In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Inews Daily
Tuesday 14th March 2006 - 13th Safar 1427
US 'pushing for Iran regime change'
The US administration is starting to push for regime change in Iran through
confrontation rather than diplomacy, according to an American newspaper. The
Washington Post reported that the Bush administration intends to mount a
campaign against Tehran's religious leaders in its efforts to build
international pressure against Iran's nuclear programme. The newspaper also
said Bush, according to aides, had personally been spending more time on the
Iran issue and his advisers had invited 30 to 40 specialists for consultations
in recent months.
Al-Hariri murder: Woman held in Brazil
Brazilian police have arrested a Lebanese woman wanted for bank fraud and
suspected of links to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq
al-Hariri. Acting on an anonymous tip, police arrested Rana Abdel Rahim
Koleilat, 39, on Sunday in Brazil's Sao Paulo city. Koleilat, who was carrying
a false passport identifying her as Rana Klailat of Northern Ireland, offered
police up to 200,000 Brazilian reals ($94,000) to release her and was in turn
arrested for attempted bribery. Koleilat was wanted in Lebanon for bank fraud
and for questioning by the Independent International Investigation Commission
in relation to the truck bombing that killed al-Hariri and 20 other people in
central Beirut in February 2005.
Saddam's judge defends executions
The former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court has said he issued death warrant
for Shia men accused of plotting to assassinate Saddam Hussein. Awad Hamad
al-Bandar, who oversaw the trial of 148 Shia men accused of the assassination
plot in 1982, said in court on Monday that he personally issued a death warrant
for them and insisted that it was legal. Al-Bandar, the first of the four
senior defendants to give testimony in his own defence, accused the dead men of
being part of a plot by the Dawa party to kill Saddam during Iraq's war with
Iran. The killing of the men from the Shia town of Dujail is at the heart of
the case. He also said farms had been razed around the town in reprisal.
More than 55 die in the past two days in Occupied Iraq
Iraq suffered two of its bloodiest days of violence after attackers struck two
markets in a Shia area of Baghdad, killing at least 46 people and wounding more
than 200 on Sunday. The killers struck with three car bombs and four mortars,
causing pandemonium in Sadr City. Dozens of market stalls and vehicles were
destroyed as the explosives ripped through the poor neighbourhood at peak
shopping time, just before sundown, as residents bought provisions for their
evening meal. Meanwhile, another 10 people were killed in a bomb blast
yesterday, raising the death toll to over 55 in the past two days.
US forces arrest 11 for attack on troops in Afghanistan
US-led forces have detained 11 people in connection with a roadside bombing in
eastern Afghanistan which killed four American soldiers. The arrests came
during a continued assault by US soldiers against insurgents in the Pech Valley
of Kunar province. "The coalition's response has resulted in the detention of
11 insurgents believed responsible for the attack," a US military statement
said, adding that the hunt was in progress to kill or capture other rebels.
"Operations to kill or capture other extremists, deny them sanctuary, and
restore stability to the area are continuing," it said.
US involved in illegal tactics in Iraq: British soldier
An elite British soldier revealed that he quit the army after refusing to fight
in Iraq on moral grounds because of the illegal tactics used by US troops on
the ground. Ben Griffin, a member of the Special Air Service (SAS) described in
an interview with the The Sunday Telegraph the experiences that led him to end
his impressive army career after just three months in Baghdad. The 28-year-old,
who was discharged last June, is believed to be the first SAS soldier to refuse
to go into combat and to quit the army on moral grounds. "We would radio back
to our headquarters that we were not going to detain certain people because, as
far as we were concerned, they were not a threat because they were old men or
obviously farmers, but the Americans would say: "No, bring them back'," Griffin
said. Griffin said he believed US soldiers had no respect for Iraqis, whom they
regarded as "sub-human". "You could almost split the Americans into two groups:
ones who were complete crusaders, intent on killing Iraqis, and the others who
were in Iraq because the army was going to pay their college fees," he said.
"They had no understanding or interest in the Arab culture. The Americans would
talk to the Iraqis as if they were stupid and these weren't isolated cases,
this was from the top down." "But most importantly, I didn't join the British
army to conduct American foreign policy."
UK to pull 800 troops out of Iraq
The British Defence Secretary has said the country's forces in Iraq are to be
reduced by 800 to around 7000 personnel in the next few months. He told the
lower House of Commons on Monday that the forces could be withdrawn in May
because many more Iraqi forces were ready to carry out duties performed until
now by British troops. Some 235,000 members of the Iraqi security forces are
now trained and equipped, with 5000 more signing up each month, he added.
British forces will still control operations for both their own troops and
Iraqis for the time being, he said. The announcement marks a reduction of about
10% in British strength in Iraq. The country's troops are mainly based in
Iraq's four southern provinces. Meanwhile some 4600 extra British troops are to
be sent to Afghanistan, including 3300 to help with 'reconstruction' and
'counter-narcotics' in the lawless southern Helmand province. Some 1100 British
troops are already in Afghanistan.
Lebanon talks focus on Shebaa Farms
Leaders of Lebanon's rival factions resumed talks yesterday seeking consensus
on the biggest issues that divide the country - the status of the Shebaa Farms,
the fate of the pro-Syrian president and the UN call for Hizbullah's
disarmament. Aljazeera reported that the national dialogue conference resumed
in Beirut after a six-day interruption caused mainly by disagreement over the
status of the Shebaa Farms - an Israeli-occupied border area that the Hizbullah
says is Lebanese but that the UN says is Syrian unless Beirut and Damascus
amend their border.
Saudi detains prominent preacher after Internet article
Saudi Arabia has detained a prominent Saudi preacher who wrote an Internet
article criticising the ruling family's advisers, colleagues said yesterday.
They said Mohsen Al Awajy has been in police custody since Friday after writing
an article, which suggested that a liberal clique of ministers and officials
were the real power behind the scenes with a direct line to King Abdullah. News
of the arrest was also published on a popular Saudi Web site. Direct criticism
of the ruling family is a red line for the media in Saudi Arabia, which has
opened up to a vigorous debate on political and economic reforms unimaginable a
decade ago.
Iran to start building 2nd nuclear power plant
Iran is to start work in the next six months on a second nuclear power station,
the energy minister said in comments published Monday, amid increasing tension
with the West over its atomic programme. "We have received the plans of (Iran's
atomic energy chief) Gholam Reza Aghazadeh and the authorisation to start
building the power station," said Energy Minister Parviz Fattah in comments
published in local newspapers. Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran says is a
drive for peaceful energy, is due to be discussed on the UN Security Council
next week amid the looming threat of sanctions.
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