UN: Congo Atrocities
March 17, 2005 --
U.N. Reports Atrocities In Congo
Victims are kidnapped, tortured, mutilated, raped, and even boiled alive by militias. (The Guardian)
U.S. Counts 108 Deaths in Custody in Iraq, Afghanistan
Some were from natural causes but 26 are known or suspected criminal homicides, data show. (LA Times)
CIA's Assurances On Transferred Suspects Doubted
Experts say CIA system to prevent abuses is ineffective and virtually impossible to monitor. (Washington Post)
U.S. Warns of Terrorist Threat to Western Ships Off East Africa
The United States is advising western shipping firms and other maritime interests of a possible terrorist attack on vessels off the coast of east Africa, according to a government warning. (AFP)
Fugitive 9/11 Suspect Contacts Family
A suspect in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks who fled Germany before the hijackings remains in contact with family members, a relative testified Wednesday at the retrial of an alleged accomplice of the militants. (AP)
"Al Qaeda Leader" in Saudi Arabia Sends Message to Al Zarqawi
An audio message allegedly by the leader of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia Saleh al Oufi to the most wanted militant in Iraq Abu Musaab al Zarqawi was posted online today. Al Oufi promises that the militants in Saudi Arabia will support al Zarqawi and the fighters in Iraq by stopping the US from planning any attacks against them from Saudi Arabia or using bases there for training. He also says they will provide al Zarqawi with fighters if needed. (ABCNEWS Investigative Unit)
Iran Offers Europe 'Guarantees' on Its Nuclear Program
Iran said it is ready to provide "objective guarantees" that European negotiators were seeking about the country's nuclear program. (NY Times)
Abu Sayyaf Guerrillas Training for Sea-Borne Terror Attacks
The militant group Abu Sayyaf has trained in scuba diving to prepare for possible sea-borne terror attacks outside the country, the Philippine military said on Thursday, citing the interrogation of a captured guerrilla. (AP)
Chechen Rebels Name Successor
Maskhadov chose little-known cleric as his replacement in spite of concerns over his more radical views. (Caucasus Reporting Service)
Al Qaeda Cells Moving in Sudan
Sudanese authorities tracked movement of cells belonging to al Qaeda, according to the Sudanese foreign minister Moutafa Othman Ismail. Western intelligence services information indicates that al Qaeda may be planning terrorist attacks in the country. Meanwhile, former Sudanese Prime Minister Sadeq al Mehdi claimed that he was targeted by Abu Musaab al Zarqawi's group, al Hayat reports today. Al Mehdi said groups like al Zarqawi's want to abolish those who represent moderate movements. (Al Hayat)
13 Convicted of Terrorism In Algeria
An Algerian court sentenced 13 people convicted of terrorist activities to prison terms ranging from three to five years, a judicial source said Wednesday. (UPI)
Iraqi Assembly Opens as Talks Over a Government Drag On
The divisiveness of the negotiations was evident when the assembly failed to take even the first formal step of appointing a president. (NY Times)
Jordan Islamists Slam Terrorism in Iraq
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood Wednesday denounced terrorist acts targeting Iraqi civilians and kidnapping of foreigner journalists and workers. (UPI)
Reported Abuse Cases Fell After Abu Ghraib
The number of reported detainee abuse cases against U.S. Army soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan declined sharply after the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison came to light last spring, with incident reports dropping more than 75 percent from April 2004 to the end of last year and the number of death investigations also waning. (Washington Post)
Captain Is Convicted of Assaults
Three Iraqis were victimized by the Army officer, a military jury in Colorado finds. (AP)
Hospitals Endure Iraqi Paralysis
As Iraqi politicians wrangle over the make-up of the future transitional government, the BBC's Matthew Price visits a hospital in Baghdad to learn about the effect the delay is having on doctors and patients. (BBC)
Analysis: Does Bin Laden Still Count?
What has happened to Osama Bin Laden? Is he dead? On the run? Or readying for new attacks on the U.S.? (BBC)
Iraqi Sunnis Caught Between Politics, Armed Struggle
Iraq's Sunni minority watched the opening of the new Iraqi Parliament yesterday straddling a fence, torn between support of the deadly insurgency and a wish to join the democratic process. (AFP)
A Brief 'Bright Moment' in Iraq
Iraqis who risked so much to vote seven weeks ago are understandably irritated that they are not seeing more results from their bravery. The men and women they elected — well, the men anyway — have in many cases had decades in exile and two years in Iraq to plan what to do once they achieved power. (LA Times)
Washington Tightens the Screws
Pakistan is ideally situated, as far as the United States is concerned, for any possible action against Iran. Islamabad is only too pleased to accommodate US troops and intelligence assets, provided it receives "understanding" on the delicate matter of its proliferation, writes Kaushik Kapisthalam. (Asia Times)
India, meanwhile, is not as willing to please when it comes to abandoning plans for a gas pipeline originating in Iran, reports Siddharth Srivastava. (Asia Times)
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