Saudi-Yemeni cooperation leads to Al-Aufi extradition to Saudi security agencies

Lebanese army tracks rioters; detains wanted persons

Algeria thwarts several terrorist plots

Indian-Pakistani cooperation to track down Mumbai bombers

CIA says al-Qaeda capabilities decline

A wanted Saudi "terrorist", who had become an Al-Qaeda commander in Yemen after returning from Guantanamo prison, has turned himself in to Saudi authorities, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman said the man, Mohammed Ateek Al-Aufi Al-Harbi, surrendered as a result of the combined efforts of Saudi and Yemeni security agencies. He expressed his desire to surrender through his family.

Al-Harbi, who had been released from a Saudi counseling center for those returning from the US military prison camp in Cuba, appeared on an Al-Qaeda video last month to say he had joined the terror network’s regional wing in Yemen as a commander.

Al Arabiya TV channel earlier said Al-Harbi, on a wanted list of 85 militants issued by the Interior Ministry this month, contacted the Saudi authorities three days ago before surrendering in Yemen. The government announcement came after Yemeni authorities said they had arrested dozens of suspects in a manhunt for Al-Qaeda militants in recent weeks.

The publication of the Saudi wanted list followed a move last month by Al-Qaeda’s wing in Yemen to name Al-Harbi and a fellow Saudi released from Guantanamo as commanders.

In last month’s video, the group’s Yemeni leader Abu Bashir Nasser Al-Wahayshi, threatened attacks against Westerners in the region. Al-Qaeda militants have been blamed for a series of terrorist attacks in the Kingdom since May 2003.

Tensions are running high in Lebanon as it awaits Monday’s funeral of Lutfi Abbas Zeineddine, a Progressive Socialist Party member who succumbed to the injuries he received after being assaulted in Ras al-Nabaa by March 8 partisans while returning from the massive rally marking the fourth anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hezbollah issued a formal denial of any involvement in the assault.

MP Walid Jumblatt interfered personally to calm outraged PSP supporters in Bhamdoun, where a number of them had blocked the Damascus highway to protest the attack on Zeineddine. The protestors attempted to prevent some buses from going to the Bekaa Valley.

Jumblatt asked the citizens to lift the barricades and diffused the situation, following which security forces took over and deployed in the area to prevent any further protest.

Jumblatt reiterated that “we have no enemy locally,” stressing that “the army has performed its duty.”

The Army Command arrested a number of people suspected of having taken part in the assault.

Troops are also continuing to track down all those who participated in a number of disturbances over the weekend.

The Army Command warned against any further “attacks on citizens’ well being and freedom,” and emphasized its commitment to preventing any violations of security and stability.

Aoun denounced the incident and asked March 14 supporters “not to provoke other citizens.” Aoun also extended condolences to the Zeineddine family on behalf of his bloc.

Environment Minister Tony Karam said the “rioters” at the fourth commemoration of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri wanted the tension that provoked the May events to return.

After offering his condolences to the family of Lutfi Abbas Zeineddine, who was stabbed to death by opposition members after the Hariri commemoration, he said that such an incident should urge the security forces to take more measures to protect everyone’s freedom of expression.

He said that the violence was preceded by verbal clashes and the throwing of several hand grenades in Saida, Beirut and at the Lebanese Forces office in Sin al-Fil.

The assault raised questions about the violence’s “hidden intentions,” he said.

“Does this situation serve national interests, and does it assure the upcoming parliamentary elections [will occur] in a calm atmosphere?” he asked.

A military court continued trial of members of the so-called "Group 13," a terrorist group that belongs to al-Qaeda.

The group is accused of terrorist acts in addition to forging documents, possession of wireless devices and carrying bags containing weapons, news reports said.

They said the court adjourned the trial till Feb. 19 after hearing the testimonies of three witnesses, including Saudi citizen Fahd Mghamiss who is arrested in connection with a number of cases.

Thirteen arrested men stood before the military court, including a Palestinian, a Lebanese of Jordanian descent, two Syrians, a Saudi and two Lebanese.

Local media said seven other detainees are being tried in absentia. They include four Palestinians and three Syrians.

The court also looked into the case of another group belonging to al-Qaeda that was arrested in east Lebanon's town of Bar Elias in 2007.

This group, which includes 12 detainees in addition to eight others who were still at large, including an Argentinean, is charged with booby-trapping two cars as well as possession of arms and ammunition allegedly aimed at targets in Lebanon.

An Algerian political official survived an assassination attempt by armed gunmen in Tadmait, east of Algiers.

The assault targeted a vehicle driven by Karim Tabou, Secretary-General of opposition party Socialist Forces Front (FFS).

An FFS spokesman declined to give more details and suggested waiting for the investigation results. Tabou’s party, which is headed by Switzerland-based Houcine Ait Ahmed, requested that authorities disclose the assassination attempt.

The attempt came days after local press reported that an assassination plot by the al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb against Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem had been successfully thwarted.

