Palestinian President Disolves Government and Declares State of Emergency
June 15, 2007 -- HAMAS VS FATAH VIOLENCE
Abbas Fires Entire Cabinet, Declares State of Emergency
The United States said Thursday that it would consider an international peacekeeping for the Gaza Strip - just moments after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the Cabinet and declared a state of emergency across the Palestinian Territories. The sacking of the government came after Hamas fighters captured one of Gaza's last bastions of Fatah loyalists on a day that left at least 29 people dead. Hamas said it "executed" a top Fatah "collaborator" and issued a hit list of other key supporters of Abbas amid unconfirmed reports of prisoners being shot. (Daily Star)
Hamas Offers Amnesty to Fatah Leaders
On its first day of full rule in Gaza, the Islamic militant Hamas on Friday granted amnesty to Fatah leaders, signaling that it seeks conciliation with the defeated forces of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (AP)
IRAQ NEWS
5 G.I.'s Killed in Iraq, Military Says
Five American soldiers died in Iraq on Wednesday and Thursday, the U.S. military announced Friday, a day after extremists fired shells into Baghdad's Green Zone during a visit by the State Department's No. 2 official. (AP)
PAKISTAN
Seven Pakistani Intelligence Personnel Killed in Ambush in Quetta
At least seven intelligence personnel have been died and five other injured in an ambush here in night between Thursday and Friday. (Pak Tribune)
AFGHANISTAN
'Children Dead' in Afghan Bombing
At least six children have been killed and four injured in a suicide attack on a Nato convoy in the Afghan province of Uruzgan, police say. (BBC)
Police 'Kill Taleban Commander'
Afghan police have shot dead a senior Taleban commander in the eastern province of Ghazni, officials say. (BBC)
IRAN / AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Defense Chief Waves off US Claim on Iranian Arms
Afghanistan's defense minister on Thursday rejected claims by a top US State Department official that there was "irrefutable evidence" that the Iranian government was providing arms to Taliban rebels. "Actually, throughout, we have had good relations with Iran and we believe that the security and stability of Afghanistan are also in the interests of Iran," Abdul Rahim Wardak told The Associated Press. (Daily Star)
[ABC News Reported on June 6,2007 that Convoys from Iran to Afghanistan-
Document: Iran Caught Red-Handed Shipping Arms to Taliban]
Iran Forcibly Deports 100,000 Afghans
Dumped at this frontier outpost alongside hundreds of weary Afghan laborers, Khalil Jalil stepped out of Iran and back into Afghanistan only days after he said Iranian authorities beat him, threw him in the trunk of a car and locked him in a detention center. (AP)
HADITHA KILLINGS
Forensic Experts Testify that 4 Iraqis Killed by Marines were Shot from a Few Feet Away
Government forensic experts testified at a military hearing here Thursday that four Iraqi men killed by marines in Haditha in 2005 appeared to have been shot in the head from at least a few feet away, undercutting prosecutors' argument that the men had been "executed" by two Marine infantrymen. (NY Times)
U.K.
Al-Qaeda Cell Members Imprisoned
Seven men have been jailed for up to 26 years over an al-Qaeda-linked plot to kill thousands in the UK and US. (BBC)
INDONESIA
Indonesia Captures Head of Islamic Militant Group
Indonesia has captured the head of Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), police said on Friday, marking what appears to be a major blow for a group blamed for a string of deadly bombings. (Reuters)
EGYPT
Egyptian Arrests May Be Linked to Political Crackdown
Heavily armed police officers woke the Said family at 2 a.m. with pounding on the front door. The parents dressed quickly as their two children drifted between sleep and fear. The police seized books, documents and computer equipment. They blindfolded the father, Abdellatif Muhammad Said, 40, and took him away. (International Herald Tribune)
THAILAND
Attack Kills 7 in Thailand
A roadside bomb and shootings killed seven soldiers Friday in one of the deadliest attacks on security forces this year in Thailand's restive south, amid tightened security on a key anniversary of a 15th Century Islamic sultanate. (Time)
U.S.
