After Texas shooting spree, Florida comes next

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:57:27 GMT

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A police officer standing guard in downtown Orlando.

At least two people have been killed and six others wounded by a gunman who opened fire in a high-rise office building in Orlando, Florida.

Panicked people rushed from the office building as police teams entered to track down the shooter whose spree on Friday began less than 24 hours after a shooting rampage at a Texas military base left 13 dead.

Some three hours later, the alleged shooter was eventually tracked down at his mother's house. It was not immediately clear if she or someone else had telephoned the authorities.

The alleged shooter, 40-year-old Jason Rodriguez, was arrested and dragged away in handcuffs from his mother's house, AFP reported on Friday.

His arrest hours after unleashing a hail of bullets on former colleagues came as Americans reeled from a rampage 24 hours earlier at a Texas military base that left 13 people dead and 30 wounded.

The Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper and local TV networks confirmed that two people had been killed due to the shooting. However, news agencies such as AFP say that only one person was killed in the incident

NATO friendly-fire fiasco kills Afghan troops

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:45:26 GMT

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In a hunt for missing Americans in Afghanistan, US-led coalition troops have reportedly gunned down 7 Afghan security forces under "friendly fire."

"In a NATO air strike, seven Afghan (soldiers and police) were martyred," Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman General Zaher Azimy said about the Friday incident, which occurred in the northwestern Badghis province, Reuters news agency reported.

The area's Deputy Police Chief Mohammed Jabbar told Xinhua that forces were reporting an incident when a "friendly aircraft arrived in support, but fired at troops by mistake."

The 'friendly casualties' were caused while NATO forces were searching for two American troops, who had reportedly drowned in the province's Bala-Murghab River while trying to recover lost supply packages.

The rescue operation had earlier left more than 25 Afghan and NATO troops wounded.

US Navy Captain Jane Campbell attached to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had earlier said, "We are committed to taking every measure possible to rescue or recover our missing service members. We continue to do everything we can to find them."

The Taliban have reportedly claimed possession of the bodies. Militant spokesman Ghari Yousuf Ahmadi said on Friday that the Taliban had attacked the soldiers as a NATO aircraft was dropping supplies on their base, killing one trooper and forcing four others to drown themselves in the river.

If confirmed, the deaths bring to 465 the number of international soldiers, who have died in Afghanistan so far this year — the bloodiest over eight years of military presence under the American command. US troops comprise more than half of the mortalities.

Houthis nab Saudi troops, as Riyadh vows more raids

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:46:39 GMT

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While Houthi fighters say they have captured Saudi troops inside Yemeni territory, Riyadh vows to continue pounding the fighters' positions and border villages in northern Yemen.

Saudi Arabia's airstrikes in the border region of Jabal al-Dukhan has so far killed dozens of Yemeni civilians. The kingdom has also deployed armed forces along its border and has threatened a ground incursion into northern Yemen.

Riyadh claims that the aerial attacks targeted Houthi positions on "Saudi territory" and has vowed to continue with the offensive until it clears its territory of Shia fighters.

This is while, the Houthis say they have captured Saudi troops "inside Yemeni territory," describing the move as a "response to Saudi attacks" on their positions and villages in northern Yemen.

According to a statement by the fighters on Saturday, the Saudi military pounded their positions in northern Yemen with airstrikes and mortar fire overnight, killing a number of Shia fighters.

Media outlets have quoted the Saudi military saying that it has killed about 40 Houthi fighters.

The Saudi air force launched its deadly offensive against Houthis on Wednesday after accusing the resistance fighters of killing two Saudi soldiers on the border.

The Houthis accuse Riyadh of using phosphorous bombs and killing Yemeni civilians. The fighters have long accused Riyadh of supporting the Yemeni government in attacks against them

