32 Militants Killed by Missile Strike in Pakistan

June 19, 2007 -- PAKISTAN

Missile Strike Kills 32 Militants in Pakistan

A missile attack, possibly launched by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, killed at least 32 pro-Taliban militants on Tuesday in a Pakistani tribal region near the border, Pakistani officials said. (Reuters)

AFGHANISTAN

Taleban Capture Afghan District

Taleban rebels have captured a district in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar after days of fierce fighting. (BBC)

Taliban Overrun Southern Afghan District

Taliban militants overran a district in southern Afghanistan and are pushing for control of another key area, sparking fierce clashes with NATO and Afghan forces that have left more than 100 people dead over three days, officials said Tuesday. (AP)

IRAQ

U.S., Iraqi Forces Kill 22 Insurgents

About 10,000 U.S. soldiers using heavily armored Stryker and Bradley fighting vehicles fought their way into an al-Qaida sanctuary northeast of Baghdad early Tuesday. American and Iraqi forces, under cover of attack helicopters, killed at least 22 insurgents, the military said. (AP)

Scores Killed in Baghdad Bombing

A car bomb killed at least 75 people and wounded 130 others near a Shi'ite mosque in central Baghdad on Tuesday, Iraqi police said. (Mail & Guardian)

Civilians Die as Police, Gunmen Clash in Iraq

Two days of fierce fighting between gunmen loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi police have killed 35 people and wounded 125 in the southern city of Nassiriya, a hospital doctor said on Tuesday. (Mail & Guardian)

Oiling the Wheels of War

On the banks of the Shatt al-Arab in southern Iraq, a family business is thriving. For the Ashur, a small clan of 50 families, it's worth several million dollars a week. Costs are steep, especially for security. But profits are tidy and business is booming. (Mail & Guardian)

Athletes' Remains Found In Iraq

The decomposed bodies of 13 members of an Iraqi taekwondo team seized a year ago have been found, officials say. (BBC)

HAMAS VS. FATAH

U.S. Unfreezes Millions in Aid to Palestinians

The United States on Monday ended an economic and political embargo of the Palestinian Authority in a bid to bolster President Mahmoud Abbas and the new Fatah-led emergency government he has established in the West Bank as a counterweight to Hamas-controlled Gaza. (NY Times)

NORTH KOREA

South Korea: North Korea Fires Missile

North Korea fired a short-range missile toward waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, a South Korean intelligence official said Tuesday, amid signs of progress in ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program. (AP)

U.S.

Accused Las Vegas 'Madam' Claims She Only Did Makeup for Bill Clinton

The lawyer for an accused Las Vegas "Madam" says she did work for Bill Clinton but only to provide makeup, not girls. (ABC News)

S.C. Warehouse Fire Kills 9 Firefighters

Fire swept through a furniture warehouse, collapsing the building's roof and claiming the lives of nine firefighters in a disaster the mayor described Tuesday as "difficult to fathom or quantify." (AP)

Police Find Cop Killer's Body, But No Other Answers

For nine years, the question has echoed across the high desert of southeastern Utah, hard against the corner where four states meet. (AP)

LEBANON

A Militant Islamist, and Local Hero, Rules This Corner of Lebanon

On a recent afternoon, with the smoke still rising from buildings burned in fierce fighting here between Islamist militants and the Lebanese Army, a man calling himself Abu Omar gave a tour of his squalid neighborhood. (International Herald Tribune)

Militant Group Claims Rocket Attack on Israel

A previously unknown militant group claimed responsibility Monday for a rocket attack a day earlier on northern Israel. A group calling itself the "Jihadi Badr Brigade-Lebanon branch" vowed in a statement faxed to the offices of The Associated Press in Beirut to continue attacks on Israel, saying: "We had promised our people jihad. Here, we again strike the Zionists when a group from the Jihadi Badr Brigades struck the Zionists in the occupied Palestinian territory." (Daily Star)

Lebanese Soldier Dies in Refugee Camp Fighting

A Lebanese soldier was killed on Tuesday at a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon where fighting between troops and Islamist militants is in its fifth week, security sources said. (Reuters)

Lebanese Army Battles Militants on Two Fronts

Lebanese troops battled militants on two fronts on Monday, hunting gunmen who fired rockets into Israel and tightening the noose on Islamists making a last stand in a refugee camp. (Asharq Alawsat)

