Insider 12/21/04: Mosul Attack

Dec. 21, 2004 -- Rockets struck a mess tent at a military base in Mosul where hundreds of U.S. soldiers had just sat down to lunch Tuesday, and a Pentagon official said at least 24 people were killed and 50 were wounded, news wires reported today. An Islamic militant group, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army, claimed responsibility. Jeremy Redmon, a reporter for the Richmond, Va., Times-Dispatch embedded with the troops in Mosul, said 13 soldiers were killed in the attack at Forward Operating Base Marez, including two from the Richmond-based 276th Engineer Battalion. More than 50 people were wounded, and civilians may have been among them, he said.

IRAQ NEWS

Attack on U.S. Base in Mosul Kills 22

Rockets struck a mess tent at a military base in Mosul where hundreds of U.S. soldiers had just sat down to lunch Tuesday, and a Pentagon official said at least 22 people were killed and 50 were wounded. A radical Muslim group, the Ansar al-Sunnah Army, claimed responsibility. (AP)

New Jail Abuse Allegations Hit U.S.

Fresh allegations have emerged of serious mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by US military personnel. (BBC)

Blair On Surprise Baghdad Visit

Tony Blair has held talks with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad during the UK prime minister's first trip to the city. (BBC)

INVESTIGATIONS

Mauritania

Five Arrested For Planning Assassination of U.S. Ambassador

Mauritanian authorities arrested five men suspected of planning to assassinate the U.S. ambassador and carry out attacks against American participants in the Paris-Dakar Rally. Mauritanian authorities had announced two days ago that a person called Mohammed Atta Al Shankiti was arrested. They claimed he was receiving orders from wanted terrorists in Saudi Arabia and was associated with al Qaeda. Sources close to the security agencies told Asharq Al Awsat about alleged contacts between the arrested men and radical groups abroad to receive financing and weapons. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Philippines

Philippines Says May Have Killed Abu Sayyaf Leader

The leader of Philippine Muslim militant group Abu Sayyaf may have been killed in a raid by military helicopters in southern Mindanao province last month, an army commander said on Monday. (Reuters)

Guantanamo

Group Says FBI Ruse Used at Guantanamo

The Pentagon is investigating new allegations by a civil liberties group that military interrogators at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay posed as FBI agents while using abusive techniques to question detainees. (AP)

Guantanamo Review To Free Second Man

Prisoner to Be Sent to Home Country. (Washington Post)

Iran

Report: Iran Says it Has Uncovered Spy Ring for Israel

Iran said Sunday its intelligence serThe leader of Philippine Muslim militant group Abu Sayyaf may have been killed in a raid by military helicopters in southern Mindanao province last month, an army commander said on Monday.vices have uncovered a spy ring that collected intelligence information for Israel, according to a report by Israel Radio's Persian language program. (Haaretz)

Malaysia

Thai 'Proof' of Malaysia Camps

Thailand says it has photographic proof that militants in the south of the country are being trained in Malaysia. (BBC)

Mali

Mali 'Frees' Qatari Hunt Hostages

The Malian army is reported to have freed two Qataris seized nine days ago during a princely hunting expedition. (BBC)

LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS

Morocco

Judge Releases 'Bin Laden Guard'

A Moroccan suspected of being Osama bin Laden's former bodyguard has been released before trial in Rabat. (BBC)

Australia

Sydney Terror Trial on Hold

A man who allegedly trained as a terrorist and plotted to bomb military and other sites across Sydney will have to wait almost six months for his case to continue, after it was adjourned yesterday. (The Age)

U.S.

Terror Suspects' Charges Reinstated

A federal appeals court on Monday reinstated charges against seven Los Angeles-area residents accused of raising money for an Iranian opposition group that the State Department had designated as terrorist. (LA Times)

Indonesia

Cleric Headed Bali Bomb Terror Group Court Told

Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir is the head of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group, and once told its members that shedding the blood of non-Muslims is allowed under Islamic law, a key witness told a court today. (The Scotsman)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Al Zarqawi Hunt Continues

Where is Abu Musab al Zarqawi? (Newsday)

Fragmented Leadership of the Iraqi Insurgency

For six weeks, the U.S. military pounded Fallujah in an effort to crush the core of Iraq's insurgency - and kill or capture its putative leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. (CS Monitor)

The Joneses

The United States is the Joneses and we are the neighbors; it seems that after we tried to keep up with their level of democracy and freedom and failed, they decided to stoop to our level of canceling the rule of law, which is the pillar stone of democracy. (Al Hayat)

Support for Iraq War Slips

Poll shows that while a slight majority believe the Iraq war contributed to long-term U.S. security, 70 percent think these gains have come at an "unacceptable" cost in casualties. (Washington Post)

Appeal for Calm

Any decent Iraqi looking on the bloodstained streets of Najaf and Kerbala on Sunday would have felt an overwhelming sense of anger toward those who could perpetrate such savagery. (Arab News)

New Political Landscape Emerges in Iraq

Campaigns begin but many still skeptical about country's readiness for elections. (The Daily Star)

Khan's Nuclear Ghost Continues to Haunt

As more disclosures and allegations emerge from those with links to Pakistani nuclear kingpin Dr A Q Khan's proliferation network, one thing stands out clearly: the entire truth has not come out - only President General Pervez Musharraf's version. (Asia Times)

Activists or Terrorists?

The FBI seems to have trouble telling the difference between the two groups. Let's hope our nation's next attorney general won't have that problem. (St. Petersburg Times)

Global Intelligence Domination

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's bid to control operations in the C.I.A.'s domain flies in the face of the intelligence reform bill. (NY Times)

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