Open Source Daily INTSUM: Thursday, Oct. 27, 2005

[Airbornelawyer]

From Various Sources:

Middle East
Security incidents in Iraq, Oct 27 (http://www.alertnet.org/printable.htm?URL=/thenews/newsdesk/KAM740773.htm) (Source: Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
Clashes Near Baghdad Kill 21 Militia Fighters, Police (http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/4E4B0C7B-33D9-4D01-9D68-8AEE3ACDE7B9.html). - At least 21 Shi'ite militia fighters and two policemen were killed today in clashes between Iraqi police and Sunni insurgents near Baghdad today. Reports say the Imam Al-Mahdi Army, loyal to nationalist Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, had asked police for help in recovering a comrade who was being held. The group was attacked by insurgents as they prepared to launch the operation.There was no immediate information on casualties on the insurgent side. (Source: Radio Free Europe (http://www.rferl.org))
Three Ukrainian soldiers wounded in Iraq (http://www.mil.gov.ua/5ombr/index.php?id=news&sid=6018). A roadside bomb exploded a few meters from a BTR-80 of the 81st Tactical Group of the Ukrainian peacekeeping brigade while it was on patrol near Numaniya, wounding three Ukrainian soldiers. (Source: Ukrainian Peacekeeping Contingent in Iraq (http://www.mil.gov.ua/5ombr/index.php))
Sharon threatens major offensive after attack (http://news.ft.com/cms/s/e15ad48c-463b-11da-8880-00000e2511c8.html). Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister, on Thursday threatened a major military offensive against Palestinian militants after an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber killed five people in the coastal town of Hadera. (Source: Financial Times (http://news.ft.com))
Plugging Leaks in Iraq Border Town (http://arabnews.com/services/print/print.asp?artid=72352&d=27&m=10&y=2005&hl=Plugging%20Leaks%20in%20Iraq%20Border%20Town). "AL-QAIM, Iraq, 27 October 2005 — Nestled on the roof of a house being built here, a US Marine sniper team scouts for insurgents they say slip across the Syrian border to take pot shots, while the population trickles back into town. Shots ring out and bullets whistle over the US troops shielded by waist-high walls and blankets that mask their movements. …" (Source: Agence France Presse, via Arab News (http://arabnews.com))
Iraqi army’s 5th Division assumes greater role in Diyala Province (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/Releases/Oct/051026f.htm). "More than 3,000 Soldiers from Task Force Liberty and the 278th Regimental Combat Team will conclude their mission in eastern Diyala Province with a departure ceremony on Forward Operating Base Caldwell on Oct. 29th at 11:30 a.m. The 1st Brigade of the Iraqi army’s 5th Division in Diyala, because of their proven operational capabilities, will take on a greater security role in the military operations in the sector during the ceremony. The Iraqi 1st Brigade continues to train and equip its forces while providing command and control for battalion-sized operations in eastern Diyala Province. …" (Source: Multinational Force - Iraq (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/))
Northern Exposure (http://billroggio.com/archives/2005/10/northern_exposu_1.php). " al Qaeda's northern network in the Mosul region continues to take a pounding. Over the weekend, five terrorists, including two "senior-level leaders responsible for planning and funding terrorism" were captured based on tips from the citizens of Tal Afar. Two others were killed in a firefight in Mosul. …" (Source: The Fourth Rail (http://billroggio.com/))

Asia
Six dead in south Thailand raids (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4380820.stm). "At least six people have died in a wave of co-ordinated attacks in southern Thailand, which officials blamed on suspected Muslim militants. …" (Source: BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/)). See also: http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8751
Sri Lankan military says 2 Tigers killed (http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=2005\10\27\story_27-10-2005_pg4_18). "Breakaway guerrillas attacked a Tamil Tiger camp in eastern Sri Lanka on Wednesday killing at least two officials of the main rebel organisation, the island’s military said. …" (Source: Daily Times (Pakistan) (http://www.dailytimes.com.pk))
Sri Lanka: Security Situation Report (http://www.army.lk/news/index.html). (Source: Sri Lanka Army (http://www.army.lk))
South Asia Terrorism Update (http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news.asp?date1=10/27/2005) (Source: South Asia Terrorism Portal (http://www.satp.org))

Africa
ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Border stable despite restrictions on peacekeepers, says UN (http://www.alertnet.org/printable.htm?URL=/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/6bccfd1611c76f39cbbae9123c9d5622.htm). "The situation along the common border between Ethiopia and Eritrea is militarily stable but restrictions on United Nations peacekeepers remain, a spokeswoman for the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), said on Thursday. …" (Source: Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))

Europe
Albania: The 5th Peacekeeping Contingent comes back from Iraq mission (http://www.mod.gov.al/eng/lajme/lexo_lajm.asp?IDNews=1373). "The fifth Peacekeeping Contingent consisted by 120 Albanian militaries has came back in homeland after six months. They have realized successfully their mission in Mosul, Iraq. …" (Source: Ministry of Defense of Albania (http://www.mod.gov.al))

