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| September 12, 2006 | Tuesday | Sha'aban 18, 1427 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Taliban more dangerous now than al Qaeda-Musharraf BRUSSELS, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf warned the West on Tuesday that Taliban insurgents were a more dangerous terrorist force than al Qaeda because of the broad support they have in Afghanistan. "The centre of gravity of terrorism has shifted from al Qaeda to the Taliban," he told EU lawmakers who quizzed Musharraf on Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts. "This is a new element, a more dangerous element, because it(the Taliban) has its roots in the people. Al Qaeda didn't have roots in the people," he said. Musharraf said he was certain that the Taliban fighters were being commanded by former Taliban ruler Mullah Omar from a base in southern Afghanistan, and rejected criticism that Pakistan was not doing enough to prevent the Taliban from mounting attacks on NATO troops by infiltrating its porous borders with Afghanistan. "No one should blame us or doubt us for not doing enough," he said, adding that Pakistan had deployed 50,000 troops on its side of the border to tackle the militants. He urged the international community to do more to rebuild Afghanistan. "We would encourage faster reconstruction activity in Afghanistan," Musharraf said. (Posted @ 20:12 PST)
Pakistani president urges India to act on Kashmir BRUSSELS, Sept 12 (Reuters) - President Parvez Musharraf Tuesday urged India to make early concessions to solve a decades-old dispute over the Kashmir region, saying he was optimistic a solution was within reach. "The objective is within reach ... I am really hopeful the process will move forward," he told an audience of European lawmakers. Musharraf insisted it was India's turn to make concessions and take into account long-running indications from Islamabad that it would no longer insist on a plebiscite among Kashmiris over their future. "I have not given an inch. We will not move away from our stance until we see India move away from its stance," he said, insisting a firm agreement to dispense with a plebiscite was dependent on Indian efforts to find a compromise. "We have to engage in out-of-the-box thinking ... An out-of-the-box solution is required," he said, calling for more local Kashmiri involvement in resolving the dispute. "Any settlement must be acceptable first to the people of Kashmir." (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
No let up in occupied Kashmir rights abuse; Yasin Malik’s hunger strike SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Human rights abuses continue unchecked in occupied Kashmir, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Tuesday. "Those abuses continue despite a tentative peace process... modest confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan, and (controversial and overwhelmingly boycotted) 2002 election of a state government with an avowed agenda to improve the human rights situation," it said in the report released in Srinagar. The 156-page report titled "Everyone Lives In Fear: Patterns of Impunity in Jammu and Kashmir" said the Indian army and police still carry out extra-judicial killings, torture and disappearances as well as detain Kashmiris in an arbitrary manner. It also said Muslim militants continue to indulge in massacres and the killing of politicians. "It (the human rights situation) is still bad," Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, told a news conference. "A conflict over Kashmiri identity and independence has slowly but visibly mutated into a fight under the banner of religion, pitting Islam against Hinduism and drawing religious radicals into its heart," the report said. Meanwhile, activists of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), led by its chief, Mohammad Yasin Malik, began a day-long hunger strike in Srinagar on Tuesday to protest human rights abuses by Indian occupation forces and police. (Posted @ 20:10 PST)
50 killed in stampede at Yemen election rally SANAA, Sept 12: (Agencies) - Over fifty people were killed and more than 100 people injured Tuesday in a stampede at a stadium in southern Yemen during an election rally by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a week ahead of polls already marred by violence. People were crushed to death when tens of thousands of people tried to gain entry into Ibb's stadium when it was already crammed with some 100,000 rallygoers, witnesses said. The stampede occurred just minutes after Saleh had finished an election speech in the run-up to the September 20 presidential and local polls. The 64-year-old field marshal has been at the helm since 1978, first as president of the then North Yemen and then as leader of the unified state after north and south merged in May 1990. (Posted @ 17:10 PST)