Thai Muslims Ready for Hajj

Some 15,000 Thai Muslims are travelling to hajj this year. CAIRO — Aspiring for the soul-searching journey, Muslims in the southern Thai province of Phuket are preparing themselves to head for Saudi Arabia to perform hajj. “I’m very excited about it,” Pa Yotharak, a 50-year-old villager, told the Phuket Gazette on Friday, October 9. The Thai Muslim is among 214 pilgrims preparing to leave for the holy lands in Saudi Arabia between October 21 to 29. “It’s my first time travelling out of the country.” Virtual Hajj on IslamOnline.net Hajj Promotes Tolerance: Harvard Charging his religious batteries for the trip, Pa spends time reading the Noble Qur’an. “After a lifetime of religious devotion, I feel like God himself has granted me my turn to take part in the ceremony.” There are 15,000 Thai Muslims travelling to hajj this year. Muslims number 13 million of Thailand's 65 million population. Hajj consists of several ceremonies, which are meant to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family. Every able-bodied adult Muslim -- who can financially afford the trip -- must perform hajj once in their lifetime. Hajj is expected to climax this year on November 26 when the faithful descend the Mount `Arafat. Hajj Course Kholid Wong-Na, 45, is preparing to lead the Thai pilgrims during the ritual. “Although it’s very tiring, I’m very happy to help pilgrims on the Hajj,” Kholid, the imam of Ao Por mosque, said. Kholid, who has been a pilgrims guide for 20 years, takes care of the pilgrims during the soul-searching journey. “By doing this job, I gain much merit.” Ahead of their departure for the Saudi lands, the pilgrims will attend a one-day training course on hajj rituals. They will also be given hajj manuals and white clothes, which the pilgrims wear during the ritual. The pilgrims will also be equipped with necessary tools such as masks and medicine to protect them against diseases during hajj. This year’s hajj comes amid concerns over the spread of the swine flu around the world. The swine flu (H1N1), a mixture of various swine, bird and human viruses, first emerged in Mexico in April. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is moving around the globe at "unprecedented speed." More than 2,837 people have been killed around the globe from the virus

Somali Sufis Take on Shebab Militants

Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa is a national Sufi movement which had recently took up arms against the Shabab. NAIROBI – Somalia's main Sufi movement, Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa, decided to declare war on Al Qaeda-inspired Al-Shabab militant group which is fighting the UN-supported interim government and African peacekeepers. "The Shabab are misguided people who have misunderstood the true values of Islam," Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Muhieddin, the overall chairman of Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa group, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday, November 5. "Now the Shebab are killing Somalis because they are not with them." Dozens of the usually quiet religious movement's leaders have in recent days converged on Nairobi from Somalia and from Western exile for a "war council" to close ranks against what they see as an existential threat. Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa is a national Sufi movement which had not been known to engage in armed action in recent years. But this changed after Shebab group started targeting Sufis and their mosques in recent months, killing many Sufi scholars and destroying several mosques. A year ago, the group took up arms after the Shebab started hunting down Sufi faithful and desecrating their holy sites, notably in and around the southern city of Kismayo. "The Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa fighters are defending themselves and the lives of other Somalis whose way of life is threatened by the Shebab's madness," said Sheikh Muhieddin. Shebab, who control southern Somalia, has been waging relentless battles against transitional government in the capital Mogadishu. Power While the group's military strength remains unclear, its grassroots nature gives it a popular legitimacy and territorial reach that no other movement can boast in fractious Somalia. It is described by its leaders -- and indeed seen by many Somalis -- as a non-partisan religious group, only fighting to defend the country's Islamic identity against extremists. "In my region for example, Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa never used to be a political affiliation," noted Mohamed Ahmed Alin, who was recently appointed president of the semi-autonomous central state of Galmudug with the group's blessing. "Everybody is Ahlu Sunna, that's all." Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa was reportedly founded in 1991 to protect the local Sufi brand of Islam. Fighting alongside government troops in several areas of central and southern Somalia, it has inflicted serious defeats on the Shebab and shown itself to be one of the most credible military forces in the lawless country. However, the group's top leaders insist they have no further ambitions. "We are not after power," said Abdulkadir Mohamed Somow, a senior leader from Mogadishu. "Our movement is fighting the Shabab forces of anarchy but we will lay down our weapons as soon as they have been eliminated." But Abdullahi Mohamoud Hassan, the senior Ahlu Sunna figure based in Garowe, the administrative capital of the northern state of Puntland, hinted otherwise. "If it is God's will we may one day have a role to play in running the country," he said. "But it is too early to say more, there are consultations going on in Nairobi and elsewhere."

