Two suicide car bombs exploded near the home of a tribal leader in the Abu Ghraib district west of Baghdad March 27, killing the sheikh’s son and several other people. Sheikh Thahir al-Dari, whose home was targeted, is the head… Read moreIraq: more signs of Sunni civil war
More than 18,000 Afghan refugees in Pakistan have returned home since the UN High Commissioner foor Refugees (UNHCR) started this year’s voluntary repatriation to Afghanistan, officials announced March 23. “They have been given a grace period from March 1 to… Read moreAfghan refugees running out of time
South African and foreign intelligence agencies have been monitoring an alleged Islamist militant training camp at Greenbushes, Port Elizabeth, according to local press reports. One magazine has even published a report on the alleged training camp. The report—including photographs of… Read moreAl-Qaeda in South Africa?
Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said March 26 that India intends to go ahead with a multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline from Iran via Pakistan despite objections from the US. “Talks on this pipeline are going on,” Mukherjee said in an interview with… Read moreIndia bucks US pressure on Iran pipeline deal
A Chinese politician from the predominantly Muslim and ethnic Uighur province of Xinkiang in China’s far west has claimed that 18 people killed in a raid on alleged terrorist training camp had links with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Shi Dagang… Read moreAl-Qaeda link to Uighur separatists?
Chinese president Hu Jintao has arrived in Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and oil and gas deals are expected to dominate the discussions. Hu’s three-day visit “aims to strengthen political trust and push forward the economic… Read morePipeline politics top Hu-Putin meet
The March English edition of Le Monde Diplomatique has an in-depth story on the state of the world’s oil industry, “Hydrocarbon nationalism: States claim back their energy reserves,” which sheds much light on the underlying imperatives for the Iraq adventure…. Read moreSpecter of “hydrocarbon nationalism” drives Iraq war
Indonesia has collected DNA samples from relatives of major terrorism suspects, police officials said March 26 at the opening of a new DNA laboratory developed jointly with the Australian Federal Police. Indonesian national police chief General Sutanto told reporters that… Read moreIndonesia: DNA surveillance of “terrorists”
India’s Maoists guerillas threatened more attacks March 26, 11 days after they killed 55 police and tribal militia in a raid on their camp in the central state of Chhattisgarh. The two-page statement signed by “Azad” called the attack a… Read moreIndia: Maoists pledge to resist anti-guerilla drive
NATO warplanes carried out airstrikes in Helmand province March 25, killing 19 militants and bringing the toll from a four-day operation to 99, the Afghan defence ministry said. (AFP, March 26) Fighting in the region continues to claim the lives… Read moreAfghanistan: more civilians bombed
Pakistani agents recovered three Iranian policemen who were kidnapped by Baluch militants and handed them back to authorities in Iran, while a fourth is believed to have been killed. The four police were abducted Feb. 27 by the Jundallah militant… Read moreIran-Pakistan cooperation against Baluch rebels
The Tamil Tiger rebels launched their first air strike March 26, hitting a Sri Lankan air base near Colombo. They Defense Ministry said three airmen were killed and 16 wounded, but the military’s newly-purchased MIG fighter jets were not damaged…. Read moreAl-Qaeda link to Tamil Tigers?
