Bin Laden In Pakistan?
February 27, 2006 -- BIN LADEN IN PAKISTAN?
Where is Osama bin Laden? An interesting piece in the Washington Post argues that the most wanted man in the world is well-protected by Pashtuns in Pakistan - not Afghanistan. It examines the reasons for the deterioration of the security situation in the tribal areas of Pakistan and indicates that the country's Pashtuns "have become more radicalized than ever" after 9/11.
Bin Laden is Welcome in Pakistan
When President Bush lands in Islamabad later this week, it may be the closest he ever comes to being in the same neighborhood as Osama bin Laden. His nemesis is probably only a few hours drive away in Pakistan's Pashtun belt, now considered to be al Qaeda Central and one of the world's most dangerous regions. (Washington Post)
AFGHAN PRISONS
The standoff between inmates and security forces at Afghanistan's main top security prison continues, as the BBC is reporting that four inmates have died in the riot.
Rioting Inmates Seize Afghan Prison
A top Afghan official on Monday warned the government could use force to end a standoff with prisoners who have taken Kabul's main prison, as authorities continued to try to negotiate with the rioters. (AP)
'Four Killed' in Afghan Jail Riot
At least four inmates have died in a riot at Afghanistan's main top-security prison, a human rights official has told the BBC. (BBC)
A Growing Afghan Prison Rivals Bleak Guantánamo
While an international debate rages over the future of the American detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the military has quietly expanded another, less-visible prison in Afghanistan, where it now holds some 500 terror suspects in more primitive conditions, indefinitely and without charges. (NY Times)
ATTACK ON SAUDI OIL COMPLEX
Saudi Security forces continue to hunt down suspected al Qaeda operatives who may have been involved in the foiled attempt to drive explosives into the country's largest oil complex. A report in the Arab newspaper Asahrq al Awsat suggests that one of the escapees from a Yemeni prison may have been involved in planning al Qaeda's operations in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Forces Kill Suspected Militants after Siege
Saudi forces on Monday killed five suspected militants believed to be linked to an al Qaeda attack on the world's biggest oil processing plant, the Interior Ministry said. (Reuters)
Al Qaeda Vows Attacks after Foiled Bid on Oil Complex in Saudi Arabia
Al Qaeda Vows to Strike Again After Foiled Attempt on World's Biggest Oil Processing Complex. (AP)
Report: Yemen Prison Escapee Was Running al Qaeda Operations in Saudi Arabia
A Yemeni called Abdullah Ahmed al Rimi who recently escaped a prison in Yemen was one of the important al Qaeda suspects, according to Asharq al Awsat, as he was running the group's operations from outside of the country. The paper says al Rimi was the mastermind of the May 2003 attacks on compounds in Riyadh, but did not indicate whether he's believed involved in the recent attack on the oil complex. According to a security source, Saudi authorities have arrested 12 Yemeni suspects south of the country, including possibly some of the Yemen prison escapees. (Asharq al Awsat)
YEMEN PRISON ESCAPE
3 Escapees Held in Yemen
Three convicts linked to Al Qaeda who were among the 23 who tunneled out of a high-security jail earlier this month have turned themselves in, President Ali Abdullah Saleh said, according to a report on Sunday. (AP)
U.S. PORTS DEAL
Review Agreed in P&O Takeover Bid
A Dubai company seeking a takeover of shipping company P&O has agreed to a 45-day review of the security impact, after concerns from a US bidder. (BBC)
MEXICO: "A GENOCIDE PLAN"
Report on Mexican 'Dirty War' Details Abuse by Military
A secret report says the Mexican military carried out a "genocide plan" of kidnapping, torture and murder in the southern state of Guerrero. (NY Times)
GERMAN INTELLIGENCE
German Intelligence Gave U.S. Iraqi Defense Plan, Report Says
In providing the document, German officials offered more significant help to the U.S. than their government has publicly admitted. (NY Times)
IRAN BLASTS
Bomb Blasts Hit Iran Oil Cities
Two bombs have exploded in the southern Iranian cities of Dezful and Abadan, according to Iranian reports. (BBC)
IAEA REPORT
