AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff
TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - February 16, 2003
SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, February 16, 2003
TEXT:
1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Narco-terrorism
13. Transportation
14. Weapons of Mass Destruction
15. Recently Published
FEATURE ARTICLE:
State Sponsors of Terrorism: The Case of Iraq
2. Africa
Burundi has welcomed two Hutu rebel group leaders, Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye and Alain Mugarabona, back from a long exile to begin implementation of their ceasefire agreement that will end the 10-year civil war.
In Congo, Ninja rebels attacked again in the Pool Region, killing ten villagers and the police chief.
Congo has suffered an outbreak of Ebola that has killed at least 48 people. It is believed that the outbreak began with infected bush meat. Neighboring Gabon has issued guidelines to help prevent the deadly disease from spreading.
Ivory Coast appointed a new Prime Minister and began negotiations regarding other cabinet positions under the disputed peace agreement. However, the security situation continues to deteriorate, particularly in western areas where Liberian militias have committed widespread atrocities. There have also been allegations that President Gbagbo was behind the violent protests that met the announced peace accord. His supporters have been accused of summary execution and civilian massacres. Half of the country is under rebel control.
In Liberia, rebels of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) have agreed to hold peace talks with the government. Details are yet to be arranged. In the meantime, LURD have continued their attacks, taking over two more western villages. The refugee crisis in Liberia is acute, with some 40,000 refugees in Ivory Coast trapped between the fighting there and at home.
Nigeria's main oil worker's union has declared an indefinite strike.
In his State of the Union Address, South African President Thabo Mbeki spoke of ways to encourage greater economic participation by the black majority and to increase economic growth. He did not acquiesce to a joint request from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/AFR530012003?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES\SOUTH+AFRICA) to release the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including apartheid reparations payments.
Sudan's peace process has suffered repeated violations and is at risk. See International Crisis Group's report "Sudan's Oilfields Burn Again: Brinkmanship Endangers The Peace Process" http://www.intl-crisis-group.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=888
Uganda has reached an agreement to withdraw troops from the northeast Democratic Republic of Congo. This will help end the cross-border conflict, but attacks inside Uganda by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) have forced Red Cross relief workers to leave. Ten civilians were killed in am ambush last week. In the northwest, more ethnic clashes between the Lendu and Alur erupted over stolen timber, killing at least 13.
In the Western Sahara, the Polisario Front has released 100 Moroccan POWs.
Zimbabwe is still the focus of international disputes regarding the best way to counter its notorious political violence. The England cricket team decided not to play its match in Harare because of safety concerns. The Commonwealth has split along racial lines regarding sanctions and readmitting Zimbabwe when the current sanctions expire. Inside the country, President Mugabe signed a contract with the China International Water and Electric Corporation to grow food crops to help ease the food shortage.
3. Americas
In Bolivia, a violent protest against a proposed income tax left 27 dead and dozens injured. Both the general strike and the tax plan have now been cancelled. The deaths will be investigated to see if security forces acted appropriately.
Canadian border officials have detained two men found carrying bomb-making tools and a white powder.
Investigations into the Club Nogal bombing indicate that two car bombs may have been used, suggesting a level of sophistication previously unknown that could indicate help from foreign groups such as the Irish Republican Army (IRA) or Basque separatists ETA. 33 people died and 162 were injured in that attack, that the government has blamed on the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). FARC rebels are also blamed for an explosion that killed 17 but had been planned as an assassination of President Uribe. In FARC-held territory in the south, a US government plane crash-landed. Two were shot dead and the three survivors have been taken hostage. Another bomb in the south went off while police searched a house, killing four and injuring 30.
In the US, threat of war was briefly dwarfed by the threat of another imminent terrorist attack. Security was tightened, including batteries of anti-aircraft missiles around Washington DC. State and local authorities complained of lack of funding for the increased security precautions.
The Department of Homeland Security made the high level "Orange" threat realistic by issuing a series of recommendations notable for including plastic sheeting and duct tape with which to secure a safe room against biological and chemical attacks. For a personal perspective on how people reacted to the threat and recommendations, see Matt Frei's article "DIY Washington terror threat style" in BBC News, February 15 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/from_our_own_correspondent/2762609.stm). In the end, the government responded to panic buying and the fear that people would start suffocating in their own homes by offering additional information including the basic recommendation that disaster preparedness for a family is the same for any disaster.
