U.S. Forces Step Up Efforts Against Insurgency

Sept. 27, 2004 — -- U.S. jets pounded suspected Shiite militant positions in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding 46, news wires reported. In the northern city of Mosul, insurgents set off a car bomb that killed four National Guardsmen.

And in Pakistan this weekend, authorities captured and killed a suspected top al Qaeda operative wanted for his alleged role in the 2002 kidnapping and beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Amjad Hussain Farooqi, also accused in two attempts on the life of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf in December 2003, died in a four-hour shootout Sunday at a house in the southern town of Nawabshah.

IRAQ NEWS

U.S. Jets Pound Militant Positions in Iraq; Car Bomb in Mosul Kills Four National Guardsmen

U.S. jets pounded suspected Shiite militant positions in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City on Monday, killing at least five people and wounding 46. In the northern city of Mosul, insurgents set off a car bomb that killed four National Guardsmen. (AP)

2 Car Bombs Explode Near FallujahTwo car bombs wounded American and Iraqi troops west of the capital Sunday and a few hours later the US military announced the arrest of a senior Iraqi National Guard commander on suspicion of ties to insurgents, underscoring the challenges to building a strong Iraq security service capable of restoring stability. (AP)

Powell: Iraq is `Getting Worse'Secretary of State Colin Powell acknowledged Sunday that the situation in Iraq is "getting worse," but he insisted hostile areas could be quelled to allow elections in January throughout the country. (Chicago Tribune)

Two Soldiers Charged With Murder in BaghdadThe 1st Cavalry Division announced that two Soldiers have been charged with the murder of an Iraqi civilian under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice. The Army's Criminal Investigation Division is continuing an investigation into the allegations, but cannot comment on specifics concerning the charges due to the on-going inquiry. (MNF-I Public Affairs)

Egyptian Islamist in London Claims There's Hope for British HostageYasser Serri, an Egyptian Islamist living in London, claims to have contacted the group holding the British hostage Kenneth Bigley and says the group might release him soon. Serri had called on Al Tawhid Wal Jihad group to spare the hostage's life and says he knows the message reached them through mediators and there are sign of hope. (Asharq Al Awsat)

King of Jordan says Italian Hostages AliveJordan's King Abdullah said in an interview published on Monday he believed two Italian women kidnapped in Iraq three weeks ago were still alive and Jordan was trying to obtain their freedom. (Reuters)

Rumsfeld Mulls Withdrawal From IraqA day after saying more US soldiers may be needed in Iraq, US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld has indicated the possible withdrawal of American troops from the country. (Al Jazeera)

U.S. Military Arrests an Iraqi CommanderThe American military said Sunday that it had arrested a senior commander of the nascent Iraqi National Guard, raising concerns about the loyalty and reliability of the new security forces just months before general elections are scheduled across the embattled country. (NY Times)