[Airbornelawyer]

From the RFE/RL Newsline (http://www.rferl.org/newsline/):

Russia
MOSCOW VOWS TO BLOCK ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST SYRIA.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said on the sidelines of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Jerusalem on 26 October that Russia will oppose an anticipated proposal to impose economic sanctions on Syria, RTR and other Russian media reported. "Russia will do everything necessary to stop attempts to introduce sanctions against Syria," Kamynin said, according to Interfax. He said Lavrov will participate in the 31 October debate in the UN over the draft resolution, which the United States, the United Kingdom, and France are expected to introduce.
RUSSIA SEEKS GREATER INFLUENCE IN AFGHANISTAN
President Putin's envoy for international organized crime, Anatolii Safonov, has indicated that Moscow wants a greater role for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in stabilizing Afghanistan, MosNews reported on 25 October, citing Interfax. Safonov reportedly said the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has not provided an "effective solution to the problems of terrorism and narcotics" in Afghanistan. "Russia has repeatedly proposed NATO-CSTO cooperation" in Afghanistan, he said, "but we have not heard a substantive answer from Brussels." ISAF policy has dictated that it avoid involvement in counternarcotics operations, but there are reports that suggest NATO will assume more drug-fighting responsibilities as it expands its presence in Afghanistan.
Transcaucasia And Central Asia
SOUTH OSSETIA PROTESTS GEORGIAN EFFORTS TO SOLICIT U.S. SUPPORT IN RESOLVING CONFLICT
Murat Djioev, who is foreign minister of the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia, told regnum.ru on 26 October that he thinks Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli's recent meetings in Washington with top U.S. officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, reflect Tbilisi's lack of interest in resolving its conflict with South Ossetia peacefully. Noghaideli reportedly outlined to U.S. officials earlier this week a revised version of the peace plan unveiled in January by President Mikheil Saakashvili, and is scheduled to present that new proposal to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 27 October, Georgian media reported. At the same time, Djioev reaffirmed South Ossetia's commitment to seeking a "peaceful and just" solution to the conflict.
Southeastern Europe
SERBIA ARRESTS NINE POLICE OFFICERS FOR KILLING KOSOVARS...
Serbia arrested nine police officers on 26 October for their roles in the 1999 murder of 48 Kosovar Albanians, Reuters reported the same day, citing a law-enforcement official. The bodies of the 48 Albanians were among more than 800 victims found in 2001 buried in pits near Belgrade. "The policemen are suspected of having killed 48 people, including four babies and a 100-year-old woman, on March 26, 1999, in Suva Reka," said a spokesman for Serbia's war crimes prosecutor, who ordered the arrests. Reka added that six of the nine policemen were on active duty when they were arrested. None of them have been indicted by the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
GUNMEN ATTACK SERBIAN POLICE OFFICERS IN SOUTHERN KOSOVA
In the latest in a series of attacks, gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying four Kosovar Serb police officers near the southern town of Kacanik on 26 October, Reuters reported the same day. It was the third attack targeting Serbian police officers in the area in the past two months, raising concerns that an organized campaign might be under way as Kosova prepares for final-status talks. "The car was hit but no one was injured," an unidentified police official told Reuters. "There were three male Serb officers and one female in the car," the official said.
Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
ISLAMABAD HANDS OVER SENIOR NEO-TALIBAN FIGURES TO KABUL
The Pakistani government handed over 14 people who are believed to be senior figures among remnant forces of the deposed Taliban regime to Afghanistan on 26 October, international news agencies reported. Neo-Taliban spokesman Mufti Latifullah Hakimi, who was captured in Pakistan in October and whom Afghan President Hamid Karzai said would be the subject of an extradition request, was among those transferred. Pakistan also handed over Mohammad Yaser, who spoke on behalf of the neo-Taliban and headed the movement's cultural activities, Pajhwak Afghan News reported on 26 October. Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Nawid Ahmad Moez told Pajhwak that the men were turned over to Afghan authorities after a formal request was made to Pakistan for their return. Hakimi had designated himself as a neo-Taliban spokesman from Pakistan since the latter half of 2004.
SIX SUSPECTED NEO-TALIBAN KILLED IN COALITION AIR STRIKE IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
U.S. and British aircraft killed six suspected neo-Taliban fighters in Oruzgan Province on 24 October, AP reported on 26 October. The aircraft were reportedly responding to an attack by militants on a joint Afghan-U.S. patrol in the area in which one Afghan soldier was wounded.

[Martin]

Volvo bribed Saddam with 6.6 million crowns (Swedish Krona, 6.6M SEK ~ $840'000 USD)
2005-10-27, n24.se

The article stated that Volvo had paid bribes to Saddam through the Oil for Food program. It also talks about use of Jordan as a transit point for money, the change of going directly to using Jordan came as Iraq demanded 10% in bribes.

Martin