- DAWN - Latest Stories; 01 February, 2005


01 February 2005	Tuesday	21 Zilhaj 1425

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Pakistan Leads U.S. Fire to Afghan Border : WASHINGTON, Feb 01: In a new advance in cooperation with U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Pakistani troops have recently helped direct U.S. artillery fire into Pakistan, a senior U.S. officer said today. "That's a huge step forward," said Army Col. Cardon B. Crawford, the director of operations for the U.S. military command in Afghanistan. But U.S. combat troops have not operated inside Pakistan, and Crawford indicated that the Pakistani collaboration on U.S. artillery strikes into Pakistan from Afghanistan was new. "The Pakistanis have adjusted our artillery fire into the Pakistani side of the border to go after anti-coalition militia," he told a group of reporters. Crawford offered limited details about the artillery operations, but stressed that the Pakistani cooperation has been valuable, since there are no U.S. troops on that side of the border. "A howitzer will shoot, let's say five, six, 10 kilometers (up to six miles). There has to be somebody out there who says, `Here's the target.' And when the round lands, he'll say "go left, go right, go up, go down." Crawford also said "there's a huge effort" to capture or kill al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding in or near the Afghan-Pakistan border region. Crawford would not say whether U.S. forces have come close to finding bin Laden, but he said al-Qaida has become less of a threat in Afghanistan. Al-Qaida has "no effective presence" inside Afghanistan now, Crawford said. He also said there are signs of divisions within the Taliban leadership, and he suggested that the Afghan government is preparing a new plan that would be designed to "widen the fissures" within the Taliban leadership. He declined to provide details. Some Taliban leaders, he said, "are probably willing — literally and figuratively — to come in out of the cold" and become part of the Afghan political process. (AP/AFP) (Posted @ 21:55 PST)

Government believes summit on despite Nepal crisis: ISLAMABAD, Feb 01: Government said today it expects a South Asian summit at which it aims to continue peace talks with India will go ahead in Bangladesh at the weekend in spite of a political crisis in Nepal. "The information I have received so far is that the summit is taking place," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan. The political crisis in Nepal, where King Gyanendra sacked the government and assumed power today, has raised doubts about whether the summit can be held since SAARC's charter requires all seven heads of state or government to attend. Bangladeshi foreign ministry officials said they expected to make an announcement on SAARC later today. (Reuters) (Posted @ 16:35 PST)

Government accused of blocking aid to violence-hit tribal areas: ISLAMABAD, Feb 01: Government has stopped aid organisations from helping displaced people in tribal regions, including the southwest, where a violent insurgency is raging, a rights group said in its annual report. In 2004, humanitarian groups were barred from southwestern Baluchistan and also from northwestern Waziristan, where Pakistani troops are hunting Al-Qaeda militants, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said today. "Lack of access to media and humanitarian agencies in the zones of armed conflict has been a major concern during the last year," commission member and former chairman Afrasayab Khattak told reporters. "There is currently an armed conflict going on in Baluchistan, but unfortunately the government has a tendency to seal that area," Khattak said. He added that people in the town of Sui, where Pakistan's main gas field is located, had to abandon their homes after rebel tribesmen demanding jobs and royalties fired rockets on the gas plant, leaving eight people dead. "They have been dislocated but the government is not allowing humanitarian agencies to help them. It is also not allowing the media to cover the situation, so that other people could help them," Khattak said. Military officials have said that up to 800 regular army soldiers and at least 2,000 paramilitary troops had been guarding the area since the attacks. (AFP) (Posted @ 22:05 PST)

At least one dead as blasts rock Quetta: QUETTA, Feb 01: At least one man was killed and six people wounded today when three blasts rocked Quetta, police said. One bomb, carried on a motor scooter, exploded in the centre of the city, killing the rider and wounding two employees of a nearby shop, police and witnesses said. Another blast was heard a short time later in the city, but the cause was not immediately known. The explosions came a few hours after a bomb planted by suspected tribal separatists exploded on a rail line leading out of Quetta, slightly damaging a train as it was crossing a bridge and slightly injuring four people aboard, police said. (Reuters) (Updated @ 14:50 PST)

