Israel has right to defend itself from Hamas: U.S.

The United States said on Friday that Israel has the right to make its decision in its fight against Hamas so long as the latter is taking steps to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties.

“Israel has a right to defend itself from these rocket attacks,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters.

“So I think any steps they are taking, whether it’s from the air or on the ground or anything of that nature, are part and parcel of the same operation.”

Prior to the remarks by Johndroe, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated American call for cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which is ruling Gaza.

Source: Xinhua

Filed under: MidEast, Defend, Hamas, Israel, The Terror Journal, U.S.A

Iraq bomb kills 23 at election campaign

A suicide bomber killed at least 23 people and wounded 72 on Friday at a feast for Sunni Arab electoral candidates and tribal leaders in a town near Baghdad.

The bombing took place a day after the U.S. military presence in Iraq came under an Iraqi government mandate, and weeks before provincial elections which could reshape the political landscape across the country.

Eyewitness Falah Abdul-Hadi said Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, a Sunni leader of the al-Qaraghouli tribe, hosted the lunch for a group of electoral candidates at his home on the outskirts of Yusufiya, 20 km (12 miles) south of Baghdad.

About 500 people were gathered under a marquee attached to the house, Abdul-Hadi said. The bomber, a relative of the host named Amin al-Qaraghouli, blew himself up among the quests.

“There was a huge explosion then the tent was engulfed in flames. People were running away and some were bleeding,” Abdul-Hadi said. “Then we started evacuating the bodies and wounded.”

The sheikh and one of the electoral candidates were among the wounded, he said.

Source: Reuters

Filed under: MidEast, Election campaign, Iraq, Kerbala, Suicide bomber, The Terror Journal

West Bank anger over Gaza raids

Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank have joined demonstrations after a call from Hamas for a “day of wrath” against the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Five Palestinians, including three children, have been killed in the latest Israeli air attacks on Gaza.

More than 400 people are believed to have died in a week of raids on Gaza. Four Israelis have died in the rocket attacks Israel is trying to prevent.

The US said on Friday it wanted a “durable and sustainable” ceasefire.

But US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said any ceasefire should “not allow a re-establishment of the status quo ante, where Hamas can continue to launch rockets out of Gaza”.

The BBC’s Kim Ghattas in Washington says it is unclear what Ms Rice means by “sustainable ceasefire” or how it can be attained.

But it is a position that is widely interpreted as tacit backing by Washington for Israel to continue its military operation and try to weaken Hamas as much as possible, our correspondent says.

Source: BBC News

Filed under: MidEast, Anger, Demonstrations, Gaza raids, Protests, Stone Throwing, The Terror Journal, West Bank

Don’t advise us, check your terror outfits: India to Pak

Rubbishing Pakistan’s “advice” for de-activating ground and air troops in forward areas, India on Friday said it has no right to give any such suggestion and pointed out that 330 terror outfits are still active in that country.

Maintaining that India has done no escalation and the armed forces were only doing their duty, Defence Minister A K Antony said there is “no noticeable change” in the attitude of Pakistan and Indian forces will have to remain alert.

“I do not think there is any noticeable change in the attitude of Pakistan. Statements are not important. Actions are important. They have to prove by their action,” Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of a Defence Ministry function.

“More than 330 terrorist outfits are still operating in Pakistan, there is no improvement or any change in attitude,” Antony said responding to questions from reporters.

To a question on Pakistan’s suggestion that India should withdraw ground troops and de-activate forward air bases, he said Islamabad has no right to give any such advice.

“Nobody will tell us, after 26/11 we must be prepared to meet any eventuality. It is our duty,” he asserted.

Source: NDTV

Filed under: Asia, India, Mumbai, Pakistan, The Terror Journal

Israel pursues diplomacy but presses attacks

Israel broadened the scope of its air offensive against the Hamas infrastructure in Gaza on Thursday, destroying important symbols of the government and, for the first time in its six-day-old campaign, killing a senior leader of the militant Islamic group.

With Israeli troops and tanks massing along the border with Gaza in preparation for a possible ground invasion, Israel also pursued diplomatic avenues to explain its positions.

The Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, flew to Paris to meet with French leaders who are seeking ways to promote a cease-fire. Before she left, Livni suggested that Israel was seeking more time for its military operation, which officials say is intended to bring an end to the rocket fire from Gaza that has plagued southern Israel for years.

