Iraq Parliament Blast Cliamed by Al-Qaida-Linked Group

April 13, 2007 -- IRAQ NEWS

Al-Qaida-Linked Group Claims Iraq Blast

An insurgent umbrella group that includes al-Qaida in Iraq claimed Friday one of its "knights" carried out the parliament suicide bombing in Baghdad's Green Zone, and the U.S. military revised the death toll sharply downward to one dead. (AP)

Iraqi Parliament Meets after Bomb Attack

Few Iraqi lawmakers managed to attend a rare emergency legislative session Friday, a day after a suicide bomber ripped through their cafeteria in a brazen attack inside Baghdad's U.S.-guarded Green Zone. (AP)

U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,292

As of Thursday, April 12, 2007, at least 3,292 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,674 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. (AP)

Iraq War's Architect Apologizes in Salary Scandal

With his job on the line and executive directors of the World Bank seeming troubled by a controversy involving his romantic partner, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz fought to keep his job Friday. In paper, audio and streaming video statements, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz apologized Thursday for his role in helping his girlfriend Shaha Ali Riza secure a lucrative job at the State Department, for which she is said to be paid even more than Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. (ABC News)

Turkish Army Seeks OK for Iraq Raids

Turkey's military asked the government Thursday to approve attacks on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, signaling growing frustration over a lack of action against the guerrillas by Iraqi and U.S. forces. (AP)

AFGHANISTAN

35 Militants Killed in South Afghanistan

U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops backed by aircraft clashed with suspected Taliban fighters in volatile southern Afghanistan, leaving more than 35 militants dead, the coalition said Friday. (AP)

Bombings, Gunbattles On Rise In Afghanistan

A NATO soldier died in combat in Afghanistan on Friday, a day after two were killed by roadside bombs, bringing the number of foreign troop deaths this week to 12 -- one of the bloodiest weeks for foreign forces in months. (Reuters)

U.S./IRAN

Fugitive Says He Met Missing Ex-FBI Agent In Iran

An American fugitive living in Iran since he murdered an Iranian opposition activist in the US in 1980 has revealed that he met a former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent shortly before the latter disappeared on the Iranian island of Kish a month ago. (Financial Times)

Iran Pledges Help in Locating Former FBI Agent

The U.S. State Department says the Iranian government has pledged assistance in attempting to locate a former FBI agent who disappeared in the Islamic republic last month and says it is hopeful the man will be found. (ABC News)

ALGERIA

Toll in Bombings in Algeria Rises to 33; Manhunt Begins

The death toll from Wednesday's suicide bombings in Algeria rose by 10 on Thursday, to 33, and the police mounted a nationwide manhunt for those responsible for the attacks. (NY Times)

INDONESIA

Missile Test Forces Jet to Turn Back

An Indonesian passenger jet was forced to turn around over Indian airspace after a nuclear-capable ballistic missile streaked across the sky, the Foreign Ministry said Friday, demanding an explanation from New Delhi. (AP)

U.S.

National Guard 'Woefully Underequipped'

The always blunt-talking head of the National Guard told a Senate committee the Guard is "woefully underequipped" to meet homeland security needs. (ABC News)

U.S. "Dirty Bomber" Stigma Haunts Padilla Trial

Five years after the U.S. attorney general announced on live television that Jose Padilla was a "known terrorist" plotting to set off a radioactive bomb, a federal court must find a jury willing to presume he is innocent. (Reuters)

Flawed System May Hurt Disabled Soldiers

Army might be shortchanging injured soldiers by rating the severity of their disabilities with a system that is both unwieldy and inconsistent, the head of a special commission said Thursday. (AP)

White House E-mails: Gone, But Not Forgotten?

The White House set off a miniature firestorm Wednesday when it revealed that years of e-mails belonging to White House political aides were deleted, apparently in violation of federal law requiring presidential documents to be preserved. (ABC News)

'Damaging' Internal E-Mails Blast State Farm on Katrina Damage Claims

Internal company e-mails obtained by ABC News reveal that engineers complained of being pressured by State Farm Insurance to change damage reports of homes ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. (ABC News)

PAKISTAN

Pakistani Army Says Its Forces Are Gaining in Tribal Lands

After some of the heaviest fighting in two years in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan's generals are claiming initial success in their latest efforts to combat foreign militants and regain some control in one of the most lawless regions. (NY Times)

MADRID BOMBINGS

Madrid Bombers' Trial Becomes Political Battlefield

Spain's high-profile trial of Islamist suspects of 2004 train bombings in Madrid has turned into a political battlefield thanks to many Spaniards' suspicions that Basque separatists were involved in the attacks. (Reuters)

BRAZIL

Brazil Breaks Up 'Killing Firm'

Brazil's police say they have broken up a gang suspected of carrying out about 1,000 contract killings in five years. (BBC)

ISRAEL

Israeli in Human Shield Case Suspended

Israel suspended a commander whose troops ordered two Palestinian youths in the West Bank to stand in front of their vehicle to protect it from stones thrown by locals, the army spokesman's office said Friday. (AP)

NIGERIA

Muslim Cleric, Two Others, Killed In Mosque in Nigeria

Gunmen shot dead a radical Muslim cleric in his mosque and fired on the congregation, killing two more people, in the northern Nigerian city of Kano Friday, witnesses said. (AFP)

EGYPT

Egypt Rejects Amnesty International Report on Prisoner Abuse as Unfair and Inaccurate

Egypt rejected a report by human rights group Amnesty International that accused the country of systematic abuse against prisoners, calling it inaccurate and unfair. (AP)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

The Baghdad Gulag

By Pepe Escobar

There are three overlapping wars in Iraq: the Sunni Arab guerrilla struggle against the US; strands of Sunni Arab guerrillas against assorted Shi'ite militias/death squads; and al-Qaeda in Iraq against the puppet, US-backed Iraqi government in the Green Zone. (Asia Times)

Turkey and the U.N.'s Cover-Up

More than 90 years ago, when Turkey was still part of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish nationalists launched an extermination campaign there that killed 1.5 million Armenians. (NY Times)

Suicide Attacks in Algeria

Although the scale of Wednesday's two suicide blasts in the Algerian capital of Algiers sent shockwaves throughout the country, the attacks were not altogether unexpected. (Dawn)

A Solution in the Western Sahara?

On Wednesday, the Moroccan government presented the United Nations with a framework for autonomy for the Western Sahara region, taking the first step, which the United Nations has called for repeatedly, toward a political dialogue with its longtime adversary, the Polisario Front. (Washington Times)

Maybe Maliki is Doing Something Right

By Amir Taheri

A few months ago, Washington circles saw him as "Tehran's man" in Baghdad. Today, Tehran circles label him "Washington's man" in Baghdad. (Asharq Alawsat)

War on Terror, Culture of Fear

By Gamil Matar

The still raging and escalating war on terror, in whose name people are killed, governments are destroyed, and international organizations are undermined, is also exacting a more far-reaching and pernicious toll. It is sewing corruption, perverting facts, falsifying history, spreading chaos, pinning prejudicial labels on human beings and redefining civilization. (Al-Ahram)

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 and Elizabeth Sprague of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.