TerrorismCentral Newsletter
-- For the week ending February 10, 2002 --
AUTHOR:
TerrorismCentral Editorial Staff
TITLE:
TerrorismCentral Newsletter - February 10, 2002
SOURCE:
TerrorismCentral, February 10, 2002
TEXT:
This week the newsletter feature continues in Northern Ireland, looking at the Good Friday Agreement and the Omagh bombing. Next week we wrap up Northern Ireland with a discussion of the context of these events and the current peace process.
For more background on the material covered in this newsletter, click on the links herein. All linked additional information is from the TerrorismCentral Library.
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CONTENTS:
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:
1. Africa
Liberia declares a state of emergency, calling in troops to block thousands of refugees from entering the capital, Monrovia, in response to Northern rebels moving on the capital.
In Nigeria, 5 days of ethnic clashes between Hausas and Yorubas have killed more than 100 and sent thousands fleeing for their lives. Soldiers have halted the fighting, which brought further devastation to an area still reeling from the deadly explosions of the previous week.
A Rwandan priest, Father Athanase Seromba, accused in the Rwandan genocide, left his hiding place in Italy and has surrendered to the United Nations. He denies the charges.
Sierra Leone is taking advantage of rebel disarmament to rebuild a peaceful country. A UN-sponsored war crimes tribunal is being set up, and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission is also planned.
Zimbabwe has gone forward with tight media restrictions in the face of threatened sanctions. As reported by Human Rights Forum, political violence has reached the highest in two years, with 16 deaths in January.
The Colombian army will be aided by the US under a Bush administration plan to help protect the Cano-Limon oil pipeline that has been a frequent target of militant attacks.
The Mexican government has commuted the sentence of Jose Francisco Gallardo, a political prisoner, in another advance on human rights.
The furor over US President Bush's "axis of evil" remarks continues in the rest of the world, while in the US it is defended as powerful rhetoric. See below for the ongoing response from the North Korea, South Korea, Iran and Iraq. The status of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is discussed in the Human Rights target link section, below.
Confusion surrounds the fate of kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The FBI has joined Pakistani authorities in the ongoing investigation.--
At least 7 Colombian troops were killed when 2 tons of dynamite in an arms storage building used by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) exploded. Separately, a guerilla deserter claimed that IRA members arrested in Colombia last year had been there to provide weapons and training to the rebels.
The fate of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, kidnapped by an unknown group calling itself "The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty", remains unknown.
President Bush's State of the Union Address, while well-received domestically, has caused widespread international outrage over his classification of Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an "axis of evil".
The FBI web site has some intriguing new content. See how government analysts review recovered documents at http://www.fbi.gov/short/afghanistan.htm and watch a video on preparation for the Olympic games at http://www.fbi.gov/olympics/olympicsvideo.htm
3. Asia
Afghanistan, with help from the UN and US, is mediating peace among the warlords to encourage central management of international aid and an end to continued local violence. Simultaneously, they are struggling against famine and the winter weather while US military operations continue in the background of a growing list of civilian casualties.
Cambodians, held their first local elections in 22 years. Despite an election campaign marred by the killing of approximately 20 opposition candidates and attendance intimidation and bribery, the voting was relatively peaceful. While results continue to come in from the countryside, it seems that the opposition party has gained, but the ruling Cambodian People's Party will remain in control.
The United Nations announced it was unable to continue negotiations to establish a court to try Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide due to concern they could not ensure it would be fair and impartial. Cambodia has rejected this position and says it will continue on its own.
India, and Pakistan, continue to trade fire over the line of control in Kashmir. India has again rejected calls to hold talks with Pakistan.
Indonesia, and Aceh separatists agreed to continue peace talks at a later date. Indonesia has denied accusations by the US that it is not doing enough to control local terrorist groups.
Efforts towards reconciliation between North, and South Korea, have been imperiled by US President Bush's "axis of evil" remarks. South Korea has called on the US to soften its approach, fearing that his position will undermine the forthcoming Pyongyang summit and other international efforts.
