15-10-09 Islamic World News

8/14/2019 15-10-09 Islamic World News

1/24

More than 85,000 Iraqis killed from 2004-2008: GovtUS seeks to calm Pak fears over aid, but says no change in billPakistan army headquarters attack: 40 suspects picked up in LahoreMurder case against Musharraf for Bugti killing

Britain to send 500 extra troops to AfghanistanCall for justice to Jammus Rizwanur gets shriller

Try Blair for war crimes: Say families of soldiers killed in IraqFatah-Hamas Unity Circus11 killed in Iraq mortar attackBritain ready to send more troops to Afghanistan17 killed in South Waziristan air strikes

Troops in Kashmir to take back seatMore troops, tanks move into Waziristan, 10 Taliban killed8 mosques to host 'Meet Your Muslim Neighbor' open houseHouse GOP seeks Muslim 'spy' probeIndonesia: Christians and Muslims against pro abortion bill

Muslim Mafia - Congressmen Shaddegg, Myrick, Broun and Franks Slam CAIRParis - Muslim-Verband: Burka-Verbot "Stigmatisierung"NOW MUSLIMS DEMAND FULL SHARIA LAWMyths of our Afghanistan debate5 terror attacks in Pak in a day, 38 deadShia board decides to tone down weddingsPakistan jets bomb Taliban bastionHo hum, Pakistan

Threat Persists in Yemen, Somalia

More than 85,000 Iraqis killed from 2004-2008: GovtUS seeks to calm Pak fears over aid, but says no change in billPakistan army headquarters attack: 40 suspects picked up in LahoreMurder case against Musharraf for Bugti killingBritain to send 500 extra troops to AfghanistanCall for justice to Jammus Rizwanur gets shriller

Try Blair for war crimes: Say families of soldiers killed in IraqFatah-Hamas Unity Circus11 killed in Iraq mortar attackBritain ready to send more troops to Afghanistan17 killed in South Waziristan air strikes

Troops in Kashmir to take back seatMore troops, tanks move into Waziristan, 10 Taliban killed8 mosques to host 'Meet Your Muslim Neighbor' open houseHouse GOP seeks Muslim 'spy' probeIndonesia: Christians and Muslims against pro abortion billMuslim Mafia - Congressmen Shaddegg, Myrick, Broun and Franks Slam CAIR


2/24

Paris - Muslim-Verband: Burka-Verbot "Stigmatisierung"NOW MUSLIMS DEMAND FULL SHARIA LAWMyths of our Afghanistan debate5 terror attacks in Pak in a day, 38 deadShia board decides to tone down weddingsPakistan jets bomb Taliban bastion

Ho hum, PakistanThreat Persists in Yemen, Somalia

More than 85,000 Iraqis killed from 2004-2008: Govt15 October 2009

BAGHDAD: More than 85,000 Iraqis died violently from 2004 to 2008, according to

figures released by the government on Wednesday, the first suchofficial data since the 2003 US-led invasion.

The report, published by the human rights ministry, also said nearly 150,000 peoplehad been wounded in that period, during part of which communal violence engulfedthe country and Iraq threatened to fall into civil war."Outlawed groups, through terrorist attacks like explosions, assassinations,kidnappings and forced displacements, are responsible for these terrible figures,which represent a big challenge for the rule of law and for the people of Iraq," thereport said.A total of 85,694 people died as a result of violence, while 147,195 people werewounded, the report said. Included in the death toll were 15,000 unidentifiedbodies.Sectarian bloodshed blighted Iraq in 2006 and 2007, the two years with the highestdeath tolls in the period covered by the report -- 32,622 and 19,155, respectively.

The report does not include figures for the number of dead and wounded in theimmediate aftermath of the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.Independent British website www.iraqbodycount.org calculates that at least 93,540people died in Iraq from the beginning of the war until August 2009.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/More-than-85000-Iraqis-killed-from-2004-2008-Govt/articleshow/5125849.cms

------US seeks to calm Pak fears over aid, but says no change in bill

14 October 2009WASHINGTON: Senior US lawmakers sought on Tuesday to soothe anger in Pakistanover a proposed multibillion-dollar US aid package, saying theywould provide assurances that the United States has no intention of interfering withPakistan's sovereignty.Democratic Senator John Kerry, who co-sponsored the aid package, said lawmakerswould prepare an explanatory statement to accompany the bill, which has languagethat some in Pakistan see as outside interference with their government.


3/24

The statement would "set the record absolutely straight" and correctmisinterpretations about the bill, Kerry told reporters after meeting with foreignminister Shah Mahmood Qureshi."The bill doesn't have to be changed. If there is a misinterpretation, it just has to beclarified," Kerry said.A statement would not alter the bill, which already has been approved by the US

Congress and must still be signed into law by President Barack Obama. Anychanges would have to be voted on by both chambers of Congress.Rep. Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House of RepresentativesForeign Affairs Committee, said before his meeting on Tuesday with Qureshi thatthe statement would explain what the bill does and what it does not do. The bill, hesaid, is meant to help Pakistan's people, not dictate what the country should do.Qureshi was pressing lawmakers and the Obama administration for the assuranceson the bill just a week after he was in Washington praising the aid package. Duringthat first trip, Pakistan's military publicly criticized the bill, which triples nonmilitaryassistance to the country.

The bill would provide Pakistan with $1.5 billion a year over the next five years tospend on democratic, economic and social development programs. But Pakistan's

military has objected to language that links money for counterterrorism assistanceto Pakistan cracking down on militancy and meeting other conditions.

The dispute shows the strains between the fragile civilian government of PresidentAsif Ali Zardari and the military. It also highlights rising mistrust about US intentionsin Pakistan.Qureshi said he wanted Congress to address worries about the bill compromisingPakistan's sovereignty."The fears that have been raised in Parliament need to be addressed," Qureshi said.Pakistani analysts said the Pakistani military's complaints had little to do withgenuine dislike of the bill, which includes money to rebuild crumbling schools, roadsand hospitals. Instead, the military is sending a message to the Pakistani and USgovernments about the limits of civilian control in a country that has been subjectto military rule for about half of its 62-year history.

The legislation conditions US aid on whether Pakistan's weak, US-backed civiliangovernment maintains effective control over the military, including its budgets, thechain of command and top promotions.Kerry said no conditions are attached to the nonmilitary aid in the bill. Theconditions on certain types of military aid, he said, do not require anything ofPakistan not already stated as goals by the government and opposition."There certainly is no intent to micromanage," Kerry said. "We're going to clarifythis."Qureshi also met with the Obama administration's top envoy for Pakistan andAfghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, and with White House officials.Qureshi's mission appears to be an about-face from last week, when, during his tripto Washington, he told reporters then that the aid package was crucial toIslamabad's efforts to fight terrorists. He also played down Pakistani militarystatements rejecting U.S. attempts to link the aid package to increased monitoringof anti-terror efforts.

The aid bill, US officials say, is meant to alleviate widespread poverty. Pakistan'smilitary, in an unusual public statement last week, expressed serious concern aboutthe bill.


