Thursday Winds of War: April 21/05

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Thursday's Winds of War briefings are given by me, Colt, of Eurabian Times.

TOP TOPICS

• Zarqawi - a nuclear threat?

• Lebanon's PM-designate has formed a cabinet. Debka says Michel Aoun is coming back to Lebanon to run for president, and that Mikati's cabinet was chosen with French and American input. We'll see. Meanwhile, a hand grenade attack in Beirut has wounded three.

• Putin says the SA-18 sale to Syria will go ahead. "It will make flying low difficult," implying what has long been believed to be the reason for the sale of the anti-aircraft missiles: Syrian embarrassment over Israeli air force planes "buzzing" presidential palaces

• Istanbul police have arrested six Chechens who were trying to learn how to build bombs from Islamic extremists. Police believe they would have conducted attacks against Russian forces in Chechnya.

Other Topics Today Include: Iran demands; 140 in jail; immodesty crackdown; PLO gets EU help; Hezbollah UAV enters Israel; KSA wants nuke observers out; nascent Iraqi air force; Yemen closes schools; Oman trials; Mossaoui asks for death; Ansar al-Islam trial suspended; Dagestan bomb; 17 dead Taliban; new terror list includes LeT AKAs; dead GIA leader surrenders; aid workers attacked; EU gets tough on Sudan; and much more.

IRAN

• There's a great FT interview with an Iranian official. As long as the negotiations are progressing and are not conducted to kill time, we will continue them. Huh. Europe is negotiating to kill time?

• Here are some more highlights: Iran demands progress in nuclear talks with EU-3.

• At least 140 people are still in Iranian prisons following clashes with security forces in southern Iran.

• Is Ahmad Batebi in hiding?

• An MEP says a delegation's visit to Iran was 'fruitful and positive'. On Iran's treatment of women, she said "they are part and parcel of a society and an important element in the democratization".

• Iranian police have vowed a crackdown on the 'immodest' dress of women.

THE MIDDLE EAST

• Peace-maker-in-chief Mahmoud Abbas says Israel is inciting against him.

• The EU will help the PLO organise their terrorist militias.

• Russia has offered the PA two MI-17 helicopters.

• The PA says it has confiscated weapons in Jericho and Tul Karem.

• Another Hezbollah UAV has penetrated Israeli airspace.

• The Knesset speaker says Israel should put the plan to allow Egyptian troops on the Israeli border before the Knesset.

IRAQ AND THE GULF

• Saudi Arabia is working on a deal with the IAEA that would prevent the UN from inspecting Saudi nuclear facilities.

• Aussie soldiers posted to Iraq say they will work with tribal groups.

• The Iraqi air force now has three squadrons.

• Two Zarqawi henchmen have been caught in Iraq.

• Oman has put 10 officials in the state's Islamic system on trial for plotting to overthrow the government.

• Two terror suspects have been arrested in KSA.

• Yemen is closing schools preaching extremism.

THE AMERICAS

• Moussaoui has asked for the death sentence, to involve the Supreme Court in his trial.

• Behind the moderate facade... Jihad comes to Small Town, USA.

EUROPE

• George Galloway has been attacked by Hizb ut-Tahrir, who say there is a fatwa against him. I think this is what's called 'blue-on-blue'.

• The trial of an Iraqi Kurd accused of Ansar al-Islam membership has been suspended.

• A car bomb in Dagestan has killed two people. Police believe it was a botched attempt on the local prosecutor's life.

• Russia forces say they killed 7 of Basayev's terrorists.

• French investigators are looking at $7m transferred from PLO funds to the now-dead Yasser Arafat's token wife.

ASIA & AUSTRALASIA

• Sheikh Omar, Daniel Pearl's killer, says he met with Osama Bin Laden twice.

• U.S. and Afghan forces have killed 17 Taliban.

• Five jihadi terrorists, including two commanders, have been killed in Kashmir.

• The US has updated its terrorist list, which includes five aliases for Lashkar e-Taiba.

• Negotiators says the talks MILF-Filipino-government are going well.

• A new report says Australian ports are vulnerable to attack.

AFRICA

• Algeria's GIA chief has risen again and surrendered.

• An aid-agency run children's hospital in Somalia has been attacked with hand-grenades. This follows the murder of a Scandanavian aid worker on Monday. The aid agency was accused of trying to 'Christianize' Somali children.

• The EU is looking for backing for a UN resolution against Sudan. That'll learn 'em.

TRANSNATIONAL

• Two senior investigators for the Volcker Committee have resigned.

And to finish on a lighter note...

• A singer told an Aussie security guard checking luggage that the suitcase he was scanning had a bomb in it. Ha ha. The lighter note is that he's going to be charged with threatening aviation security.

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