Divide and conquer
The United States Senate has passed a non-binding resolution calling for the devolution of power in Iraq to divided Shia, Sunni and Kurd areas, with the maintenance of a weakened central government. Both Iraqi Sunni and Shia political parties were quick to denounce the proposal. Bush administration officials in the US embassy in Baghdad joined in the dissenting chorus, arguing that a strong, centralised state was needed to steer Iraq in the right direction.
Iran's foreign ministry was quick to denounce the plan as a recipe for disaster that would only create more bloodshed in the country.
Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.
Sign up to receive toD's daily security briefings via email by clicking hereIn a belated retaliation to the American branding of Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a "terrorist" group, the Iranian parliament has likewise tagged the US army and the CIA as "terrorist" organisations, listing six reasons that made both institutions worthy of the label.
After Ramadan, reconstruction will begin on the Al-Askariya mosque in Samarra, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam. Two attacks in 2006 badly damaged the shrine and were in large part responsible for intensifying the sectarian violence that has gripped Iraq since.
Islamism via radical deduction
In the film "Hamburg Lessons", director Romuald Karmarkar attempts to go beyond mass media depictions of Islamist violence, exploring the radical mentality through aesthetic asceticism. The sparse 133 minutes film consists simply of the actor Manfred Zapatka, dressed in black, reading out the answers given by the radical imam of Hamburg's Al Quds mosque during two "lessons" in 2000. Three of the 9/11 bombers were regulars at the mosque.
Al-Qaida step up the pressure on Sunni insurgents
Al-Qaida militants in Iraq are publicly accusing other Sunni insurgents of collaborating with the United States as part of the latter's counter-insurgency campaign in the predominantly Sunni areas of the country. In a recent release, al-Qaida leaders singled out the 1920 Revolution Brigades as allies of Baghdad and Washington, a charge which the insurgent group flatly denies. US and Iraqi forces in the central and western parts of Iraq have been attempting to co-opt insurgent fighters in an anti-Qaida alliance.
Vitriolic attacks against the Muslim Brotherhood by al-Qaida in Iraq also suggest that the Brotherhood may be maintaining a militant presence in the country.
In a public fatwa, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti called for Saudi Arabians not to join the "jihad" in Iraq. Many radicalised Saudis are thought to have slipped across the porous border to fight with Sunni insurgent groups.
"Talk to the Taliban??"
Jeffrey Imm at the conservative Counterterrorism Blog rages against Afghan president Hamid Karzai's offer to meet with Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Imm believes that the Taliban are beyond the pale of political reconciliation. Many leaders both in the west and in south Asia, however, are convinced that no some degree of negotiation is inevitable in improving the security situation in Afghanistan.
Taliban forces ambushed a government convoy in Ghazni province on Sunday, killing 11 policemen. Nearly 8,000 people have been killed in Afghanistan in the last 20 months.
Journals agree day of protest
Fifteen private and opposition newspapers in Egypt have agreed not to publish on 7 October as part of a protest against alleged state censorship and restriction of press freedoms. Numerous journalists have been arrested in recent months, including Ibrahim Issa who wrote about the flagging health of President Hosni Mubarak. Unrest is growing in Egypt, with significant labour actions and burgeoning support for opposition parties including the Muslim Brotherhood.
Manila "al-Qaida" blacklist
A blacklist drawn up by the Philippines government of people with alleged "al-Qaida/Taliban links" includes rights activists, church workers, and a former US attorney general - Ramsey Clark. Critics suggest that the list has little to do with preventing terrorist attacks on the Philippines, but instead is targeted at insulating the government of President Glorial Macapagal Arroyo from scrutiny with its use of violence against leftist political opponents under the spotlight.
Bomb blast before Sonthi steps down
A bomb exploded near the Thailand's army headquarters in Bangkok today, injuring two security officers. The blast comes a day before General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the leader of last year's coup, is due to step down. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan suicide bomb
A burqa-clad suicide bomber in the northwest of Pakistan has killed fifteen people as violence in the country's restive frontier provinces threatens to spiral out of control. The rugged region bordering Afghanistan is largely lawless and is thought to harbour hardcore Islamist militant elements, including al-Qaida. Since President Pervez Musharraf's crackdown on the Lal Masjid in Islamabad, militants in the northwest have been waging perpetual war against Pakistani security forces.
Czechs question missile radar
The issue of installing a radar base as part of wider US-planned missile interceptor system has divided the Czech Republic, with fault-lines running across age groups and even dinner tables.
Darfur rebels kill 10 AU peacekeepers
In what was the deadliest and best organised attack on African Union peacekeepers since they arrived in Darfur three years ago, hundreds of Darfur rebels overran an AU base, killing ten AU soldiers, kidnapping dozens more and seizing supplies and heavy weaponry.
