Hezbollah Claims Arsenal Undiminished

September 22, 2006 -- ISRAEL/LEBANON

Hezbollah Leader: Arsenal Undiminished

In his first public appearance since the start of his group's 34-day war with Israel, Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said his group has more than 20,000 rockets, and that an increased U.N. peacekeeping force will not hurt its guerrillas' arsenal. Nasrallah also thanked God for what he called "a divine, historic and strategic victory" over the Jewish state. (AP)

Hezbollah Cracked the Code

By Mohamad Bazzi

Hezbollah guerrillas were able to hack into Israeli radio communications during last month's battles in south Lebanon, an intelligence breakthrough that helped them thwart Israeli tank assaults, according to Hezbollah and Lebanese officials. (Newsday)

U.S./ PAKISTAN

U.S.-Pakistan Relationship Getting Shaky

Threats of U.S. military action inside Pakistan to counter al-Qaida militants have highlighted the shaky relationship between these two key players in the war on terror and could escalate anti-American sentiments in this Islamic nation. (Washington Post)

Bush 'Taken Aback' by Musharraf Comment

President Bush President said Friday he was "taken aback" by a purported U.S. threat to bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age if it did not cooperate in the fight against terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks. (AP)

FOILED U.S. EMBASSY PLOT IN NORWAY

Norway Taped Plot to Blow up U.S. Embassy

Norwegian prosecutors unveiled on Friday evidence against four men detained on suspicion of plotting to blow up the U.S. and Israeli embassies and of participating in a shooting at the Oslo synagogue last weekend. (Reuters)

LONDON BOMBING

July 7 Victims Let Down, Report Says

Victims of the July 7 London bombings were let down by inadequate preparations for dealing with a terrorist attack, an official report said today. (Guardian)

THAILAND COUP

Thai Coup Leaders Close to Naming PM

Thailand's military coup leaders are close to naming a civilian prime minister and he is likely to be a lawyer able to steer political reform, not the expected economist, air force chief Chalit Phukpasuka said on Friday. (Reuters)

Thai King Backs Coup Leadership

The leaders of Thailand's military coup have been given formal royal approval, in a special televised ceremony. (BBC)

INDIA TRAIN BOMBING

Big Terror Group Behind July 11 Attacks, No Al-Qaeda Link: Cops

Amidst indications of a breakthrough in the July 11 train blasts case, police on Friday said some "big terrorist group" was behind the bombings but ruled out Al- Qaeda's involvement in the attacks that killed nearly 200 people. (Press Trust of India)

U.S.

Gun Found At Baltimore Airport Shuts 2 Terminals

A gun found in a carry-on bag at a security checkpoint at Baltimore-Washington International Airport prompted authorities to shut two terminals on Friday, a security official said. (Reuters)

CIA DETAINEE DEAL

CIA Praises Deal; Harsh Techniques Would Continue

The CIA director, General Michael Hayden, praised the deal reached in Congress today that, in effect, would permit CIA interrogators to use harsh techniques critics call torture. (ABC News)

INDONESIA

Executions of 3 Christian Militants Sparks Violence in Indonesia

Indonesia Christian mobs freed hundreds of prisoners, torched cars, and looted Muslim-owned shops across eastern Indonesia after three Roman Catholics were executed early Friday for a 2000 attack that killed 70 Muslims, witnesses and officials said. (AP)

IRAQ NEWS

Civilian Deaths Soar to Record High in Iraq

Nearly 7,000 civilians were killed in Iraq in the past two months, according to a UN report just released - a record high that is far greater than initial estimates had suggested. As American generals in Baghdad warned that the violence could worsen in the run up to Ramadan next Monday, the UN spoke of a "grave sectarian crisis" gripping the country. (Guardian)

SOMALIA

Somali Islamists Stage Execution

Somalia's Islamist group have carried out their first execution since seizing the capital, Mogadishu, in June. (BBC)

BRID FLU

Indonesia Bird Flu Toll Hits 50

An 11-year-old boy has become Indonesia's 50th victim of bird flu, health officials say. (BBC)

PAKISTAN

Bad Deal: Pak Puts Off Signing F-16s Deal with US

Pakistan has put off signing the letter of acceptance (LOA) for purchase of 36 F-16 fighters from the US after complaints from its Airforce that the planes were "bereft" of vital electronic warfare systems. (India Times)

U.S. BOARDER CONTROL

Boeing Secures US Border Contract

Boeing has won a US government contract to develop security equipment for monitoring the 7,500 miles of borders the US has with Mexico and Canada. (BBC)

POPE V. ISLAM

AKP and Turkish Media Reactions to the Pope's Statements on Islam

Pope Benedict XVI has come under fire in Turkey following his remarks in a lecture at Germany's Regensburg University, in which he quoted a 14th-century text by the Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Manuel Palaiologos critical of the Prophet Muhammad and of the concept of jihad in Islam. Among those who criticized the Pope were Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, government ministers, and other MPs from the ruling AKP party, as well as opposition leaders and much of the Turkish media. AKP Deputy Chairman Salih Kapusuz said that Pope Benedict XVI would go down in history like Hitler and Mussolini. The following are reactions from the Turkish media to the Pope's statements. (MEMRI)

TURKEY

Turkey Abuse Claims 'On the Rise'

An EU delegation on a fact-finding mission to Turkey has reported a "worrying" increase in allegations of torture and abuse in the country. (BBC)

AFGHANISTAN

Afghan Workers Killed In Ambush

Nineteen construction workers have been killed in southern Afghanistan when their bus was hit by a bomb and then fired on by insurgents, officials say. (BBC)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

The Trials of the Century

By Lawrence Wright

The fifth anniversary of 9/11 has come and gone, but there was a conspicuous figure missing from the retrospectives and commentaries: Osama bin Laden. (New York Times)

How Military Service Affects Officials' Views on Torture

By Daniel Schorr

There is no doubting the sincerity on both sides in the White House/Senate contest over rules for the interrogation and trial of terrorist suspects. (Christian Science Monitor)

Kenya: Corruption as Catalyst of Crime

Three gunmen attacked a U.S. Embassy officer as he drove to his home in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 16. The assailants shot the officer through the window of his car, threw him in the backseat and sped away, robbing him of his valuables in the process. The officer was allowed to drive home a few minutes later -- with a bullet wound in the chest. He was treated at a local hospital. Less than a month earlier, four men robbed a U.S. Embassy employee and her husband as they drove to work in Nairobi, and the Russian ambassador to Kenya was stabbed during a roadside robbery on the outskirts of the city. (Stratfor)

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 Elizabeth Sprague of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.