Al-Qaeda confirmed the death of its chemical and biological weapons specialist Abu Khabab al-Masri, about a week after he was reportedly killed in a missile strike in Pakistan, according to a U.S.-based intelligence group.
Al-Masri trained ``lots of other experts,'' senior al-Qaeda leader Mustafa Abu al-Yazid said in a written statement, according to IntelCenter, based in Alexandria, Virginia. ``He may rest in peace as the succession is guaranteed.''
Also known by the name of Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, the Egyptian had a $5 million bounty on his head and ran terrorist training camps, Agence France-Presse reported.
He was killed by a missile strike July 28 in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal area, AFP reported at the time, citing unidentified Pakistani security officials.
The al-Qaeda statement, dated July 30, didn't say how al- Masri died, according to IntelCenter, which provides counterterrorism intelligence support to the U.S., British, Australian and Canadian armed forces
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Terrorism tops agenda as Karzai arrives in India
While Afghan President Hamid Karzai spent the weekend thundering away at Pakistan and its deepening terrorist roots, India has taken a more measured response. On Sunday night, as Karzai touched down in New Delhi on a state visit, the tone of the visit has been set — terrorism is on top of everybody's agenda.
The difference between Manmohan and Karzai is that while the latter is talking about the Pakistan problem publicly, India has chosen to give the message privately to Pakistani PM Yousaf Raza Gilani. This is because Singh doesn't want to toss the peace process with Pakistan or the ceasefire out of the window.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that the bombing of India's Kabul mission wasn't any ordinary terror attack.
Apart from the identity of the suicide bomber — 22-year-old Hamza Shakoor from Gujranwala district in Pakistan — the intelligence about the imminent attack was remarkably precise, giving a sure indication about the centres of planning and execution.
As information about the attack filters out, it's becoming clear that the damage could have been much greater. The original vehicle that was planned to be used to ram into the Indian embassy was not an SUV but an oil tanker.
In fact, after Afghan and Indian intelligence revealed the Pakistani connection, national security advisor M K Narayanan spoke to his counterparts in Washington to be told the same thing by top US intelligence officials.
When CIA official Stephen Kappes visited Islamabad on a secret trip to tell the Pakistan government that the US knew ISI was behind the Kabul attack, few were aware that he was flying in from Kabul. Both India and the US had shared notes by then on the source and nature of the attack and it was this information that was presented to the Pakistanis.
In the past weeks, what has been unusual is that it has been the US and Afghanistan that have spoken the loudest on Pakistan's involvement in the embassy attack. This has been good for India — because it spreads the credibility net much further.
The US will be pressuring Pakistan a lot more on taming the ISI, and acting on terrorism in the coming weeks and months. The Indian government is unlikely to scale up its rhetoric against Pakistan too much, because it is reluctant to lose the benefits of the peace process so soon.
The difference between Manmohan and Karzai is that while the latter is talking about the Pakistan problem publicly, India has chosen to give the message privately to Pakistani PM Yousaf Raza Gilani. This is because Singh doesn't want to toss the peace process with Pakistan or the ceasefire out of the window.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that the bombing of India's Kabul mission wasn't any ordinary terror attack.
Apart from the identity of the suicide bomber — 22-year-old Hamza Shakoor from Gujranwala district in Pakistan — the intelligence about the imminent attack was remarkably precise, giving a sure indication about the centres of planning and execution.
As information about the attack filters out, it's becoming clear that the damage could have been much greater. The original vehicle that was planned to be used to ram into the Indian embassy was not an SUV but an oil tanker.
In fact, after Afghan and Indian intelligence revealed the Pakistani connection, national security advisor M K Narayanan spoke to his counterparts in Washington to be told the same thing by top US intelligence officials.
When CIA official Stephen Kappes visited Islamabad on a secret trip to tell the Pakistan government that the US knew ISI was behind the Kabul attack, few were aware that he was flying in from Kabul. Both India and the US had shared notes by then on the source and nature of the attack and it was this information that was presented to the Pakistanis.
In the past weeks, what has been unusual is that it has been the US and Afghanistan that have spoken the loudest on Pakistan's involvement in the embassy attack. This has been good for India — because it spreads the credibility net much further.
The US will be pressuring Pakistan a lot more on taming the ISI, and acting on terrorism in the coming weeks and months. The Indian government is unlikely to scale up its rhetoric against Pakistan too much, because it is reluctant to lose the benefits of the peace process so soon.
Oil Rises as Storm Threatens U.S. Output, Iran Misses Deadline
Crude oil rose for a second day as a storm threatened U.S. output in the Gulf of Mexico, and Israeli and U.S. officials sought additional sanctions against Iran.
Tropical Storm Edouard lies about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of the Mississippi River mouth and may strengthen to a hurricane as it heads west toward Texas, the National Hurricane Center said. Oil rose from an 11-week low last week as Iran, accused of developing nuclear weapons, ignored a deadline in its dispute with the United Nations over its uranium research.
``It's that time of the year, and U.S. Gulf production could be in the path of the storm,'' said Victor Shum, senior principal at Purvin & Gertz Inc. in Singapore. ``Concern about Iran is coming to the fore and supply risks would provide a high floor for prices.''
Crude oil for September delivery rose as much as $1.21, or 1 percent, to $126.31 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and traded at $126.22 at 10:25 a.m. in Singapore.
The contract gained 0.8 percent on Aug. 1 on speculation the odds of a military strike against nuclear research facilities in Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, were increasing.
Iran didn't respond by an Aug. 2 deadline to an offer from the U.S., Russia, China, France, the U.K. and Germany of economic and diplomatic incentives in exchange for the suspension of its uranium-enrichment program.
