Exclusive: Curveball, the Defector Whose Lies Led to War

March 13, 2007 -- IRAQ NEWS

Exclusive: Curveball, the Defector Whose Lies Led to War

The Iraqi defector known as Curveball, whose fabricated stories of "mobile biological weapons labs" helped lead the U.S. to war four years ago, is still being protected by the German intelligence service, an ABC News investigation has found. (ABC News)

Study Reveals US Veterans' Trauma

A quarter of US veterans treated by doctors when they return from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer mental health problems, according to US research. (BBC)

Over 700 More U.S. Troops Arrive in Diyala

More than 700 additional U.S. troops arrived in Iraq's increasingly volatile Diyala province on Tuesday to try to quell burgeoning violence northeast of Baghdad during a security crackdown in the capital. (AP)

Top US Army Doctor Out in Scandal

The US army's top doctor, Lt Gen Kevin Kiley, has stepped down in the wake of a scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the flagship US Army hospital. (BBC)

In Iraq, American Military Finds It Has an Alcohol Problem

In May 2004, Specialist Justin Lillis got drunk on what he called "hajji juice," a clear Iraqi moonshine smuggled onto an army base in Balad by civilian contractors. He began taking potshots with his M-16 service rifle. (International Herald Tribune)

AFGHANISTAN

Afghan Suicide Blasts Kill Three

Suicide bombers have killed at least three civilians and injured a number of others in three attacks in southern Afghanistan, officials say. (BBC)

U.K.

Report: Blair Aide Pressured to Lie

A key aide to Tony Blair claimed she was asked to lie about the role of the prime minister's chief fundraiser to detectives probing allegations political honors were traded for cash, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday. (AP)

EGYPT

New Egypt Muslim Brothers Arrests

Egyptian security forces have arrested members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement, hours after opposition MPs rejected key constitutional changes. (BBC)

USS COLE ATTCK

Sudan Sued Over USS Cole Attack

The suicide bombing tore a large hole in the hull of the USS Cole The government of Sudan is being sued in the United States, after being accused of aiding terrorism. (BBC)

MOROCCO

Bombers Had Targeted Casablanca Landmarks: Papers

A Moroccan who was blown up in a Casablanca Internet cafe was part of a gang of suicide bombers who planned to attack landmarks in Morocco's commercial capital, newspapers reported on Tuesday. (Reuters)

ALGERIA

Americans Warned of Aircraft Threat in Algeria

A warning has gone out to Americans in Algeria that extremists may be planning to conduct a terrorist attack against a commercial aircraft there. (ABC News)

U.S.

Viacom in $1 bln Copyright Suit Vs Google, YouTube

Media conglomerate Viacom Inc. said on Tuesday that it was suing Google Inc. and its Internet video-sharing site YouTube for more than $1 billion over unauthorized use of its programming online. (Reuters)

Gonzales Cancels Trip Amid Ouster Calls

The chief White House lawyer floated the idea of firing all 93 U.S. attorneys at the start of President Bush's second term, but the Justice Department objected and eventually recommended the eight dismissals that have generated a political firestorm two years later. (AP)

SOMALIA

Mortar Bombs Hit Somali Presidential Palace

Mortar rounds crashed into Somalia's presidential palace on Tuesday hours after President Abdullahi Yusuf flew back into the chaotic coastal capital Mogadishu. (Reuters)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

A Convenient Suicide

If there were no precedents for the suspicious death of the Russian journalist Ivan Safronov, it might be easier to believe his fall from a fifth-floor window on March 2 was the suicide officials initially said it was. But too many other journalists working on sensitive stories have met violent ends in Russia. (The Boston Globe)

Russia's Test in Kosovo

By Richard Holbrooke

Obsessed with Iraq, the Bush administration and the public have paid too little attention to a series of Russian challenges to the stability of Europe. There is no doubt that President Vladimir Putin, emboldened by America's difficulties and the effectiveness of his energy diplomacy (which sometimes looks like blackmail), is seeking to regain ground lost in the decade after the Soviet Union's collapse, while at home Putin pursues increasingly authoritarian, often brutal, policies. (Washington Post)

The Gulf States Consider Nuclear Energy

By Nicole Stracke

How far away are the Gulf states from engaging in a nuclear race in the Middle East? This is a legitimate question given the decision in December 2006 by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to establish a nuclear research program. Up to that point, the GCC states had never seriously considered the use of nuclear energy. Most of the members have signed the major nuclear non-proliferation treaties. (Daily Star)

New Terrorism Front Opens In Indonesia

By Bill Guerin

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has won high marks from both the United States and Australia for his government's efforts to combat terrorism, including the recent capture or elimination of at least 200 terror suspects. But a new front may be opening in strife-torn Sulawesi. (Asia Times)

America's Many Mistakes

TBy Shahid Javed Burki

It should not come as a surprise, not even to the American makers of public policy, that the United States is now deeply unpopular in the Muslim world. Survey after survey reveal the toll taken by recent policies and approaches aimed at various parts of the Muslim world. (Dawn)

The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Elizabeth Sprague of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.