CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. Africa
2. Americas
3. Asia Pacific
4. Europe
5. Middle East
6. South Asia
7. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
8. Finance
9. Human Rights
10. Law and Legal Issues
11. Transportation
12. Weapons of Mass Destruction

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

1. Africa

Algerian Islamic militants of Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat and the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) continued ambushes, raids and kidnapping. We documented their activities and international connections in January: https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/011903.html#FeatureArticle
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/012603.html#FeatureArticle

Burundi's December 2002 ceasefire lasted only a month, but political measures implemented during the year helped maintain progress. A power-sharing government including the rebel Forces for Defense of Democracy (FDD) was inaugurated in April and the smaller Forces for National Liberation (FNL) recently began negotiations. A major rebel assault on Bujumbura in July killed 300 rebels and 15 government soldiers.

Cameroon was awarded sovereignty of much of the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula. Nigeria initially rejected the binding International Court of Justice ruling, but its forces have now been withdrawn and villages handed over to Cameroon.

Central African Republic rebel leader Francois Bozize seized power from President Patasse, declared himself president, dissolved parliament and rapidly established a transitional government.

Chad's government and National Resistance Army (ANR) rebels reached a peace agreement. With the promise of stability, Chad has opened a pipeline connecting its oil fields with Cameroon and thereby became an oil exporter.

Democratic Republic of Congo agreed a new constitution in April and a French-led peacekeeping force has been aiding establishment of the transitional government and interim parliament. The east remains unstable, with many brutal attacks against civilians. Continued "Plunder in the Congo" is responsible for many of these problems https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/110203.html#FeatureArticle

Eritrea was awarded the disputed town of Badme by an independent international boundary commission. Ethiopia found the ruling unacceptable. Tensions between the two countries are high and there is a risk of war breaking out again.

Guinea-Bissau's President Yala was ousted in a military coup. A new civilian administration was promptly established and will hold parliamentary and presidential elections that were long delayed by Yala.

Ivory Coast lost its reputation of Africa's most stable and prosperous country, following the September 2002 mutiny that turned into a full-scale war. A January peace agreement established a power-sharing government including rebels. The May ceasefire has been repeatedly broken and persistent attacks threaten a possible civil war.

Kenya spent the year tackling corruption, under the leadership of President Mwai Kibaki who succeeded Daniel arap Moi after 24-years. Citing the anti-corruption measures, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) resumed loans that had been halted for three years.

On the fifth anniversary of the East African Embassy bombings, we reviewed what happened https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/081003.html#FeatureArticle

Liberian rebels of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the newer Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) advanced to the outskirts of Monrovia in March. Fighting over the capital killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands. President Taylor, accused of war crimes for backing rebels in Sierra Leone, agreed to accept asylum in Nigeria and was replaced by his deputy Moses Blah who signed the peace agreement then handed the interim administration to Gyude Bryant in October. The UN launched a major peacekeeping mission and at the end of the year began to deploy in areas outside Monrovia. We profiled Taylor in June https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/060803.html#FeatureArticle

Libya took responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and agreed victims' compensation of $2.7 billion, causing UN sanctions to be lifted. In December, Libya announced it will abandon all WMD programs and agreed to enhanced IAEA inspections.

Mauritanian forces defeated an attempted coup by rebel soldiers. President Taya was reelected with two-thirds of the vote amid allegations of fraud.

Morocco had several close encounters with al Qaeda and other militant Islamic supporters, including the devastating suicide bombings in May. The coordinated attacks, in which 41 were killed and 100 injured, took place in Casablanca.

Niger was swept up into the Iraqi intelligence controversy in January when US President Bush claimed that Iraq tried to acquire uranium from Niger. The IAEA found that the documents had been forged and the allegations unfounded.

Nigeria held its first legislative elections since military rule ended in 1999. President Obasanjo was re-elected and his party gained a parliamentary majority, but the elections were seriously flawed. In the oil-rich Delta, repeated incidents of ethnic violence between Ijaw and Itsekiri killed more than 100 and injured more than 1,000. Sharia law in the north continues to ignite controversy, illustrated by the case of Amina Lawal who had been sentenced to death by stoning for alleged adultery. Following international human rights pressure, she was acquitted.