Particularly interesting about this episode is that the run on duct tape and emergency preparations was felt primarily in New York and Washington. While there are some areas of the country used to disaster preparedness (earthquakes in California, tornadoes in the mid-West) this has pointed out that large parts of the country do not feel at threat from a terrorist attack. This error of communication is particularly unfortunate, since it seems to undermine the threat at a time when preparation for terrorist attacks is essential and the threats to all parts of the remain very high.
The stresses of the number and range of military operations in which the US is involved have begun to show. This is graphically described in Thomas E. Ricks and Vernon Loeb's feature "Unrivaled Military Feels Strains of Unending War" in the Washington Post, February 16 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A13971-2003Feb15)
The City of New York's Department of Buildings' World Trade Center Building Code Task Force has released their Findings and Recommendations (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/publications.html) including a list of 21 recommendations for improved building security.
4. Asia Pacific
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has published a White Paper, "Advancing the National Interest" (http://www.dfat.gov.au/ani/dfat_white_paper.pdf) that includes an analysis of security issues. They say "The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in the United States and 12 October 2002 in Bali have been defining events. They have changed Australia's security environment in significant ways. They starkly demonstrated that threats to Australia's security can be global as well as regional". The paper provides an overview of national, regional and multilateral risks and responses to threats.
Burma allowed Amnesty International to visit the country and begin investigations into human rights. Their initial review (http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/ASA160072003?OpenDocument) recognizes advances but finds significant failures in the judicial system and calls for the immediate release of the 1200-1300 political prisoners still detained. last week, 12 members of opposition parties have been arrested.
Cambodia has dismissed the governor of Phnom Penh possibly because of his role in the recent anti-Thai riots.
Indonesia's investigations into the Bali bombing took an unusual path last week when key suspect Ali Imron admitted his role and demonstrated how the attack was carried out. He also said that although he was sorry for the families of the victims, the US and its allies, including Australia, were legitimate targets. More evidence uncovered has indicated links to Jemaah Islamiyah and perhaps to its spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is likely to be charged in connection with the attacks.
In the Indonesian province of Aceh, separatists from the Free Aceh Movement have begun demilitarization but both the rebels and government troops are guilty of repeated ceasefire breaches that include killing rebels, soldiers and civilians.
Laos authorities have arrested several suspects in connection with last week's bus attack that killed ten. Although initially blamed on Hmong rebels, it has now been determined that the attackers were financially motivated bandits.
Philippines President Gloria Arroyo ordered a ceasefire and halt to a planned military advance against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerillas operating in Mindanao island to no avail. There has been heavy fighting and the army claims to have killed more than 120 rebels. MILF denies these reports, saying that casualties have been light and they would continue fighting until government forces withdraw to their original positions. In addition to this battle, MILF rebels have carried out ambushes against military forces that have killed around a dozen soldiers. Until the situation stabilizes, it is impossible to verify the body counts. Meanwhile, the Philippine government expelled an Iraqi diplomat for his alleged ties to Abu Sayyaf.
The Solomon Islands still mourn the assassination of elder statesman Sir Frederick Soaki. A symptom of a more widespread problem of ethnic violence, extortion and crime, The Economist asks if the Solomon Islands are "The Pacific's first failed state" in their article on February 15.
In South Korea, outgoing President Kim Dae-jung has apologized for the scandal surrounding alleged payments to North Korea that encouraged their participation in the June 2000 summit between the North and South. Anti-US feelings remain high, fueled by continued incidents with US troops.
Thai police in Pattani had a gunfight with suspected members of the Muslim extremist Pattani Mujahideen group. One of the suspects fled and the other died from his wounds.
5. Europe
German police continued their anti-terrorism investigations with raids on 11 buildings to search for links to international terrorist organizations. Four people were detained then released.
A judge in Italy has ordered the release of 28 Pakistanis who had been arrested during a raid last month, suggesting there was insufficient evidence to continue holding them.
