End of LTTE: Will India shut down Rajiv murder case?

India will seek forensic evidence from Sri Lanka to confirm the deaths of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and his intelligence head to finally close the case on the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi 18 years ago.

Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman, who oversaw all covert killings in the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), were the last of two suspects still wanted in India for the killing of Gandhi, who was blown up by a woman suicide bomber at an election rally near Chennai on May 21, 1991.

The LTTE initially denied killing Gandhi but in later years some of its leaders privately and otherwise voiced regrets over his death, which led to the group being outlawed in India in 1992.

But the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in what is acknowledged to be one of finest investigations in the world of crime, proved conclusively that Gandhi was killed by the LTTE, on the specific orders of Prabhakaran, the killer band reporting directly to Pottu Amman.

A total of 41 people were arraigned for the crime, 14 of them Indians and the others Sri Lankan Tamils.

Of the 41 as many as 12--11 of them Sri Lankans--committed suicide during the investigation, mostly by taking cyanide, the hallmark of LTTE. As many as 26 people faced trial and three were officially declared proclaimed offenders.

These three were Prabhakaran, Pottu Amman and Akhila, the LTTE women's wing leader who was killed by Sri Lankan security forces in 1995.

The reported killings of Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman on Monday accounts for the last of suspects in the Gandhi case who could never be caught.

The case is being pursued at the TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act) Court at Poonamallee near Kancheepuram, close to Chennai.

According to CBI sources, once the evidence regarding the deaths of Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman is made available, the court will be told that they are dead and the case will come to a final stop.

Gandhi, who as Prime Minister sent the Indian Army to Sri Lanka's northeast in 1987 to end Tamil separatism, was killed when the suicide bomber, who was strapped with explosives under her clothes, exploded herself while pretending to touch his feet.

The CBI formally registered a case on May 24, 1991 and began its investigation. A chargesheet was filed on May 20, 1992 and the trial began January 19, 1994.

On June 5, 1995, India formally submitted to Sri Lanka a request that Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman should be extradited if and when they were caught.

On January 28, 1998, a court sentenced all those who were tried to death. The only exceptions were Prabhakaran, Pottu Amman and Akhila since they did not face trial.

The Supreme Court modified the verdict in May 1999, confirming capital punishment only in four cases and sentencing three to life. The others were set free against time they had spent in prison.

CBI officers involved in the Gandhi assassination case still recall with pride how they pursued the suspects in and beyond Tamil Nadu, in the process decimating an elaborate network the LTTE had built for itself in the state.

"We chased them on foot, on motorcycles, in cars, even by helicopters," one officer, who did not wish to be identified, told reporters. "There were nights when we slept in our cars on the roadside. Once I did not get to sleep for 12 straight nights. In the end, the LTTE was stunned by what we achieved."

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Prabhakaran's body found

Sri Lankan troops recovered the body of slain rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on Tuesday, a day after he was killed in the Tamil Tigers' last stand against government forces in the north, the military said.

The government had announced Prabhakaran's killing on Monday, but later said they had not yet found his body. A rebel official abroad denied Prabhakaran was killed and said he was in a safe place.

As speculation grew about Prabhakaran's fate, army chief Gen. Sarath Fonseka announced that his body had been recovered.

"A few hours ago, the body of terrorist leader Prabhakaran, who ruined this country, was found in the battleground," he told state television. "I take responsibility for this statement."

Fonseka's announcement came hours after President Mahinda Rajapaksa delivered a victory address to parliament, declaring that his country had been "liberated" from terrorism after defeating the Tamil Tiger rebels on the battlefield.

Recounting how the rebels, known formally as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, once controlled a wide swath of the north and much of the east, Rajapaksa said that for the first time in 30 years, the country was unified under its elected government.

"We have liberated the whole country from LTTE terrorism," he said, declaring on Wednesday a national holiday to celebrate the armed forces.

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Shocker - Kasab pleads Not Guilty

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the terrorist on trial for last year's Mumbai attacks, wants to retract his confession, claiming it was extracted by torture, his defence lawyer, Abbas Kazmi, told reporters on Friday.

On his instruction, a retraction application has been filed, retracting the so-called alleged confession," said the lawyer, who is defending Pakistani national Kasab.