Republic of Congo reached an agreement with Ninja rebels to end combat in the Pool region, with limited effect.

Rwandans went to the polls three times: for a new constitution banning the incitement of ethnic hatred, to give Paul Kagame the presidency and elect his party a majority. Irregularities and fraud marred these elections, the first since the 1994 genocide.

Sao Tome and Principe had a short-lived military coup in July. It lasted only a week and a general amnesty was granted the coup leaders.

Senegal's separatist Casamance Movement of Democratic Forces (MFDC) declared the war over, but it's unclear how many of the followers of the movement agree.

Sierra Leone's notorious rebel leader Foday Sankoh, of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) dies of natural causes while waiting trial for war crimes.

Somalia is still struggling with failed institutions. We wrote about this in October https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/100503.html#FeatureArticle

South Africa announced a new system to provide HIV/AIDS medications through the public health system. Right-wing extremists of the Boeremag are being tried in connection with bombings and conspiracy against the state.

Sudan is inching closer to peace and has maintained some level of ceasefire between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). A December breakthrough in agreement of oil revenue sharing offers hope for a final agreement, but serous violence and civilian displacement in Darfur threatens a lasting peace. Sudan was featured in a June article https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/062903.html#FeatureArticle

Uganda withdrew troops from eastern DRC. Instead, they are focusing on the fight against the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). LRA continues to commit atrocities, with brutal attacks on villages, mass kidnappings, and forced recruitment of children as soldiers and "wives". Former dictator Idi Amin died in August, in hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Zimbabwe's situation deteriorated from when we wrote about it in April https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/042703.html#FeatureArticle. It went from being a major agricultural exporter to suffering widespread hunger with inflation over 600 percent. Political violence continues to increase, aided by government-supported gangs. The media has been violently suppressed. Displacement following land seizures took a bizarre turn when the government took back land that it had already given to black farmers. Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth was extended indefinitely, prompting the country to leave the organization.

2. Americas

Bolivia saw more unrest between traditional power-holders and indigenous people. Violent protests against government plans killed dozens. President Sanchez de Lozada, who was narrowly elected over coca growers' candidate Evo Morales, was forced to resign and has been succeeded by Carlos Mesa.

Brazil, under the leadership of populist Lula da Silva, continued to work for political and economic reforms. These were not fast enough for the Landless Workers Movement that tried to force the pace with more farm occupations.

Chile marked the 30th anniversary of the Pinochet coup https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/091403.html#FeatureArticle

Colombia maintained its joint anti-terrorism operations with the US, including US training of special forces to protect the Arauca oil pipeline. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerillas continued their campaign, including numerous bombings with hundreds of casualties. Vehicle bombs were popular, but explosive devices have also been attached to bicycles, motorcycles, and people. The smaller rebel group, National Liberation Front (ELN) maintained their kidnapping specialty, sprinkled with more violent actions from time to time. Fighting between these two leftist groups and the right-wing paramilitaries continued, although the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) plans to disarm by end of 2005. Some of the violence is spreading across the border and has particularly worsened relations with Venezuela.

Cuba cracked down on dissidents, including the execution of three men who hijacked a ferry to go to the US and sentencing 75 dissidents to terms up to 28 years. These actions led to international condemnation over the degradation of human rights.

Guatemala suffered a wave of attacks against judges, prosecutors, human rights campaigners, and journalists. The armed groups responsible are being investigated and are suspected of collusion with current or former government officials.

Haiti saw more unrest and violence between pro- and anti-government forces. It remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Honduras is investigating the murders of more than 1,500 street children over the last five years. Honduras was the first Central American country to authorize a troop deployment in Iraq.

Mexico's Zapatista rebels created new town councils to govern areas of Chiapas in their control. The Mexican government said that it would respect the councils and that peace talks could be restarted.

Paraguay replaced corrupt President Gonzalez Macchi (impeached in 2002) with Nicanor Duarte Frutos, who won the April presidential vote. Macchi is on trial for corruption.

