Investigating Link Between Detainees, Al Qaeda

August 26, 2005 --

British Intelligence Bares Link Between Detainees, Al Qaeda

As British police prepare the first deportations of so-called "preachers of hate and intolerance", which Home Secretary Charles Clarke yesterday confirmed could happen "very quickly, in the next few days", new evidence has emerged about the direct terror links of the ten men detained on Aug. 12, including radical Jordanian cleric Abu Qatada, pending deportation. (Arab News)

Internal CIA Report Faults Ex Director, Others For Pre 9/11 Faults

An internal CIA report reportedly criticizes ex-CIA chief George Tenet and several other former and current CIA officials for not dealing effectively with Al-Qaeda before the September 11 attacks. (AFP)

16 Taliban Killed in 2 Days of Fighting

US and Afghan troops backed by helicopter gunships and warplanes killed five suspected Taliban, the military said yesterday, bringing to 16 the number of rebels who have reportedly died in two days of clashes. (AFP)

Syria 'Hinders' UN's Hariri Probe

Syria is not co-operating with an international investigation into the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a UN official has said. (BBC)

Iran Hopes To Present New Nuclear Plan in A Month

Iran said on Friday it hoped to present within a month a plan to head off European Union preparations to refer it to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions, and both sides said they were open to talks. (Reuters)

Saudi Forces Arrest 41 Suspected Militants in 8 Days

Security forces have arrested 41 suspected militants in a series of raids around Saudi Arabia, since the killing of al Qaeda's top leader in the country less than 10 days ago, a security source said on Friday. (Reuters)

Hamburg Police Draw Blank in Terrorist Search

German police published grainy pictures of three possible terrorist suspects on Friday but said they had so far failed to locate them despite a huge manhunt in the northern port city of Hamburg. (NY Times)

Islamist Fundamentalists Doubt Reports on Bin Laden's Involvement in Afghan Fighting

An extremist Islamist internet site has claimed Osama bin Laden was recently injured in fighting around a Spanish military base in Afghanistan. Al Hasba, which has featured statements by al Qaeda's leader and Abu Musab al Zarqawi, said bin Laden took part in the al Kholoud attack (the eternal attack) and was lightly injured in his left thigh. (Asharq al Awsat)

Car Checks Indicate Diana Death an Accident

INVESTIGATORS probing the death of the Princess of Wales now strongly believe she was the victim of a tragic accident. (The Scotsman)

Death Sentences in Musharraf Plot
Five men have been sentenced to death in Pakistan after being found guilty of involvement in a plot to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf. (BBC)

Library Challenges FBI Request

Patriot Act Prohibits Details of Lawsuit From Being Released. (Washington Post)

Talabani's Guards Killed In Attack
Armed men have attacked cars owned by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, killing eight of his bodyguards and wounding 15, police said. (Al Jazeera)

Several Killed In Iraq Violence
Five people have been killed in separate attacks across Iraq, including two truck drivers who lost their lives when their convoy hit a roadside bomb. (Al Jazeera)

Iraq Struggles for Charter Deal
Talks aimed at persuading Sunni Arabs to back the text of a new Iraqi constitution have resumed after a deadline passed with no deal reached. (BBC)

Iraq Constitution Negotiations Impacting U.S. Military Mission
U.S. Troop Pullout Linked to Stability of Iraq's Government and Improved Security, General Says. (ABC News)

Playing the Shiite Card
America is finally having its great debate over the Iraq war. In that debate, it's worth listening to a young Iraqi Shiite cleric named Ammar Hakim. He speaks for the people who arguably have gained the most from America's troubled mission in Iraq and, to a surprising extent, still believe in it. (Washington Post)

Terror Puts Jordan on The Map
The three rockets fired at a US Navy ship in the Jordanian port of Aqaba woefully missed their target. But they scored a direct hit in highlighting the growing ties between Jordan and the insurgency in Iraq, and in illustrating that terrorism is gaining ground in traditionally peaceful and secure countries. (Asia Times)

Bush's Antiterrorism Formula
The Bush formula for drying up terrorism is pretty basic: Democracy equals freedom equals a satisfied populace. Transform the Middle East, and the incentive for terrorists to wage war against their governments or those that support them evaporates. (CS Monitor)

Can Hughes Repair US Image?
Two years ago a US task force concluded that hostility toward the United States has reached "shocking levels," but only this week has Karen Hughes finally taken up office at State Department as the new Under Secretary of Public Diplomacy. (Arab News)

How to Effectively Confront Nuclear Threat from Terrorists
In the first of last fall's presidential debates, George Bush was asked a big question — and he had a ready answer. When asked what was "the single most serious threat to American national security," he said it was "weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist network." (USA Today)

Arab Leadership and Vision
The Arab world is facing critical challenges in Iraq and Palestine. Passivity will not do, nor will merely blaming others, even if they justly deserve blame for having created these crises in the first place. It is past time for demonstrations of leadership and vision. (Arab News)