Passage to Iraq
A one-legged suspected terrorist on trial in Belgium has promised to reveal the secrets of Islamist networks that funnel militants from Europe to Iraq. Younes Loukili, amongst others, have been implicated in the death of Belgian citizen Muriel Degauque. Degauqe and her car loaded with explosives blew up in a suicide attack on an American convoy in Iraq.
Five men were arrested in France yesterday on the suspicion of being involved in smuggling militants from Europe to Iraq.
Six men have been arrested in Spain for allegedly promoting jihad and Islamist militancy.
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Analysts fear that the failure of counterterrorism strategies in Afghanistan and the ineptitude of the Karzai government has contributed to growing public disillusionment with the course of post-Taliban governance. Violence is on the rise across the country, and support for the Taliban may be growing.
For the first time, France is sending a team of military trainers to Afghanistan. Nicolas Sarkozy's government is keen to prove that it is willing to help Washington and London in their commitments to fighting the "war on terrorism" abroad.
Thailand's paramilitary quandary
In a new report, the International Crisis Group urges Thailand's government to curb the use of paramilitaries in stamping out the Muslim separatist insurgency in the south of the country. Paramilitaries are quicker to deploy, but lack some of the expertise and experience necessary in tackling the insurgency. "Rangers" have been guilty of human rights abuses, while village militias threaten to exacerbate communal tensions in the restive south.
Dagestan blasts
Two separate bomb blasts in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan have killed one person and injured seven. Islamist insurgency, organised crime, and on-going clan feuds continue to upset Dagestan and its neighbourhood of restive Caucasus provinces.
Turkey enters Iraq
Countries mentioned in today's security brief:
- Belgium
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Russia
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Palestine/Israel
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- Thailand
Turkish planes have struck Kurdish rebel targets 20km inside Iraq, while a force of about 300 ground troops have advanced about 10km inside the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish north. Turkey has long threatened to attack Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets inside Iraq should local authorities fail to do so.
Iraqi president and Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani has cagily suggested that Iraq will try to hand over the rebels to Turkish authorities.
Torture rife in Palestine
Amnesty International has accused both Hamas and Fatah of the widespread use of torture, arbitrary detention, and other abuses in the occupied territories.
Israel is set to gradually cut electricity flowing into Gaza as part of its strategy of isolating Hamas and besieging the supposed "enemy entity" of the Gaza Strip.
Saudis to the rescue?
Saudi Arabia has invited leading Somali politicians to Riyadh for talks on how to fix the political crisis gripping the country. Saudi officials are trying to raise their country's profile as an influential regional power.
Postal bombers
Italian authorities have arrested five anarchists in the town of Perugia in connection with their alleged attempts to send letter bombs to leading European politicians, including current Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, in 2003.