Four dead in attack on US embassy in Syria DAMASCUS, Sept 12 (AFP) - Gunmen launched a daylight assault on the US embassy in Damascus on Tuesday, using grenades, automatic weapons and an explosives-laden van in a "terror" attack that left four people dead. "A terrorist operation targeted the US embassy. Three terrorists were killed and one was wounded," Interior Minister General Bassam Abdel Majid said on state television. The state news agency SANA said an anti-terror operative was killed and another 14 people wounded, including an embassy guard and passersby. "All embassy personnel and their family members are safe," the US embassy said in a statement, adding that the local guard was injured. Chinese state media said a Chinese diplomat had been slightly injured by a stray bullet. "Home-made bombs and automatic weapons were used in the attack," SANA said, adding that security forces thwarted a car bomb attack, defusing explosives packed into a van parked in front of the mission by assailants who fled and were gunned down. Witnesses said two attackers had sought refuge in a nearby building but were pursued and gunned down by security forces. (First Posted @ 13:58 PST Updated @ 17:50 PST)
World Cup hockey: Australia thrash Kiwis to claim semi-final berth MONCHENGLADBACH, Germany, Sept 12 (AFP) - Australia showed its Athens Olympic gold medal class at the men's field hockey World Cup Tuesday, thrashing New Zealand 7-1 and advancing to the semi-finals. In the second game of the day, Japan posted its first win of the championship, with a 4-3 win over a flagging Argentina side. In the third match Germany outplayed South Africa by five goals to nil. (Posted @ 22:32 PST)
Gilani unveils Indian conspiracy to kill him Srinagar, Sep 12 (APP/KMS): Veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani has unveiled Indian conspiracy to kill him and his colleagues, reports Kashmir Media Service. Talking to mediamen here he said the conspiracy hatched by Indian troops was to be executed in Regipora-Kupwara where he and a number of leaders and workers of his party, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, had gathered to hold a meeting in an open yard. He said he came to know of it when he and his colleagues came out for ablutions for the mid-day prayers at the nearby river. A Kashmiri youth, washing his car by the river, made a surprising revelation that some army personnel coerced him to hurl a grenade at the venue that he refused, said the Hurriyat chairman. Meanwhile former Chief Minister of occupied Kashmir, Mufti Muhammad Saeed, has urged Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resume dialogue process with Pakistan. In a statement, he termed bilateral talks process as an imperative for restoration of peace in the region and stressed that it needed to be carried forward speedily (Posted @ 21:42 PST)
Suspected militants kill four soldiers in India's northeast GUWAHATI, India, Sept 12 (AFP) - Four paramilitary soldiers were killed and three critically wounded Tuesday in an ambush by suspected separatists in Indias restive northeast, officials said. An army spokesman said heavily-armed militants attacked a two-vehicle convoy of Assam Rifles near Mapou village in Manipur state killing four soldiers on the spot and seriously injuring three others. (Posted @ 23:10 PST)
Pakistan says US military not needed to track bin Laden ISLAMABAD, Sept 12 (AFP) - Pakistan does not need US-led coalition forces based in Afghanistan to help capture Osama bin Laden on home soil. "If Osama bin Laden's presence is confirmed in any part of our area adjoining Afghanistan, or for that matter anywhere in Pakistan, we have these troops stationed there to carry out that job," the governor of North Western Frontier Province, Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, told a press conference. "We have not deployed our 80,000 troops for nothing. They are there for a purpose," Aurakzai said. (Posted @ 22:36 PST)
Syria accuses US of fueling terrorism after embassy attack WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (AFP) - Syria's embassy in Washington on Tuesday accused the United States of fueling extremism, terrorism and anti-US sentiment in the Middle East, following a foiled attack on the US embassy in Damascus. (Posted @ 22:24 PST)
Musharraf terms terrorism, extremism as biggest challenges Brussels, Sept 12 (PPI) President Pervez Musharraf Tuesday termed terrorism and extremism as biggest challenges Pakistan faces today and said the government was pursuing a comprehensive strategy to combat the twin menace. Addressing members of the Pakistani community in Brussels he gave an overview of Pakistan’s economic growth in recent years and said the focus was on improving the quality of life of the people by providing better healthcare, education, electricity, gas, and safe drinking water across the country. (Posted @ 22:14 PST)
Benazir demands relief, rehabilitation for Sindh flood victims ISLAMABAD, Sept 12 (PPI) Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto has asked the government to rush and accelerate relief and rehabilitation of flood victims in Sindh. In a statement Tuesday, the former Prime Minister also directed the party leadership and cadres to spread out in the affected areas and extend all possible material and moral support to the victims particularly in Hyderabad, Badin, Thatta, Tando Muhammad Khan and Mirpurkhas districts where tens of thousands of people have been marooned, shops remained closed, food supplies have run out, hospitals are without medicines and power supply remains cut off, thousands of cattle head have been destroyed, and there is serious threat of outbreak of disease as pools of stagnant water remain uncleared. (Posted @ 21:58 PST)
