Sri Lanka army kills 15 rebels

The Sri Lankan armed forces say they have killed at least 15 Tamil Tiger rebels in intense battles in the north of the country.

The government says it has now restricted the rebels to an area of less than 25 sq km.

But pro-rebel websites say that the guerrillas have been offering stiff resistance to the army’s offensive.

There is no independent confirmation of the events as journalists cannot report from the conflict zone.

Filed under: Asia, Australia, Canada, Chennai, Colombo, Elephant Pass, Guerrilla Group, Guerrilla war, India, Jafna, London, LTTE, Madras, Mahindra Rajapaksa, Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka, Tamil, Tamil Nadu, Terror, Terrorism, The Terror Journal, Toronto, UK, Velupillai Prabhakaran, War

Sudan leader in Qatar for summit

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has arrived in Qatar for an Arab summit due to discuss an indictment against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

He has already visited Egypt, Eritrea and Libya over the past week to drum up support from his neighbours.

Qatar has not signed the ICC charter, which obliges member states to arrest indictees on their territory, but clerics have urged Mr Bashir not to go.

Libya’s leader earlier said the ICC was a “new form of world terrorism”.

Filed under: Africa, African Union, Aid, Barack Obama, Civil war, Darfur, Foreign affairs, Genocide, International, International Criminal Court, Justice, South Africa, Sudan, Terrorism, The Terror Journal, U.N, U.S.A, United Nations, United States, War, War Crimes, World

US to consult Pakistan on strikes

US President Barack Obama has said he will consult Pakistan’s leaders before targeting militants in that country.

“If we have a high-value target within our sights, after consulting with Pakistan, we’re going after them,” Mr Obama told CBS television.

But Mr Obama ruled out deploying US ground troops inside Pakistan.

On Friday, the US leader announced a major policy review on Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying the situation on their border was “increasingly perilous”.

Filed under: Asia, Afghanistan, E.U, European Union, Foreign affairs, Guerrilla Group, Guerrilla war, International, Islam, Islamabad, Islamic law, Islamist, Islamists, Kabul, London, Muslim, Muslims, NATO, Pakistan, Sharia, Taleban, Taliban, Terror, Terrorism, Terrorists, The Terror Journal, U.S.A, UK, United Kingdom, United States, War, World

Bloody clash in south Philippines

Muslim rebels and the army have fought an eight-hour battle in the southern Philippines, leaving 20 insurgents and seven soldiers dead, the military says.

Lt Col Jonathan Ponce said the army attacked rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to stop them from ransacking nearby villages.

The MILF blamed the army for the battle, on Mindanao island.

Hundreds have died and many thousands have been displaced on Mindanao since August, when peace talks foundered.

Filed under: Asia, E.U, European Union, Foreign affairs, Human Rights, International, Islam, Islamic law, Islamist, Islamists, Muslim, Muslims, NATO, Philippines, Sharia, Terrorism, Terrorists, The Terror Journal, U.A.E, U.N, U.S.A, UK, United Kingdom, United States, War, World

Suicide bomber kills 37 in Pakistan mosque

A suicide bomber killed 37 people when he blew himself up in a crowded Pakistani mosque near the Afghan border on Friday, government officials said.

The attack came hours before President Barack Obama announced a new strategy for the Afghan war, an approach U.S. officials said would also recognize Pakistan as a key part of the conflict.

Militant violence has surged in nuclear-armed Pakistan since mid-2007, with numerous attacks on the security forces and government and Western targets.

Filed under: Asia, Afghanistan, E.U, European Union, Foreign affairs, Guerrilla Group, Guerrilla war, International, Islam, Islamabad, Islamic law, Islamist, Islamists, Kabul, London, Muslim, Muslims, NATO, Pakistan, Sharia, Taleban, Taliban, Terror, Terrorism, Terrorists, The Terror Journal, U.S.A, UK, United Kingdom, United States, War, World

Russia to end Chechnya anti-terror mission

President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday ordered the Russian authorities to move towards ending the anti-terror operation in Chechnya that has been in place for the last decade.

He ordered the national anti-terror committee to consider the future of the regime, which was put in place as Moscow was starting its second war against separatists in the Muslim Caucasus region in 1990.