"He's going to plead not guilty," he added.

Kazmi told reporters that Kasab claimed the confession, made to a local magistrate while he was in police custody, was "extracted out of coercion and force and it was not a voluntary confession."

He quoted Kasab as claiming he had been "physically tortured."

Earlier in court, Kasab’s lawyer said his client had told him that he "had not even reached the age of 17" when the attacks took place last November. "He is still under 18. In such circumstances he is deemed to be a juvenile and this court has no jurisdiction to try this case," Abbas Kazmi told the trial court.

The court, however, dismissed the accused application that claimed he was a ‘juvenile’.

Public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam rejected the Pakistani national’s submission, saying that in both Kasab's "confession statement" to the police and on transfer to jail, he had said he was 21".

"On the day of the incident, November 26, 2008, he had completed 21 years, two months and some 13 days," Nikam said.

Judge M L Tahiliyani asked Kasab to stand in the dock and then commented: "As one looks at accused No 1, it does not appear that he is below 17 years."

Rejecting the application, the judge added, "In my considered opinion, the plea is frivolous and intended to delay the trial."

Kasab faces a string of charges including "waging war" on India, murder, attempted murder and kidnapping.

He faces the death penalty if convicted of taking part in the attacks, which left more than 160 dead and hundreds more wounded.

Pak blames India AGAIN for SL team Attack

Pakistan has once again blamed India for the daring Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team that killed 6 security personnel and injured some players.

In a surprising statement, Pakistan said it has "credible evidence" of Indian involvement in the March 3 terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team here, more than a month after it ruled out any Indian link to the incident.

"With the help of other intelligence agencies there has been considerable progress in this case. One thing is for sure that there is an Indian hand behind the attack," Lahore police chief Pervez Rathore told reporters.

"I must tell you that there is credible evidence of Indian involvement in the attack," he said.

Rathore's comments come nearly a month after interior ministry chief Rehman Malik ruled out any Indian involvement in the attack that killed eight people and injured several others, including six Sri Lankan cricketers.

The blame comes despite the Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama rejecting any such charges a week after the attack. "There is no Indian involvement (in the attack on cricketers in Lahore)," he had said.

"In fact, India has been helping us in our fight against terrorism. We have conveyed this to Pakistan," he said.

A team of 12 terrorists ambushed and sprayed bullets and fired rocket propelled grenades at the convoy carrying Sri Lankan players to the Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. The cricketers were to play the third day of the second and last Test against the host Pakistan Tuesday last week.

Seven players and the team's assistant coach were injured and six Pakistani police officials, who were providing protection to the bus carrying the players, were killed in the attack that shook the entire cricketing world.

The officer, shockingly, said that not only the Lahore attack but the attack on Manawan Police Academy on March 23 in the city in which 28 trainees were killed and nearly hundred were injured. Four terroriosts were killed and six were taken into custody. Those caught had Afghanistan passports on their person.

The commander of the Pakistan Taliban had claimed responsibility of the attack.

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Terror alert in Pakistan

A heightened security alert has been sounded in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad amid reports of a terror threat from Taliban.

The US embassy has suspended its routine consular services.

"Regular consular services, such as visa processing for Pakistani nationals, won't be available in the capital tomorrow. But the embassy will still be available to provide emergency services to Americans," the spokesman was quoted as saying by Geo TV.

The US government has reportedly issued a fresh advisory for its citizens to remain watchful in Pakistan and has directed them not to travel and stay there unnecessarily, the channel said.

While officials say it’s due to heightened security in the capital, it's not only the US embassy that is on alert. International aid agencies in the capital will also be closed for the same reason.

This comes amid reports that terror groups may be planning to strike in Islamabad. The US is particularly vulnerable because of its drone attacks targeting the taliban in Pakistan's tribal areas.

The last few weeks has seen terror attacks rising in the country. The last attack took place in north Waziristan killing 17.

In fact, there have also been reports of the Taliban moving into big cities like Islamabad and Karachi in the recent days to seek refuge against US drone attacks in the tribal areas.

