Six years on: taking stock
On the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, both sides of the political spectrum in the United States agree that there are perilous faults in the Bush administration's "war on terrorism".
The left-of-centre Nation magazine argues that by "sacrificing the rule of law itself", Washington has already lost its battle against the terrorists.
Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.
Sign up for toD's daily security briefings by clicking hereOn the right, the Counterterrorism blog insists that law enforcement, intelligence gathering and even military measures are insufficient; the ideologies of Islamism and Jihadism must be challenged head on to really strike at the roots of terrorism.
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden praises one of the 9/11 hijackers in an expected video released today. Eulogising Walid al-Shehri - who was on board the first jet to crash into the World Trade Centre - bin Laden described the man as someone "who personally penetrated the most extreme degrees of danger and is a rarity among men: one of the 19 champions, may Allah have mercy on them all."
As bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri remain at large, Foreign Policy magazine lists the other key al-Qaida leaders still on the loose, including Abu Ayyub al-Masri, its Iraq chief, and bin Laden's 28 year-old son Saad, believed to be heading operations within Iran.
openDemocracy marks the sixth anniversary of the attacks with videos by Cynthia Weber, analysis from Audrey Kurth Cronin, and a return to the days after 9/11 with Malise Ruthven.
Petraeus in the hot seat
While testifying before the US Congress yesterday, General David Petraeus, US military commander in Iraq, argued that the "troop surge" in the country was necessary and effective. He faces deep skepticism from US law-makers and the public, and had to withstand tough questioning from Democratic congressmen, videos of which can be seen here. Petraeus appears before senators today, including presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hilary Rodham Clinton.
Stanley I. Kutler in the Nation argues that little serious investigation will come from the Petraeus report. The White House is only paving the way for "Surge 2". The Council on Foreign Relations more generously muses that the mid-September hearings, which were supposed to deliver definitive conclusions on the situation in Iraq, will only further stimulate debate.
Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie welcomed the report and insisted that Iraq will have less need for foreign troops in "the near future".
Part of the Petraeus strategy of fighting al-Qaida and other fighters in the country relies on convincing local militants to turn against more radical insurgents. Watch an Al Jazeera video of the local battle against al-Qaida.
The battle of Algeria
Al-Qaida in the Maghreb has confirmed that it was behind two separate bombings on Saturday and Thursday that left over fifty people dead in towns east of the Algerian capital Algiers. In an apparent assassination attempt, one of the blasts targeted a crowd gathered to hear President Abdelaziz Bouteflika speak in the town of Batna.
Turkey bomb defused
Turkish police found and defused a large bomb hidden in a bus in central Ankara, allegedly planted by suspected al-Qaida militants. Al-Qaida and Kurdish terrorists have bombed targets across Turkey in recent years. Turkish officials claim the bomb would have done horrendous damage.
Rioja blast averted
A large bomb left by the Basque separatist group ETA near a Defence Ministry office in the wine-growing region of Rioja adjacent to Basque country failed to detonate.
Sketches unveiled for Hyderabad suspects
Police in southern India have released sketches of four Bangladeshi suspects linked to the August bomb blasts in the city of Hyderabad. One of the suspects, Irfan Gazi, is only 12 years old, but is believed to have detonated the bomb in the Lumbini Park district of the city.
Unrest in Kashmir
Police clashed with thousands of demonstrators in Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, injuring 15 people. The protesters were voicing their outrage at the killing of a 20-year-old student Mohammad Ramzan Shah by security forces in an allegedly staged gun battle, known as "fake encounters".
Ramadan leniency
Thai military officials are easing the tough curfew restrictions in parts of southern Thailand during the holy month of Ramadan. Since 16 March, residents of Yaha, Krong Pinang and Bannang Sata districts in Yala province have not been allowed to leave their homes between 8pm and 4am. If the security situation in the region improves during and after Ramadan, the army will consider lifting the curfew permanently.
Three people were killed and 29 arrested in a crackdown over the weekend against militants in the south of the country.
Tamil Tiger finance chief arrested
Kumaran Pathmanadan, the finance chief of the Sri Lankan separatist group Tamil Tigers, has been arrested in Thailand. Three other Tiger militants were arrested in Thailand in last month as they attempted to buy guns and 45,000 rounds of ammunition.
Helmand blasts
A Taliban suicide bomber rammed the convoy of a private security firm in the south of Afghanistan, wounding three staff and two civilians. Twin blasts in the nearby Girishk district of the province left 26 people dead on Monday. UN officials are alarmed by the increase in the number of suicide attacks by Taliban militants this year, who seem to have been inspired by methods in use by insurgents in Iraq.