Diplomats: IAEA to Receive Report on Iran
A report detailing Iran's uranium enrichment efforts and a secret project linked by U.S intelligence to a possible atomic weapons program will be issued Monday to the board of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, diplomats said. (AP)
Analysis: Case Against Iran Differs From Iraq
This time, the U.N. nuclear agency is the key source of data. It has evidence that may back up suspicions of a secret weapons program. (LA Times)
GUANTANAMO
Pentagon to Identify Detainees
Military to Comply With Court Order at Guantanamo Bay. (Washington Post)
Comment: The Case for Closing Guantanamo Is Overwhelming
More than four years after the American detention camp at Guantanamo Bay opened, the range of voices calling for it to close is widening. (The Guardian)
HALLIBURTON DISPUTED COSTS
Army to Pay Halliburton Unit Most Costs Disputed by Audit
The Pentagon's own auditors had identified more than $250 million in charges as potentially excessive or unjustified. (NY Times)
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
World Court Asked to Decide on Genocide
World Court Asked to Decide if Nation Can Be Guilty of Genocide. (AP)
NSA SURVEILLANCE
Specter Proposes NSA Surveillance Rules
Measure Would Make Administration Seek FISA Court's Permission to Eavesdrop. (Washington Post)
THE SECRET SPEECH
The Secret Speech That Changed World History
Fifty years ago Nikita Khrushchev shocked the Soviet Union by denouncing Stalin in a special address to Communist party comrades. The text, detailing the dictator's crimes, was smuggled out of Moscow and later published in full in The Observer. (The Observer)
IRAQ NEWS
Violence Subsides Across Iraq
A mortar attack kills 10, but overall the fighting lets up. Arrests are made in mosque bombing. (LA Times)
Iraqi Sunni Bloc to Rejoin Talks on Government
The threat of civil war appears to have helped drive Sunnis back to moderation, after they angrily withdrew from talks. (NY Times)
Fate of Carroll Unknown As Deadline Passes
Iraqi Police Say No Developments As Deadline Set by Journalist's Kidnappers Passes. (AP)
Radical Shiite Cleric Returns to Iraq
Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr returned to Iraq on Sunday, cutting short a regional tour following the bombing of a holy Shiite shrine that triggered a deadly wave of sectarian violence, aides said. (AP)
Saddam 'Calls Off Hunger Strike'
Saddam Hussein has ended an 11-day hunger strike for "health reasons", his chief lawyer has said. (BBC)
Chaos in Iraq Sends Shock Waves Across Middle East and Elevates Iran's Influence
Shortly before the American-led invasion of Iraq, Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, warned that the attack would "open the gates of hell." Now, three years later, there is a sense in the Middle East that what was once viewed as quintessential regional hyperbole may instead have been darkly prescient. (NY Times)
Analysis: In the Battle for Baghdad, U.S. Turns War on Insurgents
Here, in a half-ruined house bristling with dull black machine guns and surrounded by green sandbags, shin-deep mudholes, and shadowy palm groves, lies the leading edge of the U.S. war in Iraq. (Washington Post)
Analysis: The Case for Complacency In Iraq
No country fears civil war in Iraq more than Iran, which has been able to use the threat of a Shi'ite uprising as leverage against the United States. And a stable, constitutional, Shi'ite-dominated government in Baghdad is in the US's worst interest: the Iranization of the country would be inevitable. So what's happening in that hell-hole right now could be seen by Washington as a gift - from the devil. (Asia Times)
ANALYSIS & OPINION
Death in U.S. Custody: No Questions Asked, Very Few Punished
A major human rights advocacy group is charging that of the 98 detainees who have died in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since August 2002, 34 are suspected or confirmed homicides, another 11 suggest that death was a result of physical abuse or harsh conditions, but only 12 deaths have resulted in punishment of any kind for any US official. (Arab News)
Unless We Act Now, Bird Flu May Win
Rather than waiting for a tide of H5N1 to wash over us, we should create lines of defense. (Intenrational Herald Tribune)
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.