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ISI chief elevated to top post
US arms “flowing”
into Pak
5 more die in Samarra offensive
Mobile phones used to detonate bombs
Israel continues Gaza raids, kills six more
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Palestine declares
“emergency”
Militants load rockets in ‘UN’ van
Blair’s new home near Arab enclave
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Shiite mourners go on rampage
Islamabad, October 2 A nationwide alert was sounded amidst fear of suicide attacks on mosques, as the provincial Punjab government announced a reward of Rs 1 cr for the identity of militants responsible for yesterday’s bomb blast in Imam Dargah. Some of the 15,000 Shiites who poured into the streets beating their chests and crying, also burned a record room of a court and torched several vehicles parked at the police station. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao ordered a judicial inquiry into yesterday’s bomb attack. Sherpao also said over the state-run PTV that nationwide alert had been sounded among the security agencies to reinforce security arrangements at mosques, specially around Shia mosques, as some of them had come under similar attacks in the past. A bomb reportedly carried by a suicide bomber exploded in the midst of a 1000-strong prayer congregation yesterday, killing 33 persons and injuring around 70. The town considered to the most industrialised in the province witnessed retaliatory violence by angry Shia mourners yesterday also. Stray incidents of violence by Shia community was also reported in Karachi today in protest against the attack. Security officials view yesterday’s attack with concern as it was the first time that a major sectarian attack took place in Punjab province, the biggest among Pakistan’s four provinces. Such attacks in Shia mosques have taken place in Karachi, capital of Sindh and Quetta, headquarter town of South West Baluchistan province. Pakistan government has banned extremist Sunni and Shia organisations, as they have been indulging in sectarian violence resulting in heavy bloodshed for the past several years.
— PTI |
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ISI chief elevated to top post
Islamabad, October 2 He also promoted Karachi Corps Commander Ahsan Saleem Hayat, who escaped an assassination attempt by militants in June, and appointed him as vice-chief of the Army. While General Haq will replace Gen Muhammad Aziz Khan, Gen Hayat will take over from Gen Yousaf Khan, who is also retiring. The appointments by Musharraf, who has given hints in the recent weeks to continue in uniform, were seen as key to retain his hold on the army if he were to continue as the President and the chief of the army till 2007. A major reshuffle of Corps Commanders was expected to follow in the coming days.
— PTI |
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US arms “flowing” into Pak
Washington, October 2 “There have been deliveries of helicopters recently and night vision equipment. There are more helicopters in the queue. We have gotten now a steady stream of dependable funding to help the Pakistani armed forces... we realise they need the proper equipment, so we have embarked on a five-year programme of support,” he said in an interview to Pakistan’s Geo TV. On the issue of F-16s, Mr Armitage said: “It is still on the table and we have had discussions with the Pakistani authorities about these matters, and I will leave it right there.”
— PTI |
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5 more die in Samarra offensive
Samarra (Iraq), October 2 Residents said U S aircraft bombarded parts of the city, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad on the banks of the Tigris, during the night and tanks rolled through the town. In a statement released late yesterday, the U S military said it had secured government and police buildings, as well as mosques and ‘’other significant sites’’ in the city, one of the biggest rebel strongholds. Yesterday, a military spokesman said U S forces had killed at least 109 insurgents in the offensive, launched in the early hours of Friday morning, and captured some 35 fighters, including 25 men inside the city’s famed Golden Mosque. Meanwhile families of the 35 children who died in a string of bombings in Baghdad blamed American troops for the tragedy. Residents said US soldiers called upon the children through loudspeakers to join celebrations of a new sewage plant, promising them sweets. “I blame the Americans for this tragedy. They wanted to make human shields of our children,” said
Abdel-Hadi al-Badri, a cleric.
— AP |
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Mobile phones used to detonate bombs
Baghdad, October 2 Copying techniques employed by the attackers in the Madrid train bombings, the Bali bombings and recent blasts in Saudi Arabia, insurgents in Iraq are using mobile phones to set off car bombs and other explosions, U.S. officials and experts say. It is far from the only method being used, but since licences were awarded to set up the mobile network a year ago, and mobile phones became ubiquitous accessories in Iraqi cities, the technique has become common and reliable. "There’s definitely evidence that mobile phones are being used to detonate roadside bombs and car bombs," said David
Claridge, a security specialist with the Risk Advisory Group who has worked in Iraq in recent months. "I wouldn’t say it’s the single biggest contributor to the bombings, but it’s a technique that they’re employing." Setting off a bomb using a mobile phone is fairly simple. A call to the phone generates an electronic pulse that sets off the detonator or closes a circuit, triggering the bomb. "It’s not rocket science," John Pike of
Globalsecurity.org, a Washington think-tank, was quoted as saying in a recent report by the U.S.-based Homeland Security Group.
"Cellphone detonators are pretty straightforward tradecraft." Not only are they straightforward, reliable and relatively cheap, but conditions in Iraq make them particularly attractive.
