Daily Summary - Monday, December 12, 2005

[Airbornelawyer]

Middle East and Central & South Asia

Iraq: Security incidents in Iraq, Dec 12 (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/KAM238905.htm) (Reuters (http://www.alertnet.org))
Iraq: Ongoing operations (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/releases.htm) – Miscellaneous releases from Multi-National Force Iraq (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/).
Middle East and South & Central Asia: Ongoing operations (http://www.mnf-iraq.com/releases.htm) – Miscellaneous releases from U.S. Central Command (http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/release_list.asp).

Iraq: Ex-General Speaks of Torture in Iraqi Prisons (http://www.arabnews.com/services/print/print.asp?artid=74557&d=12&m=12&y=2005&hl=Ex-General%20Speaks%20of%20Torture%20in%20Iraqi%20Pri sons) "An Iraqi general formerly in charge of special forces said yesterday he witnessed horrific scenes of torture in Iraqi prisons and accused a Shiite militia of being responsible. “It was horrific. Thousands of detainees, often teenagers, beaten, burned, receiving electric shocks, then the majority killed,” Muntazar Al-Samarrai, who fled Iraq for Jordan five months ago, told AFP. …" (AFP via Arab News (http://www.arabnews.com))
Iraq: From the Polish-led Multinational Division Central-South come these two reports: New fire range for Iraqi soldiers (http://www.piomndcs.mil.pl/index.php?vhost=mndcs&akcja=news&id=554&limes=) and New school for Iraqi children (http://www.piomndcs.mil.pl/index.php?akcja=news&id=552&limes=). Let's hope they're not next to each other. (MND-CS (http://www.piomndcs.mil.pl/))
Iraq: Royal Irish patrol Route Irish (http://www.news.mod.uk/news_headline_story2.asp?newsItem_id=3843) "Personnel from the First Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment have been been carrying out a vital role in the dangerous environment around Baghdad. Operating from the heavily protected International Zone in the heart of the city, Royal Irish soldiers have been protecting VIP and logistic convoys as they move across the capital.…" (U.K. Ministry of Defence (http://news.mod.gov.uk/))
Iraq: First joint Iraq and British search operation leads to three arrests (http://www.news.mod.uk/news_headline_story2.asp?newsItem_id=3845) "Three suspected terrorists have been arrested following the first ever joint Iraqi and British Brigade level security search operation in southern Iraq. Troops from C Squadron, 9/12 Lancers along with the 1st and 2nd Battalions, part of 1st Brigade, (10th Division) of the Iraqi Army, carried out the successful arrests in the Az Zubayr area, south of Basra, after the Iraqi Army received intelligence that terrorist training camps were operating in the area.…" (U.K. Ministry of Defence (http://news.mod.gov.uk/))
Iraq: Instructori irakieni pregatiti de militarii romani (http://www.mapn.ro/cpresa/nou.php?id=1847) – Iraqi Instructors Prepared by Romanian Soldiers "O echipa condusa de locotenentul Marius Stancescu, comandant de subunitate in cadrul Batalionului 20 Infanterie, in colaborare cu militari italieni, a incheiat, duminica, 11 decembrie, un curs de pregatire pentru 100 instructori militari irakieni. …" – A team led by Lt. Col. Marius Stancescu, commander of a subunit of the 20th Infantry Battalion, in collaboration with Italian troops, has completed, on Sunday December 11, a qualification course for 100 Iraqi military instructors. ... (Romanian Ministry of Defense (http://www.mapn.ro/))

Lebanon/Syria: Car bomb kills anti-Syrian MP Tueni in Beirut (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L12416627.htm) "A car bomb killed Lebanese newspaper magnate and anti-Syrian lawmaker Gebran Tueni in Beirut on Monday, a day after he returned from Paris where he had based himself in recent months out of fear of assassination. Several Lebanese politicians immediately blamed Syria, which denied any role and said the killing was timed to smear it. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
Israel: IDF nabs Hizbullah-funded terrorist (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1134309565471&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter) "The Shin Bet and IDF have arrested a Palestinian man in the West Bank who headed a seven-man cell and attacked IDF troops in exchange for money from Hizbullah. The man was identified as Magdi A'amar, 31, from Kufar Kalil near Nablus. He was a member of Fatah's Al-Aksa Matyrs' Brigade. After his arrest in October he told his interrogators that he had offered his services to Hizbullah through an intermediary.…" (Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com))
Iran: Iran successfully tests surface-to-sea missiles (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1134309566414&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter) "Iran has successfully tested surface-to-sea missiles with a range of 110 kilometers (68 miles), Iranian state television reported Monday. The testing of the Silkworm missiles was the most important project of Monday's military maneuvers in southern Iran, the television said.…" (Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com))

