The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report

Mar. 26, 2004 -- The White House offered to let National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice testify a second time privately in front of the commission investigating the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, in an effort to address allegations that it ignored the threat al Qaeda posed to the United States before 9/11. The White House said in a letter late Thursday to the independent Sept. 11 commission that such a session would allow Condoleezza Rice to clear up "a number of mischaracterizations" of her statements and positions. This announcement follows the controversial testimony of former counterterrorism administrator Richard Clarke, who accused the Bush administration of not looking at al Qaeda as a high priority before 9/11.

And the hunt for al Qaeda continues in Pakistan — Pakistani troops demolish the homes on Friday of tribesman suspected of sheltering al Qaeda fighters along the Afghan-Pakistani border. Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayyat told lawmakers on Thursday that more than 20 terrorists were confirmed killed and that he expected 30 to 35 more bodies of terrorists would be recovered as the operation concludes. And the CIA has confirmed the identity of the voice on an audio tape released yesterday by Al Jazeera as belonging to al Qaeda no. 2 leader Ayman Al-Zawahri, ABCNEWS has learned. On the tape, Zawahri urges the overthrow of Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf and condemns the Pakistani government for its recent counterterror operations.

THE WAR ON TERROR

INVESTIGATIONS

The 9/11 Commission

White House Asks 9/11 Panel to Meet Rice

Trying to blunt allegations the Bush administration mishandled terror threats before Sept. 11, the White House is offering to let President Bush)'s top national security aide meet privately for a second time with a federal panel investigating the terrorist attacks. (AP)

Pakistan

Pakistan Checking 'Zawahri Tape,' Hunt Goes On

Pakistan was checking a tape-recording Friday, apparently by Osama bin Laden's deputy, calling for the government's overthrow, and it vowed to step up the hunt for al Qaeda on its desolate Afghan border. (Reuters)

CIA Says Latest Zawahri Tape 'Likely' Authentic

A recorded message aired this week was "likely" the voice of Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri, who Pakistani forces recently believed they had trapped in a battle on the border region, a CIA official said on Friday. (Reuters)

Pakistani Clerics Prohibit Fighting the Tribes

More than 50 of Pakistan's most prominent clerics issued a religious edict (fatwa) prohibiting the fight against tribes and al Qaeda elements. They called on Pakistani soldiers not to follow orders to fight and said soldiers who die in the confrontations were not 'martyrs.' Meanwhile, informed source told Al Hayat that around 60 belonging to the Pakistani forces were killed in last week's operations and 24 others were kidnapped. Also, tribal sources told the newspaper that the "high-value" target that President Pervez Musharraf said was surrounded by Pakistani troops last week managed to escape to Eastern Afghanistan. (Al Hayat)

Pakistan Troops Demolish Tribesmen's Homes

Troops demolished homes Friday of tribesmen accused of sheltering al Qaeda fighters, while the government said it would reserve judgment on a tape purportedly of the No. 2 figure in the terror group calling for the overthrow of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. (AP)

Tribesmen Demand Troops Withdraw from Al Qaeda Siege in Pakistan

Rebel Pakistani tribesmen locked in battle with thousands of troops hunting Al-Qaeda militants have refused to hand over 22 hostages until the army abandoned a bloody 11-day operation against them, tribal elders said. (AFP)

Pakistan's Islamic Parties Will Protest Al Qaeda Hunt

Pakistan's Islamic opposition parties will hold nationwide demonstrations today to protest a 10-day operation by the army against suspected al Qaeda fighters in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan. (Bloomberg)

Afghanistan

Up to 2,000 Marines to Go to Afghanistan from Gulf

As many as 2,000 marines now aboard ships in the Persian Gulf will be sent to Afghanistan in the coming weeks to reinforce the American-led operation there to combat fighters of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Pentagon officials said Thursday. (NY Times)

Spain

5 More Suspects Held in Train Attacks

Spanish police arrested five more suspects in the March 11 commuter train bombings that killed 190 people, court officials said, bringing the number of people in custody to 18. (AP)

Germany Probes Ties to Spain Bomb Suspect

Prosecutors said Friday they are investigating suspected terror links of a Moroccan arrested in Spain after the Madrid train bombings because the man briefly lived in Germany. (AP)

Morocco Makes Arrests Over Madrid Massacre

Moroccan police have made several arrests today in connection with the Madrid train attacks earlier this month, government officials said. (Times — London)

U.S.

FBI's Mueller Warns of Terrorist Plots

FBI Director Mueller says agency concerned about terrorism at political conventions, Olympics. (AP)

Indonesia

Letter: Bashir is Indonesia Terror Chief

Intelligence official says letter identifies Bashir as indonesia terror leader. (AP)

France

Anti-Terror Police in Paris Arrest Three

Police take three suspects into custody in Paris in investigation of bomb threats. (AP)

U.K.

