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Suicide bomber lures Iraqis to death
For CIA, Pak’s Khan is more dangerous than Osama
New York Diary
Indian-born businessman jailed
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Suicide bomber lures Iraqis to death
Baghdad, September 14 The bomber drew the men to his vehicle with promises of work before detonating the bomb, which contained up to 220 kg of explosives, an Interior Ministry source said. Gunmen also killed 17 persons in Taji, a northern suburb of the capital, while bombs exploded across Baghdad all morning. The police said these seemed to be carefully orchestrated. “It has been a hectic day with bombs exploding across Baghdad. It is highly likely that these attacks were coordinated,” a police official said. Fears of a civil war have grown in the run-up to an October 15 vote on a new constitution for Iraq’s post-Saddam Hussein era. “We gathered and suddenly a car blew up and turned the area into fire and dust and darkness,” said Hadi, one of the workers who survived the attack, which happened shortly after sunrise. Bodies lay in the street beside burnt cars, witnesses said. Some used wooden carts to haul away the dead. The police said 114 persons were killed and 156 wounded in the explosion. It was the deadliest attack since July, when 98 persons were killed in a blast south of the capital. The deadliest was a suicide car bomb attack on February 28 this year, which killed 125 persons in Hilla, south of Baghdad. Earlier this month, more than 1,000 persons died in the same district in a stampede, on a bridge, triggered by fears of a bomber in a crowd during a Shi’ite religious ceremony. At the nearby Kadhimiya hospital, overflowing with victims, dozens of wounded screamed in agony as they were treated on the floor, some lying in large pools of blood. One man had severe burns up to his arms and legs and another victim, shivering uncontrollably, lay bleeding unattended. Iraqi government officials have accused Sunni Arab militants of attacking majority Shi’ites, who were swept to power in the January elections boycotted by most Sunnis, in a bid to spark a civil war. Around two hours later, another blast was heard in central Baghdad and two more car bombs exploded shortly afterwards. The police said five were killed and 24 wounded in one of the blasts, near the offices of a Shi’ite cleric. They said three police and three civilians were killed in another attack on a police convoy. As explosions followed across the capital, a suicide bomber in a car blew himself up in northern Baghdad, killing 11 persons lined up to refill gas canisters, the police said. Another 14 were wounded in the attack. Separately, gunmen dragged 17 persons from their homes and killed them north of Baghdad early today.
— Reuters |
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For CIA, Pak’s Khan is more dangerous than Osama
Pakistan is still not off the radar screens of Western intelligence and security agencies for its sins of omission and commission in the field of nuclear proliferation.
A case is being built up for mounting fresh surveillance on the activities of Dr A.Q. Khan, said to be the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, and his colleagues, particularly Dr Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood. Diplomatic circles are abuzz with reports that Dr Bashir-ud-Din and his associates are again at liberty to move about in Lahore and Islamabad and there is no check on their movement and activities. There are also apprehensions that some secret projects are still going on under the supervision of Dr A.Q. Khan and Dr Bashir-ud-Din. A technical institution called Dr A.Q. Khan Institute of Technology is operating in Mianwali, a district of Punjab province, which Dr Khan had himself inaugurated recently. After 9/11, the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States presented several reports to its government on the activities of Pakistani nuclear scientists and also informed the Government of Pakistan. In one such report which the CIA handed over to Pakistan in November 2004, and parts of which have been published in the US media, the CIA said: “Al-Qaida could attack the US and its ally European countries as it has obtained the ability of manufacturing dirty bombs, biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear weapons.” The CIA report said in 2002 during the US war against Afghanistan, the agency collected some documented proofs which revealed Al-Qaida’s ability of preparing dangerous chemical gases — Sirn and VX. The report also alleged Pakistani nuclear scientist Bashir-ud-Din and his companions had helped Al-Qaida in its nuclear programme and were still in touch with it. In another report, the CIA described Dr Khan as “more dangerous than Osama bin Laden”. After 9/11, President Bush expressed his confidence in Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his government. However, US concerns regarding the Pakistani nuclear programme and about some former nuclear scientists still prevail. The CIA believes that Dr Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood, and his group had