Afghanistan/Canada: Afghanistan Road Side Bomb Incident (http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=1842) "Three Canadian soldiers and one foreign journalist were injured after a road side bomb detonated close to their vehicle near the town of Maywand , about 90 km west of Kandahar . The incident occurred around 11:00 a.m. local (1:30 a.m. ET), on December 12. The soldiers' next of kin have been notified. …" (Canadian Forces (http://www.forces.gc.ca/))
Uzbekistan/Germany: Uzbekistan tells Germany its troops may stay (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L12274481.htm) "Uzbekistan, which evicted the U.S. military from a key air base after Washington criticised a bloody crackdown on protesters, said on Monday Germany was welcome to keep its troops in the country. The final U.S. troops left the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base last month, ending four years at the facility. The Uzbek government gave them six months to leave after the dispute over the killing of hundreds of civilians in Andizhan in May. The future of Germany's 300-strong presence at an airfield at the southern town of Termez had been uncertain since November, when Uzbekistan told European NATO members it would not let them use its airspace or territory for operations linked to peacekeeping in neighbouring Afghanistan.…" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
South Asia: South Asia Terrorism Update (http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news.asp?date1=12/12/2005) (South Asia Terrorism Portal (http://www.satp.org))
Sri Lanka: Security Situation Report (http://www.army.lk/news/index.html). (Sri Lanka Army (http://www.army.lk))
Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka rebels may go to Japan, army patrol hit (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL311126.htm) "Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels indicated on Monday they would be willing to attend peace talks in Tokyo, as violence again flared in the east of the country. Two soldiers were wounded in a claymore fragmentation mine attack by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels, the fourth such attack in a week, the military said. The Tigers denied involvement in the blast. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))

[Airbornelawyer]

Europe

France: Coup de filet antiterroriste en Ile-de-France et dans l'Oise (http://www.lefigaro.fr/cgi/edition/genimprime?cle=20051212.FIG0358) – Antiterrorist Raids in Ile-de-France and Oise Departments " Vingt-deux personnes au total ont été interpellées lundi matin dans le cadre d'une enquête sur du financement de terrorisme et des soupçons de projets d'attentats sur le territoire français. …" – Twenty-two persons in total were taken in for questioning Monday morning as part of an inquest into the financing of terrorism and support for assassination plots in France. ... (Le Figaro (http://www.lefigaro.fr))

East Asia

The Philippines: Philippines warns Muslim rebels about recruitment (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAN300970.htm) "Philippine security forces have told the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to stop recruiting and training Muslim separatist guerrillas because they are violations of a ceasefire accord, an army general said on Monday. The MILF, the largest of four Muslim rebel groups in the south which has been talking with the government since 2001 about a peace deal to end 40 years of conflict that killed more than 120,000 people, denied the assertion. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
The Philippines: Philippine army says uncovers plot against Arroyo (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAN302111.htm) "Philippine troops loyal to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo uncovered an attempt by rogue soldiers to seize power over the weekend, a senior military official said on Monday. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
Singapore: Singapore Seals Deal to Acquire Twelve F-15SG (http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/news_and_events/nr/2005/dec/12dec05_nr.html) "The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with The Boeing Company on 12 December 2005 to acquire 12 F-15SG (designated "SG" for "Singapore") fighter aircraft. The F-15SG, which has a configuration that is unique to Singapore, will be the most advanced variant of the F-15 and will operate as the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) next generation multi-role fighter jet. The contract also provides an option for the acquisition of another 8 aircraft at a future date. The F-15SG will replace the A-4SU Skyhawks which have been retired. …" (Singapore Ministry of Defence (http://www.mod.gov.sg))
Singapore: RSS Stalwart makes it five (http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/publications/cyberpioneer/news/2005/December/12dec05_news.html.print.html?Status=1) "With a celebratory mood and much fanfare, the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) fifth frigate, RSS Stalwart, was launched by Mrs Wong Kan Seng, wife of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, at the Singapore Technologies Marine shipyard on 9 Dec. RSS Stalwart is the fifth frigate to be launched. It will next embark on a series of harbour and sea trials. …" (Singapore Ministry of Defence (http://www.mod.gov.sg))

Africa

Ethiopia/Eritrea: Miscalculation may lead to Ethiopia-Eritrea war: UN (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L12101298.htm) "The head of U.N. peacekeeping warned Ethiopia and Eritrea on Monday against war begun by "miscalculation" over a tense border dispute. Last week Eritrea ordered U.N. peacekeepers from the United States, Canada and European countries to leave the country within 10 days, a move likely to make the world body's observation of the undemarcated border with Ethiopia impossible. In what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to rescue the situation, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent under-secretary for peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno to the Horn of Africa for talks with regional and African Union officials. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))
Liberia: Liberia says investigating reports of coup plot (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1279010.htm) "Liberia's government said on Monday it was investigating reports of a coup plot against its newly elected president while she is out of the country. The government held a crisis meeting on Monday after supporters of soccer star George Weah, who lost the Nov. 8 presidential election to former Finance Minister Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, rampaged through a Monrovia suburb on Sunday. …" (Reuters Alertnet (http://www.alertnet.org))