Source: International Herald Tribune

Filed under: Asia, Europe, Bernard Kouchner, Diplomacy, France, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Nicolas Sarkozy, The Terror Journal, Tzipi Livni

Israel clamps down on West Bank, Jerusalem mosques

Israel barred men younger than 50 from entering Jerusalem mosques for Friday prayers and closed West Bank border crossings in hopes of preventing protests or violence over its bombing campaign in Gaza.

The assault continued for a seventh day Friday after overnight airstrikes on a mosque, the Hamas military headquarters and other targets.

One person was killed in the raids. Palestinian medical sources said at least 421 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli raids began Saturday, and 2,220 people have been wounded.

Despite a call by Hamas leaders for “a day of rage” against Israel, only a few demonstrators threw rocks at police or staged protests after prayers ended at the al Aqsa mosque in the old city of Jerusalem.

Thousands of police officers patrolled the streets of the old city and east Jerusalem. Only Palestinian men over 50 who held Israeli-issued identity cards were allowed inside mosques to pray. No such restrictions applied to women.

Source: CNN

Filed under: MidEast, Israel, Jerusalem, Mosques, The Terror Journal, West Bank

Pakistani valley falls to Taliban militants

Taliban militants are beheading and burning their way through Pakistan‘s picturesque Swat Valley, and residents say the insurgents now control most of the mountainous region far from the lawless tribal areas where jihadists thrive.

The deteriorating situation in the former tourist haven comes despite an army offensive that began in 2007 and an attempted peace deal. It is especially worrisome to Pakistani officials because the valley lies outside the areas where al-Qaida and Taliban militants have traditionally operated and where the military is staging a separate offensive.

“You can’t imagine how bad it is,” said Muzaffar ul-Mulk, a federal lawmaker whose home in Swat was attacked by bomb-toting assailants in mid-December, weeks after he left. “It’s worse day by day.”

Source: MSNBC/Associated Press

Filed under: Asia, Pakistan, Taleban, The Terror Journal

Israel Launches Fresh Attacks in Seventh Day of Fighting

Israel Launches Fresh Attacks in Seventh Day of Fighting, as Israel bombed a mosque and the homes of at least half a dozen Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip on Friday and allowed foreign passport holders to leave the ravaged territory, as speculation rose that a ground assault could be imminent.

A day after an airstrike killed a senior Hamas leader — the first from the militant group known to have died during the Israeli assault — Hamas continued to launch rockets into Israel, with several missiles landing in the southern city of Ashkelon. No deaths or serious injuries were reported.

Most of the homes of Hamas operatives targeted Friday were apparently empty, though wire services reported that one man was killed in the strikes. On Thursday, cleric Nizar Rayyan, who served as a liaison between Hamas’s political and military wings, was killed, along with several members of his family, when an Israeli bomb obliterated a house in the densely packed Jabalya refugee camp north of Gaza City. By late Thursday, the Palestinian death toll was 412, according to health officials in the strip.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which began last Saturday, has been carried out exclusively by air and by sea.

Source: Washington Post

Filed under: MidEast, Gaza strip, Israel, Middle East, The Terror Journal

Sri Lankan troops seize LTTE HQ

Sri Lanka’s military has seized control of the Tamil Tiger rebels’ de facto capital of Kilinochchi, President Mahinda Rajapakse has announced.

He described the taking of the northern town as an “unparalleled victory” for government forces.

A pro-Tamil website confirmed the news, but said government troops had entered a “virtual ghost town” as rebel headquarters had been moved north-east.

Correspondents say the town’s loss will be a heavy blow to the rebel group.

The LTTE is currently proscribed as a terrorist organization by 31 countries including U.S,  U.K, E.U,  Australia, Canada, India

Source: BBC News

Filed under: Asia, LTTE HQ, Sri Lanka, The Terror Journal

Israel ready for ground offensive

Israeli forces are poised to launch a ground offensive in the next stage of their assault on Gaza. Israel has been attacking Hamas targets in Gaza for six days now.

On Thursday, one airstrike killed a senior Hamas leader in his home – Nizar Rayan was believed to have close ties with the group’s military wing.

Palestinian officials say more than 400 people have been killed in the raids, while more than 1700 have been injured.

People across the Middle East are showing their support for Gaza and have begun protesting against the Israeli attacks in the region.

Source: Russia Today

Filed under: Asia, Gaza raids, Hamas, IDF, Israel, The Terror Journal