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Muslims are harassed in name of Terror

Acknowledging that Muslim youth are sometimes harassed in the "name of terrorists", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday night asked security forces to observe "zero tolerance" for fundamental human rights violations while dealing with such cases.

Interacting with a group of senior Urdu journalists here, he said the entire community could not be suspected of being terrorists and that being a Sikh, he understands the concerns of Muslims.

He suggested that committees, comprising respected Muslims, should be set up in states to look into any case of harassment of innocent members of the community.

"Mai manta hun ki hindustan ke musalmanon ko kaafi mushkilat ka samna karna padta hai, kuch samay terrorist ke naam par Muslim navjawanon ko pareshan bi kiya jata hai (I agree that Indian Muslims face a lot of difficulties, sometimes in the name of terrorists, Muslim youth are harassed)," Singh said.

Underlining that he "understands" the problems faced by the minority community, the Prime Minister said his message to security forces, whether in Jammu and Kashmir or elsewhere, is zero tolerance for fundamental human rights violations."

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New York gunman kills 13, commits suicide

The slayings took place on the main floor of the American Civic Association (ACC) in Binghamton, 135 miles (217 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

The gunman, reported by media outlets to be of Vietnamese origin, had barricaded a car against the back door of the center to prevent escape. He then entered the front of the building and opened fire, apparently committing suicide soon after.

Dozens more people spent four hours cowering in the center's basement, waiting to be told by police that they were safe to leave.

Local police chief Joseph Zikuski said that there were "14 confirmed dead in the building" and that he had "very good reason to believe that the shooter is among the dead at the scene."

"We removed safely 37 people. Four people we removed are wounded. All four are listed in critical condition," Zikuski told a press conference.

However, he cautioned "by no means are we 100 percent sure" about the killer's body being among those at the building.

Zikuski said that the emergency call was made by the first woman shot by the gunman, a receptionist shot in the stomach but who pretended she was dead until she could make her escape.

"A lone gunman entered the building and immediately shot her and another receptionist. Unfortunately that (second) receptionist is now deceased. Then he went into another room and shot several more people."

Two handguns were recovered at the scene, he said.

CNN identified the gunman as Jiverly Wong, in his early 40s, from Johnson City, near Binghamton, where he lived with his mother. Police have searched his home, CNN said.

Zikuski said the gunman had been "recently terminated from a job. He didn't speak English very well," and was feeling pretty low.

US President Barack Obama, on a visit to France, said he was "shocked and deeply saddened to learn about the act of senseless violence."

Many of those in the center, which helps people prepare for citizenship tests, were apparently of Vietnamese origin and did not speak good English.

Eyewitness Richard Griffis told CNN the school was "kind of a melting pot for people."

New York state Governor David Paterson said victims were there to pursue "the American dream."

"There still is an American dream and all of us who are Americans will try to heal this very, very deep wound in the city of Binghamton," he said.

The outburst of violence apparently was over quickly, but hours of tension followed.


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Baitullah Mehsud claims responsibility for US shooting

Islamabad, April 4: Pakistan`s Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud on Saturday claimed responsibility for the attack on a US immigration centre in New York, Geo TV reported. 13 people were killed in the attack. "I accept responsibility. They were my men. I gave them orders in reaction to US drone attacks," Mehsud told media men by telephone from an undisclosed location. A man armed with two handguns killed 13 people at an immigration services centre before apparently turning the gun on himself, said authorities in Binghamton, upstate New York. They identified the killer as Jiverly Wong, an immigrant from Vietnam.

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Osama hiding in Pakistan's Hindu Kush mountains

The United States is said to have tracked down the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, in the impenetrable Hindu Kush
mountains in Pakistan's scenic Chitral region, according to a media report.

America won't say it officially, but the world's biggest manhunt for bin Laden who murdered nearly 3,000 people on 9/11 has zeroed in on Chitral's stunning peaks and valleys, the 'New York Daily News' reported.

The region has been sealed off to outsiders and is now regularly buzzed by American spy drones, it said.

Six US and foreign officials have also confirmed that the Hindu Kush mountains in the Chitral region have been eyed as bin Laden's hideout since 2006 by Osama hunters aiming for the big kill.