The Americas:

The Americas: USSOUTHCOM Headline News (http://www.southcom.mil/pa/News/AOR%20News/Today's%20News.doc) (Microsoft Word format)
Brazil/Haiti: Tropa brasileira pacifica favela e vira alvo de mais ataques no Haiti (https://www.defesa.gov.br/enternet/sitios/internet/clipping/index.php?ID_MATERIA=19203) – Brazilian troops pacify shantytown and become target for more attacks in Haiti "Número de ataques aos soldados do Brasil aumentou de 65 para 111 neste semestre em relação aos primeiros 6 meses do ano. 40 rebeldes morreram.…" – The number of attacks on Brazilian soldiers climbed from 65 to 111 in the past six months compared to the first six months of the year. 40 rebels were killed. (Diário de São Paulo, via Ministério da Defesa (http://www.defesa.gov.br/))
Colombia: Ofensiva de la Cuarta Brigada (http://www.ejercito.mil.co/?idcategoria=89639&PHPSESSID=58d76f8382cf5e7f688ba8293eb8494e) – Offensive of the 4th Brigade "Tres terroristas, dos del Eln y uno de las Autodefensas ilegales, fueron dados de baja durante combates registrados en el departamento de Antioquia...." (Ejército Nacional de Colombia (http://www.ejercito.mil.co))
Colombia: Operaciones contra las Farc y el Eln dejan nuevos resultados (http://www.ejercito.mil.co/?idcategoria=89646&PHPSESSID=58d76f8382cf5e7f688ba8293eb8494e) – Operations against the FARC and ELN give new results "En enfrentamientos contra agrupaciones al margen de la ley, el Ejército Colombiano en cumplimiento de su misión de proteger la vida y honra de los ciudadanos dio de baja a dos terroristas del Eln y las Farc, al tiempo que tres sujetos se entregaron voluntariamente. ..." (Ejército Nacional de Colombia (http://www.ejercito.mil.co))
Ecuador: La USAF espera prolongar su presencia en la base de Manta (http://www.expreso.ec/html/actualidad1.asp) – The US Air Force hopes to extend its presence at Manta Air Force Base "En manos de Ecuador está la renegociación del convenio con Estados Unidos para que la Fuerza Aérea norteamericana (USAF) continúe con las operaciones antinarcóticos desde la Base de Manta. Así lo sostiene Marlon Ruiz, jefe de la misión de la USAF en el Grupo Militar de EE.UU. En conversación con EXPRESO, la autoridad militar aseguró que a cuatro años de que termine el convenio, ni el gobierno norteamericano ni su similar de Ecuador han iniciado conversaciones sobre el tema. …" (Expreso (http://www.expreso.ec/))

[Airbornelawyer]

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

Russia
RUSSIA LOOKS TO GREATER ROLE IN FAR EAST
President Vladimir Putin is expected in Kuala Lumpur shortly to meet with leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and then to attend the first 16-country East Asia Summit on 14 December, Russian and international news agencies reported on 12 December. On 10 December, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signed the first-ever cooperation agreement with ASEAN in the Malaysian capital. He stressed that Russia "considers ASEAN its important partner in creating a multipolar world and a common regional security system, and counteracting new threats and challenges." But he also said that economic cooperation is important and requires "special efforts on both sides" to improve it. "We can't bypass Russia-ASEAN cooperation in the field of development, especially if you consider how pressing the issue is for our own regions of Siberia and the Far East," Lavrov added. It is not clear what might come out of the planned ASEAN-Russia summit during Putin's visit, since ASEAN's main concerns are not Russia but Sino-Japanese relations, the rice trade, and Myanmar. As regards the East Asia Summit that follows the ASEAN meeting, Beijing hopes to use it to create new regional structures without the United States, but Japan and Australia are expected to take any anti-U.S. edge off of that gathering.
CHECHEN RESISTANCE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR SECURITY CHIEF'S DEATH
The Chechen resistance released a statement to kavkaz-center on 11 December claiming that the explosion and fire that killed pro-Moscow Chechen Security Council Secretary Rudnik Dudaev earlier that day was caused by a remote-controlled mine, chechenpress.com reported. But Ziyad Sabsabi, the permanent representative in Moscow of the pro-Russian administration, rejected that claim as absurd, insisting that Dudaev's death was "a tragic accident," Interfax reported. According to the pro-Moscow Chechen authorities, Dudaev died of asphyxiation in a fire that destroyed his trailer home in the government compound in Grozny. Deputy Interior Minister Akhmed Dakaev said the cause of the fire is being investigated; he suggested it may have been started by an electrical fault. Dudaev, a career KGB officer, was named to head the Security Council in February 2001.
PUTIN VISITS GROZNY
President Putin flew to Grozny on 12 December where he addressed the first session of the Chechen parliament elected on 27 November, Russian media reported. Putin exhorted the legislators to "work for the good of Chechnya," dpa reported. He expressed satisfaction that "peace has come to the republic and our enemies have nothing more to do here." Putin went on to accuse the Chechen leaders of the 1990s, meaning Presidents Djokhar Dudaev and Aslan Maskhadov, of putting their personal interests above those of the Chechen people, according to RIA Novosti as cited by lenta.ru, and of distorting the Koran and seeking to discredit Islam. He affirmed that "Russia has always been the most faithful, consistent and reliable defender of the interests of the Islamic religion." Putin also met separately in Grozny with pro-Moscow Chechen administration head Alu Alkhanov and with acting Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov to discuss unspecified issues concerning the socioeconomic rehabilitation of the war-torn republic.

