Lodi Arrests
June 8, 2005 --
Two in Lodi Accused of al Qaeda Links
Federal officials believe they have broken up an al Qaeda terrorist cell in Lodi and have arrested two men and detained two others as part of a wide-ranging investigation, authorities said Tuesday. (Sacramento Bee)
Raids Stun Close-Knit Pakistani Community
Several years ago, Imam Muhammed Adil Khan of the Lodi mosque signed a "Declaration of Peace" with a rabbi and a Christian minister. The declaration condemned terrorism by religious fanatics of all faiths. (Sacramento Bee)
Bush and Blair Deny 'Fixed' Iraq Reports
President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain presented a united front on Tuesday against a recently disclosed British government memorandum that said in July 2002 that American intelligence was being "fixed" around the policy of removing Saddam Hussein in Iraq. (NY Times)
U.S. Drops Opposition to IAEA Chief
The Bush administration, having found no alternate candidate or support from any allies, has given up on its attempt to force out Mohamed ElBaradei as director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to two U.S. officials. (Washington Post)
2 Americans Killed in Afghan Mortar Attack
Two U.S. forces were killed and another eight wounded in a mortar attack Wednesday at a base in eastern Afghanistan, the military said. (LA Times)
North Korea Said to Offer to Rejoin Nuclear Talks
The United States and China said Tuesday that North Korea had committed itself to returning eventually to multinational negotiations over its nuclear program, but officials said the North had set no date. (NY Times)
Prospect of N.Korea Talks Met With Caution
Asian and Russian officials greeted the prospect of a resumption of talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons programs with caution and hope Wednesday but noted that no date had been set. (LA Times)
U.S. Officials Wary of N. Korean Statement
U.S. officials were skeptical yesterday that North Korea's statement Monday that it was committed to returning to multinational disarmament talks signaled a breakthrough in the year-long effort to arrange another meeting. But Asian officials were optimistic, with China's U.N. ambassador even predicting that talks would resume within the next few weeks.
Colonel Sanders Under Fiery Siege in Pakistan
Four times since Pakistan allied itself with the United States campaign against terrorism, a KFC outlet here has been attacked. Each time, the owner, Rafiq Rangoonwala, dutifully cleaned up and reopened for business. This time, with six of his employees dead, he's not so sure.
(NY Times)
Rights Group Calls Deadly Uzbek Crackdown a 'Massacre'
Uzbekistan's crackdown on a prison break and mass protest last month has been labeled a massacre in a report by a prominent human rights group, which says responsibility for many of the deaths lies with the Uzbek government. The group, Human Rights Watch, based in New York, issued the report on Tuesday, providing the most extensive independent review to date of the failed uprising in the northeastern Uzbek city of Andijon. (NY Times)
Co-Defendants in Fla. Deny Ties to Conspiracy
Three co-defendants of accused terrorist leader Sami al-Arian, a former Florida university professor on trial here, staunchly deny any connection to the Palestinian terrorist group at the heart of the case, their lawyers said in court Tuesday. (Washington Post)
3 Car Bombs Go Off at Once in Northern Iraq, Killing 20
Insurgents set off three simultaneous suicide car bombs on Tuesday morning at checkpoints around a rebel town in northern Iraq, killing at least 20 Iraqis and wounding 30 others, a police chief said At least seven other Iraqis were killed or found dead elsewhere in the country, and a suicide car bomb in Baghdad wounded 28 people. (NY Times)
Iraq Officials Hammer Out Constitution — Delicately
In buildings with windows crisscrossed by duct tape to protect against flying glass, Iraq's would-be founding fathers are hunkered down seeking to draft a constitution. With nine weeks remaining before their deadline, they are only now getting started on the historic document meant to unify a fractious country. The 55 politicians, elected just four months ago, face a tricky task. Go too slow and political momentum may be lost. Go too fast and risk a flawed constitution — or worse, civil war. (LA Times)
Dozens Seized in Dawn Raid in Iraq's North
Capt. James Dayhoff heard one of the most frightening sounds for a combat soldier in Iraq: simultaneous "smoke whistles" from two rocket-propelled grenades shot at him from behind. The projectiles hit a wall about 25 yards in front of him, and he knew his men were vulnerable.
(NY Times)
Bush Nominee for Top Envoy Unveils Plan
In Senate testimony, Zalmay Khalilzad offers a seven-point program for progress in Iraq. Experts say chaos there puts its success in doubt.President Bush's nominee to be ambassador to Iraq offered a seven-point plan Tuesday to tackle the challenge of stabilizing the troubled country, but experts questioned whether chaotic conditions there would allow him to set it in motion.
(LA Times)
From Here to Eternity
Islamist insurgents have turned the aftermath of the war in Iraq into a seemingly endless holy war, and are still pouring into the country to fight the 'American devil'. En route, many of them pass through Syria. Ghaith Abdul-Ahad visits the ancient city of Aleppo and hears one jihadi's story. (The Guardian)
Outside Iraq but Deep in the Fight
A Smuggler of Insurgents Reveals Syria's Influential, Changing Role. When the Americans led the invasion of Iraq, the men of Abu Ibrahim's family gathered in the courtyard of their shared home in the far north of Syria. Ten slips of paper were folded into a plastic bag, and they drew lots. The five who opened a paper marked with ink would go to Iraq and fight. The other five would stay behind. (Washington Post)
U.S. Marines Detained 19 Contractors in Iraq
Most of the men are American security guards. Some say they were abused after being accused of firing at civilians and troops. U.S. Marines forcibly detained a team of security guards working for an American engineering firm in Iraq after reportedly witnessing the contractors fire at U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians from an armed convoy, the military said Tuesday. (LA Times)
Weapons Cache Left by Fleeing Saddam Diplomats
When Iraq's first post-Saddam ambassador to the UK surveyed his country's embassy in London, the locked safes must have been an intriguing discovery. The embassy, in the salubrious Queen's Gate in Kensington, had lain empty since Saddam's diplomats fled as war loomed in March 2003. (The Guardian)
Insurgents Reportedly Ready to Talk
Former Iraqi Official Says Two Groups Willing to Discuss Ending Violence. A former minister in Iraq's interim government said Tuesday that the leaders of two insurgent groups were prepared to discuss conditions for ending their campaign of attacks. (Washington Post)
Majority Says Iraq War Won't Make U.S. Safer
More than half of Americans now disagree with President Bush's argument that the war in Iraq will make the United States safer from terrorists, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found.
(LA Times)
Decision on Uzbekistan
It has been three weeks since Uzbek President Islam Karimov ordered a military assault on a large crowd of opponents in the city of Andijon, killing many hundreds of men, women and children and driving hundreds of others across the nearby international border.
'We Need to Accelerate'
When an Arab leader removes his chief of intelligence, it's a sign that some kind of serious internal shake-up is underway. And that's just what has been happening here as the storm of political reform settles deeper over the Arab world. (Washington Post)
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