British Govt: We Will Not Give In to Terror
Sept. 23, 2004 — -- The British and Iraqi governments said Thursday they would not bow to the demands of militants threatening to kill a British captive, despite a video message from the hostage pleading for his life, news wires reported Thursday.
And the United States has agreed to release American-born, Saudi-raised Yaser Esam Hamdi after holding him as an "enemy combatant" without charges for more than two years, the Justice Department said on Wednesday.
IRAQ NEWS
Britain Says It Will Not Give in to Iraq KidnapperThe British and Iraqi governments said Thursday they would not bow to the demands of militants threatening to kill a British captive, despite a video message from the hostage pleading for his life. (Washington Post)
British Hostage Pleads for His life as U.S. Officials Rule out Female Prisoner ReleaseAuthorities insisted they won't give in to militants' demands to free female Iraqi prisoners despite the plea of a tearful British hostage begging Britain to save his life in a video released by his captors. (Canada East)
Italy Doubts Claims on Killing of Hostages in IraqThe Italian government said Thursday that the claims that two Italian female aid workers held hostage in Iraq had been killed were unreliable. (China View)
Iraq Govt. Says One Female Inmate to Be Freed SoonIraqi judges have ordered the conditional release of three prisoners in U.S. custody, including one of two women held by U.S. forces, the country's national security adviser said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Arab Press Concern Over HostagesNewspapers in the Arab world focus on the wave of abductions and the killing of foreigners in Iraq. While some are sympathetic to the hostages' plight, others point the finger at the occupying powers, blaming them for the general level of violence. (BBC)
Allawi Vows U.S. Sacrifice Will Not Be in VainOffering a simple, "Thank you America," Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi declared today that his country is succeeding in its effort to move past the war that ousted Saddam Hussein. (LA Times)
European Press Criticizes Bush Address to U.N. as a Denial of a Worsening Situation in IraqThe editorial cartoon in The Times of London on Wednesday was derisive: the first panel showed President Bush telling the United Nations General Assembly, "Friends, our policy in Iraq is directed solely towards a successful election."The second panel had him saying which election: "Mine." (NY Times)
NATO Expands Iraq RoleNATO agreed Wednesday to the outlines of a military officer training program in Iraq, expanding the alliance's presence there after overcoming resistance from several members, most notably France. (Chicago Tribune)
Top Shiite Cleric Is Said to Fear Voting in Iraq May Be DelayedGrand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, the nation's most powerful Shiite leader, is growing increasingly concerned that nationwide elections could be delayed, his aides said, and has even threatened to withdraw his support for the elections unless changes are made to increase the representation of Shiites, according to one Iraqi source close to him. (New York Times)
Ex-Official Says Iraq Wants Show Trial for SaddamThe former head of Iraq's special tribunal set up to try Saddam Hussein accused the interim government Thursday of manipulating the tribunal for political ends and planning hasty show trials and executions. (Reuters)
Gunmen Kill Oil Official in IraqGunmen killed a senior official of Iraq's North Oil Co in this north-eastern city today less than two weeks after his boss escaped an assassination attempt here, officials said. (News.com Australia)
Abu Ghraib's Shocking Photos Become Museum Pieces In U.S.The shocking photographs of US soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison have made their way into two US museums, creating controversy over the propriety of exhibiting the damaging pictures. (AFP)
THE WAR ON TERROR
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
U.S. to Send 'Enemy Combatant' Hamdi Back to SaudiThe United States has agreed to release American-born, Saudi-raised Yaser Esam Hamdi after holding him as an "enemy combatant" without charges for more than two years, the Justice Department said on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Interpreter Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charges in Spy TrialRaising the white flag in an espionage case that once carried the death penalty, the military cut a deal letting a Muslim interpreter accused of spying at the high-security base at Guantanamo Bay plead guilty Wednesday to lesser charges and probably avoid additional jail time. (LA Times)
INVESTIGATIONS
United StatesU.S. Urges Changes in Watch List RulesA gap in the airline passenger-check system permitted the former Cat Stevens to board a London-to-Washington flight despite being on a no-fly list for suspected ties to terrorists, a Bush administration official said Thursday. (AP)