Transcaucasia And Central Asia
GEORGIAN, RUSSIAN OFFICIALS DISCUSS SOUTH OSSETIA
Ambassador Valerii Kenyaikin, who is the Russian co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) tasked with monitoring the security situation in the South Ossetian conflict zone, met in Tbilisi on 10 December with Georgian Minister for Conflict Resolution Giorgi Khaindrava to discuss how to defuse rising tensions, Georgian media reported. ITAR-TASS on 12 December quoted Kenyaikin as saying the previous day that both sides advocate cooperation, rather than confrontation. But while South Ossetian Minister for Special Assignments Boris Chochiev insists of convening a special emergency session of the JCC, Kenyaikin and Khaindrava said separately they think separate meetings between Kenyaikin and the two conflict parties would prove more effective. Khaindrava was quoted on 10 December by ITAR-TASS as saying he will not meet with South Osssetian representatives until the fate of four Georgians abducted in the conflict zone in June is clarified. The brother of one of the four missing men was sent a package containing severed limbs, with a note demanding payment of several thousand U.S. dollars for the return of the bodies, according to Caucasus Press on 5 December. A spokesman for the South Ossetian Interior Ministry told regnum.ru on 10 December that the Georgian side is obstructing the investigation into the abductions.

Southeastern Europe
NATO TROOPS IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA SEARCH HOME OF KARADZIC ACCOMPLICE...
NATO announced on 12 December that its troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina have searched the home of a man in Pale believed to be helping former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic evade capture, dpa reported. "The search was conducted in an effort to find additional information about the support network and to collect information that may determine Radovan Karadzic's location," NATO said in a statement.
ROMANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS MOLDOVA MUST ESTABLISH CONTROL OVER ALL OF ITS TERRITORY
Traian Basescu told Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin on 10 December that Chisinau must establish political control over its entire territory, including the breakaway Transdniester region, in compliance with Moldova's Constitution, BASA and moldova.org reported the same day. Basescu's comments came as Voronin was in Bucharest on an official visit. Voronin said that both Chisinau and Bucharest were disappointed that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's ministerial summit in Ljubljana failed to pass a final resolution on the Transdniester issue

Southwestern Asia And The Middle East
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SAYS TROOPS TO LEAVE IRAQ BY END OF YEAR
President Viktor Yushchenko on 11 December said that all of Ukraine's troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2005, Interfax reported the next day. "I promised to withdraw the Ukrainian peacekeepers from Iraq. To date, 800 of our soldiers have already returned to Ukraine, The rest, a further 800 or so, will be welcomed home between 20 and 30 December. They will celebrate New Year's Eve with their families," Yushchenko said in a radio address on 10 December. "The 1,600 Ukrainian peacekeepers have trained 2,700 Iraqi troops -- a complete brigade of three battalions," he added.
AFGHAN AIR FORCE CONSIDERS FEMALE PILOTS
As the Afghan Air Force begins its recovery, the Defense Ministry is looking at the possibility of female pilots joining the force, state-run National Television of Afghanistan reported on 10 December. Currently, 58 pilots are scheduled to receive training, including two female pilots, Captain Latifa and Captain Lailoma. According to Captain Lailoma, women have proven that they are able to help their country by serving in the air force.
IRAQI POLICE FIND BODY OF EGYPTIAN HOSTAGE
Iraqi police said they have identified the body of an Egyptian hostage abducted on 9 December, RFI reported on 11 December. The hostage, Ibrahim al-Sa'id al-Hilali, was reportedly working in Tikrit as a U.S. contractor when he was abducted. Police said that al-Hilali was found dead of a gunshot wound near a village north of Tikrit on 10 December. His identity cards were found in his pocket.