Pakistan's, efforts to clamp down internal extremists and open discussions with India have been clouded by the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, that adds a constant reminder of previous Pakistani support for militant groups. The search for the reporter has expanded to crime rings and the US FBI is assisting.
The Philippines, plans to ban US forces from engaging in unilateral actions or combat. Their proposal, not yet accepted by the US Army, is in response to opposition to the US military's presence in the southern Philippines. Assaults on the Abu Sayyaf continue.
4. Europe
Italy, has responded to US suggestions to widen the "war on terrorism" to Iraq by saying that it has no intention of expanding intervention without proof to support such a proposal.
Russia, has accused the US and Western allies of double standards for failing to condemn the Chechen rebels as terrorists and for the "axis of terror" remarks that also indicate different definitions of terrorism between the putative allies. Russia will not back any US attack on Iraq.
In the Ukraine, a UN report suggests using the nuclear accident site of Chernobyl as an eco-tourism site.
5. Middle East
Antar Zouabri, head of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), one of the two main extremist groups in Algeria, was killed, with two colleagues, in a gunfight with Algerian security forces.
Iran's, historic ties with Afghanistan, have continued to lead to pointed threats by US officials. Reacting to the "axis of evil" comments and other threats, Iran has warned the US not to take military action against it and has put its armed forces on alert. Iran says the US charges are based on hallucinations not evidence, and has offered to help the US track down terrorist fugitives who may have escaped into Iran. It has arrested a number of Taliban supporters. Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister is working to convince the US that Iran is a greater threat than Iraq. And in an act that has unexpectedly soured relations with the UK, Iran has rejected Britain's proposal of David Reddaway as its next ambassador.
Iraq's, overtures to the UN to renew weapons inspections have been received with doubt by the US, which has now announced a major policy shift in favor of a change of regime in Iraq, one that it is prepared to pursue alone if necessary.
Clashes continue in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including a courtroom shooting rooted in intra-Palestinian feuding and an Israeli bombing that killed 5 members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). Palestinian retaliation was swift. Israel continues raids on Palestinian areas in the West Bank.
Israel and the US are demanding that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, still confined in Ramallah, arrest Palestinian militants, while Arafat faces a backlash from Palestinian groups including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), over the anti-terror declarations, his hint that the right of return for Palestinian refugees was not absolute, and the arrests he has already made.
More than 170 Israeli army reservists have refused to serve in the occupied Palestinian territories. The army has decided to suspend them.
Saudi Arabia, has suggested it would not back a US attack on Iraq even if it was proven that they were acquiring weapons of mass destruction, suggesting covert operations would be more effective.
In Tunisia, police burst into a courtroom hearing to seize dissidents belonging to the Communist Party.
6. Finance
Saudi Arabia, is monitoring 150 accounts denoted by US law enforcement agencies as associated with transfer of terrorist funding. They are accelerating adoption of anti-money-laundering laws.
This month's Information Security magazine has an interesting article, "Analyze This: Network Forensic Analysis Tools (NFATs) Reveal Insecurities, Turn Sysadmins into Systems Detectives." It's available online at http://www.infosecuritymag.com/2002/feb/cover.shtml
7. Human Rights
At the World Economic Forum held in New York last week many speakers, including US Secretary of State Powell, identified the end to poverty as a crucial tool to help stop terrorism.
US President Bush has announced that Taliban soldiers in US custody would be treated according to the Geneva Convention, but not as Prisoners of War. This change of policy does not significantly clarify the status of the detainees nor why the US has not followed the procedures for determining the status of detainees laid out in UN Conventions. . Meanwhile the International Committee for the Red Crosssays it considers both the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, all captured in combat, to be prisoners of war.
In the US, the American Bar Association, defying a request from the Bush administration to stay out of the debate, has recommended limitations on military tribunals and recommended that Congress have a stay in their establishment, to help ensure defendants are given legal protection.
Human Rights Watch, has announced it will send a team of researchers to Afghanistan, next month to try to estimate civilian casualties, of the US war there.
