Iran/Security: Tehran arrested 10 journalists, holds total 55

Iran's reformist websites reported on Monday that Iranian authorities have arrested 10 journalists working for several media networks in the past two days, bringing the total number of journalists arrested to at least 55.

Kaleme, the official website of defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, reported that nine journalists and photojournalists had been arrested in the past two days, raising the total to 55.

Reportedly, Akbar Montajabi of Irandokht, a reformist weekly, Mahsa Jazin of the government-run Iran who works in the central city of Isfahan, and Ahmad Jalili Farahani of Mehr news agency recently joined arrested journalists.

The latest arrests come just days ahead of Thursday's 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

Pakistan/Terrorism: former Pakistani minister hurt in gun attack in Rawalpindi, four killed

Former Pakistan Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was wounded and four others were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked his election office in Rawalpindi on Monday, officials and media report said.

Reportedly, the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief was at his party’s Rawalpindi election office for the on-going by-elections when unknown gunmen attacked the office. Two of Rasheed’s bodyguards and two Awami Muslim League's workers were killed in the attack while the former information minister was taken to a nearby hospital and his condition is said to be stable. An assistant of Ahmed confirmed that Ahmed escaped the assassination attempt and was not wounded by a bullet.

The identity of the assailants is yet to be ascertained and no group or any individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Sudan/Insurgency: French aid worker Laurent Maurice released in Chad

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has announced that French aid worker Laurent Maurice, who was kidnapped in Chad last year, was released after three months in captivity. "The ICRC is relieved that Laurent is now free, and happy that he will soon be back with his family and friends," Jordi Raich, the head of the ICRC's mission in Sudan, confirmed.

Maurice was freed on 6 February 2010 and was immediately flown to Khartoum where he received medical check-up. The group, which calls itself the Freedom Eagles of Africa, kidnapped Maurice on November 9, 2009 in the village of Kawa, about 20km from the border with Sudan.

Abu Mohamed al-Rizeigi, a spokesperson for the Freedom Eagles of Africa stated that the main reason was a recent improvement in relations between Sudan and Chad. "This is definitely because of French influence and we want France to do more."

Thailand/Insurgency: roadside bomb wounded seven Thai soldiers in Narathiwat

At least seven Thai troops have been killed when a bomb allegedly triggered by terrorists hit their convoy in Thailand's restive South. Senior police official confirmed that the attack occurred on Monday afternoon as the trucks with 38 government troops left a camp in Bo-ngo sub-district in Narathiwat province. He added that police recovered a gas canister at the scene used to plant the mobile phone-triggered explosive device.

No group has claimed responsibility of the attack. However, alleged separatists have been staging attacks on police officers, soldiers, teachers and other government officials, belonging to either the Buddhist or Muslim community. Violence engulfed the largely Muslim dominated southern region of the country during the last six years and has claimed the lives of at least 4000 people.

Somalia/Insurgency: 9 civilians killed in clashes in Mogadishu

Fresh clashes between Somali government forces and terrorists left at least nine civilians dead and 14 others wounded, a human rights group stated on Monday. Elman Peace and Human Rights Organisation reported that clashes started late on Sunday and continued on Monday morning. According to the residents, government shells targeted houses occupied by Islamist Al-Shabaab fighters in the north of Mogadishu. "We saw Al-Shabaab carrying their dead and injured in a minibus. But we do not know the exact figure of the deaths," Hassan Nur, a resident, said.

However, there were no immediate comments either from the Somali government officials or from the Al-Shabaab group about the fighting.

Considered as a terrorist group by the US, Al-Shabaab controls much of Somalia’s south and centre and wants to overthrow the weak but internationally recognised Somali government in order to establish an Islamic state under strict Sharia rule.

Afghanistan/Terrorism: two NATO soldiers killed in roadside bombing

A roadside bomb killed two International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers in southern Afghanistan, NATO stated on Monday. However, the statement did not reveal the nationalities of the soldiers nor the location where the attack took place.

In a separate incident on Sunday, two Swedish soldiers and an Afghan interpreter have been killed when suspected terrorists ambushed their convoy near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif. It also confirmed that another Swedish soldier was also wounded in the attack and was admitted to a field hospital located at Camp Marmal, home of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Regional Command for the north of Afghanistan.

No group has claimed responsibility for any of these attacks so far. According to AFP news agency, the latest casualties took to 61 the number of the foreign troops killed in Afghanistan since January this year.

Iraq/Unites States/Terrorism: Iraqi terrorist group says holding two Americans

An Iraqi terrorist group that detained an American man for more than two years announced on Saturday that it had kidnapped another American, a US military contractor for the Defence Department in Baghdad.

