CONFLICT & TERROR 01/03

U.S.: Roadside bombs in Afghanistan doubled in 2008Posted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 6:49amThe U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan says the number of roadside bombs and kidnappings in Afghanistan roughly doubled in 2008. William Wood says the number of roadside bombs has risen from roughly 1,000 in 2007 to about 2,000 in 2008. The number of kidnappings rose from around 150 to around 300. Full Story

Pakistan shuts down NATO supply routePosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 6:49amPakistani security forces launched an operation against Taliban militants in the nation's tribal region along the border with Afghanistan on Tuesday, shutting down NATO supply routes, Pakistani military sources said. Eight people -- two suspected Taliban militants and six civilians -- died in the operation in the Khyber Agency that involved military helicopter gunships, according to Pakistani intelligence sources. The fighting was taking place near the town of Jamrud. Full Story

Gazprom threatens to cut gas to Ukraine over debtPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 8:33amRussia's state-owned natural gas company Gazprom will stop shipments to Ukraine if it doesn't pay a $2 billion debt and agree to sharply higher payments for future deliveries by New Year's Eve, the company's chief executive said Tuesday. Full Story

Italy wants quick repatriations as 2,300 illegal migrants arrivePosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 9:49amThe number of migrants reaching Italy's southern coastline after a perilous crossing from Africa has soared by more than 50% this year, according to UN figures, highlighting the mounting moral and diplomatic dilemma that will face countries in southern Europe in 2009. Full Story

New Belgian government agreed: reportsPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 9:52amBelgium's Flemish Christian Democrat Herman Van Rompuy on Tuesday reached agreement on a new coalition government of five parties, opening the way for his nomination as prime minister by King Albert II, Belgian media said. Full Story

Russia's Bulava missile fails yet another testPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 9:54amRussia's latest test launch of its long-troubled Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile was another failure, and it was more costly than most as the Russian government had already approved the missile for full-scale production. Full Story

Netanyahu calls for Hamas's removal in GazaPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 9:55amFollowing are excerpts from a Reuters interview on Tuesday with Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who defended a Gaza offensive he said is aimed at ending a Hamas rocket threat on Israel. Full Story

Hezbollah watches for now as Israel hits HamasPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 9:55amLebanon's powerful Hezbollah guerrilla  widely seen as the Arab world's most effective force against Israel  has vowed to support Palestinian ally Hamas under the barrage of Israeli warplanes but has for now held its fire, constrained by its own political goals and fears of mass retaliation. Full Story

Russian leader signs law extending presidential termsPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 9:56amThe Kremlin says the Russian leader has signed a law extending presidential terms from four to six years. President Dmitry Medvedev's final endorsement of the legislation follows its quick approval by both houses of parliament as well as Russia's 83 provincial legislatures. Full Story

Eight die in Pakistan offensive against militants in the Khyber PassPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:11amEight people have been killed as Pakistani authorities launched an operation against militants in the Khyber Pass area on Tuesday. To carry out the offensive, which is targeting Taliban militants who have been attacking US and NATO supply vehicles in recent months, the government has imposed a curfew along the main route to Afghanistan and suspended all supplies to NATO forces based there. Full Story

Sri Lanka military receives bodies of 17 soldiersPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:15amThe Sri Lanka military has received the bodies of 17 soldiers killed while fighting Tamil Tiger rebels in the island's embattled north, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. The bodies were sent by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) through the International Committee of the Red Cross in the frontline town of Omanthai on Monday, the ministry said. Full Story

Egypt mocks Iran, Hezbollah on military recordPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:21amEgyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit mocked the military records of Iran and the Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim movement Hezbollah in an escalating war of words over Egypt's cooperation with Israel in the blockade of Gaza. Aboul Gheit, in an interview with Egyptian television broadcast on Monday night, said Hezbollah destroyed Lebanon in 2006 and that its Katyusha rockets and rocket-propelled grenades were nothing compared to the Egyptian army. Full Story

On Fourth Day of Gaza Battle, No End in SightPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:52amIsrael launched air strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza for a fourth consecutive day on Tuesday as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the bombardment the first of several stages, suggesting that the conflict was far from resolution. Full Story

Israeli strikes in Gaza risk political win for HamasPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:53amAfter Israel's 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Shiite militants emerged claiming victory and exalted across the Arab world. Even its harshest critics praised the group's endurance against overwhelming Israeli force. Today Hezbollah is more powerful  politically and militarily  than ever before. Full Story