A lengthy review of evidence, including recent Predator fly-bys, bin Laden's tapes since 9/11 and interviews with three dozen experts on al Qaeda, Pakistan and special operations, point to these vast mountains as Osama's likely haven, the report said.

Two senior foreign officials said the nearby town of Kalam also is suspect.

In fact, drones were first spotted spying on Chitral last summer and were seen again as recently as February 2. It is so far from US-run airfields that drone sorties are limited to just a few hours due to fuelling issues, the report said.

Moreover, Islamic militancy is taking root in several Chitrali valleys leading to Afghan border, prompting Pakistan to decree them off-limits to foreigners, local sources said, reinforcing the suspicion Osama is nearby.

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Sri Lankan team air-lifted from Gaddafi Stadium

Sri Lanka on Tuesday called off their cricket tour of Pakistan with immediate effect following an attack on the team bus in which six players were injured.

The Sri Lankan players will be airlifted to Lahore airport for Dubai. Pakistan Television (PTV) showed live the Sri Lanka players being airlifted from Gadaffi Stadium by a Pakistan Air Force helicopter.

According to Pakistan Cricket Board officials, a helicopter is being sent to Gadaffi Stadium to airlift Sri Lankan players who are still at the ground to transport them to the airport from where they will be taken to Dubai.

Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona confirmed that the tour is over.

"The tour has come to an end. We are in touch with Pakistan authorities and their Cricket Board. The players will be coming home as soon as possible," Kohona was quoted as saying by PTI.

At least six Sri Lankan cricketers were injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at them killing five police personnel escorting the team to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of the second Test.

The injured cricketers include Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera, Mahela Jayawardene, Tharanga Paranavitana and Chaminda Vaas.

"They are doing everything possible to make the players comfortable and the injured are being taken care of. (Pakistan) Government has assured us all the security," he said.

Sri Lanka Cricketers' Association Secretary Graeme Labrooy said he spoke to captain Mahela Jayawardene and found out that everyone was safe barring injuries to some players.

"I just spoke to Jayawardene. All are safe, barring injuries to a few players," he said.

"Six players are injured, including (Thilan) Samaraveera who is shot in leg. He undergoing treatment in hospital while others are in Gaddafi Stadium," he said

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Injured Sangakkara reveals terrifying Ordeal

Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara, one of the players injured during the terror attack in Lahore, said that he does not regret coming to Pakistan despite the attack.

Sangakkara said that some players received minor injures and no one was seriously injured.

"Everyone is safe. There are a few injuries but all the players are out of danger. There is shock. Thilan (Samaraweera) has a bullet shot in his leg but he is fine. Paranavitana (Tharanga Paranavitana) was in the hospital and he had a shrapnel in his chest but thank god it didn't penetrate deep in the body. It was just on the surface. Everyone is OK. I had shrapnel inside my shoulder but they have all been taken out. I am OK. Ajantha (Ajantha Mendis) had a few in his back and scalp but he is fine. Everyone else is perfectly alright," said Sangakkara.

However, despite being in the firing line of the terrorists Sangakkara said that he did not regret coming to Pakistan.

"Very unfortunate that this has happened. I don't regret coming to play cricket and that is what all of us have been doing. That is what we have done all our lives. That is our profession. I don't regret coming to play cricket. I regret what has happened and the situation that we have gone through. All we want is to go back home to our families and get back home and be safe. that is all I am think now," he said.

Sri Lankan all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya said that he spoke to some of the players and confirmed that none of them suffered any major injury.

"Luckily everybody is OK. There are just a few injuries. I just spoke to Kumar Sangakkara and there are little injures but everyone is ok and it is under control," said Jayasuriya.

"Kumar (Sangakkara) is on the list, Mahela (Jayawardene) was injured, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana are the players injured. I don't know about the management side and who all are injured. But the player are injured but safe at the moment," Jayasuriya said.

The veteran cricketer said that the players were shocked and want to return home.

"This is an unfortunate incident. You can't control these things but I think the players are shocked at the moment. They have never gone through like this before as a cricket team. So I feel for them. I know what they are going through at the moment. it is a terrible time. They are all safe and that is the good news. When I spoke to Kumar I don't think they will stay back and play. They will come back to Sri Lanka as soon as possible. It depends on the injuries. Priority is to look after the cricketers and get back then to Sri Lanka." he said.