“I propose that the national anti-terror committee considers the question about the anti-terror operation and takes the necessary decisions,” Medvedev said in comments broadcast on state television.

Filed under: Europe, Arab, Chechnya, Foreign affairs, Human Rights, International, Islam, Islamic law, Islamist, Islamists, Moscow, Muslim, Muslims, Russia, Sharia, Terror, Terrorism, Terrorists, The Terror Journal, War, World

Islamist threat to Turkey’s secular system

Turkish secularism on the ropes. Sharia is advancing in what is always held out to be that exemplary beacon of democracy in the Islamic world, Turkey. The reasons why Sharia supremacists are advancing there have not — unsurprisingly — been sufficiently explored by Western analysts, who of course dismiss out of hand the appeal of a call to restore Islamic authenticity.

“Erdogan Set for Election Win That May Revive Tension Over Islam,” by Ben Holland for Bloomberg, March 27

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to win a fresh mandate from voters that may embolden his challenge to the country’s military and courts, which see him as an Islamist threat to Turkey’s secular system.

Filed under: Europe, Afghanistan, Arab, Arab Media, Australia, Barack Obama, Canada, E.U, Egypt, European Union, France, Germany, India, International, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Jordan, Lebanon, Middle East, MidEast, Muslim, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Terror, Terrorism, Terrorists, The Terror Journal, Turkey, U.A.E, U.N, U.S.A, UK, United States, War, World

Holding the line on Hamas

Once it is sworn into office, Israel’s new government will immediately have to go on a diplomatic offensive.

This month, under Egyptian sponsorship, Hamas and Fatah began negotiating the formation of a Palestinian unity government that, if agreed upon, will run the affairs of the Palestinian Authority. From what can be gleaned from media accounts of the proceedings, it is clear Hamas will control the government and Fatah will operate as a junior partner responsible for keeping up international monetary support for the PA. Hamas will not recognize Israel. And Fatah and Hamas militias will be unified in some manner and end all cooperation and coordination with Israel.

In short, if formed, the new Palestinian government will be nothing more than a Hamas-Fatah terror consortium committed to waging continuous war against Israel.

Filed under: Analysis, E.U, European Union, Gaza, Gaza raids, Gaza strip, Hamas, IAF, International, Islam, Islamic law, Islamist, Islamists, Israel, Israel Air Force, Muslim, Muslims, Operation Cast Lead, Palestine, Palestinian Authority, Terrorism, Terrorists, The Terror Journal, War, West Bank

UN calls for Sri Lanka pause

The UN, backed by the US and Britain, has urged the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels to back a “humanitarian pause” in fighting.

A senior UN official said the civilian population trapped in the conflict zone in the north was not being allowed out.

Amnesty International said on Friday that thousands of civilians were increasingly at risk in the conflict.

Troops have pushed the rebels from most of the territory they held during heavy fighting in the past few weeks.

Filed under: Asia, Australia, Canada, Chennai, Colombo, Elephant Pass, Guerrilla Group, Guerrilla war, India, Jafna, London, LTTE, Madras, Mahindra Rajapaksa, Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka, Tamil, Tamil Nadu, Terror, Terrorism, The Terror Journal, Toronto, UK, Velupillai Prabhakaran, War

Yugoslav war crimes suspect arrested in Kenya

A man wanted on suspicion of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia has been arrested in Kenya where he was running a water sports business for years, police and colleagues said.

The man was named as Igor Majeski, in his 60s, by police sources and colleagues at the Whitesands hotel, just north of the Indian Ocean coast city of Mombasa, where he worked.

Kenyan police said he was carrying a Croatian passport, but may have been using false documents. A Croatian police official also suggested Majeski may have been an assumed name.

“He’s been a wanted man for a long time and the arrest was made after thorough investigations by security agents,” a police officer in Mombasa, who did not want to be named, told Reuters.

Filed under: 1, Belgrade, Bosnia, Croatia, E.U, European Union, Genocide, Herzegovina, International, Kosovo, Ljubljana, Macedonia, Montenegro, NATO, Novi Sad, Pristina, Sarajevo, Serbia, Skopje, Slovenia, The Terror Journal, U.S.A, UK, United Kingdom, United States, Vojvodina, War, World, Yugoslavia, Zagreb