Trinidad Police Sorry for Hajj Visas Uproar

Trinidadian police considered the Saudi diplomat a "security risk" over processing hajj visas for locals. (Google) CAIRO – Trinidad and Tobago police have apologized to a Saudi diplomat, who was searched and questioned for processing hajj visas, after their action infuriated local Muslims, Trinidad News reported on Thursday, November 5. "I apologized to Alshabaili for any inconvenience," Police Deputy Commissioner Raymond Craig told a press conference. "I want to say categorically that at no time did the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service attempt or try to embarrass any Muslim individual in our society." Saudi diplomat Fawaz Abdul Rahman Alshubaili arrived in Trinidad and Tobago, an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, Sunday to process hajj visas for locals aspiring to perform the spiritual journey. Considering him as a "security risk", police stormed into the diplomat’s hotel room for search. "Four of five individuals, men, came to his room and told him they were looking for arms and ammunitions, and asked him to remove his shirt to conduct a search," Sheikh Munaf Mohammed, a local Muslim leader, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "He told them he had a diplomatic passport and showed it to them but he told us it didn't seem to mean much to them." The Saudi diplomat was questioned for several hours before being released. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has reportedly launched an investigation into the incident. Humiliation The leaders of the Muslim community, making up nearly 5.8 percent of the country’s 1.3 million people, regretted the humiliating police treatment to the Saudi diplomat. "He was very embarrassed, ashamed and hurt," noted Mohammed, the Muslim leader. "He said he came to our country to help Trinidadians and make it easier for some 204 Muslims to attend the holy pilgrimage. "This was the treatment he received from government." Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, consists of several ceremonies, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family. Every able-bodied adult Muslim — who can financially afford the trip — must perform hajj once in their lifetime. Hajj is expected to climax this year on November 26 when the faithful descend the Mount `Arafat. Maulana Abdul Salam, another local Muslim leader, accused the government of double-standards. "If it had been a US or Canadian diplomat he would not have been treated in that manner.

Italy Convicts CIA Agents on Rendition

The Italian judge convicted 23 CIA operatives and two Italian agents for kidnapping an Egyptian scholar in 2003. CAIRO – An Italian judge has convicted 23 CIA agents for the kidnapping and torturing of a Muslim scholar, in the first criminal prosecution of the controversial US practice of rendition, reported the Washington Post on Thursday, November 5. "This decision sends a clear message to all governments that even in the fight against terrorism you can't forsake the basic rights of our democracies," Milan deputy public prosecutor Armando Spataro said. Judge Oscar Magi sentenced 22 CIA agents to five years in prison for kidnapping Egyptian scholar Hassan Osama Nasr from Italy in 2003 and sent him to Cairo where he was tortured. The court also slapped an eight-year jail sentence on the CIA’s Milan station chief at the time, Robert Seldon Lady. Two Italian secret agents were also given three-year prison terms over the kidnapping. Three other Americans, including former Rome station chief for the CIA, were acquitted over their diplomatic immunity. Nasr, the former imam of a Milan mosque, was abducted as he was walking from home to mosque and bundled into a white van. He was then moved to the US military base at Aviano in northern Italy, and from there to an Egyptian jail, where he was repeatedly tortured. Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, had political refugee status in Italy at the time of his abduction. The ruling is the first criminal prosecution of the US "renditions", one of the most infamous controversial aspects of President George W. Bush's "war on terrorism". The CIA has long kept details of rendition program, which allows the transfer of suspects to third countries without court approval, a closely guarded secret. Since 9/11, the CIA has rendered more than 100 people from one country to another, usually with well-documented records of abuse, without legal proceedings. Bush has strongly defended such transfers as "vital to the nation's defense." The Obama administration has said it would continue the practice, but pledged to take steps to ensure that rendition targets are not tortured. Victory "The Italian government was found responsible for collaborating with the CIA,” Mariner said. CIA agents blasted the US government following their conviction. "I am saddened, dismayed and angered that the government I served abandoned me completely,” Sabrina De Sousa, formerly a second secretary at the US Embassy in Rome, said in an e-mail. "We are paying for the mistakes right now, whoever authorized and approved this," added Sabrina, who was convicted to five years in prison. US authorities criticized the verdict, saying Italian courts have no jurisdiction to rule on the case. "Our view is the Italian court has no jurisdiction over Lieutenant Colonel (Joseph) Romano and should have immediately dismissed the charges," said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell. "Now that they have not, we will, of course, explore what options we have going forward." The CIA declined to comment. "The CIA has not commented on any of the allegations surrounding Abu Omar," said spokesman George Little. The trial of the CIA agents was delayed as successive Italian governments sought to have it thrown out as a threat to national security. The landmark ruling drew praise from human rights groups. "The Italian government was found responsible for collaborating with the CIA,” Joanne Mariner of Human Rights Watch told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “It was a brave ruling for an Italian court.