Russia's Supreme Court has agreed to list the following organizations as terrorist groups subject to sanctions:: The Unified Forces of Caucasian Mujaheddin of Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, The Congress of the Peoples of Ichkeria in Daghestan of warlord Movladi Udugov, Al Qaeda, Asbat al-Ansar (Lebanon), Al-Jihad, Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya and Muslim Brothers (Egypt), Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami, Laskar-I-Taiba and Jamaat-I-Islami (Pakistan), Taliban, Islamic Party of Turkestan (former Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan), Jamaat al-Islah al-Ijtimai and Ahyaul Turaz al-Islami (Kuwait), Al-Haramein (Saudi Arabia). It is likely that the US will add Chechen groups to its list of indicted organizations as well.
Russian authorities have reported a 64 percent increase in kidnappings in the north Caucasus last year. There were 565 kidnappings in Chechnya, 37 in Dagestan, 18 in Stavropol, 14 in North Ossetia, 13 in Ingushetia, 6 in Karachay-Cherkessia and 4 in Kabarda-Balkaria.
In northern Spain, a Basque police sergeant was shot dead by a gunman, suspected to be part of the Basque separatist group ETA.
A security crackdown in the UK has been ordered, particularly focusing on airports following a suspected plot against Heathrow. Following investigations in the area anti-terrorism police arrested four suspects and one man was arrested at the airport after he was found carrying a grenade.
Northern Ireland continues to suffer paramilitary activities. A bomb set off by the Continuity IRA in Enniskillen injured six police officers but also brought back memories of the Remembrance Sunday blast of 1987. Efforts to push forward the political process and re-engage the Good Friday agreement are underway.
6. Middle East
Another tape purportedly from Osama Bin Laden accuses the US of a war against Islam, support of Israel and for Muslims to rise against the crusaders.
Bahrain police have arrested five men on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks.
In the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank, the Israeli army has imposed a complete closure, banning all entry to Israel. The combination of this action with economic collapse and a serious food shortage could lead to even greater destabilization and violent reactions.
Also in Gaza, Israeli troops shot dead an armed Palestinian, three Palestinian gunmen associated with Islamic Jihad died when their car full of explosives blew up next to an Israeli checkpoint and two men were killed when Israeli forces demolished a tunnel. In a nearby Jewish settlement, an Israeli tank blew up after driving over a bomb planted by Hamas in revenge for the deaths of two Hamas members earlier in the week. The crew of four Israeli soldiers was killed in this attack.
In the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq, General Shawkat Haji Mushir, a senior official in the secular Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and five other people were assassinated in an ambush by Islamic militants of the Ansar al Islam.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon held meetings with senior Palestinian officials, the first in almost a year. Also note a report by Amos Harel writing in Ha'aretz Daily on February 10 that cites two-fold progress in the war on terror: "One is the recent efforts by the Palestinian Authority...to halt the firing of Kassam rockets from Gaza into Israel. The second is statistical. There are still suicide bombings, and will apparently continue to be in the coming months, but... [t]he IDF [Israel Defense Forces] now foils about 15 suicide bombings for every one that succeeds."
Saudi Arabia, considering how to protect itself in the event of a war in Iraq, has suggested moving towards democratic institutions and eliminating the US Army presence.
In the West Bank, Israeli troops shot dead a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), arrested three Palestinians carrying an explosives belt. During a raid on houses in Qalqilyah an 8-year old boy was killed and nine Palestinians were injured. In Bethlehem, a Palestinian sniper shot dead an Israeli army officer.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has reportedly agreed to appoint a prime minister, but there are no details as to the details of the new role or when it would happen. For an analysis of this move, see Barbara Plett's article "Analysis: Arafat plays crucial card" in BBC News, February 15 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2764357.stm). Another interesting article is "The Unsettlers: The radical young Israelis setting up camp on hilltops in the West Bank have no interest in compromise and no plans to slow down" written by Samantha M. Shapiro and published the The New York Times Magazine, February 16.
7. South Asia
Afghanistan is asking the international community not forget it at a moment of crisis over Iraq. Security in the country remains shaky. US Special Forces ran into an ambush and in response launched airstrikes against the suspected rebel forces. During the raids up to 30 villagers were also killed. Investigations led to around 50 arrests and recovery of a number of weapons. (There are about 13,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan, contrasted with closer to 200,000 gathering in the Gulf. The 2003 budget submitted by US President Bush did not include any funding for reconstruction in Afghanistan.)