4/24

Pakistan's military has won American praise of late. Some US officials, however,worry that Pakistan has not done enough with the billions in aid the United Stateshas provided to fight terrorists.Nuclear-armed Pakistan is deemed crucial to US-led efforts to battle extremists inSouth Asia, and the United States encourages Pakistan to crack down on extremistsusing the border region with Afghanistan as a haven. The United States has also

staged attacks on suspected militants in Pakistan's frontier area, mostly by missilesfired from unmanned drones operating from Afghanistan.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-seeks-to-calm-Pak-fears-over-aid-but-says-no-change-in-bill/articleshow/5122548.cms

-----Pakistan army headquarters attack: 40 suspects picked up in Lahore

14 October 2009LAHORE: Four days after Taliban's brazen strike on Pakistan's army headquarters,security agencies are continuing their sweep to nab suspectsinvolved in the attack and other recent militant assaults and have arrested about 40people over the past two days.In an operation in this capital of Punjab province, police picked up 40 people,

including a key suspect Luqman, 25, who was caught with an explosive jacket,police said.Most of the suspects arrested here belong to banned militant groups like theLashkar-e-Jhangvi, Siphah-e-Sahaba, Sipah-e-Muhammad and Jaish-e-Mohammad,all Punjabi militant groups."They were arrested for their alleged links with those carrying out terrorist attacksacross the country," a senior police officer said.Luqman was nabbed at one of 16 checkpoints set up along the 75-km boundarybetween Punjab and the restive North West Frontier Province.Luqman has links with Aqeel alias Dr Usman, who was shot and caught during thecommando operation to clear the occupation by militants of the intelligence office inthe Army Headquarter complex, a police source said.

The police source said Luqman also had links with Hanif Gabol, a resident of ChotiZaireen who was involved in recruiting teenage seminary students for training inmilitant camps in the lawless Waziristan tribal region.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-army-headquarters-attack-40-suspects-picked-up-in-Lahore/articleshow/5123615.cms

-----Murder case against Musharraf for Bugti killing

14 October 2009ISLAMABAD: Acting on a high court order, Pakistan police has registered a murdercase against former President Pervez Musharraf and several ofhis key aides in connection with the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab AkbarBugti in a military operation in 2006.

The case was registered on Tuesday at Dera Bugti police station in Balochistan onthe orders of the provincial high court, lawyers representing Bugti's kin said.Others named in the case are former premier Shaukat Aziz, former interior ministerAftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, former chief minister Jaam Yousuf and formerprovincial home minister Shoaib Nosherwani.Former Balochistan governor Awais Ahmed Ghani, who is now the governor of theNorth West Frontier Province, has also been named in the First Information Report.


5/24

However, police will include him in the investigation only after he completes histerm in office.

The Balochistan High Court had directed police to register a case against Musharrafand his aides on October 7 in response to a petition filed by Bugti's son Jamil AkbarBugti.

The court had also summoned Musharraf to appear before it but neither he nor his

counsel attended the proceedings.Musharraf, who resigned as president in August last year, is currently abroad for alecture tour. He has been living outside Pakistan since mid-April.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Murder-case-against-Musharraf-for-Bugti-killing/articleshow/5123342.cms

-----Britain to send 500 extra troops to Afghanistan

14 October 2009LONDON: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Wednesday an extra 500troops for Afghanistan, but pressed NATO allies to do their "fairshare" in the increasingly deadly and unpopular mission.

The announcement, taking Britain's force level in Afghanistan to 9,500, came as a

new poll underlined growing public doubts about the eight-year-old Afghan mission,with one in three Britons saying troops should be withdrawn."We have agreed in principle a new British troop level of 9,500," Brown said in astatement to the House of Commons. The Ministry of Defence confirmed thisrepresented an increase of 500.He stressed the increase was based on three conditions, including an Afghangovernment commitment to provide enough new troops to be trained and that unitscan be properly equipped for the task."Third, that our commitment is part of an agreed approach across the internationalcoalition, with all countries bearing their fair share," he told lawmakers."Britain supports (US commander) General (Stanley) McChrystal's ambition toaccelerate the growth of the Afghan security forces," Brown added.In a statement on Afghanistan and Pakistan, Brown also announced that Britainwould provide an extra 10 million pounds (16 million dollars, 10.7 euros) inhumanitarian aid for areas of Pakistan "liberated" from militants.Britain currently has around 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, the second largestdeployment after the United States. There have been 221 British deaths there sincethe war began in 2001.

The news is likely to be welcomed in the US, where President Barack Obama hasstruggled to persuade even Washington's closest allies to dispatch more troops toAfghanistan amid spiralling violence and waning public support.It comes as Obama holds in-depth talks with his war council Wednesday, the latestmeeting on a grim assessment of the war by McChrystal, the top US and NATOcommander in Afghanistan.Obama said Tuesday he would conclude "in the coming weeks" whether to fulfilMcChrystal's request for reportedly up to 60,000 more troops to bolster the USeffort.In a solemn moment before announcing the new troops, Brown spent severalminutes reading out the names of all 37 Britons who have died in Afghanistan sincehe last addressed the House of Commons in July.


6/24

Many were killed in the run-up to August's presidential elections which wereplagued by allegations of fraud. Preliminary results suggest Hamid Karzai will bevoted back in.Brown has been facing growing political pressure over the purpose, scope andresourcing of the British mission in Afghanistan in recent months.In a highly controversial move, the former head of the army Richard Dannatt was

last week named as an advisor to the main opposition Conservative party ondefence -- and could be made a minister if, as polls suggest is likely, they win ageneral election which must be held by next June.A Populus opinion poll for the Times newspaper out Wednesday showed that publiccalls for British troops to pull out of Afghanistan have risen sharply as casualtiesmount.Some 36 percent of voters now believe all British forces should be withdrawn,compared to 29 percent in mid-September.Brown said the Afghan mission was vital to Britain's security, since it preventsmilitants from using Afghanistan and Pakistan as a base to plot new attacks in theWest."A safer Afghanistan is a safer Britain. A stronger Pakistan is a safer Britain," he

said."We must never again let the territory of this region, or any region, become a basefor terror on the underground, the streets, the cities and airports of Britain."We must not permit it. We will not permit it. We have the right strategy, and wewill see it through."http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Britain-to-send-500-extra-troops-to-Afghanistan/articleshow/5124264.cms

-----Call for justice to Jammus Rizwanur gets shriller

Mohit KandhariOctober 15, 2009

Rajneeshs family turns down ex-gratia, wife threatens self-immolation in front ofParliament

The family of a Jammu-based businessman, who died under mysteriouscircumstances in police custody in Srinagar on October 5, has demanded a CBIprobe into his death and refused to accept the ex-gratia payment announced by theState Government.In what seems like a replay of Kolkatas infamous Rizwanur Rahman murder case,the Jammu love tragedy involving a Hindu man and a Muslim woman hascaused much tension and the police are being accused of covering up the case. Butunlike the countrywide uproar in the Rizwanur case, few have cared to take up thecase of Rajneesh Sharmas traumatised family members, who have threatened toimmolate themselves if the culprits are not punished.Mourning the death of her husband for 10 days, Aanchal Sharma nee Amina Yousaf who was looking forward to decorating her house and celebrating her first Diwaliafter marriage on Wednesday vowed to immolate herself in front of ParliamentHouse if justice were not delivered and her husbands killers not brought to book bythe State Government.Rajneesh had married Amina on August 21 after she embraced the Hindu religionand rechristened herself as Aanchal. Since her family members were opposed to themarriage, she believes that her brothers and father conspired with police toeliminate her husband. After angry protests broke out in Jammu, the State