President Musharraf talks with Belgian Prime Minister Verhostadt Brussels, Sept 12 (PPI): President General Pervez Musharraf and Belgian Prime Minister Gay Verhostadt Tuesday had wide ranging talks on matters of bilateral, regional and global interest. The talks were held at the residence of Belgian Prime Minister in Brussels and continued during lunch hosted by Mr Verhostadt in honour of the visiting President. (Posted @ 21:48 PST)
Afghan troops retake town from insurgents KABUL, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Afghan and NATO forces have recaptured a district headquarters taken by rebels last week, killing about 20 Taliban fighters. The eight-hour battle to retake the town of Garmser was the biggest Afghan-led operation in Helmand province, NATO said in a statement on Tuesday. "At one point, Afghan forces faced significant enemy fire for more than two hours, as they advanced," military said. Meanwhile, a former Taliban commander and two of his militiamen were killed on Tuesday after they attacked a convoy near the northern village of Baku, police said. (Posted @ 20:29 PST)
Hizbollah chief slams Blair as murderer on Jazeera DUBAI, Sept, 12 (Reuters) - Hizbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday British Prime Minister Tony Blair participated in the killing of Lebanese by not doing enough to stop Israel's war in Lebanon and lashed out at the government for welcoming him. "This Tony Blair is an associate in the murdering," Nasrallah told Al Jazeera television. He also critisised Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora for giving Blair a warm welcome in the country on Monday. "If there was an invitation made for Tony Bair to visit then this is a national disaster." (Posted @ 20:22 PST)
Bangladesh protest turns violent, 100 hurt DHAKA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Bangladesh police fired tear gas and used batons to stop thousands of opposition activists trying to march to the prime minister's office on Tuesday to demand electoral reforms, witnesses said. At least 100 people were injured. Protesters also detonated crude bombs at several places in the city, but there were no reports of any casualties or damage, witnesses said. (Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Cricket-England squads for Ashes and Champions Trophy LONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - England named the following squads for the forthcoming Ashes series in Australia and the ICC Champions Trophy in India on Tuesday. Ashes squad: Andrew Flintoff (captain), Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Chris Read (wicketkeeper), Geraint Jones (wicketkeeper), Ashley Giles, Monty Panesar, Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Sajid Mahmood, Liam Plunkett, James Anderson. ICC Champions Trophy squad: Flintoff (captain), Anderson, Bell, Rikki Clarke, Collingwood, James Dalrymple, Harmison, Ed Joyce, Mahmood, Jon Lewis, Pietersen, Read, Strauss, Michael Yardy. (Posted @ 19:38 PST)
Bombs and shooting kill at least 24, injure dozens around Iraq BAGHDAD, Sept 12 (AP) _ A parked car bomb detonated Tuesday in Baghdad's upscale Mansour neighborhood, killing at least six people and wounding 18 others, police said. Violence overnight and Tuesday resulted in at least 24 people being killed around Iraq, police and military officials said. In Middadiyah, a town just outside Baqouba, a roadside bomb next to a market killed at least four people and wounded 24 others, police said. In Mosul, gunmen killed four unidentified Kurds and injured another, while a roadside bomb targeting a police patrol exploded in Baghdad's Zaiyouna neighborhood wounding three police officers and a civilian. Gunmen also killed police brigadier Ziad Ramzi in central while two armed men were killed and four Iraqi soldiers were injured in a firefight between Iraqi forces and gunmen in the Qadisiyah area in eastern Rawah, 275 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, the Iraqi military said. In an attack on Huseiniyat Bani Saad mosque on Monday at 9 p.m. in the town on Bani Saad just south of Baqouba, seven persons were killed and three were injured. (Posted @ 19:34 PST)
26 militants killed in shootout with Afghan police KANDAHAR, Sept 12 (AP) Afghan forces killed 26 suspected Taliban militants & injured 27 others Tuesday in a shootout south of the Afghan capital, an official said. The battle broke out in Ghazni province's mountainous Andar district as Afghan soldiers and police, backed by U.S.-led coalition forces, entered an area where insurgents were holed up, said Mohammed Ali Fakuri, spokesman for the provincial governor. Two policemen and one Afghan soldier were wounded. (Posted @ 19:16 PST)
Hamas spokesman says new Palestinian government ready for peace talks GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, Sept 12 (AP) _ Hamas is prepared to back peace efforts with Israel as part of the new coalition government being formed by the Palestinians, a spokesman for the Hamas-led administration said Tuesday. A day after Hamas and the opposition Fatah Party agreed on forming a national unity government, Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for the outgoing government, said Hamas is ready to give Abbas a chance to pursue his agenda. ``We have no problem that this government have peace talks with Israel,'' he told Israel's Army Radio in Hebrew. Hamad said the Palestinians would also be ready to establish an independent state in territories occupied by Israel after the 1967 Mideast war _ the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. (Posted @ 19:10 PST)