Indian officials have reached an agreement offering significant autonomy to the Bodo tribes in Assam. The agreement was signed with the leaders of the Bodoland Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF) and should bring to an end the 6-year old conflict. Opposition groups protested the agreement with a general strike.
In Sri Lanka, there have been several violations of the ceasefire, including the death of one government soldier last week.
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
The US National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace has been released, outlining general steps to protect computer systems from attack. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030214-12.html9. Finance
The Financial Action Task Force has removed sanctions from Ukraine in response to adopting laws that meet anti-money laundering requirements, but until the legislation is fully implemented it will remain on the list of non-cooperative countries. The Philippines was unable to implement regulations in time but has now been given until March 15 to avoid sanctions.
Russia will list the following organizations as terrorist groups subject to sanctions:: The Unified Forces of Caucasian Mujaheddin of Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, The Congress of the Peoples of Ichkeria in Daghestan of warlord Movladi Udugov, Al Qaeda, Asbat al-Ansar (Lebanon), Al-Jihad, Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya and Muslim Brothers (Egypt), Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami, Laskar-I-Taiba and Jamaat-I-Islami (Pakistan), Taliban, Islamic Party of Turkestan (former Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan), Jamaat al-Islah al-Ijtimai and Ahyaul Turaz al-Islami (Kuwait), Al-Haramein (Saudi Arabia).
Enaam Arnaout pleaded guilty of one count of racketeering in connection with purchasing boots and uniforms for fighters in Bosnia and Chechnya. The plea bargain between US authorities and the Muslim charity leader dropped charges of aiding Osama bin Laden. No sentencing date has been set. See a report of the evidence in John Mintz's article "U.S. Tries To Link Activist to Al Qaeda" in the Washington Post, February 9 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A45344-2003Feb8
10. Human Rights
Elections for the first 18 judges to serve on the new International Criminal Court are complete. Afghanistan has become the 89th nation to join the ICC.
Belgium's Supreme Court has ruled that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon can face war crimes charges after he leaves office. Sharon has been charged with responsibility over the Sabra and Shatila massacres in 1982. This action, and others pending against such people as Fidel Castro, Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein, and Hissene Habre, has been brought under Belgium's universal jurisdiction law that permits prosecution of war crimes no matter where they were committed.
An anonymous South African prisoner has reached a settlement with prison authorities in connection with the policy, now discontinued, of banning condoms that led to his infection with HIV.
In the US federal appeals court in St Louis it was decided to force a prisoner on death row to take antipsychotic medicine that would make him sane enough to be executed.
US authorities have expelled Iraq's UN correspondent. Mohamad Hassan Alawi is a reporter for the Iraqi News Agency. He is the second Iraqi expelled in less than a year.
11. Law and Legal Issues
The death sentence against Iranian dissident Hashem Aghajari has been revoked by Iran's Supreme Court.
Enaam Arnaout pleaded guilty of one count of racketeering in connection with sending donations to fighters in Bosnia and Chechnya. The plea bargain between US authorities and the Muslim charity leader dropped charges of aiding Osama bin Laden. No sentencing date has been set.
Ignacio Gracia Arregui, a leader of Basque separatist group ETA, was sentenced in France to ten years in prison followed by banishment from France. His associates, Fabienne Tapia and Juan Antonio Olarra Guiridi were given 3- and 7- year sentences respectively; Guridi was also banished from France.
Mustafa Badarna, alleged commander of the military arm of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was arrested by Israel Defense Forces.
Brahim Benmerzouga and Baghdad Meziane are on trial in Leicester, England under terrorism and conspiracy charges. The prosecution alleged they were providing material support to al Qaeda, including money and equipment, and that they had 19 propaganda films for use in recruitment.
Wang Bingzhang, a Chinese democracy advocate based in the US, has been sentenced in southern China to life in prison on charges of espionage and leading a terrorist group.
William Harris, Emily Montague (Harris), Michael Bortin and Sara Jane Olson formerly of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) have been sent to prison for 6-8 years for their roles in the murder of Myrna Opsahl during a bank robbery in 1975.