7/24

Government had announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 3 lakh along with twoGovernment jobs for Rajneeshs family members.We want a thorough CBI probe into Rajneeshs mysterious death in custody. We donot want compensation, we only want justice. My father and brothers hatched aconspiracy and got my husband killed in police custody; still they are roamingfreely. I want to see them behind bars, Aanchal Sharma, sitting alongside mother-

in-law Raj Kumari, said.Rajneesh was brutally murdered in police custody because he married a Muslimgirl, Pawan Sharma, the elder brother of Rajneesh, alleged. The ongoingmagisterial probe is no good. We do not trust it, he said. A separate post-mortemexamination, conducted by the board of doctors in Government Medical CollegeHospital in Jammu, is learnt to have established that Rajneesh was tortured beforehe died mysteriously in police custody.Clutching one of her husbands favourite shirts, 27-year-old Aanchal said, Why isour young and dynamic Chief Minister (Omar Abdullah) shying away fromintervening in the matter? If Omar can take note of the Shopian double rape-murdercase, why is he keeping silent in this case? she asked.Why are his Cabinet colleagues and other elected representatives of the Congress

and the National Conference not demanding action against the culprits? Anchalquestioned. I am ready to immolate myself if justice is not delivered, she said,giving a three-day ultimatum to the State Government to act.We want justice. We do not want any monetary assistance or Government jobs inlieu of my sons life. We have lost the bread-earner of our family and we will not sitsilently. My son was priceless, Raj Kumari said.Rajneeshs body was found hanging inside the lock-up bathroom of Ram MunshiBagh police station on October 5, five days after he was detained by the Kashmirpolice for allegedly kidnapping Amina. Rajneesh had been picked up from theresidence of his elder brother, Pawan, on the intervening night of September 29-30.On Tuesday, Delhi-based Civil Society Front co-convener and Bharatiya Janata Partynational secretary Balbir Punj also demanded a CBI probe into the matter. Punj, whoalso called upon the family members in Jammu, said the Civil Society Front hadtaken a serious note of the heinous crime and it would take up the issue with theNational Human Rights Commission, Womens Commission, Parliament and HomeMinistry. He alleged that Rajneesh had become a victim of communal mindset.Deputy Commissioner (Jammu) MK Dwivedi told The Pioneer, I have alreadyforwarded the post-mortem report to the State Government. I have also maintainedthat we are ready to hand over the compensation cheque to the bereaved family.We are waiting for them to inform us in whose name they want the cheque, heclarified.http://www.dailypioneer.com/209131/Call-for-justice-to-Jammu%E2%80%99s-Rizwanur-gets-shriller.html

------Try Blair for war crimes: Say families of soldiers killed in Iraq

October 15, 2009Families of British servicemen killed in Iraq have told members of the official inquiryinto the conflict that former Prime Minister Tony Blair should be held accountablefor taking the nation to war.Many blamed Blair for the deaths of their loved ones in what they termed as an"illegal" conflict. Some even called for him to be prosecuted for war crimes.


8/24

According to The Scotsman, inquiry chairman Sir John Chilcot has confirmed thatBlair will give evidence and insists he and his committee will not shy away fromcriticising individuals.

The panel has not begun hearing from witnesses. Yesterday, it held the first in aseries of meetings for bereaved families and Iraq veterans to say which areas theywant it to examine.

Among those attending the session in London was Deirdre Gover, 63, whose son,Flight Lieutenant Kristian Gover, 30, died in a helicopter accident in Basra, southernIraq, in July 2004.Speaking afterwards, she said: "I hold Tony Blair personally responsible for thedeath of my son. My son as an officer was prepared to die for his Queen andcountry in a just conflict. This was totally unjustified and wrong, and I think that'swhat the inquiry will prove."

The mood at yesterday's mostly private meeting between families and Sir John andfour members of his committee was described as sombre and quietly emotional.Roger Bacon, 67, whose son, Major Matthew Bacon, 34, from the Intelligence Corps,was killed by an improvised explosive device while riding in a lightly armouredSnatch Land Rover in Basra in September 2005, said: "I cannot understand any of

the so-called reasons that we went to war. Weapons of mass destruction? Theydon't exist. Regime change? An entirely immoral thing to do - and if it's the sort ofthing we're supposed to do, why haven't we gone into Zimbabwe?"http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=109832

-----Fatah-Hamas Unity Circus

15 October 2009The fate of the Palestinian unity agreement hangs by a thread. Even though Fatahhas agreed to bridge differences and reunite with Hamas following Egyptianmediation efforts, things are far from certain. The foundation of such an agreementis tenuous and threatens to jeopardise recent progress made in Cairo talks.Apparently, Hamas has asked Egypt to delay the meeting scheduled for the thirdweek of October when two sides were to sign the unity agreement. Fatah hasreiterated its commitment to another Egyptian proposal whereby it will sign a unityagreement separately on October 15. Expecting Hamas to reciprocate positively atthis juncture is a bit farfetched since it had already asked the Egyptians forpostponement.Hamas is understandably angry with what it calls a weakening of Palestinianposition, brought about with the procrastination of Palestinian President MahmoudAbbas in referring the Richard Gladstone report on Israeli war crimes during the lastGaza offensive, which killed almost 1400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, to the UNHuman Rights Council. In response, Abbas has accused Hamas of trying to stallunity talks, implying that it was not interested in reconciliation.Doubtless, reconciliation among the disparate factions is crucial for a separatePalestinian state. But reconciliation in these circumstances marked by acrimony ishardly sustainable even if it comes about. Both Fatah and Hamas remain deeplydivided over key issues. They continue to bicker and accuse each other of not doingenough for the Palestinian cause, besides exploiting sensitive matters, as was thecase with the Gladstone report, where Abbas was accused of betraying thePalestinian cause and undermining each others position. Unfortunately, this onlyserves to Israels advantage as it stands to gain the most from the infighting and


9/24

disunity within the Palestinian ranks. It is also true that Abbas made a blunder bybacking down on the Gladstone report.Later attempts at damage control cannot undo the impact his actions have inflictedon the Palestinian cause. Hamas undoubtedly exploited this to its politicaladvantage but, the significance of such a move cannot but be interpreted asbetrayal on the Palestinian street. It comes at a time when there is growing

apprehensions of shifting US position on Israel vis-a-vis the Jewish settlementsissue, which is now noticeably softer. It is only natural that Palestinians arebeginning to feel acute disappointment in US President Barack Obama and thePalestinian leadership. While the intent of both Hamas and Fatah to resolve thePalestinian crisis should not be doubted, their actions are hardly conducive forpushing this process forward. Reconciliation, once achieved, must not be allowed tobe disrupted by internal issues or external actors. Only then can the Palestiniancase make an impact.http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/editorial/2009/October/editorial_October29.xml&section=editorial&col=

-----11 killed in Iraq mortar attack

October 14, 2009BAGHDAD: Eleven people were killed and 60 others wounded in attacks in Baghdad,the northern city of Mosul and the Shiite shrine city of Karbala on Wednesday,police and ministry officials said.In northwest Baghdad, nearly simultaneous mortar attacks and shootings during

jewellery heists in the popular Jawadain market left eight dead, an interior ministryofficial said.

Three mortar rounds struck the market in the predominantly Shiite neighbourhoodof Shaala at around noon (0900 GMT), killing seven people and wounding 14.At about the same time, gunmen attacked jewellery shops in the area, killing onestore owner and robbing three stores.In Karbala, south of Baghdad, three bomb explosions near shrines in the city killedtwo people and wounded 46.