SOMALIA

Amnesty for Somalia's Islamists

Somalia's government has given an amnesty to both the leaders and fighters of the Islamist movement ousted from power last December. (BBC)

Somalia Presidential Spokesman Shot Twice in Capital

Somalia's presidential spokesman was shot twice at close range in the latest assassination attempt on government officials in the Horn of Africa nation, officials said today. (Reuters)

Blast Kills Two near Somalia Peace Conference Venue

A large blast killed two civilians in Mogadishu Monday close to the venue for next month's planned peace conference that has already been delayed twice over security fears, police said. (Daily Nation)

SUDAN

Sudan Silent on Assassination Claims

The Sudanese Embassy yesterday described as "too sensitive" claims by the widow of former Sudanese Vice-President John Garang de Mabior that he was assassinated. (Daily Nation)

U.S./SUDAN

16 Companies May Violate U.S. Ban on Trade With Terror States

Royal Dutch Shell, Nokia and Credit Suisse are among 16 companies publicly traded in the United States that may be violating a U.S. ban on doing business with Sudan, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). (ABC News)

U.K.

Jail Inmates Will Be Freed Early

Some inmates serving jail terms of four years or less will be released early to ease prison overcrowding in England and Wales, Lord Falconer has said. (BBC)

ITALY

Kidnapping Trial of C.I.A. Agents is Suspended by Judge in Italy

An Italian judge on Monday suspended the kidnapping trial of 25 Central Intelligence Agency operatives, a United States military officer and some of Italy's former top spies, to await a ruling on whether prosecutors overstepped their bounds and violated state secrecy laws as they gathered evidence. (NY Times)

SOUTH AFRICA

Wanted Man Found Behind Bars

A man on Sandton police's "wanted list", whom police have been looking for since 1999, has been found -- in jail serving a 12-year sentence. (Mail & Guardian)

ENRON SCANDAL

Former Enron Chief Executive Draws 27-Month Prison Term

An Enron Corp unit's former chief executive has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for securities fraud linked to the energy-trading giant's 2001 bankruptcy, which exposed one of the biggest US corporate scandals. (Times of India)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Syrian Efforts to Deny Fath Al-Islam Affiliation With Syrian Intelligence

By H. Varulkar

Following the exposure of an affiliation between Fath Al-Islam and Syrian intelligence during the interrogation of Fath Al-Islam members, Syrian and pro-Syrian elements and media have been making efforts to deny this affiliation. Fath Al-Islam leaders with connections to Syria have suddenly disappeared, to be replaced by new leaders, claimed to be connected to Al-Qaeda. In addition, one of the organization's new leaders and a pro-Syrian Lebanese source have stated that Fath Al-Islam is under the command of Al-Qaeda, a claim that was firmly denied by the organization's previous leadership. (MEMRI)

Myths about Western Aid to Arab Political Parties

By Thomas Carothers

Until recently Western assistance programs aimed at strengthening political parties were less present in the Arab world than in almost all other areas of the developing world. As part of the heightened American and European interest in promoting Arab political reform, however, such programs are multiplying in the region. (Daily Star)

The Failed States Index 2007

The world's weakest states aren't just a danger to themselves. They can threaten the progress and stability of countries half a world away. In the third annual Failed States Index, FOREIGN POLICY and The Fund for Peace rank the countries where the risk of failure is running high. (Foreign Policy)

Escape from Gaza

By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed

Over 12,000 residents fled from the Gaza Strip to escape the thugs fighting for power who have turned this small piece of land, 130 square kilometers, into a living hell for approximately one million and a half inhabitants. They are the cause of fear, misery and poverty amongst the residents of Gaza. (Asharq Alawsat)

The Fog of 'War on Terror'

On the face of it, the "war on terror" is going well in Southeast Asia. But in this murky world, intelligence and propaganda easily become interchangeable. (International Herald Tribune)

Behind the New Iraq Offensive

The thunderous start of Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Diyala province inaugurates the second phase of Gen. David Petraeus's "surge" strategy. If the first, a massive security crackdown in and around Baghdad, was designed to smoke Al-Qaeda and other militant groups out of their foxholes, the new assault is meant to pick them off in open battle. The assault began in and around Baqouba, the volatile provincial capital about 31 miles northeast of Baghdad, and involves over 10,000 American soldiers and heavy air cover. (Time)

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.