Jerusalem-area Arabs step up riots, protestsPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:53amParts of Jerusalem were tense Monday as Arab riots and protests against the ongoing IDF operation in Gaza erupted at various locations in and around the capital. Full Story

Hezbollah rallies as Gaza burnsPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:54amTens of thousands of people massed in the southern suburbs of Beirut and packed the surrounding streets for a Hezbollah-led protest rally Monday, calling for support for Gaza as it underwent its third day of Israeli attacks. Full Story

Iranian Authorities Raid Offices of Rights AdvocatePosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:55amAuthorities stormed the private office of Irans Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Shirin Ebadi, on Monday, seizing her computers and her clients documents. Full Story

Rare Suicide Bombing in Iran Kills 4Posted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:56amEmploying a tactic not seen in Iran before, a suicide bomber affiliated with a Sunni militant group killed four people and wounded 12 in an attack early Monday in Saravan, a southeastern city, the official IRNA news agency reported. Full Story

Protesters in Venezuela condemn Gaza assaultPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 2:01pmProtesters have gathered outside the Israeli Embassy in Venezuela to condemn the aerial assault on the Gaza Strip. Several dozen Arab immigrants and Venezuelans of Arab descent chanted "Fascist, murderous and terrorist Israel!''Full_Story

Colombia: FARC to name place for hostage releasePosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 2:05pmColombia's peace commissioner said Tuesday the government is just waiting for FARC guerrillas to name the place for the release of six hostages. Luis Carlos Restrepo says once the location has been named, the government will make sure the military will not be in the area.Full_Story

Mexico to try 6 Colombians on drug, weapon chargesPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 2:07pmSix Colombians arrested during a raid on a Mexico City mansion have been ordered to stand trial on drug, weapons and organized crime charges. The suspects include Teodoro Fino Restrepo, who allegedly arranged cocaine shipments from Colombia to Mexico's Beltran Leyva cartel.Full_Story

Peru rebels hit again in deadliest year since 1990sPosted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 2:18pmThe Shining Path rebel group killed one soldier in an attack on a helicopter and wounded two others, Peru's army said on Monday after its bloodiest year fighting the guerrillas since the early 1990s.Suspected insurgents fired on a supply helicopter on Sunday in Vizcatan, a mountainous jungle area with coca plantations 372 miles (600 km) southeast of Lima, the capital. Its fuselage was damaged and one soldier on the ground was struck by bullets and died while trying to defend it.Full_Story

Defining Victory for IsraelPosted on Friday, January 2, 2009 at 11:12amThere is no question -- none -- that Israel's attack on Hamas in Gaza is justified. No nation can tolerate a portion of its people living in the conditions of the London Blitz -- listening for sirens, sleeping in bomb shelters and separated from death only by the randomness of a Qassam missile's flight. Full Story

UAE to ban some expats from bringing familiesPosted on Friday, January 2, 2009 at 11:13amSome foreign workers holding low-paid jobs in the United Arab Emirates will be banned from bringing over their families to the Gulf state under new visa regulations, a newspaper reported on Thursday. Full Story

Hamas Resilient Despite Israeli OnslaughtPosted on Friday, January 2, 2009 at 11:15amIsrael is methodically targeting the Hamas domain, bombing government offices, security compounds, commanders, and even Hamas-linked clinics, mosques and money changers. Yet Gaza's Islamic rulers show no sign of buckling under the aerial onslaught. Full Story

Saudi king unveils Gaza fundraising drivePosted on Friday, January 2, 2009 at 11:17amSaudi Arabian King Abdullah Bin Abdel Aziz unveiled on Thursday an urgent national campaign to raise money for Palestinians as Israel's assault on the Gaza strip reached its seventh day. Full Story

Hamas calls for revenge as Israel hits Gaza againPosted on Friday, January 2, 2009 at 11:18amPalestinian Islamists vowed revenge on Israel on Friday for killing a senior Hamas leader and his family, and said all options including suicide bombs were now open to "strike at Zionist interests everywhere." There was no sign of a ceasefire on the seventh day of the conflict, in which at least 424 Palestinians have been killed and 2,000 wounded. Four Israelis have been killed by Palestinian rockets. Full Story

Iraq takes control of Green ZonePosted on Friday, January 2, 2009 at 11:19amIraq has taken control of security in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone after a UN mandate for troops expired. Full Story

Courtesy Terrorism Research Center, Inc.