Open Source INTSUM: Friday, Oct. 21, 2005

**Airbornelawyer** · 10-21-2005, 09:36

From Various Sources:

Middle East

Palestinian Leader Is Urged To Confront Militant Groups: " President Bush urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday to begin confronting "armed gangs" thwarting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, but he stopped short of telling Abbas that militant groups should be prevented from participating in upcoming legislative elections. …" (Washington Post)

Iraqi forces have conducted 1,000 post-election patrols without U.S. help. "U.S. and Iraqi forces have carried out some 1,600 patrols and 700 road checkpoint operations in the days since the constitutional referendum, officials said Thursday. Iraqi forces undertook about 1,000 of the missions on their own, officials said to highlight the training and fielding of local security forces. Another 100 of the raids included both U.S. and Iraqi soldiers, who have been operating in tandem for months.…" (Stars & Stripes)

Pirates seize Ukrainian ship off Somali coast " Pirates seized a Ukrainian cargo ship off the Somali coast for ransom, and Ukrainian authorities have initiated negotiations with the hijackers, a Foreign Ministry official said Friday, according to AP. Pirates hijacked the vessel, Panagia, on Tuesday with 22 crew members on board about 100 miles (160 kilometers) off the Somali coast, and demanded a US$700,000 ransom. …" (Saudi Press Agency)

Africa

DR Congo will not help fight LRA : "The Democratic Republic of Congo has rejected Ugandan calls for a joint military operation to attack the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Top government official Antoine Ghonda said the LRA had now left DR Congo and said it was "out of the question for Uganda to send troops into the DRC". The LRA has been active in northern Uganda and southern Sudan for 19 years. Last month, a group of LRA fighters crossed into lawless eastern DR Congo, where several militias are operating. The UN peacekeeping mission in DR Congo, Monuc, said the group had left but Uganda believes some stayed behind, reports the AFP news agency.…" (BBC)

UPDF increases patrols on Uganda-Congo border: " THE Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) has beefed up security in different parts of Hoima district. The UPDF has moved troops and intensified patrols on Lake Albert and areas along the Uganda-DR Congo border. …" (Daily Monitor, Kampala, Uganda)

Asia

Indonesia seizes explosives haul: "Indonesian police say they have seized a large quantity of explosives and bomb making material being smuggled from Malaysia…." (BBC)

The Americas

US planning invasion, says Chavez: " Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, says he is in possession of intelligence showing that the United States plans to invade his country. In a BBC interview, Mr Chavez said the US was after his nation's oil, much as it had been after Iraq's. …"(BBC)