The Insider: Daily Terrorism Report

Feb. 3, 2004 -- Britain will hold an inquiry looking into intelligence used in the decision to go to war with Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today. Even though the British government has previously rejected calls for an inquiry, it now has taken a similar step as the Bush administration which yesterday announced that it would be willing to hold an independent inquiry into the faulty intelligence issue. Last week, a ruling by a senior judge Lord Hutton cleared Blair's name of charges that he had "sexed up" pre-war intelligence. Blair says that this has paved the way for a healthy national discussion on the issue of Iraq and weapons.

And more on last weekend's deadly suicide blasts in northern Iraq which killed 67 people — a video camera captured an image of one of the attackers seconds before he detonated himself. Kurds believe that al Qaeda may have been involved in the attack.

And the jihad diet? ABCNEWS takes a closer look at how mujahideen shed unwanted pounds. An Arab online magazine provides a description of the strict food and exercise regimen that overweight militants are encouraged to follow in order to keep up with the rigors of guerilla warfare.

THE WAR IN IRAQ

Britain to Hold Iraq Intelligence Inquiry

Britain to launch inquiry into intelligence used to justify going to war in Iraq. (AP)

Bush to Name Iraq Intelligence Commission

President Bush to announce members of independent panel probing intelligence failures in Iraq. (AP)

Video Captures Images of Iraq Bomber

Video camera captures images of iraq suicide bomber who killed 67 at Kurdish gatherings. (AP)

Powell Says New Data May Have Affected War Decision

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said on Monday that he does not know whether he would have recommended an invasion of Iraq if he had been told it had no stockpiles of banned weapons. (Washington Post)

Commission to Decide Itself On Depth of Its Investigation

White House officials said Monday that the commission being created to investigate intelligence shortcomings would decide for itself if it would examine a highly charged political issue: whether President Bush and other senior administration officials exaggerated the evidence that Iraq possessed large stockpiles of illicit weapons. (NY Times)

Annan, U.S. Officials to Meet On Iraq

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is scheduled to hold talks today with the Bush administration on Iraq as the United States and the United Nations sort out the next steps in organizing a political transition in Baghdad, according to U.S. and U.N. officials. (Washington Post)

Three Iraqi Policemen Shot Dead as U.S. Troops Fail to Catch Saddam Deputy After Raiding ''Hide Out''

Three Iraqi police officers were killed in a drive-by shooting in the city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, police sources said Tuesday. (Albawaba.com)

Iraqi Group Claims Responsibility for Police Station Bombing

In a statement issued by "the military committee of Ansar Al Sunna Army" in Iraq, the group claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at a police station in Mosul, which killed 11 policemen last Saturday. The statement said a member of the group, Ramian Mohammed Al Ramian, carried out the operation. Sources told Asharq Al Awsat newspaper that the group is primarily made up of members of Ansar Al Islam, who joined other extremist groups after the fall of Baghdad. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Army Study of Iraq War Details a 'Morass' of Supply Shortages

The first official Army history of the Iraq war reveals that American forces were plagued by a "morass" of supply shortages, radios that could not reach far-flung troops, disappointing psychological operations and virtually no reliable intelligence on how Saddam Hussein would defend Baghdad. (NY Times)

Baath Party Vows to Continue Resistance

In a statement sent to Al Quds Al Arabi newspaper, the Baath Party allegedly vowed to increase resistance against collation forces. It also warned the U.N. against becoming "a tool of occupation in Iraq." (Al Quds Al Arabi)

THE WAR ON TERROR

INVESTIGATIONS

United States

U.S. Official: Flight Terror Alert Over

The "specific and credible" terrorist threats that led to the cancellation of six transatlantic flights have passed and there are no plans to ground any more flights, a U.S. official said. (PA News)

LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS

United States

Terror Suspect Appears in Minn. Court

A man who authorities say admitted to attending a training camp in Afghanistan at the same time Osama bin Laden was there appeared in court Monday to hear charges that he conspired with the terror network al Qaeda. (AP)

U.S. Asks Access to Terror Figure

The United States and various European countries are seeking to interrogate the founder of Ansar al-Islam, the terrorist group suspected in Sunday's suicide attacks on two Kurdish political parties in northern Iraq. (Washington Times)

Bill Would Give 9/11 Panel Time

Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation yesterday to postpone the deadline for an independent commission studying the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to complete its work, proposing to give the panel until January 2005. (Washington Post)

Italy

Five Men Convicted of Aiding Islamic Militants

A Milan court convicted five North African men of having ties to al Qaeda and sentenced them to four to eight years each in prison. (LA Times)

Turkey

Istanbul Suicide Bombings Suspect Charged

A key suspect in the November suicide bombings in Istanbul was charged Monday with membership in an illegal organization with alleged ties to the al Qaeda terrorist network. (AP)

ON THE WEB

The Jihad DietA small cup of orange juice, 20 grams of bread, a boiled egg and a cup of sugarless tea or coffee makes up the breakfast meal of a "low-calorie" diet recommended for the mujaheddin who need to lose the extra pounds. The diet was published in the third issue of Al Battar Camp, an online magazine that gives advice on how to prepare for jihad, including the use of weapons. The article, which also includes a physical fitness program, was written by Youssef Al Ayeari, an al Qaeda official who was killed by Saudi security forces last year. The issue also contains an article allegedly written by Seif Al Adl, al Qaeda's security chief, as a continuation of two previous articles he published in the same magazine about security. Abdel Aziz Al Muqrin, the number one suspect on the Saudi terrorist list, is also one of the contributors. In his article, he talks about the strategies of guerilla warfare. (ABCNEWS Investigative Unit)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Bush and the Ayatollah

One Iraqi Shia cleric may yet make Washington see sense on free elections and the U.N. (The Guardian)

Blame, Blindness …

Now that President Bush, with all the enthusiasm of a dog going to the vet, has been yanked into naming a bipartisan commission to look into intelligence failures in Iraq, I'd like to see yet another commission established. (Washington Post)

A Big-Picture Investigation

The script goes something like this: The White House opposes the creation of an investigative commission. Eventually it buckles to congressional and public demands but tries to control the panel's work. (LA Times)

Americans in Iraq are Staring Civil War in the Face

As U.S. President George W. Bush was spinning his web of deceit to justify invading Iraq, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president of Iran and Saddam Hussein's most formidable opponent during the 1980-88 war, was asked who he thought would lead Iraq once the "Great Dictator" had been swept aside. "Another Saddam," he replied.(Daily Star — Lebanon)

In Terror of Blunkett's Security Measures

The home secretary's proposals to combat terrorism are more in tune with dictatorship than the "free" society they are supposed to defend. (The Guardian)

The C.I.A.: Method and Madness

The false scientism of the C.I.A. was bad enough during the cold war, but it is terrible now in the age of terror. (NY Times)

FROM THE THINK TANKS

How to Win the War On Terrorism

These seemingly schizophrenic remarks underscore that the war on terrorism is not well understood. But if understanding is lost on us, what does this mean for the ways we wage the war on terrorism and our prospects for success? (Cato Institute)

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.