Expected: New Bin Laden Audio Tape on the Death of Zarqawi

June 29, 2006 -- TERROR HUNT

New Bin Laden Audio Tape: Osama Speaks on the Death of Zarqawi

A new Osama bin Laden audio is expected to be released within three days. On the tape, bin Laden will talk about the death of Abu Musab Zarqawi. More details to come. (ABC News)

SAS Men Died in Ambush after Snatching Four Taleban Chiefs

The two special forces soldiers killed during an hour-long gunfight in southern Afghanistan were part of a daring raid on a Taleban stronghold in which four key commanders on the "Most Wanted" list were seized. (London Times)

Intelligence Officers Widen the Net in Hunt for Taliban

A crucial intelligence war is going on in southern Afghanistan, where American, British and Canadian troops are trying to glean better information about the Taliban while attempting to persuade Pakistan to close Taliban command centres and camps. (Telegraph)

GUANTANAMO

Supreme Court Blocks Trials at Guantanamo

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees. (AP)

IRAQ NEWS

String of Attacks Kill 12 in Iraq

A trash collector and the head of security for Baghdad University were killed in separate drive-by shootings Thursday as a string of attacks nationwide left a dozen people dead, most in the capital, police said. (AP)

US, Iraqi Forces Clash With Shi'ite Militia

Iraqi and U.S. troops battled Shi'ite militiamen in a village northeast of Baghdad on Thursday, and witnesses and police said U.S. helicopters bombed orchards to flush out gunmen hiding in the palm groves. (Reuters)

Insurgents Offer to Halt Attacks in Iraq

Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered an immediate halt to all attacks - including those on American troops - if the United States agrees to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq in two years, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. (AP)

Romania PM Orders Iraq Pullout

Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said Thursday he had ordered the defense minister to withdraw Romania's 890 troops from Iraq because of security concerns and the cost of the operation. (AP)

U.S.

FBI Picks Its Seventh Counterterrorism Chief since Sept. 11, 2001

Willie T. Hulon has been tapped to head the FBI's new National Security Branch, making him the seventh official to run the bureau's counterterrorism operations since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (Congressional Quarterly)

Government Using 'Brain' Scans on Terrorists?

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to get details on the possible use of "brain scanning" technology during terrorist interrogations by the U.S. government. (ABC News)

IRAN NUCLEAR

Ministers Warned of Terrorism Threat from Iran

The intelligence agencies have warned ministers that Iran could launch terrorist attacks against British targets if the row over its controversial nuclear programme escalates, it was disclosed today. (Guardian)

Nations Want Answer from Iran Next Week

The United States, Russia and other industrial democracies said Thursday they expect Iran to answer "yes" or "no" next week to an international offer to bargain over Tehran's disputed nuclear program. (AP)

AFGHANISTAN

Soldier Killed in Afghanistan

One soldier was killed and three wounded when U.S.-led troops on patrol in southern Afghanistan hit a landmine, while 12 Taliban were killed in a separate clash, the U.S. military said. (Reuters)

VA STOLEN LAPTOP

VA Laptop Containing Sensitive Information Is Recovered

A stolen laptop containing sensitive information regarding over 26 million veterans was recovered today after being taken in a burglary on May 3. (ABC News)

U.K.

Terror Law Clash 'Threatens Constitutional Crisis'

The Government's clash with the judges over its anti-terror legislation is threatening to spiral into a constitutional crisis, a senior Labour MP warned today. (The London Times)

Analysis: One Year on, London Remains a Terrorist Target

A year after British Islamists blew themselves up on London's transport network, killing 52 innocent people, intelligence officers are struggling to infiltrate the communities which gave rise to the bombers. (Reuters)

ISRAELI KIDNAPPED SOLDIER

Israel Halts Northern Gaza Push

The Israeli government has postponed an incursion into the northern Gaza Strip amid reports of new talks aimed at freeing its captured soldier. (BBC)

KUWAIT

Women Vote in Kuwait for the First Time

Women in this conservative oil-rich emirate voted in parliamentary elections for the first time Thursday, a vote that also inspired surprisingly vocal calls for reform and criticism of the ruling family. (AP)

SOMALIA

Somali Militia Claims Total Authority

The Muslim leaders who rule much of southern Somalia claimed authority throughout the country Thursday, underscoring the weakness of Somalia's U.N.-backed interim government. (AP)

PHILLIPINES

Puno Downplays Terror Threat, Says RP Safest in Asia

The Philippines remains the safest country in Southeast Asia in terms of addressing the global threat to terrorism, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said yesterday. (Manila Standard)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Geopolitical Diary: Shifting Japan's Focus, With U.S. Approval

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived in Washington on Wednesday ahead of a Thursday meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush. This will be Koizumi's last visit to the United States before stepping down as prime minister in September. Prior to his visit to the United States, Koizumi visited Canada, where the question of his controversial visits to the Yasukuni war shrine was raised. (Stratfor)

For Iran, the Man Is the Message

Last week Iranians woke up to a startling piece of news: their government had dispatched Tehran's notorious prosecutor general, Saeed Mortazavi, to Geneva as a member of Iran's delegation to the opening session of the new United Nations Human Rights Council. (New York Times)

In Dealing with Iran, don't Forget Syria

Credit Bashar Assad with seeing, early on, the advantages of being Iran's water boy in the Middle East. (Daily Star)

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 and Hoda Osman of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.