Pakistan Bomber Aimed for Airport VIP Lounge

February 6, 2007 -- PAKISTAN

Pakistan Bomber Aimed for Airport VIP Lounge

Pakistani military sources say a suicide bomber blew himself up at the main international airport in Rawalpindi today after being denied access to the airport's VIP lounge. (ABC News)

'US Spies' Killed In Tribal Area

Pro-Taleban militants have killed two men they accused of spying against them in a Pakistani region near the Afghan border, officials say. (BBC)

IRAN/IRAQ

Officials: Iranian Envoy Seized in Iraq

Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms seized an Iranian diplomat as he drove through central Baghdad, officials said Tuesday. (AP)

IRAQ

Beckett Investigates Iraq Friendly Fire Death

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said on Tuesday London was working with the United States to get as much information on a "friendly fire" incident in which U.S. warplanes in Iraq killed a British soldier in Iraq. (Reuters)

Troops in Iraq Kill Official Who Worked for Shiite Cleric

The director of the political office in Diyala Province for the powerful anti-American Shiite militia leader Moktada al-Sadr was shot and killed by troops during a raid on Sunday, a Sadr political spokesman said Monday. (NY Times)

Mortar Round, Bombs Kill 2 in Baghdad

Two people were killed in the capital early Monday when a mortar round slammed into a central Baghdad neighborhood and a bomb hidden in trash exploded on the city's east side, police reported. (AP)

SPAIN

Spain Emerges as Base for AQ-Linked Terror Groups

Pakistani militant groups linked to al Qaeda have established a "strong presence" in northern Spain, according to senior French and Pakistani intelligence officials, who expressed concern that Islamist extremists were establishing Spain-based cells to launch terror attacks on western Europe. (ABC News)

Outrage at Eta Prisoner's Interview

The Spanish Home Office launched an investigation yesterday into how The Times was able to interview a hunger-striking Eta prisoner from the hospital room, where he is being force-fed to keep him alive. (London Times)

U.K.

Two Hurt as Package Explodes at Second Office

Two people were injured when a suspected letter bomb exploded at the offices of an outsourcing company in Berkshire today, less than 24 hours after a similar incident in London. (The Guardian)

Bodies of 2 Men Found in Pakistan Region

Villagers discovered the bullet-riddled bodies of two men Tuesday in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border where the government is at loggerheads with pro-Taliban militants, an official said. (AP)

RUSSIA

Russian: Spy Accused Contact of Poisoning

A former Russian security agent who was fatally poisoned by a rare radioactive isotope accused a contact he met hours before falling ill of being involved in the poisoning, according to Russian billionaire and fierce Kremlin critic Boris Berezovsky. (AP)

SYRIA

Exclusive: Syria's President Says He Needs Iran's Support

Although Damascus is in many ways a modern city, ancient hatreds are flaring up within it, bleeding across borders from Iran to Israel to Lebanon. (ABC News)

INDIA

Indian Army and Police Tied to Kashmir Killings

Amid a grove of poplar trees in a village just north of here, a grave was unearthed Thursday afternoon. Out came the body of a man, shot dead nearly two months ago, whom the Indian police described at the time as an anti-Indian militant from Pakistan. (NY Times)

DUKE LACROSSE CASE

Exclusive: Duke Lacrosse Grand Jurors Speak Out

In the spring, a grand jury in Durham, N.C., indicted three Duke University lacrosse players on charges of rape, sexual offense and kidnapping of an exotic dancer. (ABC News)

SOMALIA

Ethiopians Parade Captured Islamist Cleric in Somalia

Ethiopian soldiers paraded on Tuesday a wounded senior cleric captured in south Somalia during the pursuit of remnants of an Islamist movement ousted from Mogadishu in a war over the New Year. (Reuters)

NORTH KOREA

North Korea Willing on Nuclear Freeze

North Korea is willing in principle to freeze its Yongbyon nuclear reactor and allow UN inspections if it receives energy aid and other benefits, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper said Monday. (Daily Times)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

To Help Iraq, Let It Fend for Itself

By Edward N. Luttwak

The sooner President Bush can get his extra troops for a "surge" in Iraq, the sooner he will be able to announce that all American troops are coming home because of the inevitable failure of the Iraqi government to "live up to its side of the bargain." (NY Times)

Too Soon to Exit Iraq: Nation's Salvageable, But Needs our Help

By Peter Brookes

The long-awaited National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq - "Prospects for Iraq's Stability: A Challenging Road Ahead" - is finally on the streets after months of delay. (Boston Herald)

The American Hostility Towards Iran

By Paul Reynolds

American accusations against Iran are becoming more specific by the day, raising a question about how far this confrontation will go. (BBC)

Afghan Women? Their Place is in the Burqa

By Ann Jones

Born in Afghanistan but raised in the United States, like many in the worldwide Afghan diaspora, Manizha Naderi is devoted to helping her homeland. (Asia Times)

Afghanistan's Failing War

By Rasul Bakhsh Rais

The United States and its Afghan allies need to reconsider their strategy and focus more on negotiating local and regional political settlements. They also need to remain open to including the Taliban in the process of national reconciliation. (Daily Times)

Seeing What We Want to See in Qaddafi

By Hisham Matar

Since 2003, Libyan diplomats have been hard at work convincing the West that Libya is no longer interested in amassing weapons of mass destruction, blowing up Western airplanes or covertly financing armed movements abroad. (International 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 Elizabeth Sprague of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.