"Two Americans are in the hands of the League of the Righteous," a spokesman for the terrorist group stated on an Islamist website on Saturday. "One was taken two years ago and the other some days ago," the spokesman said on condition of anonymity. He added that one of the hostages  was abducted in Karkh, on the west bank of the Tigris River in Baghdad, and the other one was taken in Karrada, a commercial district in the heart of the Iraqi capital.

The Pentagon confirmed on Saturday that Issa Salomi, 60, an American citizen of Iraqi origin employed as a contractor for the US military has been missing since January 23. However, there were no immediate comments from the US embassy in Baghdad about the abduction of Salomi or Ahmed Qusai Taei, an Iraqi American who reportedly was abducted in 2006.

A terrorist group “The League of the Righteous” which already has kidnapped Westerners in Iraq in the past, posted a statement and video on its website on Saturday showing Salomi reads out the group's demands. In the statement they demanded the release of jailed terrorists  and “ to bring the proper justice and the proper punishment to those members of Blackwater company that have committed unjustifiable crimes against innocent Iraqi civilians.”  Blackwater Worldwide — now known as Xe Services — was involved in a shooting incident in Baghdad in 2007 that claimed the lives of 14 Iraqis.

Guinea/Civil unrest: three dead in Nzerekore religious clashes

Three days of fierce clashes between Christians and Muslims in the eastern Guinea city of Nzerekore left at least three people dead and dozens wounded, witnesses and officials said on Sunday.

Mamady Kaba, a local official with RADDHO, a pan-African rights group confirmed, “We have been told of three dead. The victims are from the two communities. Some are carrying machetes and knives. One was burned alive."

The killings took place despite a curfew has been imposed by the government to quell the violence. According to the residents, soldiers were shooting into the air on Sunday afternoon to disperse angry mobs of people armed with machetes and knives.

Reportedly, the clashes erupted on Friday after a Christian woman, wearing indecent dress, was assaulted while passing Muslim worshippers at prayers. In retaliation, Christians pelted stones at Muslims trying to pray.

Yemen/Security/Yemeni government detained embassy bomb threat suspect

Yemeni security forces arrested a man suspected of threatening to orchestrate bomb attack against foreign embassies in the capital Sanaa and to assassinate Yemeni political and military leaders, state media reported on Sunday.

According to the interior ministry the 42-year-old man was detained in the capital Sanaa and security officers seized a mobile phone containing speeches and songs of Yemen's northern Shi'ite rebels. However, the ministry did not reveal the name of the arrested man.

Earlier in January, the embassies of the United States, Britain and France were temporarily closed amidst heightened fears of a terrorist attack by the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), blamed for the failed attempt to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day.

US media reported on Friday that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day, told to investigators that Anwar al-Aulaqi, a radical Imam, asked him to detonate the bomb over American soil.

Citing security sources, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) said it appeared that al-Aulaqi plays a decisive role in selecting potential suicide bombers and directing attacks for AQAP. According to the same security sources, Abdulmutallab said he received his explosives in Yemen.

 

India/Insurgency: Maoists blew up railway tracks on Howrah-Mumbai Route in Orissa

Maoist guerrillas exploded a railway track in Orissa's Sundargarh district in the early hours on Monday, disrupting railway traffic on Howrah-Mumbai route. The explosion caused derailment of a cargo train. No casualties were reported so far.

"A bomb was triggered below the 19th wagon of a cargo train which got derailed. We stopped up and down movement of trains for safety reasons. Bomb squad arrived at 5:30 am (local time). In the up line also, a live bomb was found and defused. We have resumed operations on the up line. Down line will take some time. By 10:30 we will be able to normalise operations on both lines," said South Eastern Railways Chief Public Relation Officers (CPRO) Soumitra Majumdar.

Rourkela railway station manager S K Panda confirmed that a portion of the railway track at a place between Bhalulata and Jareikela was blown up by suspected Maoists which caused to derailment of two wagons of a goods train. He added that train services on Howrah-Mumbai route have been badly suffered.
The Maoist rebels, locally known as 'Naxals' announced on Sunday 72-hour strike in their strongholds to protest against the proposed all-out security offensive 'Operation Green Hunt' against them by the Centre.

Earlier on Sunday, Maoist guerrillas had also blown up railway tracks in Jamui district of Bihar on Sunday disrupting train services on the Delhi-Howrah route.

 

IS SyriA UNDERGOING Change? 

Dimitri DOMBRET, ESISC Research Associate 

(Benaimous-Hounsfield/Gamma/Eyedea Press/Photo News)

During these past few years, and even more so during these past few months, the Syrian regime has engaged in a vast operation to win over the West. Both the amount of resources deployed and the variety of actions carried out have undoubtedly allowed Damascus to reposition itself on the diplomatic stage and to appreciably improve its image.  