The attacks occurred near the Abbas and Hussein shrines at 5:00 pm (1400 GMT),around the time of evening prayers, police Major Alaa Abbas said.In a statement, provincial governor Amal Addin Majid al-Herr blamed elements fromnow-executed dictator Saddam Hussein's banned Baath Party for the attack.And in the restive city of Mosul, a policeman who had changed into civilian clothingwas shot by gunmen as he was walking in the east of the city, a police official said.http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/updates.asp?id=89093

----Britain ready to send more troops to Afghanistan

October 15, 2009LONDON: Britain is ready to raise troop numbers in Afghanistan by 500 to 9,500,Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday, providing certain conditions aremet.Worsening violence in the eight-year, US-led war against the Taliban has led to callsfor a change of strategy including the option of sending more troops to bolstersecurity.More than 100,000 Western troops are serving in Afghanistan, of whom 65,000 areAmerican. The number of US troops is already due to increase to 68,000 later thisyear.


10/24

US President Barack Obama is considering a military recommendation to boost hisforce with a further 40,000 troops next year.Brown said Britain would send the additional troops as long as three conditions weremet, including Kabul agreeing to provide Afghan troops to be trained and fightalongside British forces.Ive agreed in principle to a new British force level of 9,500 which will be put into

effect once these conditions are met, Brown told parliament.A government source said the deployment was not imminent but there was a will tosend the extra forces as soon as possible.

The increase in British numbers also had to be part of an agreed approach withother military forces in Afghanistan, Brown said, with all countries bearing their fairshare.And he said the correct military equipment had to be available for every soldier andunit deployed in the country.Brown said he had received assurances from Afghan President Hamid Karzai and hiselection opponent Abdullah Abdullah that Afghan troops would be made available.http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=203280

-----

17 killed in South Waziristan air strikesBy Anwarullah Khan and Sailab Mehsud

15 Oct, 2009LADDAH/KHAR, Oct 14: Warplanes hit militants hideouts and some civilian areas inSouth Waziristan, leaving 17 militants and some non-combatants dead.According to sources, two planes bombed militant positions in Saam, Khasura,Spinkai, Gorgoray and Tangi Bazay areas. According to local people, one of thebombs hit a cave-house in Spinkai area, killing one Nekum Khan and eight membersof his family and injured six others.Security officials said the father of local Taliban leader Noor Wali Mehsud was killedwhen a bomb hit his house. They said the total number of militants killed in theattack could not be ascertained.Sources said that the number of casualties in the air strikes which started on

Tuesday was 26.The town of Sara Rogha which had almost been destroyed during a militaryoperation last year also came under attack on Wednesday.Nine people were killed in an attack on Maulvi Khan Sarai on Tuesday. Houses oftwo tribal elders, Yaqoob Shah and Allauddin Mehsud, were hit in Shinkai Mela.According to reports reaching here, militants have asked shopkeepers and about200 people living near Razmak town in North Waziristan to move to safe places.

Thousands of tribal people, it may be mentioned, left the area amid reports of animminent military offensive in the Mehsud area. Security forces are reported to beconsolidating their positions and moving tanks and heavy artillery towards Makinand Razmak. Troops are also building strategic roads on Mamo mountains.In Bajaur, troops have intensified action in Salarzai where air and ground offensivewas launched on Monday.Local people said that troops backed by tanks and artillery entered the area onWednesday and set up checkpoints. They were received by elders of Salarzai tribeand volunteers of the local lashkar.Witnesses said that a convoy of more than 80 vehicles had entered Pashet andheaded towards Mulla Said and Torget areas.


11/24

Elders of Salarzai had been asking the government for some time to send troops tothe area and have raised a lashkar against militants.Security forces have secured hilltops and other key locations to curtail movement ofmilitants.Meanwhile, helicopter gunships attacked militants hideouts in Mamond onWednesday. Five suspected militants were killed and seven others injured. Troops

have also claimed destroying several bunkers.http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/17-killed-in-south-waziristan-air-strikes-509

-----Troops in Kashmir to take back seat

15 Oct, 2009SRINAGAR, Oct 14: Army and paramilitary troops in occupied Kashmir will take aback seat to police in ensuring law and order in the region, Home Minister P.Chidambaram said on Wednesday.With levels of militant violence on the decline, he said Indian troops were starting tohand over day-to-day civil security matters to local law-enforcement authorities.

The strategy appears partly aimed at reducing tensions caused by the presence of

an estimated 500,000 Indian troops who are viewed with fear and suspicion bymany in the Muslim-majority region and have been regularly accused of humanrights abuses.The state police will take a front line in maintaining law and order, the paramilitaryforces will take a back seat and the army will defend the borders, he told reporters.Violence has fallen sharply since India and Pakistan launched a peace process in2004. What credit should I give to Pakistan? he said. The infiltration is still takingplace from Pakistan.He said New Delhi was willing to hold talks with every section of political opinionin Kashmir, including those who favour independence.AFPhttp://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/troops-in-kashmir-to-take-back-seat-509

-----More troops, tanks move into Waziristan, 10 Taliban killed

October 15, 2009* Jet planes bomb Taliban hideouts in Ladha tehsil* Locals leaving area in anticipation of full-scale offensive

TANK: At least 11 Taliban were killed and seven injured when jet planes bombed thegroups hideouts in South Waziristan on Wednesday, said officials, as more soldiersand tanks moved into the agency for an expected offensive.Political Administration officials told Daily Times that two jet planes bombed Talibanhideouts in Maidan, Tangi, Bodaizai, Kacha Langar Khel, Sam, Ragh and Salairoghaareas of Ladha teshil, killing 11 Taliban.Also, eight members of a family were killed and one injured in airstrikes in Sarokaitehsil, said locals, and political authorities confirmed the civilian casualties.

Thousands of civilians have fled South Waziristan in anticipation of a militaryoffensive.

The Reuters news agency quoted officials as saying on Monday that the military wassending more soldiers into mountains overlooking Makeen, a Taliban stronghold,while other soldiers were approaching from another direction.Weve seen many tanks coming here since yesterday. Some went to their campwhile others were deployed in the mountains, said a resident of Shankai village.


12/24

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\10\15\story_15-10-2009_pg1_11

-----8 mosques to host 'Meet Your Muslim Neighbor' open house

Oralandar Brand-WilliamsOctober 15, 2009

Saturday event aims to promote peace and dispel mythsThe Detroit NewsDetroit --Eight metro Detroit mosques are encouraging non-Muslims to visit theirhouses of worship Saturday as part of a coordinated open house to promote betterunderstanding of the Quran holy book and Islam.Members of the sponsoring Council of Islamic Organizations say the open houseaims to promote peace, understanding, friendship and tolerance among people ofall faiths and "to convey the correct understanding of Islam and Muslims."Imam Aly Lela, of the Islamic Association of Greater Detroit in Rochester Hills, saidhe is inviting non-Muslims to his mosque because he sees it as a "first step towardmutual understanding to get to know each other and take a close look into thisculture."

"The open house is a wonderful opportunity to come and ask questions they haveon their minds in a friendly environment," Lela said of the event, called "Meet yourMuslim Neighbor: Sharing our Common Heritage."

