Latest Briefs
Pakistan’s Military Offensive in Swat May Be Start of Long Campaign
If government claims are to be believed, the Pakistan army has restored the state’s writ in parts of the volatile Swat valley, located in the picturesque North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Militants loyal to a local radical cleric, Maulana Fazlullah, are reported to be on... MORE
Manila Bombing Highlights Possible Shift in ASG Strategy
On the evening of November 13, a remote control bomb attached to a motorcycle was detonated at one of the entrances of the Philippine Congress in Manila, killing Congressman Wahab Akbar and three other staffers. A Philippine National Police spokesman said: “It looks like Congressman... MORE
BRIEFS
DANISH INTELLIGENCE OFFERS HASHISH BUSINESS TO TERROR SUSPECT The Danish Security Intelligence Service (DSIS) has come under fire for its questionable approach to intelligence work. A 22-year old Muslim man of Turkish descent was offered the opportunity to purchase and resell several pounds of hashish... MORE
Revolt in Pakistan’s NWFP: A Profile of Maulana Fazlullah of Swat
Maulana Fazlullah, who is now leading an extremist Islam-oriented insurgency in the valley of Swat in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan, is the son-in-law of Maulana Sufi Mohammad, founder of the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM - Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Laws), which he... MORE
BRIEFS
INTERPOL ISSUES WARRANTS FOR IRANIAN BOMBING SUSPECTS On November 7 the Interpol General Assembly issued warrants for one Lebanese and five Iranians suspects in connection with the 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Argentine prosecutors... MORE
Lebanese Assassinations Create Political Crisis in Intelligence Services
Johnny Abdo, the former head of Lebanese military intelligence, recently predicted continued attacks against members of the pro-government “March 14” parliamentary coalition in the days leading up to the selection of the next president by parliament (The Daily Star, October 29). Abdo’s comments were issued... MORE
BRIEFS
IRAN CRACKS DOWN ON BALOCHI MILITANTS Iranian Balochis crossing the border into Pakistan are reporting hundreds of Balochis arrested in the Iranian port city of Chabahar (Sistan-Balochistan province) as part of a security sweep targeting Balochi militants (Dawn, November 2). The raids were in response... MORE
Political Repercussions of Somali Conflict Spread to Kenya
Renewed fighting between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian forces in Somalia is displacing hundreds in the capital city Mogadishu. More violence is feared after the October 29 resignation of Prime Minister of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Ali Mohammed Gedi. The move, which came less than... MORE
Iraqi Terror Trial Exposes Belgium’s Muslim Dilemma
The recent start of the Belgian Iraq terror trial of six men accused of recruiting Europe's first female suicide bomber has once again put the country’s Muslim minority in the spotlight, arousing significant levels of discomfort, concern and fear among Belgium’s Muslims (Le Soir, October... MORE