Gunmen opened fire on Shi’ites April 6 in Parachinar, a remote town in northwestern Pakistan, triggering gunbattles between majority Sunni and minority Shi’ites that have left at least 40 dead and 43 wounded. Some Shi’ites retaliated, burning down Sunni-owned shops… Read morePakistan: sectarian warfare rocks Tribal Areas
Stepping up the assault on the Iraqi city of Diwaniya, believed to be a stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army, US occupation forces launched an air strike on a supposed safehouse April 7. At least six people, including two women… Read moreIraq: US bombs Shi’ites
Luz MarĂa González Armenta, leader of Defense and Promotion of Human Rights-Emiliano Zapata (DEPRODHEZAC), is free but still facing charges after being arbitrarily arrested March 30 at a protest vigil outside the municipal presidency office in the Mexican border city… Read moreMatamoros human rights worker free …for now
A bomber driving a truck loaded with TNT and chlorine gas crashed into a police checkpoint in Iraq’s Anbar province April 6, killing at least 27 and wounding dozens. The bombing near Ramadi marked the ninth use of suicide chlorine… Read moreIraq: ninth chlorine attack
A slight irony. On April 7, the New York Times runs an optimistic op-ed by Munir Akram, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, entitled “A United Front Against the Taliban.” He assures readers that tribal leaders along the Afghan border are… Read morePakistan: jihadis pledge to bring terror to capital
The FBI has arrested two Indian nationals running an electronics company in South Carolina, and cited two unnamed Indian government officials as “co-conspirators” in the alleged export of sensitive dual-use items to three Indian entities: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC),… Read moreFBI sting on India defense industry figures
The New York Times reports April 5 that US officials are reviewing an informal request from Tehran for an envoy to visit five Iranians who were imprisoned after a US raid in northern Iraq in January. Maj. Gen. William B…. Read moreIran wants access to nationals seized by US in Iraqi Kurdistan
CNN reports April 6 that the US military is providing logistical support for the Mujahedeen Khalq, an Iraq-based Iranian guerilla group—which is on the US State Department list of foreign terrorist organizations. According to the report, the US military “regularly… Read moreCNN: US backing Iran’s Mujahedeen Khalq rebels
ABC News, citing unnamed US and Pakistani intelligence sources, reports April 3 that the ethnic Baluch militant organization Jundullah, responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran, has been “secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005.”… Read moreABC News: US backing Iran’s Baluch rebels
Four soldiers were injured April 5 when a US military helicopter crashed 25 miles south of Baghdad. The US did not specify the cause of the crash, but witnesses reported hearing weapons fire from the ground. An Iraqi official speaking… Read moreIraq: another US chopper down
Egypt has tightened the procedures for Iraqis entering the country, seeking to stem a flow of people seeking refuge from the war. Instead of obtaining visas at points of entry such as Cairo airport, Iraqis will now have to apply… Read moreEgypt limits immigration of Iraqis
Israeli soldiers re-entered the Gaza Strip April 4 for the first time since November, killing at least one Palestinian fighter. Troops in tanks, bulldozers and jeeps moved onto farmland near the village of Beit Hanoun and clashed with Palestinians near… Read moreIsrael launches Gaza incursion