The mosque tours are free, and children are welcome, say organizers. Visitors areexpected to dress modestly, but that interpretation may vary from mosque tomosque, with some requiring head scarves for women and others not. Visitorsshould call ahead of time to find out.Shahina Begg, a member of the Unity Center mosque in Bloomfield Hills, said theprogram is a good start to bridging gaps between religious groups in Metro Detroit."The open house is a great opportunity for people of different faiths and traditionsto talk openly, to have conversations, to get to know one another," said Begg, theco-founder of the Women's Interfaith Solutions for Dialogue and Outreach in MetroDetroit."People have this kind of fear and misunderstanding (about mosques)," said Begg."This is a good way to dispel myths and ignorance."Many Americans think Muslims in America are confronted with more discriminationthan any other religious group, according to a study released last month by the PewResearch Center.Muslims make up one of the world's largest religious groups. A report, "Mapping theGlobal Muslim Population," released last week by the Pew Forum on Religion &Public Lifem indicates 1.57 billion people, nearly 1in 4 in the world, are Muslim.Dawud Walid, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic RelationsMichigan, said the event is a good way to get non-Muslims to visit mosques."I think that anyone who hasn't visited a mosque should do so at least once in theirlifetime to see how it is situated and to ask questions of educated people in Islam,"said Walid, an assistant imam at the Masjid Wali Muhammad mosque in Detroit."There's nothing secretive that goes on in our mosques," he added."The Friday midday prayers are always open to the public. Everyone can come. Thepublic is welcome any Friday to come and listen to the sermons."http://www.detnews.com/article/20091015/LIFESTYLE04/910150403/1410/METRO01/8-mosques-to-host--Meet-Your-Muslim-Neighbor--open-house

-----


13/24


14/24

At a press conference organised yesterday afternoon at the headquarters of theIndonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) in Jakarta, religious leaders and anti-abortionNGOs slammed the new legislation authorising abortion for being morallydefective and morally wrong as well as contrary to every religious belief thatrespects human life from conception.

This years health reform bill was approved by parliament on 14 September in the

last days of the preceding legislature. A new parliament took office on 1 October,and confirmed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in office. He now has to ratifythe law.Article 85 (1) is one of the most controversial points of the bill. It says, Abortion islawful if it is performed within six weeks from the time a pregnant womans monthlymenstruation ends.Article 84 (1) bans abortion, except when the pregnancy endangers the life of themother and the child.I reject any proposal that includes induced abortion, said Fr Sigid Pramudji Pr,secretary general of the Bishops Conference of Indonesia (KWI), except for someurgent health reason to save the life of the mother.MUI chief Maruf Amin agrees. The inter-faith conference will launch an appeal

before the Indonesian Supreme Court, he said.Abortion can only be done only if foetus is less than 40 days and only if someurgent medical situation needs this particular treatment, he explained.Protestants, Buddhists, Hindus Confucians and womens movements have joinedthe appeal for life made by Catholics and Muslims.According to the inter-faith conference, Article 75 of the health reform bill outlawsabortion altogether, intimating that no one can have an abortion under anycircumstances.http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=20894&t=Indonesia%3A+++Christians+and+Muslims+against+pro+abortion+bill

-----Muslim Mafia - Congressmen Shaddegg, Myrick, Broun and Franks Slam

CAIROctober 14, 2009

San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - U.S. Representatives John Shadegg (AZ-03),Sue Myrick (NC-09), Paul Broun (GA-10) and Trent Franks (AZ-02) today called onfederal officials to investigate the actions and non-profit status of the Council onAmerican Islamic Relations (CAIR).In a memo obtained through Paul Sperry's newest book Muslim Mafia: Inside theSecret Underworld that's Conspiring to Islamize America, CAIR lays out plans toplace interns in the Committees on the Judiciary, Intelligence, and HomelandSecurity for the purpose of influencing policy.In 2008, CAIR was named as a co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorismcase in Dallas, Texas, which led to guilty verdicts on 108 charges based onfunneling more than $12 million to HAMAS. Later that year, the FBI cut all ties withCAIR.In response to these recent claims in Muslim Mafia, Myrick, Shadegg, Broun andFranks call on:

1) The US Department of Justice to share with each member of Congress andtheir Chiefs of Staff an executive summary of the findings that led them to nameCAIR as a co-conspirator in a terrorism case;


15/24

2) The House Sergeant at Arms to work with the Staff Directors and CommitteeChairmen of the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Intelligence Committees tosee if CAIR was successful in placing interns in any of said committees since thedrafting of this memo in January of 2007;

3) The Internal Revenue Service to launch a full investigation into the legality ofthe lobbying activities of CAIR to judge if they are in violation of their federal non-

profit status."It's frightening to think that an organization with clear-cut ties to terrorism couldhave a hand in influencing policy - especially national security policy - within ourgovernment," said Rep. Myrick. "The investigations that we're asking for are simple,and I'm hopeful that they will bring to light any and all information regarding thegoals of CAIR.""I urge Americans to read, listen and inform themselves about the threat of radicalIslam," said Rep. Shadegg. "Muslim Mafia is just one of many books that highlightthe infiltration of radical Islamists into our society and the dangers that this poses.

The authors make and document a number of very troubling allegations about CAIRthat Members of Congress should be aware of and that should be investigated bythe Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service."

"Freedom is precious and we must be vigilant in our protection of it," said Rep.Broun. "As a Marine, member of the House Homeland Security Committee, andmember of the Anti-Terrorism Caucus, I believe allegations that CAIR has targetedmembers of Congress on security related committees must not go uninvestigated. Iwant to thank my colleagues for continuing to educate the public about CAIR'sconnections to the terrorist organization HAMAS and most recently for bringingattention to more allegations that surround this non-profit. The U.S. JusticeDepartment must share the findings that led them to name CAIR as a co-conspiratorin a terrorism case with Congressional offices. I call on the IRS to launch a fullinvestigation into CAIR's eligibility for a non-profit status. Finally, I encourage theHouse Sgt. at Arms to work with congressional staff to see if CAIR was successful inplacing interns in any security related committees.""The United States is at critical crossroads in U.S. foreign policy and nationalsecurity," said Rep. Franks. "We live in a post-9/11 world where the coincidence ofnuclear proliferation and Islamic terrorism pose a very dangerous combination andreal threat to America's national security. The Holy Land Foundation Trial clearlyshowed that CAIR was established to support the goals of the Palestine Committee,the Muslim Brotherhood's base for support in the U.S. It is time for CAIR's leadershipto acknowledge and renounce their ties to this Committee and its Islamic terroristaffiliates. Moreover, they should finally publicly state that they do not support thepolitical agenda of groups such as HAMAS or the Muslim Brotherhood, which includethe destruction of Israel and establishment of an Islamic state in the U.S. I take thecharges levied against CAIR and laid out in this book very seriously because theyaffect our national security. This Congress must be deliberate in taking a strongstance against those groups and organizations that align themselves with terrorists,and standing with organizations that are standing against Islamic extremism andterrorism, and are committed to protecting and preserving the cause of freedom wetreasure so deeply in America. Asking the Justice Department to take a long, hardlook at the underlying positions of CAIR, its actions, and its affiliations is onecritically important step in this process."Supporting documents demonstrating CAIR's stealth jihadist strategy located below:http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=cair10.14.09.htm


16/24

-----NOW MUSLIMS DEMAND FULL SHARIA LAW

October 15,2009By Martyn Brown

A RADICAL Muslim group sparked outrage last night as it launched a massivecampaign to impose sharia law on Britain.

