CONFLICT & TERROR 04/30

Rebels hold Manila responsible for monitors pullout

The Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group blamed the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday for delays in peace talks, and threatened to "seek other means" to pursue its political goals. In a statement al haj Ebrahim Murad, leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said the government was responsible for Malaysia's decision to withdraw from an international peace monitoring team in the south. Full Story

India, Iran set for energy talks during Ahmadinejad visit

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was to arrive in New Delhi Tuesday for a lightning visit due to be dominated by talks on gas supplies as energy-starved India searches for new fuel sources. Ahmadinejad, who will be in Delhi for less than five hours, was to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the evening with two long-stalled multi-billion-dollar deals in the works, the foreign ministry said. Full Story

China steps up surveillance over food safety ahead of Olympic games

Shanghai authorities are stepping up surveillance over the quality of food and service at its many restaurants in the city. With the city staging some of the events of the upcoming Olympic Games, authorities are determined to ensure that standards are up to mark. Full Story

Three arrested in Britain over Tamil Tiger probe: police

Three men were arrested in London and Wales Tuesday as part of a long-term police investigation into the Tamil Tigers guerrillas in Sri Lanka, Scotland Yard said. The trio were arrested in dawn raids at homes and business addresses in Newtown, mid-Wales; Mitcham, southwest London; and in the county of Surrey, southeast England. Full Story

Palestinian militants discuss Israel truce in Cairo

Palestinian militant groups were in Cairo on Tuesday for Egyptian-mediated talks on a possible truce with Israel that has already been approved by the Islamist Hamas. The Palestinian factions travelled from Gaza, Damascus and Amman for two-days of talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who is in charge of mediating Palestinian-Israeli talks. Full Story

US troops kill 24 militants in Baghdad fighting

Twenty-four militants were killed and four US soldiers wounded in fierce clashes between US soldiers and fighters in the Sadr City district of Baghdad on Tuesday, the American military said. The fighting erupted at around 9:30 am (0630 GMT) when a US patrol was targeted with small arms fire in which a soldier was wounded. Full Story

Syrian reactor capacity was 1-2 weapons/year -CIA

A suspected Syrian reactor bombed by Israel had the capacity to produce enough nuclear material to fuel one to two weapons a year, CIA Director Michael Hayden said on Monday.

Hayden said the plutonium reactor was within weeks or months of completion when it was destroyed in an air strike last Sept. 6. Within a year of entering operation it could have produced enough material for at least one weapon. Full Story

Egypt finds black market fuel tunnels to Gaza

Egyptian security forces have discovered five tunnels used to smuggle petrol and goods into the Gaza Strip, a security official said on Tuesday. Two of the tunnels contained plastic tubes 850 metres (2,800 feet) long that were used to pump black market petrol into the isolated territory, the official said. Full Story

All major hurdles in gas pipeline project removed

All major hurdles in the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project have been resolved and a final agreement would be signed in Teheran within next three months, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday in an interview with PTV. Full Story

Gunmen kill two intelligence agents in SW Pakistan

Gunmen killed two Pakistani intelligence agents in a drive-by shooting in the southwestern town of Khuzdar on Tuesday, police said. The pair, who worked for the Military Intelligence (MI), were on their way home from their office when they were sprayed with bullets in a bazaar by attackers riding on a motorbike. Full Story

Vietnam breaks up rally before last international torch stop

The Olympic torch was paraded through the streets of Vietnam's largest city Tuesday on the final leg of an international tour that has been dogged by protests against China. Hundreds of flag-waving supporters cheered as the relay began in downtown Ho Chi Min City. Security along the route was tight and there were no immediate signs of any protesters. Full Story

Heavily Armed Pirates Attack Thai, S Korea Ships -Watchdog

Heavily armed pirates attacked a Thai oil tanker carrying jet fuel in Malaysian waters and a South Korean vessel in the pirate infested Gulf of Aden, a maritime watchdog said Tuesday. Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre, told AFP that in the April 25 incident, eight armed pirates on a powerful speedboat boarded the Thai tanker. Full Story

Nepal deports US climber with pro-Tibet banner at base camp

Nepal has imposed a near-blackout on communications on its side of Mount Everest, trekking company officials said Tuesday, hours after the government acknowledged it had deported an American mountaineer caught at base camp with a "Free Tibet" banner. The government has also ordered a BBC news crew from the Everest base camp, the broadcaster reported. Full Story

Pakistan's Sharif heads to Dubai for talks on restoring judges

Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif left for Dubai late Tuesday in a "last-ditch" effort to break a deadlock over the reinstatement of judges, officials said. Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, said he would talk to coalition partner and Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari about the issue. Full Story

Colombian police kill major drug trafficker in raid on ranch

Police killed one of Colombia's most-wanted drug lords in a shootout Tuesday after an informant led officers to a ranch hideout, the defence minister said. The U.S. government had a $5-million U.S. reward out for the man. Full Story

Three Pakistani police killed in grenade attack

Militants threw a hand grenade and opened fire at a police van in a northwestern Pakistan city, killing three policemen and injuring two others, police said. Full Story

Mexican government wants talks with rebels

Mexico's government said Tuesday that it will accept talks with a leftist rebel group linked to a series of oil pipeline blasts last year, as long as the group refrains from any new attacks. Full Story

Afghans clash with suspected Taliban in Kabul

Afghan security forces clashed with a group of suspected Taliban militants holed up in a house close to Kabul's old city on Wednesday, witnesses said. Full Story

Shells land near Italian embassy in Yemen-official

Unidentified attackers fired two shells at a government office near the Italian embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa early on Wednesday, but there were no casualties, a security source said. The shells hit the parking lot of the customs authority, which is adjacent to the Italian embassy, the source said, adding investigations were underway. Full Story

Philippine army says seizes Islamic militant base

About 300 Philippine soldiers, backed by heavy artillery and mortar shelling, overran a base of Islamic militants deep in the hills of a remote southern island on Wednesday, a senior general said. Full Story

Pakistan's Sharif, Zardari hold last-ditch talks

The leaders of Pakistan's ruling coalition were to meet Wednesday in Dubai with their one-month alliance on the line amid a deadlock over the reinstatement of sacked judges, party officials said. Full Story

Taliban say two Afghan president attackers killed in clash

Two Taliban militants involved in a weekend attack on a parade attended by Afghan President Hamid Karzai were killed in a raid in Kabul on Wednesday, a spokesman for the rebels said. Full Story

Sri Lankan troops kill 10 rebels

Sri Lankan security forces shot dead at least 10 Tamil Tiger rebels amid artillery duels in the north, the defence ministry said Wednesday. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.