British union members walk out during Blair speech BRIGHTON, Sept 12 (AP) _ More than a dozen labor union members holding signs that said ``Go!'' walked out during British Prime Minister Tony Blair's speech to a conference of union delegates Tuesday. Delegates said they wanted a new prime minister immediately, responding to Blair's announcement last week that he would leave office by next year. They also said they were angry over Blair's support over the Iraq war. (Posted @ 19:08 PST)
Israeli military court orders the release of 18 Hamas politicians OFER MILITARY BASE, West Bank, Sept 12 (AP) _ An Israeli military court on Tuesday ordered the release of 18 imprisoned Hamas lawmakers, including three Cabinet ministers, and raised questions about the army's case. However, the men will remain behind bars for at least two more days pending an appeal. In his decision, the military judge questioned the timing of the arrests, noting that the men were permitted to run for office and serve in the Palestinian government for months before their detentions. He said the politicians should be freed on bail while their trials continue. Earlier this week, the court had ordered the release of three other Hamas members. That appeal is set to be heard on Wednesday. Seven Hamas politicians attended Tuesday's court session, with most dressed in brown prison garb and their legs shackled. ``We do not recognize the authority of this court. We are elected lawmakers. We have been kidnapped,'' shouted one of the lawmakers, Mahmoud al-Ramahi. (Posted @ 19:06 PST)
Two generals among 11 high ranking officers killed in helicopter crash in Russian Caucasus MOSCOW, Sept 12 (AFP) - Eleven people, most of them high-ranking officers, died and four were injured in a military helicopter crash near the Russian city of Vladikavkaz, officials said Tuesday. The Mi-8 transport helicopter with 15 persons on board crashed late Monday in a forest in troubled North Caucasus region. It was carrying "12 high-ranking and senior officers from the Russian defence ministry command and the headquarters for the North Caucasus military district," the prosecutor general's statement said. Russian news agencies said the dead included at least two generals, as well as several colonels. The helicopter was taking part in military exercises. (Posted @ 18:32 PST)
Pakistan back Inzy but replace manager KARACHI, Sept 12 (AFP) - Pakistan cricket board’s executive committee Tuesday gave its full backing to captain Inzamam-ul Haq over the ball-tampering row that saw them forfeit the Oval Test but has replaced manager Zaheer Abbas, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told reporters. He denied Abbas's replacement had anything to do with media reports, accusing Abbas of mishandling the Oval fiasco, while naming former Test opener Talat Ali as team manager for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Sheharyar said Pakistan had protested over Hair's accusation of tampering. "The fact is that Hair gave a report on the ball tampering issue to match referee Mike Proctor but we don't know whether he has written the word 'cheating' in it or not," he said. When asked if Pakistan would boycott the ICC Champions Trophy if Hair was appointed one of the umpires for the one-day series, Khan said: "What steps we have thought about cannot be revealed at this point of time. We would disclose them after a decision on the hearing." In addition to himself, England tour manager Abbas and the two bowlers in action when the ball at the Oval was controversially changed -- leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and paceman Umer Gul -- will appear as witness in the hearing, he said. (Posted @ 18:22 PST)
25 civilians said killed, thousands displaced in Afghan offensive KANDAHAR, Sept 12 (AFP) - At least 25 Afghan civilians are believed to have been killed and 7,000 families displaced in a major NATO operation against Taliban rebels, rights and government officials said Tuesday. The casualties and refugees were from Panjwayi and Zhari districts, and people fleeing the battles and officials from the area had reported that between 30 and 40 civilians had been killed, mainly in bombardments, said human rights official Shamsuddin Tanwir. Haji Agha Lalai Destagiri, a provincial council member from Panjwayi, said around 25 civilians were killed over 10 days while between 5,000 and 7,000 families had fled the operation. The government's migration chief for Kandahar, Agha Mohammad Nazari, said about 7,200 families had left their homes in Panjwayi and Zhari in the past 20 days and more were still arriving. The operation was launched against a Taliban group initially believed to number 700. Taliban says NATO's figures for rebel deaths are grossly inflated. (Posted @ 18:10 PST)