Jayasuriya also said that he spoke to Chaminda Vaas and Kumar Sangakkara's wife.

"I don't think any one got a bullet directly but I spoke Chaminda Vaas the first thing in the morning and he said everybody was OK. Then I spoke to Kumar. Everybody is OK. I spoke to Kumar's wife and told her not to worry and everyone is OK. She was upset and it is but natural. She is expecting that is why she should not worry too much," he added.

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SHOCKER! - Pak Terrorists Attack SL Cricketers

Six members of Sri Lanka's national cricket team have been wounded after gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in Lahore, Pakistan.

Pakistan Cricket Board security official Nadeem Iqbal says the team members were injured near the Gaddafi stadium where they were due to arrive to play in the second test against Pakistan.

Sri Lankan team manager, Brendon Kruppu, confirmed the incident and said the team's players, Kumar Sangakkara and Ajantha Mendis, are among the injured.

"We are assessing the situation," Pakistan cricket board chief Ejaz Butt said.

In Sri Lanka, sports minister Gamini Lokuge said two other players, Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera, had been taken to hospital in Lahore, AFP reports.

Unidentified gunmen attacked the bus taking the Sri Lankan cricket squad and its police escort to a cricket stadium in Lahore, according to witnesses and cricket officials.

Six policemen and two civilians have been killed, a police official said. The attack was likely the work of "well-trained terrorists," Lahore police chief, Habib-ur Rehman, said, according to AFP.

The police chief said 12 gunmen attacked the convoy near Lahore's Gaddafi stadium with rockets, hand grenades and automatic weapons and were involved in a 25-minute shoot-out with the security forces.

The Test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan stands cancelled. Security concerns have plagued Pakistan for years and some foreign sports teams have refused to play here

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Pak minister blames India for attacking SL team

A Pakistani minister accused India of being behind the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in the city of Lahore on Tuesday, saying the attackers had crossed into Pakistan from India.

"The evidence which we have got shows that these terrorists entered from across the border from India," Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gabol, minister of state for shipping, told private Geo television.

"This was a conspiracy to defame Pakistan internationally." "This incident took place in reaction to 26/11," he said referring to the Mumbai attacks in November in which at least 170 people were killed.

"It is a declaration of open war on Pakistan by India," said the minister, who is not one of the government's official spokesmen, but belongs to President Asif Ali Zardari's party.

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26/11 accused not arrested: Pak Media

It seems as if is Pakistan has gone back to speaking in two voices over the Mumbai terror attack issue - Pakistani media reports that government sources are saying none of those named by Islamabad in the 26/11 case have been arrested.

The sources say that they are in custody - which in Pakistan's case usually means house arrest. Delhi has repeatedly called all those under house arrest as guests of the state.

This new contradiction will make it difficult for India to figure out what to believe and moreover who to believe. Just 48 hours ago, Pakistan Interior Ministry Chief Rehman Malik had said, "Whatever we could do on the available information, we have done it. We have arrested a number of the accused. Some are under investigation and some may turn out to be witnesses."

Two months after being in constant denial mode, Pakistan on Thursday had finally admitted that "some part of the conspiracy" behind the Mumbai attacks took place on its soil and a case has been registered against nine people including Ajmal Kasab, the lone captured terrorist.

Islamabad made its first formal response to the Indian dossier on the attacks blamed on terrorists based on its soil at a press conference by Malik who gave details of the probe followed a meeting Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal had with officials.

Malik had said Pakistan wanted the DNA samples of Kasab to establish his identity. Among the things Pakistan wanted from India were Kasab's national identity card, electronic diaries seized and the confessional statement made by him in the Indian court and details of who helped in refuelling of one of the boats used by the terrorists.

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India won't hand over Kasab to Pak

Pakistan said Saturday it might seek the custody of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured during the Mumbai mayhem, if its investigations require this, but India immediately nixed the idea.

"If Ajmal Kasab is needed for the investigation process, then India could be asked (to hand) him over," Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters in Karachi.

India was quick to react, saying there was no way this could happen.