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Cricket: Pakistan beat West Indies by 30 runs: SYDNEY, Feb 01: Pakistan beat West Indies by 30 runs in their limited-overs international at the WACA in Perth today. Pakistan 307-8 in 50 overs; West Indies 277 all out in 48.1 overs.... Score Card (Reuters) (Updated @ 16:45 PST)

Delay in Afghan parliament election can't be ruled out: official - KABUL, Feb 01: Afghan President Hamid Karzai's spokesman admitted today that parliamentary elections which are scheduled to be held before the end of May could be delayed. "I can't rule out, either way, whether it is postponed or if they will stick to the original date I'm not sure," presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin told a press conference in Kabul referring to the polls. (AFP) (Posted @ 13:00 PST)

Iraq president calls for reconciliation of all parties: BAGHDAD, Feb 01: Iraq's interim president Ghazi al-Yawar said today that all parties except those tainted by violence must take part in talks on a new government and constitution after the historic election. "We must all become involved in a dialogue and reconciliation ... with everyone. All those who were not involved in violence must be part of the political process," president told a press conference. "There were no winners or losers" in the election, which Yawar called "a victory for Iraq." (AFP) (Posted @ 14:50 PST)

Zarqawi group threatens to pursue holy war in Iraq: website - DUBAI, Feb 01: The group of Iraq's most wanted militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatened to pursue jihad or holy war in Iraq after failing to sabotage the country's elections, according to a statement on website. Fighters from his Al-Qaeda Group in the Land of Two Rivers "will press on their jihad until the banner of Islam flies over Iraq," according to the statement, which could not be authenticated. (AFP) (Posted @ 13:45 PST)

Israel puts West Bank security transfer on hold after Hamas shelling: RAMALLAH, Feb 01: Israel has put on hold plans to transfer security control in parts of the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian negotiations minister Saeb Erakat told AFP today. Palestinians had been preparing to take control in the city of Ramallah, as well as Qalqilya, Jericho and Tulkarem today. (AFP) (Posted @ 13:45 PST)

King of Nepal sacks government: KATHMANDU, Feb 01: King Gyanendra of Nepal announced today in a televised address that he had dissolved the coalition government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. "I have decided to dissolve the government because it has failed to make necessary arrangements to hold elections by April and protect democracy, the sovereignty of the people and life and property," the king said. Nepal's King Gyanendra declared a state of emergency today after dismissing the government and taking charge of the country, state media announced. (AFP) (Updated @ 14:50 PST)

Abu Bakar Bashir says extremists were wrong to attack Indonesia: JAKARTA, Feb 01: Abu Bakar Bashir told his terrorism trial today that religious extremists were wrong to stage attacks in Indonesia because the world's largest Muslim-populated country was not at war with anyone. Bashir said if Muslims wanted to wage jihad or holy war against the United States, they should go to countries like Afghanistan. "I don't agree with the Marriott bombers. Maybe their intention was to defend Islam but their method was wrong," Bashir told the court. (AFP) (Posted @ 12:30 PST)

Car explodes in Georgia, kills three: TBILISI, Feb 01: A car exploded outside a police station in ex-Soviet Georgia today, killing at least three people, an interior ministry spokesman said. (Reuters) (Posted @ 16:35 PST)

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At least 16 dead, 258 infected in Chinese meningitis outbreak: BEIJING, Feb 01: China issued emergency regulations today to counter an outbreak of the deadly spinal disease meningitis that has killed at least 16 people among 258 cases this month. The whole country has been affected with the exception of Fujian province in the southeast, Hainan in the south and the Tibet region, the health ministry said. (AFP) (Posted @ 16:10 PST)

Strong quake rocks Taiwan, Indonesia's Java island : TAIPEI/JAKARTA, Feb 01: An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale rocked Taiwan today, rattling high-rise buildings across the island, the Seismology Centre said. An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale rocked Indonesia's Java island today but there were no reports of casualties or damage, seismologists said. (AFP) (Posted @ 09:45 PST)

Karachi Stocks up 121.90 points: KARACHI, Feb 01: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 6869.29, up 121.90 points from Monday's close. The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 59.40 to the US Dollar in the open market. &nbs; (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 16:15 PST)

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