Two Pakistanis on trial in the US said that the ISI backed the Mumbai terror assault that was carried out by the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan wants the US to end its Predator campaign in the tribal areas; the US said the attacks would continue.
Despite NATO rift, US holds to limited Libya role
David Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana told a US court they scouted the Mumbai assault for Pakistani intelligence.
Security forces killed and captured several Taliban, Haqqani Network, and HIG commanders and fighters in Helmand, Ghazni, Zabul, Khost, Wardak, Logar, Nangarhar, and Jawzjan. The Taliban killed a government official in Helmand and three children in Faryab. Thirty Taliban fighters surrendered to the government.
Police rounded up 40 suspected al Qaeda and Turkish Hezbollah operatives during raids throughout the country. Police claimed that Halis Bayancuk, the leader of al Qaeda’s branch in Turkey, was among those captured.
Insurgents killed nine Iraqis, including four policemen, in attacks in and around Baghdad. Security forces detained three wanted men in Kirkuk. The defense minister wanted the PMOI out of Iraq by the end of the year.
Afghan peace council urges opening of Taliban office in Turkey
The French and British foreign ministers criticized NATO for not doing more to target President Gaddafi’s forces. “It is not acceptable that Misrata is still under fire and being bombarded by Gaddafi’s troops,” France’s foreign minister said.
A human rights group claimed that Syrian security forces have killed more than 200 people for protesting against President Assad’s government. Security forces opened fire on protesters in the village of Bayda; no casualties have been disclosed.
The al Qaeda leader is an Afghan who works on both sides of the Durand Line.
Pakistan tells US to halt drones
Tehran announced plans to construct several more nuclear research reactors. Tehran asked the European Union to stop providing support to the Paris-based PMOI. EU ministers announced plans for more sanctions on Iran due to human rights abuses. Bahrain tried three for spying on behalf of Iran.
Libya – William Hague calls on NATO to step up attacks
US troops await Taliban in south Afghan valley
Pakistan tells US it must sharply cut CIA activities
A commander said the Taliban will establish “a permanent base” there, swore allegiance to Mullah Omar, and said his forces will continue to attack US troops until they “reach the gates of America.”
Anti-Western messages grow among Afghanistan’s imams
Jawad co-leads the Kabul Attack Network, the jihadist syndicate that seeks to strike in and around the Afghan capital.
Taliban try soft power
US, Pakistan intel chiefs aim to rebuild trust
Security forces killed and captured several Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters in Kandahar, Helmand, Laghman, Baghlan, Paktika, and Sar-i-Pul. A policeman and three Taliban fighters were killed in fighting in Nimroz. The Taliban killed a police officer in Sar-i-Pul and an ISAF soldier in the east. Fifty Taliban fighters renounced violence in Kandahar.
Insurgents killed 19 Iraqis in bombings in Diyala, Fallujah, and Baghdad. Two bomb disposal policemen were killed while trying to disarm one of the bombs in Fallujah.
Shabaab beheaded four men accused of spying in the southern port city of Kismayo. Shabaab has arrested dozens of others and accused them of spying and other “crimes against Islam.”
France has implemented its ban on facial coverings, which includes nijabs and burkas. Two women were briefly detained and then fined $217 during a protest against the ban in Paris.
Security forces attacked student protesters at the University of Damascus, killing one and wounding and detaining dozens of others. The Muslim Brotherhood now backs the anti-government protests.
Libyan rebels rejected an African Union peace plan that did not require President Gaddafi to resign. Gaddafi’s son, Saif al Islam, said talk of his father stepping down from power is “ridiculous.”
The region: The future of Egyptian politics, religion
Insurgents plant mines to prevent destruction of poppy fields
Terrorism continues to plague Peshawar suburbs
“Marines run toward our bullets,” complains Taliban fighter in violent district in Helmand.