Peru pursued a Truth and Reconciliation commission looking at the 20-year war against Shining Path rebels that killed nearly 70,000 people. We wrote about the Shining Path in June https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/061503.html#FeatureArticle

USA's "war on terrorism" focused on implementing the USA Patriot Act and opening the new Department of Homeland Security. We talked about the new department in February: https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/020203.html#FeatureArticle, reviewed the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism in March https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/030203.html#FeatureArticle and had an update on "US Terrorism Response Preparedness" in December reporting on the TOPOFF2 exercise.
Diverting resources from these efforts, the invasion and occupation Iraq demanded massive allocations of troops and money. The attack against Baghdad began in March, even while massive protests against the move were underway. President Bush declared major combat over on May 1 but by November had acknowledged the scale of guerilla attacks and mounting occupation casualties. Although conceding there were (prior to the war) no links between Iraq and al Qaeda, the administration's public statements continue to conflate the issues. Time Magazine selected the American Soldier as person of the year.
On the fifth anniversary of the East African Embassy bombings, we reviewed the events of August 7: https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/081003.html#FeatureArticle

Venezuela began the year with a 9-week general strike. The Organization of American States (OAS) brokered an agreement that established a framework for a possible referendum on President Chavez. The opposition claims to have met the required number of petition signatories but this claim is still being evaluated. Venezuala has increased security along the border with Colombia following clashes between soldiers and Colombian right-wing paramilitaries.

3. Asia Pacific

Australia led the region in cooperation and interdiction of potential terrorist incidents, including support for the investigation of the 2002 Bali bombing. Counterterrorism in Australia was described in https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/120703.html#FeatureArticle. Its asylum policies continue to attract widespread criticism, and several cases are under investigation. Australian participation in the Iraq invasion sparked public protests and the first no-confidence vote against a sitting prime minister, John Howard.

Burma was only able to maintain pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom for a year; she was taken into "protective custody" in May after clashes between democracy supporters and those of government. Independent investigations suggest the government engineered the situation, but the government insisted there was a conspiracy against it. The number of political detentions has continued to rise, although the government produced a "roadmap" for a new constitution and elections.

Cambodia and Thailand experienced a serious diplomatic rift that is only slowly easing. It began when a Thai TV star claimed the Angkor Wat temple complex was stolen from Thailand, sparking anti-Thai riots that nearly destroyed the Thai embassy and forced over 500 evacuations.

China and Hong Kong were hit hard by the outbreak of SARS. The virus had a negative effect on regional economies, but a positive impact on public health systems and improved communications. China and India reached a cross-border trade agreement that in effect resolved the status of Tibet and Sikkim. Diplomatic relations with Taiwan are poor, following Taiwan pursuit of a referendum on Chinese missiles.

East Timor will have support from UN peacekeepers for another year. They are negotiating with Australia over the maritime border (and its rich gas, oil, and fish reserves).

Indonesia's peace deal with the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) broke down after just a few months. In May, the government mounted a military offensive and imposed martial law. The army said it would eradicate the rebels within three months, but the offensive has continued with high rebel and civilian casualties, and a complete press ban. In August, Jakarta's Marriot Hotel was heavily damaged by a car bomb that killed 14 people. We wrote about "Hot Spot Indonesia" in May https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/052503.html#FeatureArticle

Japan outfaced public opposition to send troops to Iraq, despite its potential breach of the constitution. Shoko Asahara, leader of Aum Shrinrikyo (sarin subway attacks), trial concluded after seven years. The verdict will be heard in 2004.

Kiribati established diplomatic relations with Taiwan. China severed diplomatic ties and removed its satellite tracking station in response.

North Korea opened the year by withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It claims to have produced enough plutonium to make up to six bombs. China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, and the US have engaged in erratic and unproductive negotiations over the nuclear crisis, but talks continue.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stepped down after 22 years in office, replaced by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Philippines militants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government were unable to agree a ceasefire and talks were abandoned after a rebel attack on Mindanao that killed 30, although a ceasefire was reached a few weeks later. In July, 300 mutinous soldiers took control of a shopping center, leading the President Arroyo's declaration of a state of rebellion, but the rebel troops surrendered peacefully.

Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs released a White Paper on Jemaah Islamiah (JI) https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/011203.html#FeatureArticle

We profiled additional members of JI in October https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/101203.html#FeatureArticle

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Kemakeza asked Australia for military help in June, to restore order and disarm militant groups. The operation was successful and warlord Harold Keke of the Isatubu Freedom Movement was charged with murder.

Tajikistan conducted operations along its border with Afghanistan, cracking down against Islamic militants.

Thailand's war on drugs proved to be literal: more than 2000 people were killed in the first few weeks of the operations. Although the government blamed criminal gangs for the deaths, the government did encourage extra-judicial killings.

4. Europe

Belgium undertook investigations with other European countries to combat extremist threats. They have prosecuted 23 alleged Islamic extremists suspected of planning and executing attacks throughout Europe.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is still dominated by the aftermath of the Balkans war. Policing duties were taken over by the EU in its first foreign security operation, replacing UN forces. In April, High Representative Paddy Ashdown abolished the Supreme Defense Council of Bosnian Serb and removed all reference to statehood from both the Muslim/Croat federation and Serb republic constitutions. There were a number of key trials including former Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic who pleaded guilty to one count of crimes against humanity and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Croatia also had a key war crimes trial, in which Croat war hero General Norac was sentenced to 12 years for killing dozens of Serb civilians in 1991. General Bobetko died before he could be extradited.

Cyprus is making progress towards reunification. In April people crossed the "green line" for the first time in 30 years. December elections in the Turkish region were split equally between pro- and anti-unification parties.

Czech Republic police arrested two men suspected of selling low-grade uranium. The Czech/German border was identified as a major area of child trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.

France altered its constitution to allow greater devolution of authority. In July, Corsicans narrowly voted against a referendum to establish a new unified assembly, setting back hopes to end separatist violence. For background on this, see our article from July https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/071303.html#FeatureArticle France made numerous arrests of suspected Islamic militants, members of Basque separatist group ETA, and suspected members of the Real IRA.

Georgia has had a bloodless revolution. Elections in November were rife with fraud and irregularities that so angered the people they took to the streets in support of the opposition. After official election results announced President Shevardnadze's re-election, opposition supporters seized parliament. Shevardnadze declared a state of emergency but had no support from the armed forces and he was forced to resign. Nino Burjanadze, speaker of parliament, is the interim president pending new elections on January 4. The Supreme Court annulled the prior results.

Germany launched major investigations into suspected al Qaeda cells, including one in Hamburg connected with the September 11 hijackers, as well as Islamic and neo-Nazi extremist groups and smugglers attempting to supply North Korea. There were a number of trials, including six men who took over the Iraqi diplomatic mission in Berlin in 2002, extraditions to the US for providing material support to al Qaeda, and the trials of al Qaeda associates Mounir al-Motassadek (in prison) and Abdelghani Mzoudi (cleared of charges).

Greece called in international support to help it secure the Olympics games in 2004. Members of the November 17 terror group were tried and convicted. For background on November 17 see https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/121403.html#FeatureArticle

Ireland and Britain published a joint declaration that outlines the steps the IRA should take in order to reduce the British military presence and a second agreement to monitor paramilitary activities if the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ends hostilities. They remain committed to the Good Friday process.

Italy declared national day of mourning in November after 19 soldiers were killed in a suicide bomb attack on their base in southern Iraq. Red Brigade guerillas, long dormant, made themselves felt with a gun battle that killed a policeman and an attempted bombing. Investigations into al Qaeda resulted in many raids and several arrests. An immigration investigation led to the discovery of explosives and five arrests.

Macedonia has peacekeepers from the EU, replacing NATO forces.

Netherlands cooperated with terrorism investigations and put 12 men on trial but they were acquitted when a court ruled that unverified intelligence reports were inadmissible and therefore there was insufficient evidence

Russia pursued a referendum vote in Chechnya despite persistent separatist violence. The vote, in favor of a new constitution that kept Chechnya within the Russian Federation, was neither free nor fair but set the stage for Russian administrator Kadyrov to be elected President in October. There were a number of serious attacks, indicating increased links between the separatists and international agents. These include the suicide bombings in May of a Chechen government building that killed over 50; in June of a military personnel bus in North Ossetia, with 20 dead; in July at a rock festival outside Moscow killing 15; in August at a military hospital near the Chechen border that killed 50; and in December against a passenger train in southern Russia killing over 40. Also in December, a bomb in central Moscow killed five. There were many other smaller attacks, ambushes, kidnappings, and military confrontations.