The FFS suggested that the aim of Saturday’s attacks was to throw the Kabylia region back into the cycle of chaos which lasted from 2001-2004, when violent confrontations between protestors and police resulted in the deaths of more than 100 civilians.

Related Articles Loading Kabylia has recently seen intensified activity from al-Qaeda elements, despite a security cordon and search operation conducted by army units in pursuit of terrorist elements.

Local reports said an army patrol was ambushed on the same day of the attempted assassination, also in Tadmait. Three soldiers were killed in the attack, which followed the February 8th slaying of seven guards in El Oued province on the border with Libya and Tunisia. Shortly after the El Oued attack, General Ahmed Gaid Saleh, Algerian Army Chief of Staff, toured several provinces in eastern Algeria to inspect the security situation.

Media reports say Saleh strongly criticized military leaders in the eastern region, ordering them to close the net on terrorist groups by intensifying military operations in all suspected areas. Saleh also said that auto theft prevention efforts should be increased in order to keep cars out of the hands of suicide bombers.

Algerian security forces killed Helouane Amrane, also known as Handhala, the emir (commander) of the Al Arqam brigade of the al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb in Si Mustapha, Boumerdès province.

The official state news agency cited a security source as saying that the 36-year-old Handhala was the alleged mastermind behind the two separate suicide bombings last month against police stations in Thenia and Naciria.

An Islamist militancy in Pakistan's Swat region is a common threat to the United States, India and Pakistan, a special US envoy said, after meeting India's foreign minister and top security officials.

"For the first time in 60 years since independence your country and Pakistan, the US, all face an enemy that poses a direct threat to our leadership, our capitals and our people," Richard Holbrooke told reporters in New Delhi.

Mr. Holbrooke was referring to the Swat valley, once a picturesque tourist destination but now controlled by the Taliban and other Islamist militants.

Pakistan agreed to restore strict Islamist law in the Swat valley, just 130km (80 miles) northwest of Pakistan's capital Islamabad, to pacify Taliban militants who fought for sharia to replace secular Pakistani laws.

The move is likely to draw criticism from the United States and other Western powers fearful that Pakistan is playing into the hands of religious conservatives who sympathize with the Taliban and al Qaeda.

"I do want to underscore the fact that what happened to Swat demonstrates the key point and that is India, the US and Pakistan all have a common threat now," Mr. Holbrooke said.

"I talked to people from Swat and they were frankly quite terrified.

"I attempted to discuss Swat a lot; Swat has really deeply affected the people of Pakistan not just in Peshawar but in Lahore and Islamabad."

India is seen as crucial to any US effort to stabilize Afghanistan where it has built roads, power lines and is among its top aid givers.

But Pakistan fears growing Indian influence there, suspecting an attempt by New Delhi to encircle it.

Those fears are said to be a reason why Pakistan has been reluctant to completely cut ties with the Taliban, seeing them as a tool to maintain its influence in Afghanistan by proxy.

Tensions rose after New Delhi blamed last November's attacks in Mumbai on Pakistan-based militants and said some official Pakistani agencies must have been involved.

Indian officials said they told Holbrooke about Pakistan's role in Afghanistan and urged him to ask Islamabad to completely dismantle what they described as "terror infrastructure" on Pakistani soil.

"I just wanted to hear views of India on a wide range of issues," Mr. Holbrooke said.

Advisor for Prime Minster on Interior Rehman Malik said government has registered the FIR in Islamabad against Mumbai attack planners, adding the master mind of this conspiracy was Zaki Rehman Lakhwi who has been located and was under investigation.

Speaking at a crowded press conference, he revealed that “some part of conspiracy has taken Place in Pakistan”.

Malik said a bank account was found in Pakistan, it was of a person who was involved in 26/11 attacks, adding some transitions were in and out from his account.

“We have located those places used by the terrorists as hideouts before launching, some accused have been arrested and they have given details”, Malik said.

He said the terrorist used three boats to travel from Pakistan to Mumbai and the boats have been identified along with crew, “we have details of the crew went to Mumbai” adding the shop has been traced from which the boats were bought.

Rehman Malik said Pakistan has fulfilled its duty; government has taken all possible measures and would continue its support towards India in future.

India provided us information after 48 hours of the incident, however Pakistan has converted the information into evidences and the government was trying its best to book the plotters, he said.

Malik told the reporters that Pakistan has the dossier and sent 30 questions to sought their answers regarding the probe adding the prime Minster and the president has offered unconditional support to India in probe of the incident, however, he said Pakistan need tenable evidences

US President Barack Obama and Pakistani president Assef Ali Zardari made their first phone call.

Meanwhile, the New US Administration reconsiders its policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. During Obama’s phone call the two presidents stressed that the two countries should cooperate in order to solve regional conflicts.

A day after Pakistan acknowledged that the terror attacks on Mumbai were partly planned on its soil, India welcomed the move but ratcheted up pressure on the government in Islamabad to "act effectively against the license that terrorist groups enjoy in its territory."