"The crime was committed in India. There is no question of handing Kasab to them. In fact, Pakistan should hand over to India the other suspects they've arrested because they were responsible for this terror attack. It can't be the other way around," sources in the Indian external affairs ministry said in New Delhi.

"On what basis do we send Kasab out there? The crime was committed out here (in Mumbai), therefore logic and reasoning demands that the suspects who they've rounded up be sent here (to India)," the sources said.

According to Malik, "we first had to register an FIR (first information report on the Mumbai strikes). This has been done. Now, if our investigators recommend, we will ask for access to him (Kasab)," Malik added.

"So far, we have not asked for Kasab's custody," the minister pointed out.

He said Kasab was one of the eight suspects named in the FIR registered by the Federal Investigation Agency on the Mumbai strikes. Six of the suspects have been arrested while two are at large.

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'We did not plan Mumbai Attacks': Pak

'Not on our soil for nuts'

Pakistan on Tuesday said that findings of its probe into the Mumbai terror attacks- detailing whether they were planned in India or elsewhere- are likely to be made public within a week.

He said that the Pakistan government had mantained all along that it was not involved in Mumbai attack's conspiracy.

A team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has submitted its preliminary probe report regarding the Mumbai attacks, Minister of State for Interior, Tasnim Ahmad Qureshi, told reporters during a visit to National Police Foundation here.

"The report would soon be made public at a suitable time, possibly within a week," Qureshi said.

He said “whether attacks were planned in India or elsewhere” will be revealed only when the government brings out the report.

Top Pakistani leaders have said the Law, Interior and Foreign Ministries are currently vetting the report submitted by a three-member team of the FIA.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik, arrived here today for consultations on finalising the country’s response to the Indian dossier on the Mumbai attacks.

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Pakistan's ISI now train women for terrorism

Can it get uglier?

Security forces in Jammu & Kashmir have found the new face of terror - during an interrogation of a woman arrested last week by the J&K police for providing logistics support for the JeM and Let militants, it was revealed that Pakistan's ISI is reportedly inducting women into militancy.

TV reports suggest that ISI is adopting a new ploy and training woman to carry out militant attacks.

During interrogation of an alleged ISI agent arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police, she confessed that she was trained by the ISI in the Bhiber and Kotli forests in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The video footage shows Asiya Malik - a woman militant, revealing that about 100 girls are being trained in terrorist camps financed by ISI in PoK to carry out militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

In her recorded conversation, Malik reveals how Pakistani girls are being trained in the handling of weapons, explosives, jungle warfare and sabotage activities. She said the women are being trained in two militant training camps in Bhimber and Kotli areas across the Line of Control in PoK.

"I've seen the Mujahideen training camps. Women are also being trained here. Right now, there are about 700 women receiving arms training in different militant camps run by the ISI. These women are also provided with terror literature and taught how to use small arms like guns & grenades," she said in a recorded confession.

Malik also told interrogators that the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI was financing these training camps and that the recruits come from various countries including Saudi Arabia.

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Osama Bin Laden's new Tape emerges

Jihad against Israel

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has called for jihad over the Israeli offensive in Gaza in a new audio tape that appeared on Islamist websites on Wednesday.

"God has bestowed us with the patience to continue the path of jihad for another seven years, and seven and seven years," bin Laden said in the tape that was dated in the current Islamic month.

Bin Laden also condemns Arab governments for preventing their people from acting to ``liberate Palestine.''

The tape was entitled "A Call for Jihad to Stop the Aggression against Gaza". "The question is, can America continue its war with us for several more decades to come? Reports and evidence would suggest otherwise," he said.

The authenticity of the tape could not immediately be verified.

The Palestinian death toll from the 19-day-old Israeli offensive against the Islamist Hamas movement in Gaza has risen to about 1,000. Israel says 13 Israelis have been killed.

The Saudi-born terrorist said the global financial crisis had exposed the waning influence of the United States in world affairs and would in turn weaken its ally Israel.

More than 60 messages have been broadcast by bin Laden, his second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri and their allies since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Last week Zawahri, in an Internet message, called on Muslims to strike Western and Israeli targets around the world over Israel's Gaza raids.