The fanatical group Islam4UK has announced plans to hold a potentially incendiaryrally in London later this month.And it is calling for a complete upheaval of the British legal system, its officials and -legislation.Members have urged Muslims from all over Britain to converge on the capital onOctober 31 for a procession to demand the full implementation of sharia law.On a website to promote their cause they deride British institutions, showing amock-up picture of Nelsons Column surmounted by a minaret.Plans for the demonstration have been delivered to the Metropolitan Police andcould see up to 5,000 extremists marching to demand the controversial system.

The procession dubbed March 4 Shariah will start at the House of Commons,which the groups website describes as the very place where the lives of millions of

people in the UK are changed and it is from here where unjust wars are launched.The group then intends to march to 10 Downing Street and call for the removal ofthe tyrant Gordon Brown from power.

The march will then converge on Trafalgar Square where protesters expect it willgather even more support from tourists and members of the public, making clear inthe heart of London the need for Shariah in society.

The group declared: We hereby request all Muslims in the United Kingdom, inManchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow and all other places to join us and collectivelydeclare that as submitters to Almighty Allah, we have had enough of democracyand man-made law and the depravity of the British culture.On this day we will call for a complete upheaval of the British ruling system itsmembers and legislature, and demand the full implementation of Shariah inBritain.Last night politicians and fellow Muslims condemned the groups incendiarycomments, which come in the wake of recent violent incidents in towns and citieslike Manchester, Birmingham and Luton, Beds.Conservative MP and ex-Army officer Patrick Mercer said: It is extremely distastefuland is stoking the fires of fear within the British public. If anyone thinks that thoseviews are a step forward in society they are seriously deluded. They are repellentand repulsive.

The group was also attacked by Tory MP Philip Davies who said: This march isclearly a deliberate and provocative attempt to incite racial tension and disruptcommunity cohesion.The simple solution is for these people to move to a country which already hassharia law.A spokesman for the Islamic Society of Britain said: 99.999 per cent of Muslimsdespise these people. This only serves to fuel racial tensions.And Tory MP and Daily Express columnist Ann Widdecombe, said: You cannot havetwo legal systems side by side and the one we have now works and the Britishpeople are perfectly happy with it.


17/24

The rally has not yet been given final approval. A spokesman for the MetropolitanPolice said: We have received an application for the march but we have yet tomeet with the organisers.A Home Office spokesman said: Everyone has the right to express their view solong as it is done sensibly, without violence and does not incite religious hatred.Plans for the march are revealed on the website Islam4UK, which is fronted by

preacher Anjem Choudary who has also called for all British women to wearburkhas.Explaining the Nelsons Column mock-up he said that under sharia law theconstruction and elevation of statues or idols is prohibited and consequently thestatue of Nelson would be removed and demolished without hesitation. At thebase of the column the friezes would be replaced with Islamic decoration and gianturns would be filled with gold coins for the poor.Mr Choudary has said that under sharia law in Britain people who commit adulterywould be stoned to death, adding that anyone who becomes intoxicated by alcoholwould be given 40 lashes in public.He has also mocked the deaths of British soldiers, and branded an Armyhomecoming parade a vile parade of brutal murderers.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/134080/Now-Muslims-demand-full-Sharia-law-----

Myths of our Afghanistan debateAmir Taheri

October 15, 2009Myth No. 1: No foreign power ever managed to subjugate Afghanistan, "Thegraveyard of empires."Historic truth is different. What's now known as Afghanistan was part of successiveempires until 1702, when a Persian adventurer, Ahmad Dorrani, set it up as hisfiefdom. With the European powers' rise, it became a buffer state separating thedomains of Russia, Britain and Persia.

The Afghans did win one 19th-century battle against a British-led Sikh army, butthat was the exception that proves the rule. After that, the British emerged as thepower behind the Kabul throne, maintaining their influence until the '40s.Starting in the '50s, America and the Soviet Union treated Afghanistan as a bufferstate -- until the Soviets staged a coup in 1977 that ended the Afghan monarchyand, two years later, propelled the Communists into power.Myth No. 2: There's no Afghan nation -- only a hodgepodge of tribes and ethnicAgain, the truth is different.

Yes, Afghanistan is composed of 18 different communities marked by ethnic,linguistic and religious differences. But ask any Afghan who he is, and he won'thesitate to reply: an Afghan!

The national identity has taken shape over 300 years -- after all, as a state,Afghanistan is older than America, Germany and Italy. It is also one of the oldestMuslim nation-states.Myth No. 3: Afghanistan never had a central government and was ruled by feudalchiefs.Also false: From 1860 to 1977, a string of Afghan monarchs imposed effective rulethroughout their realm. But the monarchy was never absolute, if only because theloya jigrah, a high assembly of tribal and religious leaders, would restrain a despoticking or help a weak one.Myth No. 4: Afghans are by nature xenophobic, misogynist and fanatical.


18/24

Again, the truth is different.Until the "time of troubles" starting in the late '70s, Afghans were proverbial in theirhospitality and readiness to welcome foreigners. Over two decades, an estimated1.2 million young Westerners travelled there in search of the mythical east --without facing any hostility.As for misogyny, Afghanistan was among the first Muslim countries to declare

education compulsory for both boys and girls. From the '60s, it had women doctors,professors, parliamentarians and even Cabinet ministers.Wrong again. The Pakistani military created the Taliban in 1995 -- six years after

the Red Army left Afghanistan. Al Qaeda funnelled money to some mujahedeen, butnever played a role in the fighting.Even the mujahedeen couldn't claim to have driven out the Red Army -- which leftas part of Mikhail Gorbachev's strategic retreat. And the Communist regimeremained for three years after the Soviets left, collapsing only when its Uzbekmilitia switched sides and, forging an alliance with Tajik fighters under Ahmad ShahMassoud, captured Kabul.

The massive aid for the mujahedeen from America and allies proved a crucial factorin forcing the Soviet withdrawal. The claim that a handful of Pushtun, on their own,

defeated the Red Army is laughable.Myth No. 6: Afghans aren't ready for anything resembling democracy.

That, too, isn't corroborated by facts.Modern ideas have had a home in Afghanistan since the 19th century. SeveralIslamist reformist movements started in Afghanistan before spreading to CentralAsia and beyond. Afghanistan's social- democratic, liberal, nationalist, Marxist,Maoist and Islamist parties provided a rich tapestry of ideologies until the '70s.August's elections proved a disappointment because of apparent fraud. Yet Afghanshad already shown interest in pluralism in an earlier presidential election andconstitutional referendum under international supervision.Myth No. 7: Things today are worse, or at least as bad, as eight years ago.Again, facts show a different picture. If things were as bad, 4.5 million refugeeswouldn't have returned, a process that continues, albeit more slowly.Eight years ago, the Taliban controlled almost 90 percent of the country. Today, itcontrols 11 out of 362 districts.Al Qaeda has lost all its bases, while the allies have also driven out terror groupsoperating against 20 countries. Of senior al Qaeda leaders in 2001, only three arestill at large. The new generation of terrorist leaders, bred in the tribal areas ofPakistan, has also been decimated, often thanks to allied raids from Afghanistan.Eight years ago, no Afghan girls could go to school. Now, a third attend school.Although corruption is rife in the new ruling elite, hundreds of construction projectshave finished, with hundreds more under way.More important, perhaps, the vast majority of Afghans think that they're better offunder President Hamid Karzai's administration -- inefficient, arrogant and possiblycorrupt as it may be -- than under the murderous rule of Mullah Muhammad Omar.In the debate over what to do next in Afghanistan, don't throw the baby out with thebathwater.http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/myths_of_our_afghanistan_debate_jwh5n7ZaKcraDDBSTk4m5L

----5 terror attacks in Pak in a day, 38 dead

AP 15 October 2009, 05:59pm IST


19/24

LAHORE: Teams of gunmen attacked three law enforcement facilities across theeastern city of Lahore on Thursday, paralyzing Pakistan's culturalcapital, while a car bomb devastated a northwest police station, killing a total of 38people in an escalating wave of terror in this nuclear-armed US ally.Another bombing in the northwestern city of Peshawar later in the day wounded fivepeople, further rattling the country.

