakistani police say they have arrested a gang of militants linked to al-Qaida and wanted in connection with a series of deadly bombings. The police say they arrested nine men this week during a raid in the central city of Rawalpindi. Authorities did not identify the suspects or describe the evidence against them, but they said the men had connections to the northern tribal regions where Taliban and al-Qaida militants operate.

Authorities said Thursday that the suspects are connected to last year's deadly bombings at the Danish embassy and an Italian restaurant in Islamabad. Police also tied the suspects to the killing of a senior medical official. Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, al-Qaida leader claimed responsibility for the Danish Embassy bombing. Militant violence in Pakistan generally is concentrated in the country's northwestern region, bordering Afghanistan. Authorities in the northwest said Thursday that suspected militants shot and killed a tribesman from North Waziristan after accusing him of spying for the United States. In North West Frontier Province, which neighbors North Waziristan, authorities say security forces killed at least two militants in a gunfight overnight in the town of Bannu.

4 Militants Killed, 8 Arrested in Afghanistan

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From 'Xinhua': U.S.-led Coalition forces eliminated four militants and detained eight more suspected militants during operations to disrupt Taliban bomb makers and militants in Kandahar of southern Afghanistan Thursday, said a Coalition statement on Friday. The operation targeted a Taliban operator known to have employed roadside bombs in Arghandab district where Coalition forces searched the compound and engaged militants there killing four. "Eight men who surrendered were arrested", the statement said. "During the operation, the force found AK-47s, grenades and blasting caps, the latter used to initiate IEDs," it added.

Afghanistan To Create Anti-Insurgency Force

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From 'Khaleej Times' (UAE): A special force is to be formed to boost security in areas of Afghanistan hit by a Taliban-led insurgency, the country's interior minister said Saturday. The paramilitary-style force, which will be funded by the US government, will operate under the command of the interior ministry, the department responsible for the country's police force, Mohammad Hanif Atmar told reporters. "Considering the special situation in the country we've decided to... create public protection forces with a special security mission within the interior ministry frame," Atmar said.

Their tasks will include protecting communities, schools, other government installations and highways that are threatened by an ongoing Taliban-led insurgency, the minister added. He said the first units will be drawn from Afghan youths chosen by community leaders and placed into provinces where the Taliban is most active. He refused to give further details, such as numbers, saying this would depend on the need in each region.

Most of the violence is focused in the southern and eastern parts of the country, along the border with Pakistan. "The US military (in Afghanistan) is strongly supportive (of) this initiative," Atmar said. The new units would "help police to provide the necessary security in areas so police can implement the rule of law," he added. "This force will not be a militia force," Atmar said, addressing concerns the new force will degenerate into a militia similar to those that fought the bloody civil war that wracked the country in the 1990s. Once created, "these forces will be official security forces of the government of Afghanistan," the minister said.

Iraqi PM Hopes For Peace Boost

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From 'International Herald Tribune': In neighborhoods once dominated by Shiite militias, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appeared to be riding high Saturday, with Iraqis saying they voted for his party in gratitude for driving the gunmen from the streets. "I have nothing to do with politics, but I voted for the man who made feel safe again," 71-year-old Zakiya Tahir said as she left a polling station in the Basra district of Hayaniyah, scene of fierce clashes last spring between government troops and Shiite gunmen. She pointed to a campaign poster featuring al-Maliki's dour face.

Al-Maliki, a Shiite, was not a candidate in Saturday's election, in which Iraqis chose members of ruling councils in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces. But the prime minister was hoping that a strong showing by his Coalition of the State of Law alliance would bolster his position against Shiite rivals ahead of national elections expected by the end of the year. But interviews with voters in parts of Basra and Baghdad once dominated by Shiite militias indicated that al-Maliki's prestige was riding high because of his crackdown on the gunmen last year.

Haider Mahmoud, 40, who is unemployed, said he faced pressure from his family to vote for the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the biggest Shiite party. "But I changed my mind and voted for al-Maliki's list, because if it weren't for him there would still be killing in the streets of Basra," he said. In Baghdad, the mood was festive in the Hurriyah neighborhood, scene of some of the most vicious Shiite-Sunni fighting in 2006. Whole families streamed out of the polling stations Saturday, and young boys took advantage of the vehicle curfew to play soccer in the streets.

"Al-Maliki has risen above partisan politics that have shackled political life in Iraq," said Ahmed Hussein after voting for the prime minister's coalition. "He has turned a very bad situation into a much better one. We can now move from one neighborhood to another feeling completely safe," Hussein said. Back in Basra, Ali Majid, 25, said he used to fear leaving home after sunset. All that changed after government forces regained control of the city after fighting last March. "When the militiamen were in charge, we used to see bodies lying in the streets every day," Majid said. "But now order and peace are restored. I voted for al-Maliki's representative because they proved they are trustworthy."

Iraqi Polls Close, No Major Violence

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From 'FoxNews': Iraq's provincial elections have wrapped up without any reports of serious violence. Polls closed at 6 p.m. (10 a.m. EST) on Saturday — an hour later than planned — after millions of voters cast ballots for influential regional councils around most of Iraq. There were no reports of major violence. Iraqi authorities imposed a huge security operation around the country that included traffic bans in major cities and extensive checkpoints and surveillance posts. The U.S. military also was out in force but did not take a direct role in the election security. Results from the elections are not expected before Tuesday.


Iraqi voter smiles - Jan 31.

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FBI Cuts Ties With CAIR

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From 'FoxNews': The FBI is severing its once-close ties with the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), amid mounting evidence that it has links to a support network for Hamas. All local chapters of CAIR have been shunned in the wake of a 15-year FBI investigation that culminated with the conviction in December of Hamas fundraisers at a trial where CAIR itself was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator. The U.S. government has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. An official at the FBI's headquarters in Washington confirmed to FOX News that his office directed FBI field offices across the country to cut ties with local branches of CAIR.


CAIR's executive director Nihad Awad - 2004.

The new policy marks a major shift for the FBI, which has long been close to CAIR. The agency has previously invited CAIR to give training sessions for agents and used it as a liaison with the American Muslim community. CAIR's executive director, Nihad Awad, attended a post-September 11th meeting with then-FBI director Robert Mueller, and he met with other top brass as recently as 2006. But that was before Awad was shown to have participated in planning meetings with the Holy Land Foundation, five officials of which were convicted in December of funneling $12.4 million to Hamas. Prosecutors identified CAIR's chairman emeritus, Omar Ahmad, as an unindicted co-conspirator in that trial, and Special Agent Lara Burns testified that CAIR was a front group for radical organizations operating in the U.S.

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MNFI Press Release - Jan 31

ISF, MND-B SOLDIERS FIND UXO, WEAPONS
Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) partnered with Multi-National Division – Baghdad (MND-B) Soldiers found unexploded ordnance (UXO) and confiscated weapons on January 29-30th, while conducting operations in Baghdad. Elements of 2nd Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division uncovered a cache while conducting a dismounted patrol in the Resala neighborhood, west of Baghdad, at approximately 2 p.m. on January 29th. An explosives ordnance disposal team identified the items as (3) 120mm high explosive 843Bs and (1) 130mm projectile.

Iraqi Army (IA) Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, partnered with Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th ID, MND-B, confiscated (6) AK-47 assault rifles while conducting operations in the Saydiyah neighborhood in southern Baghdad at approximately 4:15 a.m. on January 30th. The IA patrol hauled the weapons to a nearby Joint Security Station.