However, Syrian foreign policy is full of contradictions: its wish for peace with Israel but its alliances with Iran, Hamas Hezbollah which call for the  destruction of the Jewish state; the claim to be a secular state which, nonetheless, does not prevent the regime from supporting Islamic terrorist groups in Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza. Meanwhile, at home, in particular with respect to human rights, the results in Syria are largely negative… Read

La Syrie est-elle en train de changer ? 

Par Dimitri DOMBRET, chercheur associé à l’ESISC 

(Benaimous-Hounsfield/Gamma/Eyedea Press/Photo News)

Ces dernières années, et plus encore ces derniers mois, le régime syrien s’est engagé dans une vaste opération de séduction vis-à-vis de l’Occident. Tant l’ampleur des moyens mis en œuvre que la diversité des actions menées ont indubitablement permis à Damas de se repositionner sur la scène diplomatique  et d’améliorer sensiblement son image.  

Pourtant, la politique étrangère de la Syrie est remplie de contradictions : sa volonté de paix avec Israël mais des alliances avec l’Iran, le Hamas et le Hezbollah qui prônent la destruction de l’Etat hébreu ; une revendication d’Etat laïc qui n’empêche pourtant pas le régime de soutenir les groupements islamistes terroristes tant en Irak, au Liban et à Gaza. Par ailleurs, au plan intérieur – et notamment en ce qui concerne les droits de l’homme -, le bilan syrien reste largement négatif… Lire la suite 

Denmark/Somalia/Piracy: Danish navy frees Ariella from pirates

The Danish navy, as a partner in the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), have retrieved the Ariella, an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo vessel, from Somali pirates on Friday and has safely rescued the 25 crew members on board.

Confirming the incident, EU NAVFOR spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour said the Special Forces responded to a distress call sent out by the hijacked vessel and acted on time. They approached the ship in inflatable dinghies and then scaled the side of the ship. Harbour added that at the moment the Special Forces were still searching for pirates in the vessel.

Earlier on Friday, the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, had said that the Ariella was hijacked in the early hours of Friday.

This is the first time ever, that a warship intervened to retake a hijacked vessel.

China/Terrorism: Urumqi mayor vows stern stand against separatism

Jerla Isamudinhe, the mayor of China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region’s capital city of Urumqi, has vowed on Thursday to put forward a stern stand against separatism, terrorism and extremism to bring about a stable society.

Speaking to a session of the city’s People’s Congress, Isamudinhe said Urumqi still faces “an arduous fight against separatism, now and for years to come”. He furthermore urged law enforcement authorities to be vigilant and to fight against any factor hampering normal life. He also stated that they should take precautionary measures to stop any activities that could harm the society. As part of these measures, he has asked security forces to monitor migrant communities, ex-convicts and other suspects who might carry out radical activities. In addition he said that the city government would “continue to promote unity among different ethnic groups across the city, and help build up trust and respect among different walks of life”.

Earlier on Wednesday, Beijing had announced it was going to recruit 5,000 special police officers in Xinjiang in order to help prevent civil unrest in the region, adding that the police’s mission would be “long-term, arduous and complex”. Urumqi witnessed a series of bloody riots in July last year in which at least 197 people were killed and 1,600 others wounded.

Pakistan/Terrorism: at least 22 dead and 50 injured as two bombs hit Shiite Muslims

A powerful bomb struck a bus carrying Shiite Muslims in the Shahrah-i-Faisal street of Karachi on Friday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 50 more. Dr Sagheer Ahmed, Sindh Province’s Health Minister has confirmed the death toll.

Reportedly, a suicide terrorist drove his bomb-laden motor cycle into the bus, causing the explosion. Women and children were among the dead and it is said that a lot of the injured people were in critical condition.

About two hours later, another bomb blast occurred in Karachi near the Jinnah Hospital, where people injured in the earlier explosion were being treated. Accounts given by Imran Ahmad, an eye witness, confirmed that the explosion took place outside the entrance to the hospital's emergency ward.

There has been no official confirmation yet on the number of casualties from the second attack, but several sources say that at least 10 people had been killed. The death toll could rise as hundreds of people had gathered near the Jinnah hospital to protest against the government and police, and according to CNN, riots broke out after the second blast hampering emergency personnel to efficiently help the casualties.

Iraq/Terrorism: at least 20 killed in Kerbala twin blast

Two bomb-laden cars exploded in the holy city of Karbala in Iraq on Friday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 75 others. The blast came as thousands of Shiite pilgrims poured into the city to participate in the religious rite of Arba’een. No group has claimed responsibility, but it is believed that Sunni extremists have carried out the attack.

These blasts came amid political tension regarding the upcoming elections in March. Earlier on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, several hundereds of Shiite pilgrims were wounded in other seperate suicide attacks.

Meanwhile, an appeals panel has lifted the ban on candidates associated with Saddam Hussein’s outlawed Baath party. The step was taken up in a bid to tone down sectarian tensions.