The bloodshed, aimed at scuttling a planned offensive into the militant heartlandalong the Afghan border, highlights the militants' ability to carry out sophisticatedstrikes on heavily fortified facilities and exposes the failure of the intelligenceagencies to adequately infiltrate the extremist cells.No group immediately claimed responsibility, though suspicion fell on the Pakistani

Taliban who have claimed other recent strikes. The attacks Thursday also were thelatest to underscore the growing threat to Punjab, the province next to India wherethe Taliban are believed to have made inroads and linked up with local insurgentoutfits.President Asif Ali Zardari said the bloodshed that has engulfed the nation over thepast 11 days would not deter the government from its mission to eliminate theviolent extremists, according to a statement on the state-run news agency.

``The enemy has started a guerrilla war,'' Interior Minister Rehman Malik said.``The whole nation should be united against these handful of terrorists, and Godwilling we will defeat them.''

The wave of violence practically shut down daily life in Lahore. All governmentoffices were ordered shut, the roads were nearly empty, major markets did notopen and stores that had been open pulled down their shutters.

The assaults began just after 9 a.m. when a group of gunmen attacked a buildinghousing the Federal Investigation Agency, a law enforcement branch that deals withmatters ranging from immigration to terrorism.``We are under attack,'' said Mohammad Riaz, an FIA employee reached inside thebuilding via phone by The Associated Press during the assault. ``I can see twopeople hit, but I do not know who they are.''

The attack lasted about 1 1/2 hours and ended with the death of two attackers, fourgovernment employees and a bystander, senior government official Sajjad Bhuttasaid. Senior police official Chaudhry Shafiq said one of the dead wore a jacketbearing explosives.Soon after, a second band of gunman raided a police training school in Manawan onthe outskirts of the city in a brief attack that killed nine police officers and fourmilitants, according to police and hospital officials. One of the gunmen was killed bypolice at the compound and the other three blew themselves up.

The facility was hit earlier this year in an attack that sparked an eight-hour standoffwith the army that left 12 people dead.A third team of at least eight gunmen scaled the back wall of an elite policecommando training center not far from the airport and attacked the facility, Lahorepolice chief Pervez Rathore said.A family barricaded itself in a room in a house, while the attackers stood on theroof, shooting at security forces and throwing grenades, said Lt. Gen. ShafqatAhmad, the top military official in Lahore.

Two attackers were slain in the gunbattle and three blew themselves up, he said.One police nursing assistant and a civilian also died in the attack, he said.

Television footage showed helicopters in the air over one of the police facilities andparamilitary forces with rifles and bulletproof vests taking cover behind trees


20/24

outside a wall surrounding the compound. Rana Sanaullah, provincial law minister ofPunjab province, said police were trying to take some of the attackers alive so theycould get information from them about their militant networks.Officials have warned that Taliban fighters close to the border are increasingly

joining forces with Punjabi militants spread out across the country and foreign al-Qaida operatives, dramatically increasing the dangers to Pakistan. Punjab is

Pakistan's most populous and powerful province, and the Taliban claimed recentlythat they were activating cells there and elsewhere in the country for assaults.An official at the provincial Punjab government's main intelligence agency said theyhad precise information about expected attacks on security targets and alertedpolice this week, but the assailants still managed to strike. The official spoke oncondition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the situation.Despite their reach and influence, the nation's feared spy agencies have failed tostop the bloody attacks plaguing the country.Kamran Bokhari, an analyst with Stratfor, a US-based global intelligence firm, saidPakistan needed to penetrate more militant groups and intercept conversations toprevent attacks, but the task was complicated in a country so big and populous.``The militants are able to exploit certain things on the ground, like the anti-

American sentiment, which is not just in society it's also in the military,'' headded.In the Taliban-riddled northwest, meanwhile, a suicide car bomb exploded next to apolice station in the Saddar area of Kohat, collapsing half the building and killing 11people three police officers and eight civilians Kohat police chief AbdullahKhan said.Early Thursday evening, a bomb planted in a car outside a home in the GulshanRehman area of Peshawar city exploded, city police chief Ijaz Khan said. A nearbyschool was closed at the time. Local police official Aalam Sher said five woundedpeople were hospitalized.Footage shown on local TV showed people who appeared to be teenagers being putinto ambulances. The damaged vehicle was flipped on its side and jutted out ofwhat appeared to be a garage. Piles of bricks littered the nearby roads.

The US has encouraged Pakistan to take strong action against insurgents who areusing its soil as a base for attacks in Afghanistan, where US troops are bogged downin an increasingly difficult war. It has carried out a slew of its own missile strikes inPakistan's lawless tribal belt over the past year, killing several top militantsincluding Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.One suspected US missile strike killed four people overnight Thursday when it hit acompound in an area in North Waziristan tribal region where members of themilitant network led by Jalaluddin Haqqani are believed to operate, two intelligenceofficials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were notauthorized to speak to the media.Pakistan formally protests the missile strikes as violations of its sovereignty, butmany analysts believe it has a secret deal with the US allowing them.

The militants have claimed credit for a wave of attacks that began with an October5 strike on the UN food agency in Islamabad and included a siege of the army'sheadquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi that left 23 people dead.

The Taliban have warned Pakistan to stop pursuing them in military operations.The Pakistani army has given no time frame for its expected offensive in SouthWaziristan tribal region, but has reportedly already sent two divisions totaling28,000 men and blockaded the area.


21/24

Fearing the looming offensive, about 200,000 people have fled South Waziristansince August, moving in with relatives or renting homes in the Tank and Dera IsmailKhan areas, a local government official said, speaking on condition of anonymitybecause he was not authorized to talk to the media.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/5-terror-attacks-in-Pak-in-a-day-38-dead/articleshow/5127665.cms

----Shia board decides to tone down weddings

Manjari Mishra15 October 2009

LUCKNOW: Ostentatious expenditure at Shia nikah stands to be banned. The AllIndia Shia Personal Law Board, preparing to announce its national policy on October25 in Delhi, has decided to allow public use of mosques and imambaras for thepurpose of solemnising Muslim marriages.

Talking to TOI on Wednesday, president of the body and noted Shia scholar andcleric, Maulana Mirza Athar said the issue, to be incorporated in the policydocument, will help bridge the gap between poor and rich in the community.

The move envisages throwing open the doors of all Shia mosques and imambaras

for hosting nikahs in a bid to stop wasteful expenditure, said the Maulana. "We haveample land, both in the sprawling imambaras and mosques, and it can be wellutilised." The practice, he said, would be made mandatory for the community,"which has over the years shown a marked tilt towards consumer culture, opting forhosting the pious event in five star hotels and marriage halls."Making the use of masjid and imambara mandatory, he said, would go a long way inbringing social equality. "The poor or the middle class will no more feel consciousonce they see the rich brethren also following the same instructions. It will alsomake the nikah less of a burden for the community," he said.