provided formulae regarding the manufacturing of nuclear weapons on a limited scale to Al-Qaida and they are still in touch with Al-Qaida and other international militant organisations, which according to the US is a threat for it and other Western countries. The US intelligence institutions have also expressed serious concern regarding Pakistan’s nuclear programme and termed it a security threat for South Asia as they apprehend that the Musharraf government would collapse in the not too distant a future and extremists will come into power. After 9/11, the first person who was taken into custody by the US agency FBI with the help of Pakistani agencies was Dr Bashir-ud-Din Mahamood. Dr Bashir was working at different technological projects in Afghanistan and the US was of the view that he had been cooperating with Osama bin Laden and his allies. When the US launched air strikes on Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, the factories and laboratories being run under the supervision of Dr Bashir, were the first targets of the US bombings. Interestingly, the BBC had first mentioned the name Bashir-ud-Din in its news report way back in the eighties when he was not a known figure. The BBC report had said that a Pakistan scientist used to talk about bringing about a revolution through capturing the temperature of ‘hell fire’ and controlling the force of ‘jinn or jinnee’. The BBC identified this Pakistani scientist as Sultan Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood. Two decades back, none could understand what Bashir was talking about. Today, it would make sense to understand “the temperature of hell fire” as “nuclear bomb” and “jinn or jinnee” as “Taliban”. |
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Warmth, confidence mark Bush-Singh meeting
T.R. Ramachandran Tribune News Service The George Bush-Manmohan Singh meeting exuded warmth, a keen rapport and confidence. The Prime Minister found that the discussions with the US President were businesslike and there was greater understanding of each other’s points of view despite apprehensions in the US Congress that New Delhi was cozying up to Iran despite its nuclear weapons programme. The Prime Minister made it clear to the USA that India would play a constructive role at the September 18 meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. More importantly, the meeting took place at the initiative of Washington and within hours of the Prime Minister landing in New York for the plenary of the UNGA. ***** First things first. At the meeting with Mr Bush, Dr Singh first expressed India’s deep sympathies for the destruction caused by cyclone Katrina. India’s solidarity was with the people of the USA and extending support in overcoming this tragedy. Bush thanked Dr Singh even as India was preparing to airlift a second planeload of supplies for the affected people. India mounted its first ever relief operations to the USA when the Il 76 transport aircraft arrived on September 9 at the international airport in New Orleans carrying 30 tons of relief supplies. Indian Ambassador to the USA Ronen Sen said a naval unit comprising eight divers and 12 salvage experts was ready to proceed to the USA as soon as required. ***** Senior lawmakers in the USA were severe on India’s recent stand on Iran suggesting that it could jeopardise Indo-US relations to an incalculable extent. The lawmakers particularly targeted External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh’s recent remarks while meeting with the new Iranian President in Tehran. ***** Pakistan President Prevez Musharraf is also making his presence felt and meeting various women’s groups and Jewish lobbies to muster support for himself and Pakistan. General Musharraf is trying face the problems headon rather than trying to duck under the table. At the same time Dr Singh has invited him to dinner tonight and General Musharraf has graciously accepted the invitation. ***** The imposing United Nations, which began a two-day summit marking the 60th year of the world body, is gripped by security fever. With the multitude of leaders arriving in New York to change the complexion of the United Nations and make it more representative for hearing the voice of the developing and least developed world, the new US Ambassador to the world body, Mr John Bolton, appears to be fixing his own agenda. Mr Bolton said in pursuing US objectives at the UN, its image would have to be improved amid the new charges of mismanagement and corruption.
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Indian-born businessman jailed
London, September 14 Hemant Lakhani (70) from Hendon, North London, was trapped in an elaborate FBI net which drew on intelligence from a network of double-agents spanning three continents. Passing the sentence, Judge Katherine Hayden today told the New Jersey District Court in Newark: ‘’There is overwhelming evidence that Mr Lakhani was prepared to sell missiles to terrorists to shoot down aircraft which could have killed hundreds of human beings. He illustrated a single-minded greed”. — UNI |
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Baghdad, September 14