— Reuters |
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Israel continues Gaza raids, kills six more
Gaza, October 2 About 200 tanks and armoured vehicles continued to operate in northern Gaza during a massive raid the army launched on Tuesday to root out militants, firing rockets at Israeli towns, killing gunmen as well as civilians. The operation, codenamed “Days of Reckoning’’, followed the killing of two Israeli children on Wednesday by a rocket in the border town of
Sderot, a frequent target of such attacks. In a rare incident, troops killed four Palestinian militants as they crossed the Gaza border into southern Israel. The army said soldiers had learned of gunmen planning to attack a town in the area and that the men had shot at troops, who shot back. The army said all four wore explosives belts. In the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza, an Israeli air missile killed two Islamic Jehad militants and wounded four medics said. Meanwhile, Washington called on Israel to use only “proportional force” in its ongoing military operations in Gaza and urged it to avoid civilian casualties As the White House did earlier, the State Department declined to condemn the raids and stressed that Israel had the right to defend itself but “noted with regret reports of civilian casualties” sustained in the operation. “We urge the government of Israel to take every measure to ensure that only proportional force is used to counter the threat that it faces,” deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said.
— Reuters |
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Palestine declares
“emergency”
Ramallah, October 2 “The cabinet has declared a state of emergency throughout the Palestinian territories in order to come to the aid of the people of the Gaza Strip.”
— AFP |
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Militants load rockets in ‘UN’ van
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army has released a video footage showing what appeared to be Palestinian militants loading rockets into a vehicle marked “UN” on it in Gaza strip.
The black and white video footage taken by a “drone”, an unmanned aircraft, showed the militants loading rockets into the white van with UN written on its roof. Israel has often accused the UN of ignoring Palestinian terror activities.
— PTI |
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Javed Akhtar wins honours at Sangeet Awards
London, October 2 At a glittering function attended by leading Bollywood music directors and actors, Akhtar won awards for best lyrics in the Pop Music category for ‘O Sahiba’, best lyrics category (critics award) and best lyrics in the film music category for the title song in blockbuster ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’. The awards, which will be an annual affair henceforth, were organised by the Sahara Group to celebrate excellence in Indian music. Akhtar said he was winning three awards at one time after nearly three decades. While noted singer and composer Adnan Sami could not attend the function as he was unwell, filmstars Hrithik Roshan, Sameera Reddy and Yana Gupta stole the show with their performances. The legend’s honour went to music director Anandji of the Kalyanji-Anandji fame while ace music composer A. R. Rehman won awards for best music director (film music — ‘Yuva’) and best music arranger (critics award) for ‘Yeh Rishta’ in the film ‘Meenakshi’. Playback singer-cum-music director Shankar Mahadevan claimed honours for best male singer and best album award and later along with Ahsan and Loy won prizes in the best song category for ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’ and the Best Music Director Award. Bollywood actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai launched ‘Sahara One’, Sahara’s music channel at the function. — PTI
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Blair’s new home near Arab enclave
Residents
sipping mint-tea at Masgouf, one of three Iraqi eateries situated on the adjacent street to Tony Blair’s new home, yesterday spoke of the amusing prospect of bumping into the premier in one of the street’s many Middle Eastern patisseries and shops.
Connaught Square is believed to have been home to a number of politicians - including Jonathan Aitken and Michael Heseltine - but few were prepared for the news that Mr Blair would be living in the Georgian townhouse at Number 29, in the hub of London’s Middle-Eastern community. Haidar
Alyassriy, part of the restaurant’s management staff, said he would welcome Mr Blair to sample the traditional Iraqi cuisine. “All the Iraqi interim government come here to eat so I would like to invite Mr Blair’s and his family here too. Many Iraqis living here would like to see him here. We feel he did the right thing in Iraq,” he said. The Blair’s new home is less than a minute’s walk to Edgware Road, a vibrant Arab enclave with its mix of upmarket Lebanese restaurants, Islamic bookshops and exclusive boutiques. The house is furnished with period time-pieces including Regency fireplaces and cornices, a large L-shaped drawing room, 14ft high ceilings and a walled terrace. The square has a diverse range of nationalities including American, Australian and Saudi’s living within its boundaries. At its centre is a garden in which its wealthy residents congregate for a ‘bring-a-bottle’ summer party to listen to jazz. While some in the square expressed astonishment at the premier’s unlikely choice of neighbourhood, Heba
Zaphiriou-Zarifi, a Lebanese Palestinian, felt it might be a cultural education for him. “Maybe he will learn by living in a multi-ethnic community....He might realise that Eastern cultures are based on the same foundation as Western. I think he will still be welcomed by the Arabs here because they are warm and hospitable by nature,” she said. Some were more concerned with the possibility of a raised security risk than the novelty of having Mr Blair attend the local gardening committee. Apart from some fleeting publicity - Alan Clark’s diaries were believed to be filmed at number 38 for the house’s Downing Street style staircase - neighbours did not feel ready for the diminished privacy the premier’s presence might bring. Among its residents is Madonna’s record producer, William Orbit, and the DJ Paul
Oakenfold, who is believed to own the house next to the Blair’s new residence. Michael Caine is said to be opening a restaurant called Deya on its corner. But these show-business elements have left the square relatively free of media attention. Connor O’Brien, predicted all that could change. Mr O’Brien, who lives at number 34, said the
prime-minister’s choice of home was “ironic given the problems in Iraq.” An unnamed resident at number 24 added: “My initial reaction was about security. Most people here are very private,” she said. A barrister, who lived on nearby Archery Close, overlooking the Blair’s home, said the heavy police presence that the premier was wholly unwelcome. “It’s going to be a nightmare. It will be crawling with police. We quite like the fact that this is not
Belgravia. It’s not glitzy but it has nice houses near the (Hyde) park. Now we will have a piece of Islington in it....Who wants to live next to the prime-minister? Maybe he should live in Basra. There’s plenty of empty houses there,” he said. — By arrangement with The Independent, London |
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