The Mexican, government has commuted the sentence of Jose Francisco Gallardo, a political prisoner, but did not declare him innocent. Previously, President Fox had freed two ecologists arrested by the army, demonstrating increasing political control over the army's autonomy.
8. Law and Legal Issues
John Walker Lindh, the "American Taliban" was denied bail following a 10-count indictment.
Judges in the Scottish Court in the Netherlands have agreed to hear new evidence in the al-Megrahi's appeal against his conviction in the Lockerbie bombing.
9. Weapons of Mass Destruction
The US has announced it's willingness to meet President Vladimir Putin's request that proposed nuclear, arms cuts will be in the context of a formal, irreversible and certifiable agreement.
The FBI is targeting laboratories that have worked with anthrax, in its continuing investigation of the anthrax-laced letter attacks last year.
Adoption of the principle of consent, which stated that the people of Northern Ireland have the final say on changes in their status
For a time, it looked as if the unthinkable would occur: accord among the warring factions - Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein, Republicans) and Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party) were sitting in the same room. . Worries were expressed over whether decommissioning would ever happen, and what the terrorists would do when freed from jail, but optimism was high. The all-Ireland referendum to vote on the agreement received resounding approval by 71.2% of voters in Northern Ireland and 95% of those in the Republic of Ireland
Optimism was short-lived. The Omagh bombing, seemed to blast the heart out of the peace process.
It happened on 15 August 1998, a Saturday shopping day, even more busy than usual (and more filled with children) because a carnival was in town. A 500 pound car bomb exploded, killing 29 people and wounding more than 350. It was the worst single act of violence in the prior 30 years of the "Troubles".
The Real IRA, having split from the IRA, in opposition to the Good Friday Agreement, claimed responsibility. While apologizing for the loss of civilian life, the atrocity did not stop them from conducting a further series of mainland bombings, most recently a failed attempt in Birmingham at the end of last year.
Mr. Blair, speaking after visiting the hospital, was clear: "&we must also carry on the process of establishing real democracy and dialogue in which all political opinions can argue their case in peace. That is the only alternative to this violence. There is no other. And I know my duty, even now, amongst the carnage and the tragedy is to carry on."
A massive cross-border investigation was launched, involving the questioning of nearly 80 suspects and interviews with over 2,000 people. But after 17 months, only one person (Colm Murphy) had been arrested, and he was charged with conspiracy, not murder.
Widespread outrage grew amid rumors that the police knew who the bombers were and that they had been warned in advance but not acted on the information. This led to a civil action by the victims' families and an investigation by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.
The Ombudsman's report, issued in December 2001, was damning. It claimed serious flaws with the investigation, stating that "The victims, their families and officers of the RUC have been let down by defective leadership, poor judgement and a lack of urgency." It proposed a series of 6 recommendations that the Ombudsman hopes "will be fully considered and that a positive way forward will be found which will facilitate the thorough and effective investigation of the Omagh bomb. It is in the interests of everyone that those responsible for this terrible atrocity are brought to justice."
Northern Ireland's Chief Constable, Sir Rodney Flanagan rejected the main claims of the report and said he would respond fully.
Angry relatives were not calmed by the conviction of Colm Murphy for conspiracy, particularly given the widespread belief that no other convictions would follow.
Sir Rodney has submitted his response to the Policing Board, which is in the process of reviewing the materials and meeting with relatives of the victims. The outcome should be known shortly and we will report it in the newsletter as soon as the information is available.
Meanwhile, the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, have still not been completed. Recent announcements regarding decommissioning by theIRA, have been positive, but have also been counteracted by renewed violence, (including the victimization of children on their way to school).
In next week's feature article, we'll cover the peace process and the status of the paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. In the meantime, check out the joint UK/Irish document "Achievements in Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement".
Source materials, topical links, and bibliography for this article can be found in the TerrorismCentral Library, including Incidents: Omagh Bombing, and Government: Ireland.
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Editorial Team
TerrorismCentral
PUBLICATION DATE:
February 10, 2002
DATE:
20020210