Serbia's history and status was reviewed in a March feature: https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/031603.html#FeatureArticle

Spain imposed an indefinite ban on the Basque separatist Batasuna party in March. In addition to separatists, Spanish police investigated Islamic extremist groups including al Qaeda cells. In December a national day of mourning was declared for 7 Spanish intelligence agents who were ambushed and killed in Iraq.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Anna Lindh was stabbed to death in a Stockholm department store.

Ukraine's large demonstrations against President Kuchma resulted in an opposition crackdown but didn't prevent the constitutional court from ruling, in December, that he could run for a third term in 2004.

Turkey, under new Prime Minister Erdogan, again demonstrated its commitment to democracy with parliament's refusal to support US military actions in Iraq despite government support, easing restrictions on freedom of speech, reducing the role of the military in politics, and granting language rights to Kurds. In November two car bombs exploded near Istanbul's main synagogue, killing 25. Just a few days later coordinated suicide bombings against the British consulate and a bank killed 28. Hundreds more were injured in each attack, that took place in heavily populated civilian areas.

The UK, as the major supporter of the US invasion of Iraq, has also become a major target. Officials have recognized this by increasing domestic security measures. Many suspected militants have been detained, though few cases have progressed to court.

Northern Ireland saw the lowest death rate from the troubles in over 30 years. Only ten deaths were attributed to paramilitaries. Seven killings were by loyalists, mostly internal disputes related to the Ulster Defense Association (UDA) feud. One man, kidnapped and presumed dead, was attributed to the IRA and two other republican killings were blames on the dissident Real IRA.

In April we reviewed the Finucane case https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/041303.html#FeatureArticle and the results of the Stevens enquiry into collusion between British security forces and loyalist paramilitaries https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/042003.html#FeatureArticle. Then at the start of the Marching Season, we looked at its evolution from 1498-2003 https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/070603.html#FeatureArticle

5. Middle East

Egypt marked the anniversary of the 1973 war with Israel by releasing 2,000 prisoners, most associated with al-Gamaa al-Islamiya.

Iran had large anti-clerical student protests in June, reflecting a societal rift between young people influenced by the west and the religious establishment. In September, Iran was put on notice it must cooperate with IAEA or face consequences. This was described in October https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/102603.html#FeatureArticle By November it had agreed to suspend uranium enrichment and allow stronger inspections. At the end of the year, a devastating earthquake killed tens of thousands. The scale of the tragedy served to reopen relations with the US for the first time in a quarter century, as the US joined relief operations and temporarily lifted some sanctions to allow people to provide aid.

Iraq dominated the news this year, beginning with international disputes over the scale of any threat it posed and continuing through the declared US policy of preemptive warfare. The US attack began March 20 and forces moved into Baghdad by April 9. In May, US President Bush declared major combat over. The Security Council approved a resolution supporting the US-led administration in Iraq and lifted economic sanctions. The Interim Governing Council (IGC) was established in July. The summer also ushered in a guerilla war and both Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed in a gunfight. The continued guerilla war has intensified. In August were the bombing of the Jordanian embassy killing 11; UN headquarters killing 22; and a car bomb in Najaf that killed 125 people including Shia leader Ayatollah Mohammed Baqr al-Hakim. October saw an attack against Red Cross offices and dozens killed in other bombings. Military operations resulted in even more deaths; 105 coalition troops were killed in November. On December 14, Saddam Hussein was captured. On New Year's eve, a massive car bomb tore apart a popular restaurant, killing eight. We talked about Iraq as a state sponsor of terrorism in February: https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/021603.html#FeatureArticle

Israel, the Gaza Strip and West Bank began the year as it ended, trapped in a cycle of violence without respite. In June "50 Years of Middle East Peace Plans" described proposals up to the roadmap; since then the Geneva Accord has been announced. https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/062203.html#FeatureArticle. Since