Extra sanctions are needed, Tzipi Livni, Israel's foreign minister, said yesterday on CNN's ``Late Edition'' program.
`Wildcat Factors'
``Those wildcat factors'' are holding up prices today, Gavin Wendt, senior resources analyst at Fat Prophets Funds Management in Sydney, said in a Bloomberg Television interview. ``Prices should be a lot stronger than they were a week ago,'' given the risks from the storm and Iran, he said.
Brent crude oil for September settlement climbed as much as $1.12, or 0.9 percent, to $125.30 a barrel on London's ICE Futures Europe exchange, and traded at $125.19 at 10:12 a.m. in Singapore.
Tropical storm Edouard, with maximum wind speeds of 50 miles an hour, is likely to strengthen as it moves west parallel to the Louisiana coast before making land on the upper Texas coast Aug. 5, the Miami-based hurricane center said at 7 p.m. local time. There is a 24 percent chance it will strengthen to a hurricane, with winds of more than 74 miles an hour, before striking land.
``Keep a close eye on the storm,'' Rebecca Waddington, a meteorologist with the center, said in an interview. ``The industry knows better than we do how to safeguard their installations. I'd advise them to act early.''
Firmer Dollar
New York oil futures have slipped more than $21 a barrel, or 14 percent, from the record $147.27 on July 11 as U.S. gasoline demand slowed, and a firming of the dollar reduced the attraction of commodities as an investment.
Hedge fund managers and other large speculators last week reduced their bets on falling prices, according to Commodity Futures Trading Commission data.
Net-short positions, the difference between orders to buy and sell the commodity, fell to 660 contracts at July 29, 82 percent less than a week earlier.
While the U.S. economy may be heading toward recession, demand in India and China remains strong and global production is straining to keep up, Fat Prophets' Wendt said. He expects oil to reach $175 a barrel before the end of the year.
An Institute for Supply Management report tomorrow will probably show U.S. service industries shrank for a second month in July, based on a Bloomberg survey of economists. Futures trading on the Chicago Board of Trade suggests less than a 7 percent chance the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates after it meets the same day.
``It's likely that we're going to see further weakness in the dollar,'' Fat Prophets' Wendt said. ``We can't see it bouncing back and sustaining any gains so we're looking toward further increases in the price of crude oil
Tropical Storm Edouard lies about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southeast of the Mississippi River mouth and may strengthen to a hurricane as it heads west toward Texas, the National Hurricane Center said. Oil rose from an 11-week low last week as Iran, accused of developing nuclear weapons, ignored a deadline in its dispute with the United Nations over its uranium research.
``It's that time of the year, and U.S. Gulf production could be in the path of the storm,'' said Victor Shum, senior principal at Purvin & Gertz Inc. in Singapore. ``Concern about Iran is coming to the fore and supply risks would provide a high floor for prices.''
Crude oil for September delivery rose as much as $1.21, or 1 percent, to $126.31 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and traded at $126.22 at 10:25 a.m. in Singapore.
The contract gained 0.8 percent on Aug. 1 on speculation the odds of a military strike against nuclear research facilities in Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, were increasing.
Iran didn't respond by an Aug. 2 deadline to an offer from the U.S., Russia, China, France, the U.K. and Germany of economic and diplomatic incentives in exchange for the suspension of its uranium-enrichment program.
Extra sanctions are needed, Tzipi Livni, Israel's foreign minister, said yesterday on CNN's ``Late Edition'' program.
`Wildcat Factors'
``Those wildcat factors'' are holding up prices today, Gavin Wendt, senior resources analyst at Fat Prophets Funds Management in Sydney, said in a Bloomberg Television interview. ``Prices should be a lot stronger than they were a week ago,'' given the risks from the storm and Iran, he said.
Brent crude oil for September settlement climbed as much as $1.12, or 0.9 percent, to $125.30 a barrel on London's ICE Futures Europe exchange, and traded at $125.19 at 10:12 a.m. in Singapore.
Tropical storm Edouard, with maximum wind speeds of 50 miles an hour, is likely to strengthen as it moves west parallel to the Louisiana coast before making land on the upper Texas coast Aug. 5, the Miami-based hurricane center said at 7 p.m. local time. There is a 24 percent chance it will strengthen to a hurricane, with winds of more than 74 miles an hour, before striking land.
``Keep a close eye on the storm,'' Rebecca Waddington, a meteorologist with the center, said in an interview. ``The industry knows better than we do how to safeguard their installations. I'd advise them to act early.''
Firmer Dollar
New York oil futures have slipped more than $21 a barrel, or 14 percent, from the record $147.27 on July 11 as U.S. gasoline demand slowed, and a firming of the dollar reduced the attraction of commodities as an investment.
Hedge fund managers and other large speculators last week reduced their bets on falling prices, according to Commodity Futures Trading Commission data.
Net-short positions, the difference between orders to buy and sell the commodity, fell to 660 contracts at July 29, 82 percent less than a week earlier.
While the U.S. economy may be heading toward recession, demand in India and China remains strong and global production is straining to keep up, Fat Prophets' Wendt said. He expects oil to reach $175 a barrel before the end of the year.
An Institute for Supply Management report tomorrow will probably show U.S. service industries shrank for a second month in July, based on a Bloomberg survey of economists. Futures trading on the Chicago Board of Trade suggests less than a 7 percent chance the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates after it meets the same day.
``It's likely that we're going to see further weakness in the dollar,'' Fat Prophets' Wendt said. ``We can't see it bouncing back and sustaining any gains so we're looking toward further increases in the price of crude oil
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