Terror Suspect Claims He Has Been Smeared Accused of involvement in bombings, a London trader says his only crime was to criticize the Moroccan authorities. (The Guardian)

Center Publishes Al Jihad Founder's Last Article Before Arrest

A center called "Al Marsad Al Islami" published the last article written by the founder of Al Jihad group, whose leader later became Ayman Al Zawahri. In the article, which was written before his arrest in Yemen in October of 2001, Imam Abdel Aziz Al Sharif, aka Dr. Fadl, justifies terrorism and fighting the U.S. (Asharq Al Awsat)

COUNTER-TERRORISM

Europe

EU Leaders Pick First Anti-Terror 'Czar'

European Union leaders Thursday picked a skilled politician with no experience in terrorism issues as the bloc's first anti-terror czar, moving to bolster the continent's defense after the deadly Madrid train bombings. (AP)

Profile: New EU Anti-Terror Tsar

Gijs de Vries, the Dutch politician named as Europe's first 'anti-terror tsar', is by no means a household name. But he is well-known and respected on the EU's political stage following a stint as president of the Dutch Liberal party in the European Parliament. (The Guardian)

U.S.

Missile Defense for Airliners is Possible Soon, Makers SayGovernment contractors who were asked to find a way to protect passenger jets from small shoulder-fired missiles in al Qaeda's arsenal have determined that some planes could be outfitted with antimissile technology as early as this summer, far sooner than the Bush administration has suggested was possible. (NY Times)

GUANTANAMO

Terror Suspect Will Get Day in Court

Australian terrorist suspect David Hicks will be able to challenge his detention at the Guantanamo Bay military base in eastern Cuba before the U.S. Supreme Court, his Australian lawyer said today. (AP)

Judge Lets Guantanamo Airman's Spy Case Proceed

A U.S. military judge denied a motion on Thursday to dismiss the case against a Syrian-American airman accused of spying at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo, Cuba. (Reuters)

THE WAR IN IRAQ

U.S. Officials Fashion Legal Basis to Keep Force in Iraq

Officials believe U.N. Resolution 1511 can be used to provide legal justification for the U.S. military command to operate until Dec. 31, 2005. (NY Times)

3 Troops Killed in Iraq Attacks U.S. officials express concern at targeting of local police. (Washington Post)

Rebels Blow Up an Oil Well in North Iraq

Insurgents detonated explosives on an oil well in northern Iraq sparking a fire that raged for 24 hours before being extinguished, a senior Iraqi security official said Friday. (AP)

U.S. Army Finds Its Suicide Rate in Iraq Is Higher Than for Other G.I.'s

A major Army study has found that suicide-prevention teams were left behind when units left their home bases to go to war in Iraq, mental-health workers felt untrained to treat combat stress, and many soldiers seeking help for depression and emotional problems faced significant hurdles getting care. (NY Times)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Errors Ii Fighting Al Qaeda Have Worsened the Danger

What do the March 11 attacks mean to Spain and the world? The news is not good. A group of international terrorists claimed that they intended to affect the outcome of an election, and they did. (Boston Globe)

The Wrong War

The Bush administration never pursued al Qaeda with the focus, tenacity and resources it continues to expend on Iraq. (NY Times)

'I met Osama Bin Laden'

Osama Bin Laden's journey from moderate Islamic youth to ruthless leader of world jihad has been traced in a BBC Two program that uses only the testimony of people who have actually met the al Qaeda figurehead. (BBC)

Britain's Anti-Terror Laws a Mockery of Democracy

Anyone can be a terrorist, and one terrorist can cause the deaths of hundreds of people. It is essential that each one is tracked down and brought to justice. In Britain the Home Office has been trying to do just that. (Arab News)

Sudden, Painful Rebirth Unsettles Stagnant Region

Leaders of neighboring countries are making emphatic gestures of reform, but some face the poisonous label of American sympathizer. (LA Times)

Oil for Fraud?

It's worth recalling the historical circumstances under which the United Nations' "oil for food" program was set up in Iraq, back in 1997. (Washington Post)

Iraq Needs a Homegrown Vision of the Path Ahead

The United States is in grave danger of adding to the already lengthy list of mistakes it has committed in Iraq. The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) is scheduled to relinquish power on June 30, and the nature of the indigenous entity that will succeed it remains disturbingly unclear. (Daily Star — Lebanon)

The Insider Daily Terrorism Report (DTR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to international terrorism and the war in Iraq. The DTR is edited from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman, and Brinda Adhikari of the ABCNEWS Investigative Unit. The outside views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.