'Brilliant' Identity Theft Scheme Targets Child Porn Buyers
A ring of European cyber criminals have devised an ingenious scheme that steals the credit card information of internet buyers of child pornography, law enforcement sources say. Officials call it a "brilliant" system because victims rarely complain for fear of being identified as a child porn purchaser. (ABC News)
FBI to Boost 'Black Bag' Search Ops
As part of its growing intelligence operations within the United States, the FBI has increased its surreptitious entry and search missions since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, according to an unclassified bureau document. (ABC News)
Reputed Klansman Convicted in '64 Case
After 43 years, Thomas Moore can tell his brother that his killer has been brought to justice. (AP)
New White House Adviser Spins Revolving Door Again
Watchdog groups say ties between a new White House aide and his former lobbying clients, including foreign governments, cast doubt on his ability to serve the American public. (ABC News)
SCOOTER LIBBY TRIAL
Libby Loses Bid to Stay Out of Jail for Appeal
A federal judge ordered Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff to surrender in six to eight weeks to begin serving his 30-month prison term, increasing the pressure for President Bush to decide soon whether he will pardon the only administration official prosecuted in a White House leak investigation. (Washington Post)
LITVINENKO INVESTIGATION
Russia to Probe UK Spy Activity
Russia is to investigate alleged British spying on its territory after claims made by the prime suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. (BBC)
TURKEY
Bomb Wounds Five in Turkey
A bomb exploded near a minibus stop in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir Friday morning, wounding five people, officials said, according to the Anatolian state news agency. (CNN)
PHILIPPINES
Nine Killed In Southern Philippines Blast
Nine people were killed when a bomb exploded aboard a bus in the southern Philippine town of Bansalan on Friday, a military report said. (AFP)
SOMALIA
Bombings Kill Two as Somali Insurgency Deepens
A roadside bomb killed two children in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Friday and another wounded several bystanders in the latest strikes by insurgents fighting the Horn of Africa nation's government, residents said. (Reuters)
ZIMBABWE
Allegations of Coup Plot in Zimbabwe
A group of soldiers was in custody in Zimbabwe on charges of plotting to oust President Robert Mugabe and replace him with a Cabinet minister, a newspaper report claimed on Friday. (Mail & Guardian)
TAIWAN / U.S.
U.S. Put Pressure on Taiwan to End Alleged Nuclear Quest in 1970s
As Washington struggles to end nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran, details have emerged from declassified U.S. government documents regarding its success in halting Taiwan's budding nuclear project in the 1970s. (AP)
ARGENTINA
10 Ex-Argentine Security Agents Detained
A federal court in northern Argentina has detained 10 former state security agents — including four army colonels — for prosecution in connection with a 1976 massacre, the government news agency said. (AP)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
Factionalism has Spread to Iraq's Intelligence Services
By David Ignatius
Iraq's internal conflict is on the verge of claiming a new victim - the country's fledging intelligence service. Pressure to abolish the spy agency is coming from pro-Iranian Shiite politicians who have created a rival organization. The duel between the Iraqi spy agencies is one more sign of the sectarian rage that is destroying the country, as in Wednesday's macabre repeat bombing of the Samarra mosque revered by Shiites. Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's Shiite prime minister, is said to vacillate between supporting the official spy service and its Iranian-backed challenger. US officials, who strongly back the official service, are upset about the bickering but seem unable to resolve it. (Daily Star)
Pakistan at the Crossroads: Which Way Will Musharraf turn?
By Amir Taheri
Soon after he seized power in a bloodless coup in October 1999, General Pervez Musharraf spelled out his "vision for a new Pakistan". In a wide-ranging conversation, he denied that he had ever thought of staging a coup. But, the detailed way in which he described his "vision" made it clear that he could not have been swept to power without ever thinking of grabbing it. (Asharq Alawsat)
A 'Two-State Solution,' Palestinian-Style
By Martin Indyk
Does Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas know something that we don't? For five days his presidential security forces in Gaza came under organized attack by Hamas gunmen. His compound in Gaza City was under siege. But he responded to these clear challenges to his authority with observations about the madness that had infected Gaza and refused to assign blame. (Washington Post)
Democracy & Foreign Advice
It is a pity that foreigners should tell us about the importance of transparent elections, and that government and opposition leaders should queue up to meet the visiting US Assistant Secretary of State to seek his advice on Pakistan's internal political matters. On Wednesday, Mr Richard Boucher met Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri. That was understandable because as a State Department official dealing with South Asia, Mr Boucher was here to discuss bilateral issues and the situation in the region, especially the Afghan imbroglio. (Dawn)
Will Promoting Democracy Backfire?
From Gaza to Lebanon to Iraq, the Middle East is aflame, and the vaunted free elections that have been held in each country have hardly produced peace, stability or good governance. Some Arabs are now claiming that democracy itself is discredited. That's neither fair nor true. (LA Times)
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.