In the Gaza Strip, the first Palestinian deaths were on January 12 when four were killed by a botched missile attack. Another Israeli raid on January 26 killed 12. Strikes on February 7 killed six, including two nurses. The February 20 raid killed 11 and eight, including a pregnant woman, died on March 3. Senior Hamas leader Ibrahim al Makadme was assassinated by a helicopter strike on his car on March 8. US peace activist Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an army bulldozer on March 16. Senior Hamas leader Sa'adal-Arabeed and four other Palestinians were killed on April 8. A large raid on April 20 killed six and wounded 48. On May 1, a raid against a Hamas bombmaker killed 14, including 2- and 13-year old boys. Missiles on June 13 killed one and wounded 22, including 7 children. On June 22 Hamas leader Abdullah Qawasmeh was shot dead by an Israeli undercover unit as he stood unarmed outside a mosque. Hamas political leader Ismail Abu Shanab and two others were killed in an August 21 helicopter strike. Helicopter missiles killed two Hamas activists on September 1. September 10 senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zaher and his wife were injured and two others, including his son, were killed, and 25 injured when Zahar's home was bombed by warplanes. Raids October 9-12 destroyed a hundred homes, leaving 1500 homeless, and killing two children. On October 15, Palestinian militants bombed a US embassy convoy, killing three security guards. Air strikes on October 20 killed 10 and injured 100. November 7 Israeli killed a 10-year-old boy and in a separate incident killed three Palestinian gunmen. A raid on December 11 killed six and another on the 23 killed eight. On December 25, an airstrike killed three members of Islamic Jihad and two others.

Suicide bombings against Israelis took place on January 5 (two in Tel Aviv, killing 25) March 5 on a bus that killed 15 and March 30 in Netanya, injuring 58. April 23 at a railway station that killed a security guard and April 30 in a Tel Aviv bar that killed three. May 17 killed a man and his pregnant wife and May 18 on a bus, killed seven. June 11 on a bus killed 16 and on July 8 Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for killing a 65-year-old woman. The first attack on August 12 was at an Israeli shopping center and the second at a West Bank bus stop each killing the bomber and one bystander. August 19 in Jerusalem killed 20 adults and children, and injured more than a hundred. September 9 seven were killed at a Jerusalem cafe and eight were killed at a bus stop near a Tel Aviv military base. October 4 a woman bomber killed 20 in a revenge attack. On December 25 four were killed in Tel Aviv.

There were other attacks against Israelis. Two Palestinian infiltrators killing one Israeli before they were killed in turn on January 12. In February Hamas killed four soldiers. On March 7 Palestinian gunmen raided a West Bank settlement and killed two. A similar incident on June 17 killed an Israeli girl. Palestinian gunmen ambushed and killed three Israeli soldiers on October 19. Three Israeli soldiers were killed on October 23 in a Gaza shooting.

In the West Bank, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat continued operating from his ruined compound. He agreed to appoint a Prime Minister. Mahmoud Abbas held the position from late April to early September but was unable to come to terms with Arafat. Ahmed Qureia replaced him. On April 2 raids killed six. On April 9 a bomb planted by Jewish extremists injured 20 children at a school playground. A 4-year old boy was shot dead by a tank-mounted Israeli machine gun on July 25. Senior Islamic Jihad member Mohammed Sidr was assassinated on August 14. Mohammed Hanbali, Hamas commander in Nablus, was assassinated on September 5. Raids on December 1 killed a 9-year-old boy and three activists.

Jordan held its first parliamentary elections under King Abdullah II in June. In August, the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad was bombed, killing 11.

Lebanon saw repeated violations of air space as Israeli forces acted against militant Hizbollah. In August, a car bomb in Beirut killed a Hezbollah member; the attack was blamed on Israel.

Qatar approved a new constitution providing for a partially elected parliament.

Saudi Arabia no longer hosts a massive US military presence; the US has re-deployed troops elsewhere in the region. This was not enough to make the Saudis less of a target. In May, suicide bombers killed 35 people in a housing compound for westerners. A similar attack in November killed 17 and injured dozens more.

Syria continues to combat US accusations that it has chemical weapons and supports terrorists. Israel launched air strikes near Damascus in October. Syria has proposed regional disarmament and fresh talks with Israel.

