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Bin Laden alive in Pakistan: US spy chief
Theaustralian.news
By Jitendra Joshi in Washington | July 23,
2007
AL-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden is alive and sheltering in lawless parts of
Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan, US intelligence chief Mike
McConnell said yesterday.
Mr McConnell blamed President Pervez Musharraf's government for allowing
al-Qaeda to regroup via a peace pact last year with tribal leaders in the
border areas.
But General Musharraf remained a key ally of the US, he said.
The administration's latest remarks, following the White House's refusal to
rule out military attacks on militants inside Pakistan, sparked a curt
response from Islamabad.
"Our stance is that Osama bin Laden is not present in Pakistan,'' Interior
Minister Aftab Sherpao said from the Pakistani capital.
"If anyone has the information he should give it to us, so that we can
apprehend him.''
Asked about bin Laden, the US director of national intelligence told NBC
television: "My personal view is that he's alive. I believe he is in the
tribal region of Pakistan.''
A new report by the US intelligence community last week said al-Qaeda had
regrouped in its Pakistani "safe haven'' and was determined to inflict mass
casualties through new attacks on the United States.
Mr McConnell said that had been possible owing to a September peace accord
between the Pakistani government and pro-Taliban tribal leaders in the
ill-governed region bordering Afghanistan.
A week ago, the tribal militants tore up the pact, stoking tensions as
deadly violence erupted across Pakistan following the military's crushing of
a pro-Taliban uprising at the Red Mosque in Islamabad.
"Instead of pushing al-Qaeda out, they made a safe haven for training and
recruiting. al-Qaeda's been able to regain some of its momentum,'' Mr
McConnell said.
Nearly six years on from the September 11 attacks of 2001, al-Qaeda remained
intent on inserting operatives inside the United States, he said, although
there was no evidence of the existence of a "sleeper cell".
Mr McConnell said if Gen Musharraf was forced from power by the Islamist
violence and pro-democracy unrest sweeping Pakistan, that could have a "severe
impact'' on the US struggle against terrorism.
"But President Musharraf is one of our valued allies. He is a moderate,'' he
said, and "probably the majority of (Al-Qaeda's) senior leadership'' had
been killed or captured thanks to Pakistani action.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri told CNN that instead of
intelligence estimates, the United States should give Islamabad "evidence,
actionable intelligence'' on the al-Qaeda presence inside Pakistan.
"Let the United States provide us with actionable intelligence, and you will
find that Pakistan will never be lacking, despite all the sacrifices that
Pakistan has been making.''
White House spokesman Tony Snow, when asked last week whether US forces
could strike militants inside Pakistan, said: "We never rule out any options,
including striking actionable targets".
In his weekly radio address on Saturday, President George W. Bush expressed
full US support for Gen Musharraf's efforts "to rid all of Pakistan of
extremism'' including the al-Qaeda sanctuary in tribal areas.
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US says Chinese missiles smuggled through Iran into Iraq
07.22.07, http://www.forbes.com
BAGHDAD (XFN-ASIA) - The US military said its troops had found Chinese-made
missiles which they believe were smuggled into Iraq by groups in Iran in
order to arm groups fighting US-led forces.
'We have seen ordnance and weapons that come from other places, but we
assess that they have come through Iran,' Agence France-Presse quoted US
military spokesman Admiral Mark Fox as saying.
'There are missiles that are actually manufactured in China that we assess
come through Iran as well.'
Fox also alleged Iranian agents continue to smuggle Iranian made armor
piercing bombs -- explosively-formed penetrators (EFPs) -- to Iraqi
extremist groups across the country's long border.
The US military has repeatedly accused Iranian linked groups of training
Iraqi extremists in the use of EFPs.
Since May 2004, when the EFPs emerged on the Iraqi battlefield, more than
200 US soldiers have been killed by these bombs which fire a fist-sized
chunk of molten metal that can cut through even a heavily armored vehicle.
Tehran denies being behind any weapons smuggling, but Fox insisted that
weapons seized by Iraqi and US forces are clearly of Iranian manufacture.
