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Philippines
Planning for next week’s annual ASEAN Summit in Cebu rocked with terror warnings. British FO issues urgent travel warning for Cebu, Mindanao and Sulu, warning that intelligence suggests terror attacks are “in the final stages.” The U.S., Australia and Japan followed with warnings. Manila deploying 5,500 personnel including marines, police commandos and specialised units to Cebu. The Summit begins Monday.
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Jordan
Jordan: 4 Sentenced to Death for Attack on US Ship
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Sri Lanka alleges three deaths in LTTE firing at school
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Former head of British army says there is a resource shortfall in Iraq and Afghanistan
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Palestinian Territories
Palestinian president Abbas weighs options for confronting Hamas
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Palestinian Territories
UN seeks $454 million in emergency funds for Palestinians
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Philippines
Britain, Australia warn of possible attacks during ASEAN summit
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Iraq
The Iraq Study Group report has been met with praise and criticism. Bush has rejected key plans in the ISG report. In Iraq, 23 people were killed today, and 35 bodies were found by Iraqi police near and in Baghdad. The Iraqi Army and Coalition forces captured three suspected insurgents in Baqubah.
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Lebanon
Lebanon feels heat of Sunni-Shiite friction
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Somalia
The United Nations endorsed an African peacekeeping force in Somalia. The ICU opposes the move, saying it would, “contribute to further instability.” Eritrea denies having troops in Somalia. The ICU has announced that residents of a southern Somalia town who do not pray five times a day will be beheaded.
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Israel
Olmert rejects link between Israel-Palestinian conflict and Iraq
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United Kingdom
UK ‘under threat from resurgent al Qaeda™
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Fallujah Today, and on Route Mobile
Patroling one of the two main arteries through the Fallujah region The city of Fallujah and its surrounding environs has both a symbolic and strategic importance to the security of Iraq. Fallujah is the city where al Qaeda fought the U.S. forces toe-to-toe and lost. Fallujah is a rallying call to al Qaeda. The city also serves as the gateway to Baghdad, the end of the line of al Qaeda’s Syrian ratlines which are used to run foreign fighters, money and weapons into the capital.
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Iraq
U.S. appears to be closing in on Abu Ayyub al-Masri, successor to Zarqawi as chief of al Qaeda in Iraq, as his second-in-command, Abu Taha, is killed. News broken by Iraqi National Security Advisor Muwaffaq al-Rubaie early today. Taha can now be added to the list of top al Qaeda leaders killed or captured in Iraq in recent weeks.
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Indonesia gives Bali bombers last chance for appeal
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Indonesia
Polygamy debate rekindled after Indonesia’s version of an Islamic Dr. Phil, hokey TV host Aa Gym, takes on a second wife. Meanwhile Golkar party’s religious affairs committee chief, Yahya Zaini, caught on cellphone video in a romp with a famous singer.
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Kabila inaugurated as DRC president
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Iraq
The Iraq Survey Group report released today, urging combat troops out of Iraq by 2008, and bilateral negotiations with Iran and Syria. Bush pledges to act.
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Philippine Forces Score Victory Against RSM
The Philippines has scored a major victory in the second front of the long war with the capture of Feliciano de los Reyes, aka Ustadz Abubakar, a key member of the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) in Lamitan on Basilan island. De los Reyes is believed to be singing to the authorities and has revealed in detail, according to local press reports, RSM’s ties with al Qaeda’s Philippines syndicate Abu Sayyaf.
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ASEAN Summit to Tackle Tough Issues, From Terrorism to North Korea
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Political parties clash in Bangladesh; one killed
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Yemen Frees Two Australian al Qaeda Suspects
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Turkey
Ankara now believes that when it arrested Tunisian Malek Charahili in September, suspected of smuggling al Qaeda terrorists into Iraq, they also nabbed the head of al Qaeda’s Turkey operations. Charahili succeeded Luai Sakka, a Syrian who was in the final phase of planned suicide attacks on Israeli cruise ships in port in Turkey and subsequently arrested.
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Islamist-Organized Rally Against Ethiopia and US Draft Resolution Occurs in Mogadishu
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Egypt hunting 4 Palestinians in Sinai over plan to target Israelis
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Negroponte: US should take Osama alive
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Egypt
An American, 9 Frenchmen, 2 Belgians, 2 Syrian, a Tunisian and an unknown number of Egyptians were arrested in Egypt last week for plotting terror attacks in the Middle East and recruiting terrorists to fight in Iraq. Sinai and Sharm el Sheikh under terror alert as Israel and Australia warn its citizens to be on alert. Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities sieze nearly a ton of TNT bound for Gaza.
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Pakistan
Afghan and Pakistani tribal jirga meetings planned “to win support against a resurgent Taleban.” Pakistan’s FM heading to Kabul for 3-day visit on Friday and will push Karzai to adopt a similar pact with Neo-Taliban forces that Musharraf adopted with North and South Waziristan.
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Somalia
Ethiopia in “technical” state of war with Somalia’s SICC as the UN-backed transitional government rules out negotiations with the SICC and bans cars entering Baidoa from Mogadishu after last week’s suicide attack. All-out war could begin within two weeks as the rainy season ends.
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Iraq
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, DefSec nominee Bob Gates said “all options are on the table” regarding Iraq and that the U.S. is neither winning nor losing the war. Iraq Study Group report to be issued at 12 GMT Wednesday morning and is expected to push for regional conference on Iraq that includes Syria and Iran and a realignment of U.S. forces to play peacekeeping role.