Pakistan ups security for US interests after Syrian attack: officials ISLAMABAD, Sept 12, 2006 (AFP) - Pakistan stepped up security around US missions and other western interests in the country following an attack Tuesday on the American embassy in the Syrian capital, officials said. Police were already on alert in Islamabad's fortified diplomatic enclave, where the US and other key embassies are located, while the level of security has been increased in the port city of Karachi as elsewhere in the country, they said. (Posted @ 18:06 PST)
Indian troops kill two in occupied Kashmir; two others shot dead SRINAGAR Sept 12 (Agencies) Indian soldiers shot dead two suspected militants late Monday in occupied Kashmir’s Gurez sector, the army said Tuesday. Unknown gunmen shot dead a man and his wife late Monday night in the Thand Dhok area, some 190-kilometers north-west of Jammu, police said Tuesday. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the killings. (First Posted @ 12:02 PST Updated @ 12:42 PST)
Three policemen injured in bomb blast in northeast Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sep 12 (AP) A roadside bomb exploded in northeast Sri Lanka on Tuesday, injuring three policemen travelling nearby, a police official said. (Posted @ 12:24 PST)
Indian premier accuses Pakistan of not doing enough to curb militant groups NEW DELHI, Sep 12 (AP) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday accused Pakistan of not doing enough to control alleged militant groups based in its territory,. Singh was speaking to reporters onboard his plane en route to Brazil. ``This terrorism will surely act as a dampener. I have said more than once, that I can't carry the Indian public opinion with me if terrorist acts continue to plague our polity,'' Singh said. ``Our worry has been that (the) Pakistan government has not done enough to control these elements,'' he said. Sing said Pakistan's support of the militants was causing a lack of trust between the two countries. (Posted @ 12:17 PST)
Saddam trial resumes BAGHDAD, Sept 12 (AFP) Ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's trial on genocide entered its fifth hearing on Tuesday, a day after he charged that Kurdish testimonies against him were dividing the country. Saddam and six co-defendants including his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, dubbed "Chemical Ali", were in the dock again to face charges including genocide over the brutal 1987-88 Anfal campaign against Kurds in northern Iraq which prosecutors say left 182,000 people dead. (Posted @ 12:10 PST)
Israeli soldier shot dead near Gaza DUBAI, Sept 12 (AFP) An Israeli soldier was killed Tuesday after coming under fire in Kissufim on the border with the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera news channel eported. (Posted @ 11:28 PST)
Bush to bin Laden WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) President George W. Bush vowed on Monday to Osama bin Laden, "America will find you." "Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone," Bush said in an Oval Office address. "Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, America will find you, and we will bring you to justice," he said. (Posted @ 11:00 PST)
Philippine soldiers kill four communist guerrillas in clash MANILA, Sept 12 (AP) Government troops killed a suspected communist rebel commander and three of his men in a clash in a village outside Kananga in Leyte province in the central Philippines Monday, the military reported Tuesday. No government casualties were reported. (Posted @ 10:59 PST)
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Iran BAGHDAD, Sept 12 (AP) Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived in Tehran Tuesday for his first official visit to Iran since taking office in May, Iraqi state television reported. Iraqiya did not provide any further details. (Posted @ 10:54 PST)
43 shipwreck survivors rescued off Mayotte, 33 missing MAMOUDZOU, France, Sept 12 (AFP) Forty three shipwreck survivors have been rescued off Mayotte but another 33 people remain missing, authorities on the French-run Indian Ocean island said Monday. The boat was carrying 51 passengers and 24 crew when it sank in bad weather on its way from Madagascar to the Comoros on Saturday, maritime official said. (Posted @ 10:06 PST)
NATO countries offer just 20 reinforcements in Afghanistan LONDON, Sept 12 (AFP) NATO countries have ignored an urgent appeal for reinforcements to combat the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, offering only 20 more troops, The Times reported Tuesday. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer chaired on Monday an extraordinary meeting of alliance ambassadors called after the alliance's military chief appealed last week for an additional 2,500 soldiers to deal with increasing attacks by the Taliban militia. Major NATO members Turkey, Germany, Spain and Italy have all basically ruled out volunteering troops and France is unlikely to make any contributions. Norway and Denmark also have no plans to send reinforcements, the newspaper reported. (Posted @ 09:52 PST)
Karachi Stocks up 264.83 points: KARACHI, September 12: At close of trading the KSE-100 index was at 10157.60, up 264.83 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:16 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, September 12: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 60.57 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:16 PST)
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