Yemen continued its crackdown against terrorists, including an offensive in June in which 12 suspected militants were killed.

6. South Asia

Afghanistan's recovery was sidelined by the war in Iraq, until a resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda forced a tactical change. Afghanistan regaining its place as the number one producer of opium and the use of the drugs trade to finance attacks also contributed to the new strategy. Aid workers forced out by attacks have re-engaged as security permits. Security is not under NATO control, and recently the mission was approved to expand beyond Kabul into other regions of the country. The Loya Jirga has been meeting in Kabul to iron out a draft constitution.

Bangladesh saw a number of opposition politicians attacked and killed.

Bhutan launched a large operation in December to drive Indian separatist rebels out of the country.

India improved relations with both China and Pakistan -- particularly important since all are nuclear powers. In August more than 50 people were killed in simultaneous bombings in Bombay.

Both India and Pakistan have declared a ceasefire in Kashmir.

The Maldives experienced anti-government riots. The immediate trigger was the death of two inmates, but was directly related to a government of political oppression and torture, including arbitrary detentions and unfair trials.

Nepal began the year with a ceasefire. Rebel demands for an elected body and new constitution were not met and the conflict resumed in earnest in August. It was accompanied by protests and general strikes by those opposed to the king.

Pakistan continued to struggle to contain Islamic militants and regional introduction of Sharia law. President Musharraf survived several attempted assassinations, including two massive bombings in December.

Sri Lanka's year began with a fast-moving peace process. In the spring, talks slowed down as the Tamil Tigers felt they were not involved enough in the process, particularly in reconstruction plans. Mediated negotiations continued until November when President Kumaratunga dismissed three ministers and suspended parliament to express her displeasure over the Prime Minister and his government's efforts in the peace process. Parliament reopened in two weeks but there has been no progress in the peace negotiations and the power struggle between the president and prime minister is unresolved.

7. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Online crime grew both in the volume and damage of attacks. Reports to the Internet Crime Complaint Center reflected a rise of 60 percent. The emergence of the phisher fraud, online blackmail, and malicious programs designed to capture personal data reflected a move towards increased criminal intent.

Most of the virus and related attacks targeted Microsoft Windows systems. At the end of the year, Microsoft launched a television campaign telling people how to install a firewall, patch software, and use antivirus products -- before going online.

The growing threat of identity theft was described in "From The Jackal to Phishing" https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/092103.html#FeatureArticle. Following up on this theme, we wrote of steps taken under the USA Patriot Act to verify identity https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/092803.html#FeatureArticle

We featured "Microsoft, Jeffrey Lee Parson and the Worm" in August https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/083103.html#FeatureArticle and an article on computer viruses in November https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/111603.html#FeatureArticle

8. Finance

The Broadway National Bank of New York wasfined $4 million for failing to maintain anti-money-laundering procedures including the failure to report suspicious transactions.

Abbey National Companies was fined GBP2,320,000 for breaches of anti-money laundering rules as well as system and control failures

The World Bank analyzed links between conflict and failed development. We wrote about the report in May, "Breaking the Conflict Trap": https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/051103.html#FeatureArticle

Issues of governance came up in "Transnational Corporations and Human Rights" in August https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/081703.html#FeatureArticle

Burma, Cook Islands, Egypt, Guatemala, Nauru, Nigeria, Philippines and Ukraine remain on the FATF List of Non-Cooperative Countries in regard to anti-money laundering. Grenade St Vincent and the Grenadines were removed from the list.

FATF updated its 40 Recommendations and developed a series of interpretive notes and best practices related to terrorist financing. We described the FATF Money Laundering Typologies in March: https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/030903.html#FeatureArticle

With traditional financial channels more difficult to access, alternate methods have become popular. We wrote of "Financing Terrorism with Counterfeit Goods" in July https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/072003.html#FeatureArticle and in the UK Threat Assessment in August https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/082403.html#FeatureArticle
and of "Plunder in the Congo" in November https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/110203.html#FeatureArticle and ended the year by talking about agricultural fraud "From Pigs and Grain to Sheep: Terror Financing Deja Vu": https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/122803.html#FeatureArticle

The US National Money Laundering Strategy was described in November https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/110903.html#FeatureArticle

The US Treasury issued a number of rules implementing provisions of the USA Patriot Act, including expanding the range of financial institutions to include money services businesses, casinos, and jewelers.