Mahmud Kneidi, commander of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank city Tul Karm, and his deputy Fuad Sawalha were arrested by the Israel Defense Forces.
The war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has entered its second year.
Rahaman Alan Hazil Mohammad of Venezuela has been arrested in England after a live grenade was found in his luggage at Gatwick Airport.
The trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, the alleged "20th hijacker" will be postponed on the order of a Washington federal judge to wait for an appeal over a ruling to allow access to al Qaeda witness.
Muhammad Nazar, chairman of the Aceh Referendum Information Center, was arrested in the Indonesian province of Aceh.
Inderjit Singh Reyat received a 5-year sentence as part of a plea bargain in the case of the Air India bombing in 1985 that killed all 329 passengers. Although charged with 329 counts of manslaughter, the light sentence was recognition of his minor role in the incident. He has already served ten years in the UK for his part in an explosion at Narita Airport, Tokyo, killing two baggage handlers an hour before the Air India explosion.
Jack Roche, facing charges of conspiring to blow up Israeli diplomatic offices in Australia, pleaded not guilty to a court in Perth.
Iran's 1989 death sentence against author Salman Rushdie has been renewed, with the Revolutionary Guards claiming the fatwah is irrevocable.
Serbian nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj has been indicted on war crimes charges by the UN tribunal.
Maureen Stevens, widow of Robert Stevens who died form inhalation anthrax in October 2001, has filed a lawsuit against the US government for lax security that allowed the theft of the anthrax.
Tony Yengeni, former chief whip of South Africa's ruling African National Congress party, pleaded guilty to fraud in connection with a $5 billion arms deal in 1999.
12. Narco-terrorism
Thai police launched a massive crackdown against the drug trade on February 1. Since then, more than 350 people have been killed and some 9,000 arrested. Although some of the deaths occurred through gang violence, there are suspicions of extrajudicial killings on the part of the police, as well as other human rights violations.
13. Transportation
Airport security in the US and UK was heightened last week due to fears of an imminent terrorist attack. Malaysia faced an unexpected threat when the Chinese New Year unexpectedly disrupted air traffic. Malaysians sending off flying sky lanterns to celebrate the New Year led fears they would confuse pilots and that the kerosene-powered balloons could be sucked into a jet engine and cause an explosion.
In the northwest US, there are fears that ferries could be terrorist targets. See Eli Sanders article "Politics, fear hurting ferry protection" in the Boston Sunday Globe, February 16. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/047/nation/Politics_fear_hurting_ferry_protection+.shtml
And take a look at John McPhee's article "A Fleet of One" in The New Yorker, February 17 that talks about truckers carrying hazardous goods.
14. Weapons of Mass Destruction
A great perspective on how the term "weapons of mass destruction" has changed over time can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2744411.stm
India has successfully tested its Brahmos cruise missile, the latest in a series of tests that have kept tensions high between India and its fellow nuclear power Pakistan. In this connection, Saritha Rai writes "Arms Makers See Great Potential in India Market" in The New York Times, February 12.
Iran has announced it will use local uranium deposits to process for nuclear fuel.
A study by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (http://www.aphl.org) finds "serious inadequacies as well as needed improvements in worker safety, facility security and methods for agent analysis of environmental samples."
Troops in Australia and the UK have refused anthrax inoculations in large numbers amid fears of possible long-term health problems. See Craig Skehan "Anthrax jabs mutiny widens amid fears of cancer, sterility" Sydney Morning Herald, February 13 http://www.smh.com.au and "Anthrax jab rejected by half troops" at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/27
And for a perspective on the relationships between US military contractors and their foreign clients, see Leslie Wayne's article "A Well-Kept Military Secret" in The New York Times, February 16
FEATURE ARTICLE: State Sponsors of Terrorism: The Case of Iraq
State-sponsored terrorism can be defined narrowly as the list of seven countries (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria, and Sudan) designated by the US Secretary of State and thereby subject to certain sanctions regarding arms, dual use items, economic assistance, financial and other restrictions. More broadly, it includes the use of terrorism as a political tool. Iraq satisfies both definitions.HOW TO CONTACT US:
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