The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Robert S Mueller addressing a meeting at Chatham House in London, said that al-Qaida would not "go quietly into the night," having established "new sanctuaries" in "ungoverned spaces, Tribal Areas, and the Frontier province of Pakistan." Mueller said al-Qaida is resilient and its network is now diffused. He said there is a triple-tiered threat of which the top tier is the core al-Qaida organisation, which has "established new sanctuaries in Pakistan", meaning that it can "reconstitute its leadership, recruit new operatives, and regenerate its capability to attack."
The toD verdict: Although the flexibility and fluidity of al-Qaida is old news, what is significant is the Mueller's statement in the backdrop of the newly-inaugurated Pakistani government, who have publicly declared a new way of doing things vis-à-vis the Taliban and al-Qaida forces. Pakistan opened up dialogue with Taliban forces and militants in Swat for instance and are being more sensitive to the parochial characteristics of tribal life in the NWFP. It is indeed a paradox that despite all the technical and financial support given to the Pakistani military by the US, a good old chat is an equally, if not better way, to ease the tensions that has engulfed the entire country in recent months.
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Pakistan's ruling coalition renewed their pledge on Tuesday to restore the judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf who could reopen legal challenges to his rule. The reaffirmation came at a meeting between Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, and other coalition leaders. The meeting was held against the backdrop of reports that strains have appeared in the two-week-old coalition over the reinstatement of the judges. Sharif's party wants them restored immediately, while Bhutto's party wants a comprehensive judicial reform package. If reinstated, the judges are expected to challenge Musharraf's rule, possibly leading to the president being forced out of office.
Mexican cartel recruiting hitmen
Hitmen tied to Mexico's Gulf cartel appear to be boldly seeking recruits by posting help-wanted signs in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, including a giant banner hung across a thoroughfare. The banner appeared over the weekend in Nuevo Laredo near the border with Texas: "Operative group 'The Zetas' wants you, soldier or ex-soldier. We offer a good salary, food and benefits for your family. Don't suffer anymore mistreatment and don't go hungry." The Zetas is the enforcement arm of the Gulf cartel and is made up of former Mexican soldiers. Security expert Jose Luis Pineyro said the recruiting effort could be drug traffickers' way of thumbing their noses at the federal government, but is unlikely to be an effective way of bringing in new blood. Tighter border security on both sides has forced drug cartels to find creative ways to move their contraband into the United States. Mexican authorities say cartels are training new recruits despite President Felipe Calderon's nationwide crackdown. Since taking office in 2006, Calderon has sent more than 20,000 troops to areas plagued by drug violence.
Several car bombs across Iraq kills more than 50 people
A car bomb in Baquba (40 miles north of Baghdad) killed at least 40 civilians just before midday when the area was crowded with people visiting the provincial government offices and eating lunch at a local restaurant. The blast was the deadliest in Baquba since October last year, when 27 people were killed in a suicide bombing outside a police camp. Half an hour after the blast, a suicide car bomb in Ramadi (68 miles west of the Iraqi capital) killed at least 14 people and wounded 14 others. The bomb exploded outside a restaurant in the capital of the western Anbar province. Like Baquba, Ramadi had seen a sharp decline in violence in recent months as tribal leaders joined forces with American soldiers, fighting against al-Qaida in Iraq. A third car bomb targeting an Iraqi police convoy in central Baghdad killed four people and wounded 15. Nobody claimed responsibility for today's attacks, but they bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Taliban asks Pakistan to honour pledge
A spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group urged the government to honour its pledge of holding negotiations with the group to pave the way for durable peace in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, The News reported. Speaking to reporters from an undisclosed location, TTP spokesman Molvi Umar asked the government to stop using force against militants in the region and to launch a process of dialogue to achieve peace. The TTP was formed on 14 December 2007 as an umbrella group that would enable the numerous pro-Taliban groups operating in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan to co-ordinate their activities and consolidate their growing influence in the region. These groups pose a significant threat throughout FATA and in areas of the NWFP, regularly confronting and defeating Pakistani security forces.
Chairman Putin of United Russia
Vladimir Putin today consolidated his long-term grip on power when he agreed to lead the United Russia party after he steps down as president next month and becomes prime minister. Although Putin campaigned openly for the party before last December's parliamentary elections, and agreed to head its parliamentary list, he had previously declined all offers to take over as party chairman.The move entrenches his position as the dominant figure in Russian politics, despite the fact he steps down as president on May 7. handing over to his handpicked successor, Dmitry Medvedev. The two men will run Russia in a power-sharing tandem. As prime minister, Putin will control Russia's government. His new party post will give him additional sweeping powers over the Duma, Russia's lower house, where United Russia has 315 out of 450 seats, as well as over regional legislatures, which are dominated by United Russia