9. Human Rights

The UN World Food Program set a record feeding 110 million people. Aid to Iraq was a logistical miracle, moving 1,000 tones of food per hour 7x24. Despite WFP efforts, the budget shortfall forced reduced rations in areas of Africa and to North Korea.

In March we talked about World Water and the risk of war over this scarce resource https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/031603.html#FeatureArticle

The US again designated Burma, China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, and Sudan as "Countries of Particular Concern" Under the International Religious Freedom Act.

We reviewed the US and other reports on international human rights practices in April https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/031603.html#FeatureArticle and wrote of the relationship between "Transnational Corporations and Human Rights" in August https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/081703.html#FeatureArticle

Argentina's congress and senate voted to repeal laws that protected military officers of the 1976-83 military regime from prosecution over human rights abuses.

Armenia abolished the death penalty and President Kocharyan commuted 42 death sentences to life.

Belgium's parliament passed legislation allowing Belgian courts to try foreigners for war and human rights crimes. It led to suits against high-profile international figures and proved extremely controversial so the universal jurisdiction clause was removed.

Mexico called for stays of execution for 51 Mexicans on death row in the US because they had not told about their right to assistance from consulates. The case is now before the International Court of Justice.

In Rwanda 3 former media executives were convicted of inciting violence during 1994 genocide and given long jail sentences.

Issues of Land Reform were covered in a 2-part series:
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/042703.html#FeatureArticle
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/050403.html#FeatureArticle

10. Law and Legal Issues

The FBI reports more than 3,000 al Qaeda have been captured. Most significant of these were operations head Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and southeast Asian head Riduan Isamuddin. Morocco jailed three Saudi al Qaeda members for 10 years in connection with a plot to attack ships in the Straits of Gibraltar. We reviewed al Qaeda attacks since September 11 in a May feature https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/051803.html#FeatureArticle (that badly needs an update). More issues were raised in "Extracts from Foreign Policy Aspects of the War against Terrorism" published by a British Commons committee https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/080303.html#FeatureArticle

We looked at terrorism statistics in February: https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/022303.html#FeatureArticle

In April, the military captured Abu Abbas in Baghdad. Abbas was the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) and mastermind of the 1985 Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacking.

Greece tried and convicted members of November 17 https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/121403.html#FeatureArticle

Indonesia tracked down many members of Jemaah Islamiah and other Islamic militants. In the fall, three Bali bombers were sentenced to death and a fourth to life in prison.

International "Legal Challenges and Responses" to terrorism was reported in October https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/101903.html#FeatureArticle

11. Transportation

Air security again dominated transportation security. Some airline pilots are being armed, cockpit doors reinforces, and experiments in updating passenger screening are underway.
Passenger baggage screening also received a lot of attention, but the focus is turning to cargo shipments, including the issues of tracking intermodal shipments. Cargo shipping has been recognized as a high security risk. To begin, reporting to identify potentially high-risk shipments is being implemented. We wrote about Maritime Security and Piracy in June https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/060103.html#FeatureArticle

Physical security around high risk and high profile facilities has also been increased, to help prevent attacks using vehicle bombs. We wrote about that in September https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/090703.html#FeatureArticle

12. Weapons of Mass Destruction

Iran and Libya both agreed to stricter IAEA inspections. The crisis with Iran was described in October https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/102603.html#FeatureArticle

North Korea pulled out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in January, sparking a crisis that remains unresolved. Several weapons shipments from North Korea were interdicted during the year. This program was discussed in out July issue https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/072703.html#FeatureArticle

Belgium will close its 7 nuclear reactors by 2025 and will invest in renewable energy and gas rather than new reactors.

In February, the US Department of State produced a Fact Sheet on Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers that we documented at https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/020903.html#FeatureArticle

We talked about the threats from Emerging Infectious Diseases in March https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/033003.html#FeatureArticle with details on "HIV/AIDS and Global Conflict" https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/112303.html#FeatureArticle and "SARS and Public Health Implications of Infectious Diseases" in November https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2003/113003.html#FeatureArticle

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