Topics:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-5125737,prtpage-1.cms

-----Pakistan jets bomb Taliban bastion

October 14, 2009Pakistani aircraft bombed Taliban fighters in their South Waziristan bastion onWednesday as more soldiers and tanks moved in for an expected offensive againstthem.Officials say most attacks in the country including four major ones since October5 that killed more than 100 people are plotted in South Waziristan on the Afghanborder.It was intense bombing. Three hideouts were hit, Mohammad Khalid Khan, asenior government official in the regions main town of Wana, told Reuters bytelephone.Pak Army HQ attack: 40 suspects heldFour days after Talibans brazen strike on Pakistans Army headquarters, securityagencies are continuing their sweep to nab suspects involved in the attack andother recent militant assaults and have arrested about 40 people over the past twodays.In an operation in this capital of Punjab province, police picked up 40 people,including a key suspect Luqman, 25, who was caught with an explosive jacket,police said.


22/24

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Pakistan-jets-bomb-Taliban-bastion/H1-Article1-465443.aspx

-----Ho hum, PakistanOctober 14, 2009

It seems that Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and we share the same

opinion on India-Pakistan: Indians are a bit too obsessed about our neighbouringcountry. Interacting with university students in Shimla on Tuesday the placewhere his grandmum and Pakistani premier Zulfikar Ali Bhutto signed the famousaccord when Mr Gandhi was a two-year-old the 39-year-old stated that far toomuch importance was given to Pakistan in India and that our un-neighbourlyneighbour is just a small piece in Indias foreign policy, a line that in certaincircles morphed into just a small piece of land.Generations of Indians, especially those north of the Vindhyas, have obsessed aboutPakistan. This is, to an extent, understandable. Indians who felt the tremors ofPartition, directly or indirectly, have looked at the country that Jinnah built with astrange proprietorial interest as if its existence was always a temporary plan. As aresult, they have demonised as well as romanticised the country to the point that

either Pakistan is a psychological rationalisation for all of Indias ills or it poses noreal problems at all considering, as the touching phrase goes, were the samepeople. Both pictures are exaggerated and dont help when it comes to conductingthe real business of level-headed diplomacy.When Mr Gandhi says that he doesnt have the time to think of Jinnah for asecond, his rhetorical statement with a nudge to history-obsessed BJP men comes as music to our ears. Pakistan is an important part of our foreign policy,considering it obsesses about India. But we have certainly moved on or, at least,should since the time when India-Pakistan ties were part of an emotive publicdiscourse that cajoled and bullied foreign policy. Todays India is more obsessedabout tying its own shoelaces than figuring out ways of tripping Pakistan or takingits shoe-size. That India-Australia cricket matches are bigger draws than India-Pakistan ones these days should tell you the story.http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/editorials/Ho-hum-Pakistan/Article1-465383.aspx

-----Threat Persists in Yemen, Somalia

OCTOBER 13, 2009While Washington obsessed Monday over President Barack Obama's plans inAfghanistan, as well as over a new burst of violence next door in Pakistan, someunsettling news arrived to remind everyone that the extremist threat isn't limited tothose troubled countries.Reports from Yemen said government forces had killed 59 Shiite rebels in thecountry's north. The death toll is a sign of the intensity of the government's currentfight against a Shiite revolt that has forced tens of thousands of Yemenis out of theirhomes.Combine that revolt in the north with separatist unrest in the south and a growing alQaeda movement, all in the Arab world's poorest country bordering Saudi Arabia,and you have a recipe for the kind of incubator for trouble that Afghanistan becamebefore the 9/11 attacks. Lest we forget, barely a year has passed since al Qaedaforces struck the U.S. Embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, left, in Minneapolis on Oct. 4.


23/24

Meanwhile, a second nation, this one in Africa, is moving much further down thetrack toward failed-state status and becoming a haven for Islamic extremists. It'sSomalia, where Islamist militias are not only battling a virtually powerless centralgovernment, but over the weekend threatened to advance across the border to hittargets in Kenya as well.Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed visited the U.S. in recent days and

warned that "a foreign idea" is taking hold in his country; he didn't mention foreignterrorists, but that's what he meant. The State Department's most recent terrorismreport says that al Qaeda "elements" are benefiting "from safe haven in the regionsof southern Somalia."

Taken together, the reports from Yemen and Somalia present a vivid reminder thatal Qaeda became a direct threat during the 1990s precisely because it was able tofill the power vacuum that Afghanistan had become. That could happen again inAfghanistan or Pakistan, of course -- but not only there.Happily, the other threats aren't going wholly unnoticed. In Somalia, U.S. militarycommandos just last month launched a daring helicopter assault in which they tookout the most-wanted al Qaeda operative in that land, a man named Saleh Ali SalehNabhan, along with his bodyguards. Mr. Nabhan, long on the Federal Bureau of

Investigation's most-wanted list, was suspected of building the truck bomb thatkilled 15 people in a Kenya hotel in 2002, and of choreographing a failed missilelaunch at an Israeli airliner.Meanwhile, Mr. Obama a few weeks ago sent a letter of support to Yemeni PresidentAli Abdullah Saleh, U.S. officials said. According to Yemen's state news agency, theletter pledged help in "the fight against terrorism" and said the U.S. will "standbeside Yemen, its unity, security and stability."

Those are signs that the national-security apparatus isn't asleep at the switch asthese problems grow. The question is whether the broader U.S. political system istoo overloaded with the Afghanistan debate to act against dangers elsewhere.Fighting extremism, after all, is like squeezing a balloon; when flattened in oneplace, it tends to bulge somewhere else.

That's particularly important to keep in mind because, despite the turmoil inAfghanistan and Pakistan, U.S. analysts think the fight against al Qaeda in thosecountries has diminished the terror group's ability to operate. The most recent StateDepartment report on terrorism says that, over the past year or so, al Qaeda and"associated networks continued to lose ground, both structurally and in the court ofworld public opinion."

Yet like-minded Islamic extremists in places such as Yemen and Somalia can pick upthe cause, with or without guidance from al Qaeda's home office.

The danger is most acute in Somalia, where lawlessness is rampant. The centralgovernment controls little outside the capital of Mogadishu, and not all of that city,international reports indicate. Meanwhile, the Islamist movement al Shabaab is ledby men affiliated with al Qaeda, some of whom fought with it in Afghanistan, theState Department reports. The only good news in Somalia is that the Islamists havespent some of their time and energy in recent weeks fighting among themselves.In the long run, Yemen may be the more worrisome spot. It is, after all, theancestral homeland of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and it has a closerelationship with oil-rich Saudi Arabia, whose monarchy is a perpetual bin Ladentarget. Al Qaeda-affiliated groups already have claimed responsibility for a list ofsmall-scale attacks in Yemen over the past two years; Yemenis' broader role is


24/24

underscored by the fact that 92 of the 221 remaining terror detainees atGuantanamo Bay prison are Yemenis.

The good news is that Mr. Saleh retains a good measure of control and wants helpdealing with the threat, meaning it may be easier to help. Juan Zarate, a terrorismadviser to George W. Bush who's now a senior adviser at the Center for Strategicand International Studies,, says the best bet in Somalia may be a policy aimed at

simply containing extremists there. But in Yemen, he says, hopes are brighterbecause of "a government that has some resources and some willingness to workwith us," as well as neighbors who are at least as concerned as is the U.S.Write to Gerald F. Seib at [email protected]://online.wsj.com/article/SB125537463884180867.html

Documents

15-10-09 Islamic World News