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Pak arrests 124 LeT men

5 JuD camps shut down

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Thursday that 124 people including top JuD leaders have been arrested in a crackdown on groups allegedly linked to the attacks in Mumbai.

However, Malik reiterated that Pakistan still needs more information from India to allow it to prosecute suspects in court.

Malik said that several top leaders including Hafiz Saeed, Mufti Abdur Rehman, Zakir-ul Rehman Lakhvi and Ammer Hamza are also part of those arrested. But he claimed Maulana Masood Azhar, one of India’s most wanted fugitive, of JeM was currently not residing in Pakistan.

Notably, Pakistan had earlier said that it had put Masood under house arrest.

Malik said that several top leaders including Hafiz Saeed, Mufti Abdur Rehman, Zakir-ul Rehman Lakhvi and Ammer Hamza are also part of those arrested. But he claimed Maulana Masood Azhar, one of India’s most wanted fugitive, of JeM was currently not residing in Pakistan.

Notably, Pakistan had earlier said that it had put Masood under house arrest.

He said that "mid-level and top leaders" of banned militant groups had been detained so far in the wake of the Mumbai attacks. These included 69 militant leaders held in Punjab province, 21 in Sindh, 25 in Balochistan and eight in North West Frontier Province.

Authorities had shut down five "training camps" run by the JuD in Punjab province and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. There were "traces" that five of the JuD camps were being used as "training camps", Malik told a press conference.

This is probably for the first time that Pakistan, which has for years denied existence of terror training camps on its soil, has admitted to their presence. He said the crackdown was in response to the UN accusation that a Pakistani charity was a front for an outlawed terrorist group allegedly linked to the attacks.

Significantly, Malik did not say whether any legal proceedings had been initiated against those detained. Six publications of JuD, including the weekly 'Ghazwa', and the group's websites too had been banned, he said.

Malik added that 124 members of banned groups had also been placed under surveillance for the past six months under the provisions of anti-terror laws. Malik further admitted that JuD has links with other militant organisation which are operation in other countries

Incidentally, JuD is the off shoot of LeT which was accused of several terrorist attacks in India. India has said that the November 26 attacks that killed over 180 people was plotted in Pakistan.

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Pak STILL denies despite solid evidence

Person A slaps person B, person B tells Police that person A slapped him, Police asks person A, person A denies. Person B gives a note in writing that person A slapped him. Police shows signed note to person A, who still denies. Police takes DNA/fingerprint evidence of slapmarks which match with person A. He still denies it. Pakistan is mroe or less acting like the five year old living in denial.

However, he may find few takers for his defiant denial outside Pakistan. While Pakistan may claim that India planted GPS devices and made up stories about Pakistani involvement in 26/11, there is no way India could have forged the conversations between the terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan. That remains India’s most crucial record of the complicity of Pakistani “elements”.

The conversations are chilling and show that the attackers were intent on causing maximum damage, did not want to take any hostages and were brutal in the extreme. Here’s a sample of a chat between the Pakistani handlers and the terrorists at Taj Hotel:

Caller (from Pakistan): “There are three ministers and a secretary of cabinet in your hotel, we don’t know which room. Keep looking.”
Receiver (terrorist in Mumbai): “That’s icing on the cake.”
Caller: “Find these three or four persons then get whatever you want from India.”

Later, the caller is also heard telling the terrorist that the “wazir” (minister) should not get away. The minister, if there was one in the hotel, did. At one point, the caller rang again. “Throw one or two grenades on the Navy and police teams. They are outside.”

The Pakistani handlers obviously couldn’t get enough of the action in Mumbai and were glued to TV, whose blow-by-blow coverage actually helped the terrorists. ‘Under fire, don’t saddle yourself with hostages, kill them’

It appeared many things were on the planners’ minds. Certainly the India-Israel relationship was high on their calculations. At one stage, the handlers said, “Keep in mind the hostages are of use only if you don’t come under fire. If you are under attack don’t saddle yourself with the hostages. Immediately kill them.”

The handler also reminded the terrorists that “the Army claims to have done their work without any hostage being harmed”. Another thing: “Israel has made a request to save the hostages. If the hostages are killed it will spoil relations between India and Israel.”

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