Pakistan announced that it was holding six people in connection with the attacks last November, including one it described as the ringleader, and pushed the ball back into India's court by asking for more information, ranging from how the attackers procured mobile telephone chips to DNA samples of nine gunmen who were killed. The sole survivor, Ajmal Kasab, is in Indian custody; Pakistan has already confirmed that he is a Pakistani citizen.

The Indian foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, described Pakistan's announcement as "positive" and said India would "examine" its request for information. He made it equally clear that Pakistan's statement was not enough.

"We will continue to review the situation including Pakistan's responses and will take further steps that we deem necessary in order to protect our people," Mukherjee said. "The threat of terrorism from Pakistan has emerged as a global menace and cancer. The major onus of responsibility to eliminate this threat rests on the government of Pakistan."

India's response reflects its own need to balance domestic pressures as national elections approach with a wish to lower tensions with its rival and neighbor. The United States sees the strain between India and Pakistan as a potential stumbling block to its efforts to leverage Pakistani cooperation in combating the Taliban along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was in Islamabad earlier this week and is due to arrive here soon.

The India-Pakistan exchange this week was notable in at least two respects. First, among the suspects that Pakistan has detained are two known Lashkar leaders, which is likely to satisfy India. Second, the Indian foreign minister's speech before Parliament did not point fingers at members of the Pakistani Army or spy agency. That is likely to give the civilian government in Pakistan some breathing space.

In a series of audacious strikes on the eve of the new U.S. special envoy's scheduled arrival in Afghanistan, Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers staged synchronized raids on three government buildings in the heart of Kabul, killing at least 20 people and injuring scores of others.

The rampage highlighted the ability of insurgents to strike at even the most heavily fortified targets in Afghanistan and was the boldest demonstration yet of declining security in the capital.

It came as the Obama administration, together with NATO allies, is struggling to put together a new strategy for Afghanistan, where Islamic insurgents are gaining ground and many Afghans are disillusioned by the insecurity that pervades their daily lives.

Seven years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban regime, Kabul's inner districts are a tangle of blast walls and security checkpoints. But insurgents apparently managed to send a squad of at least eight assailants, clad in suicide vests and toting assault rifles, into some of the city's most secure areas to carry out attacks, officials acknowledged.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization and U.S. military commanders have repeatedly said Taliban fighters are attempting to create the impression -- unfounded, they say -- that they have the strength to menace the capital at will. To the people of Kabul, though, attacks were a potent display of the insurgents' reach and ruthlessness.

"We heard the sound of firing from inside," said 19-year-old Mohammad Rafiq, who sells clocks and watches from a small storefront across from the Justice Ministry, one of the buildings targeted. "Employees came running out, screaming and shouting for help."

Chaos ensued as prolonged bursts of gunfire rattled through city streets. Some terrified government workers jumped from second-story windows to escape. As police arrived and opened fire on the assailants, motorists did screeching U-turns to escape the fighting. Shopkeepers hastily shuttered their establishments amid the wail of sirens.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the attacks were meant to avenge the alleged torture of insurgents in prison. Speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location, he boasted that similar assaults could be carried out at any time.

Some of the fighting took place a short distance from the presidential palace, where Richard Holbrooke, the newly minted American special envoy to the region, is likely to visit. The White House said it planned to complete an overhaul of policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan by April; U.S. military commanders, meanwhile, have said they could send an additional 30,000 troops to the troubled country this year, nearly doubling the American contingent.

National Intelligence Dennis Blair testified before Senate Intelligence Committee in Washington.

In his first public testimony as national intelligence chief, Dennis Blair cited the global financial crisis as the primary near-term security concern of the United States.

The threat assessment is an annual report to Congress compiled from analytical judgments of all the U.S. intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA.

On more traditional terrorist threats, Director Blair said al-Qaeda has lost significant chunks of its leadership to security operations. He said it has been squeezed in Iraq and is finding it more difficult to operate in Saudi Arabia. But he added that al-Qaeda remains robust elsewhere.

"But despite these setbacks al-Qaeda remains dangerous," he said. "Yemen is re-emerging as a jihadist battleground. The capability of terrorist groups in east Africa will increase in the next year. And we remain concerned about the potential for homegrown American extremists inspired by al-Qaeda's militant ideology to plan attacks within the United States."

Blair cited progress in turning public opinion in the Islamic world against al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

The intelligence chief said the Taliban insurgency has grown bolder in the past year, and that the Afghan government must aggressively tackle corruption and the drug trade. He added that no improvement is possible in the Afghan security situation unless Pakistan takes control of its border areas.

On Iran, Director Blair reiterated an earlier intelligence community estimate that Iran halted work on nuclear weapons design in 2003. But he added that Tehran continues to work on uranium enrichment and development of ballistic missiles. He said Tehran might still be induced to give up any future nuclear arms ambitions.

"Tehran is at a minimum keeping open the option to develop deliverable nuclear weapons," said Blair. "The halt in the recent past in some aspects of the program was primarily in response to international scrutiny and pressure. Some combination of threats - threats of intensified international scrutiny and pressures - along with opportunities for Iran to pursue its security goals - might prompt Iran to extend the halt to some nuclear weapons-related activities."