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Former Baloch ruler to file case against Pak
govt in ICJ
ZEE NEWS
Islamabad, July 24: A former princely ruler of Balochistan has said he would
file a case in the International Court of Justice soon complaining of
violation of an agreement between Baloch leaders and Muhammad Ali Jinnah
based on which the province was merged into Pakistan after Partition.
The Khan of Kalat, who is currently in London, said he is gathering the
documents from British archives to shortly file a suit against Pakistan
government in the ICJ, the Hague.
He accused the government of depriving Balochistan of the promised autonomy
committed to by Pakistan founder Jinnah in the accord, under which, he said,
only defence, foreign affairs and communications was to be with the federal
authorities and the rest with the provincial government.
The accord was signed by prominent Baloch leaders including khan's
grandfather Mir Ahmad Yar Khan.
The decision to file a case in the ICJ was taken at a grand Jirga (elders'
council) of Baloch leaders following the killing of top Baloch nationalist
leader Nawab Akbar Bugti in a military operation last year.
Responding to criticism that he was delaying the filing of the case, Khan
told 'The News' daily that he is currently gathering necessary material. He
has also written to India regarding certain documents needed for the case as
it pertained to the events of partition, Khan said.
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Balochistan official 'is killed'
BBCNews; Friday, 27 July 2007
Unidentified gunmen have killed the official spokesman for the provincial
government of Balochistan province, police say.
The spokesman, Razi Bugti, was killed when gunmen opened fire on his vehicle
before fleeing the scene.
A BBC correspondent says Mr Bugti is the most senior government official to
be killed in the province since the insurgency began five years ago.
The rebels want more autonomy for the south-western province.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Pakistan says that Raziq Bugti was president of
the left-leaning Baloch Students Organisation until the early 1970s.
He was also a member of National Awami Party (NAP) which formed the
government in Balochistan until 1972.
After the government was ousted the following year by the government of
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the start of a military operation in
the province, he was among a large number of NAP leaders and workers who
went into exile in Afghanistan.
In 2003, he made an unusual move to join the military-backed central
government and used his long political experience to consolidate the
provincial government.
He led the propaganda campaign against the slain tribal chief and politician,
Nawab Akbar Bugti, as well as other nationalist insurgents.
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US talks in Egypt target Iran
31-07-2007
Agence France-Presse
THE US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and the Defence Secretary,
Robert Gates, arrived in Egypt yesterday, at the start of a brief tour aimed
at uniting Arab allies against Iran and other US foes.
Their rare joint trip is also aimed at encouraging Washing- ton allies to
help stabilise Iraq and bolster the US-backed Baghdad Government.
"As security permits, we hope more states would undertake more diplomatic
missions to Iraq," Dr Rice told journalists on her way to the Red Sea resort
of Sharm el-Sheik, appealing also for further Iraq debt forgiveness.
Arab diplomatic missions in Baghdad have scaled back their representation
following a campaign of attacks and kidnappings.
The US officials' arrival was preceded by Washington's announcement on
Monday of a multibillion-dollar military aid bonanza for so-called moderate
Arab states. Dr Rice and Mr Gates are scheduled to meet foreign ministers of
some of those states.
"We will have a chance to talk about what initiatives we might undertake
with our friends and allies in the security and political areas," Dr Rice
said. "We are very concerned to be able to provide for the security of our
long-standing allies in the region."
In an attempt to counter Iran, the US revealed new military pacts with Saudi
Arabia, Egypt and Israel worth a total of $US20 billion ($23.3 billion) at
least, although the US says the precise figure is still undecided.
"We are working with these states to fight back extremism and to give a
chance to the forces of moderation and reform," Dr Rice said, dismissing
Iran's charges that the arms package would create fear and harm relations
between countries in the Middle East.
"I think if there is a destabilisation of the region, that can be laid at
the feet of an Iranian regime that is engaging in the kind of activities
that I just outlined."
Mr Gates, travelling on a separate plane to Dr Rice, told reporters the
pair's visit to the Middle East showed "the importance we attach to
reassuring our friends out here of our staying power".
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