'Amused' Cat Stevens Back HomeThe British recording artist Yusuf Islam returned to London Thursday saying he was "shocked and slightly amused" after U.S. officials determined he was on a terrorist watch list and was not allowed to enter the United States. (CNN)
Anti-Terror Measures Delaying Green CardsThe number of foreigners who became permanent U.S. immigrants dropped sharply in 2003 as anti-terrorism measures delayed the processing of applications, according to a new government report. (Washington Post)
MalaysiaMalaysian Ex-Hostages to Testify Against Al Qaeda-linked RP RebelsTwo Malaysians taken hostage by Filipino kidnappers four years ago returned to the Philippines on Thursday to testify against the alleged Abu Sayyaf Muslim guerrillas suspected of raiding their Sipadan resort, officials said. (AFP)
Lebanon2 Key Terror Suspects Among 10 ArrestedLebanon said it had arrested the country's top Al Qaeda operative and that he and another Lebanese suspect plotted suicide attacks on Western embassies and recruited insurgents to fight in Iraq. (LA Times)
AfghanistanUp to 3 Militants Killed in Afghan BattleU.S. troops clashed with militants in southern Afghanistan, killing at least two fighters, and a rocket attack on the main American base in the country wounded a U.S. soldier, officials said Thursday. (AP)
Afghan Security Forces Arrest Five "Terrorists": MinisterAfghan security forces arrested five Islamic fighters, including a group-commander of an outlawed militant group, after a crackdown on their hideouts just south of the capital Kabul, senior Afghan officials said Thursday. (AFP)
Philippines
Officials: Abu Sayyaf Letter Can Help Prove Rebels' Link With Jemaah IslamiyahA letter allegedly written by the leader of the Abu Sayyaf militant group discusses what appears to be plans for terrorist training with another extremist group, Jemaah Islamiyah, Philippine officials said Thursday. (AP)
Philippine Team To Visit Alleged JI Training Camps, Australia Begs OffCeasefire monitors are to visit Muslim separatist camps in the southern Philippines to investigate allegations that Islamic militants are training there, the government announced Thursday as Australia rejected an offer to join the inspection. (AFP)
Saudi Arabia'Al-Qaeda Controls Young Operatives by Torture Threats'The Al-Qaeda terror network attracts young Saudis and then controls them by threats of jail and torture by security forces if they desert, two captured recruits told Channel One of Saudi Television. In a program entitled "Special Facts From Within the Cell" which aired late on Tuesday, Khaled Al-Farraj and Abdul Rahman Al-Roshoud said the militants used heavy psychological pressure to win over and maintain the loyalty of their members. (Arab News)
RussiaRussia Sets Anti-Terror AgendaRussia's lower house of parliament adopted a far-reaching anti-terror plan on Wednesday that calls for broadening the powers of all agencies involved in the fight against terrorism and threatens officials with punishment if they fail to prevent attacks. (AP)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
Hope Amid the RubbleBased on what Americans have been seeing in the news media about Afghanistan lately, there may not be many who believed President Bush on Tuesday when he told the United Nations that the "Afghan people are on the path to democracy and freedom." But then again, not many Americans know what Afghanistan was like before the American-led invasion. Let me offer some perspective. (NY Times)
It's Lose-Lose For BlairWhen President George Bush addressed the general assembly in September 2002, he told the United Nations it was in danger of becoming "irrelevant" unless it confronted Iraq. It didn't, and it isn't. (Guardian)
Iraq War and the Metamorphosis of Tony BlairThis time last week British Prime Minister Tony Blair must have been counting his blessings that Iraq was out of the picture for a little while giving him a chance to return to the domestic agenda and perhaps even think of a walkover in next year's election. (Arab News)
Searching for an AnswerThis week, Iraq produced some of its most traumatic recent news for America. It also changed the election campaignThroughout this year Americans have continued to die in Iraq. Yet in the election campaign back home, Iraq has been a pervasive but not a defining issue. (The Economist)
History Can Offer Bush Hope … John Kerry is right to accuse President Bush of "colossal failures of judgment" in Iraq. These range from decisions taken in the early days of the occupation, such as the premature disbanding of Iraq's army, to more recent missteps, such as allowing Fallouja to become a terrorist sanctuary. (LA Times)
A Rosy Picture of Iraq; No Straight Talk in the President's U.N. SpeechPresident Bush's U.N. speech Tuesday about Iraq's budding ''democracy'' was reminiscent of his ''Mission Accomplished'' banner and aircraft carrier speech last year in which he declared an end to major combat in Iraq. (The Miami Herald)
The Insider Daily Terrorism Report (DTR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DTR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman, and Brinda Adhikari of the ABCNEWS Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.