Somali Islamists Cut Off Hands and Feet of 4 Thieves
An Islamic court in Somalia on Thursday cut off a hand and foot from each of four men convicted of stealing phones and guns, drawing hundreds of onlookers as the weeping men were punished at a military camp.
The Shariah court that carried out the sentences is run by the powerful insurgent group al-Shabab, which is trying to topple Somalia’s U.N.-backed government and install a strict form of Islam.
“The men were bleeding and crying when the man cut their hands and feet off with a long knife,” said one witness, Liban Ali. Journalists were not allowed to cover the sentencing. The four were convicted earlier this week in the capital, Mogadishu.
The U.S. considers al-Shabab a terrorist group with links to al-Qaida, which al-Shabab denies. The group, which controls much of Somalia, is joined by hundreds of foreign fighters.
Somalis traditionally observe Sufi Islam, a relatively moderate form of worship. But in recent years, insurgents have begun to follow austere Wahabi Islam — rooted in Saudi Arabia and practiced by Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.
Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991 when the overthrow of a dictatorship plunged the country into chaos. A surge in violence in recent weeks, which diplomats said is a major push by the insurgents to force the government out of its Mogadishu strongholds, has killed about 225 people.
Militants Behead Afghan University Student
June 19, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
Several armed militants entered the compound of Kandahar University in south Afghanistan Friday and after beheading a student took away another.
“The gruesome incident occurred at 11:00 a.m. local time when several unknown armed militants entered the compound while students were enjoying weekly holiday Friday in the garden of university and horribly beheaded Mushtaq Ahmad and took away another,” Ahmad Shah a student of the university told Xinhua.
The terrified Shah added that Mushtaq was a student of grade fourth of medical faculty of Kandahar university.
This is the first time that militants attack higher educational institutions in the country.
Police officials at the site did not put finger at any particular groups, saying the enemies of peace a term used against Taliban militants are behind such barbaric acts.
Taliban fighters who have vowed to intensify activities this year in Afghanistan have not made comment so far.
FBI Director Defends Use of Informants in Mosques
June 8, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
FBI Director Robert Mueller says his agency will continue to use informants inside American mosques, despite complaints from Muslim organizations.
Mueller told reporters Monday in Los Angeles that investigations in places of worship will be respectful of First Amendment rights, but will continue if warranted by evidence of possible wrongdoing.
A Muslim organization has asked the Justice Department to investigate complaints that the FBI is asking followers of the faith to spy on Islamic leaders.
Germany Warned of Pre-election Terror Attack
June 6, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
Al Qaeda is planning a major attack on Germans before September’s election to wreak revenge for the deployment of troops in Afghanistan, a German magazine cited security officials as saying on Saturday.
Der Spiegel said German intelligence officials and the Federal Crime Office believed German firms based in Algeria and German citizens in northern Africa were in particular danger.
The officials also warned of attacks in Germany. The new assessment is largely due to a warning from the U.S. government, believed to be based on information from al Qaeda in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, said the weekly.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry declined to comment on the report of a fresh threat. In recent months, however, officials have repeatedly warned that Germany is a likely target for Islamist militants.
Pakistan On “Red Alert”
September 25, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
Pakistan has gone to Red Alert status. The crisis deepens with word that additional explosive-laden trucks, similar to the one used earlier this week in the Marriott hotel bombing, may have entered Islamabad. There are additional reports of a number of al Qaeda plans “in the pipeline to attack locations across Pakistan to destabilize the country.”
From CBS News
Pakistan’s security officials put all of the country’s airports on “red alert” Thursday after intelligence warnings of a suicide attack.
“We had very credible information of a suicide attempt in Islamabad which prompted this step,” a senior security official stated. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to address the matter.
At the country’s largest airport, in the capital city of Islamabad, only passengers with valid tickets were allowed to enter the airport until Thursday afternoon. A government official said the emergency security measures were under constant review.
The security official said the heightened security was prompted by information gained through the interrogation of a recently arrested militant suspect, but he declined to identify the suspect or say when or where the person was taken into custody.
[...]
A Western defense official in Islamabad told Bokhari there were reports of a number of al Qaeda plans “in the pipeline to attack locations across Pakistan to destabilize the country.”
According to a report Wednesday in Pakistan’s Daily Times newspaper, intelligence agencies informed the police that three explosives-laden trucks had entered the capital city – one of them known to have been destroyed in the Marriott Hotel attack last Saturday.
Suspected US Missile Strikes Hit Taliban Stronghold in Pakistan
September 9, 2008 by national
Filed under World Report
Pakistani security officials say suspected U.S. drones on Monday attacked a Taliban stronghold in the troubled northwest region, killing six people and wounding at least 15 others.
Security officials say the suspected drones fired missiles at a house and nearby seminary run by Taliban commander Jalauddin Haqqani.
The United States has not confirmed the strikes. Read more
US Quiet on Pakistan Raid
September 5, 2008 by national
Filed under Stories of Interest
The White House refused Thursday to comment directly on Pakistani anger at a cross-border raid by Afghanistan-based international forces just days before Pakistan’s presidential vote.
Spokeswoman Dana Perino said US authorities were “working to increase coordination and cooperation and supporting the Pakistanis, as we work to fight against the Taliban in a coordinated way.” Read more
