Tribes Form Committees to "Liberate Iraq from Al Zarqawi"
IRAQ NEWS
Tribes Form Committees to "Liberate Iraq from Al Zarqawi"
The tribes of al Anbar formed "a front" for "the liberation of Iraq from Abu Musaab al Zarqawi," according to al Hayat newspaper. Sources close to "the front" told the paper that two committees were formed for that purpose. The first will be responsible for dialogue with the government to clarify misunderstandings between the Sunnis and the Shiites. The second will be active in the Arab world to stop all forms of support and financing to the radical networks in Iraq, especially in al Anbar. One of al Anbar's tribal leaders told al Hayat there were contacts with prominent politicians and religious figures about the situation. He said contacts with Shiite tribal leaders were also made. (Al Hayat)
Italy Has 'Paid Ransom for Hostages' in Iraq
Italy paid millions of dollars in ransom for the release of Italian hostages in Iraq over an 11-month period beginning in April 2004, left-leaning La Repubblica on January 30 quoted a carabinieri inquiry as saying. (The Middle East Times)
New Video Shows Kidnapped Reporter Weeping
The U.S. journalist Jill Carroll, weeping and veiled, appeared on a new videotape aired Monday by Al-Jazeera, and the Arab television station said she appealed for the release of all Iraqi women prisoners. (AP)
Hostage Killed After '$US10m Ransom' Refused
The kidnappers of Margaret Hassan, the British aid worker murdered in Iraq in 2004, demanded a ransom of $US10million to spare her life, according to a leaked Italian police report. (The Australian)
Several Bodies Found in Baghdad
Iraqi police have found the bodies of 11 young men, all blindfolded and shot in the head, in the back of a deserted truck in western Baghdad. (Al Jazeera)
100th British Military Death in Iraq
British soldier dies in explosion in southern Iraq, taking death toll of UK military personnel to 100 since US-led invasion in March 2003. (The Guardian)
Saddam Lawyers Say Will Not Attend Next Session
Saddam Hussein's lawyers said on Tuesday they would not attend Wednesday's session of his trial and threatened to boycott future sessions unless a new chief judge they accuse of bias apologises for "intimidating" them. (Reuters)
ABC News' Bob Woodruff and Doug Vogt Heading Back to United States
'World News Tonight' Co-Anchor and Cameraman Responding Well to Treatment for Injuries in Iraq (ABC News)
A Trip from Iraq Aboard A Flying ICU
On the five-hour flight from a frontline airfield in Iraq to a US military hospital in Germany, a dozen doctors, nurses and therapists attended to the badly wounded ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt. (Boston Globe)
INVESTIGATIONS
Sudan
Thousands Displaced as Violence and Tension Mount in South Darfur
Armed militias have driven more than 55,000 people from their homes in South Darfur. Gunmen on camels and horses prompted the mass exodus after shooting and looting in the camps and the town of Mershing, local people said. (Reuters)
Iran
Iran Papers Reveal 'Uranium Warhead Instructions'
UN nuclear inspectors have taken possession of Iranian papers appearing to describe how to shape weapons-grade uranium into a warhead, it was claimed today. (The Guardian)
Iran to Be Reported To Security Council
Iran says referral to Security Council would mean end to diplomacy. (Washington Post)
Iran Detains 50 Suspects in Deadly Bombings
Iran says it has detained about 50 suspects in connection with a deadly double bomb attack in the southwestern city of Ahvaz in mid-January. (Radio Free Europe)
Bird Flu
Bird Flu Identified in Northern Cyprus
As day to day talk in Turkey about the deadly bird flu virus starts to settle down, two birds found dead 2 weeks in a village in Northern Cyprus (KKTC) near the border with Greek-run Southern Cyprus have been shown to have been carrying the bird flu. (Hurriyet)
Mexico
Illegal Iraqis Seized in Mexico
Four illegal Iraqi migrants and their Mexican smuggler were arrested Jan. 29 in Sonora State, about 375 miles south of the California border, according to a local newspaper account picked up by a CIA media monitoring service. (Congressional Quarterly)
Guantanamo
Interview: Claims About Guantanamo
Der Spiegel spoke to Nadja Dizdarevic, 31, a Bosnian Muslim, who is working with Amnesty International on behalf of the prisoners being held in the US terrorist suspect camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Her husband has been held there since January 2002. Next week Amnesty will release testimony by eight former detainees about conditions in the camp. (Der Spiegel)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
UK Army Faces Strain if Iraq, Afghan Missions Run On
Britain's army is under pressure in Iraq and ramping up operations in Afghanistan this year, but if the situation on the ground does not improve fast Washington may soon find that its closest ally is stretched too tight. (Reuters)
Optimism or Pessimism?
Those who have been critical about democracy in the Arab world, considered it an American creation and an attempt by the West to surround the region in order to control it once again, are the ones to have benefited; they are now victorious. (Asharq al Awsat)
Saddam Unrepentant
The trial of Saddam illustrates the extraordinary hazards of judicial proceedings after an era in which every facet of national life has been made prey to personal whim. (The Telegraph)
Afghan Opium: License to Kill
While fighting five "wars on drugs" at a cost of US$150 billion, the US has seen a fivefold increase in the world's illicit opium supply - and by far the biggest producer is US-occupied Afghanistan. The latest plan for solving the Afghan problem is to license poppy growing for medicinal uses, but, writes Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy, this harebrained scheme is as misguided as recent crop eradication efforts. (Asia Times)
Guantanamo in Spotlight At Berlin Film Festival
The U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay will be thrust into the spotlight at the Berlin Film Festival this year, with Michael Winterbottom's feature about the base among the main competition entries. (Reuters)
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, Hoda Osman and Ellen Gustafson of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.