Al-Qaida says letter from its No.2 leader to al-Zarqawi is a U.S. fake

CAIRO, Egypt- A posting on an Islamic website Thursday accused the United States of fabricating a letter in which al-Qaida's No. 2 leader asked for money and laid out the terrorist group's plans for expanding the insurgency in the Middle East. "We in al-Qaida declare that there is no truth to these claims, and they are baseless, except in the imagination of the politicians of the Black (White) House," according to the statement on a website known as a clearing house for al-Qaida material. The statement was signed Abu Maysara, who claims to be spokesman for al-Qaida in Iraq...

Ghazi Kan'an - Second High Ranking Syrian Official to Commit Suicide in  Bashar Al-Assad's Presidency. Syria's minister of interior and "strongman" in Lebanon for more than a decade Ghazi Kan'an is the second high-ranking Syrian official reported to have committed suicide since Bashar Al-Assad became president of Syria. The first was prime minister Mahmoud Al-Zu'bi, in June 2000. Following the death of Al-Zu'bi in 2000, Al-Ahram Al-Arabi published an article by its editor Dr. Abd Al-Mun'im Al-Sa'id that hinted at an indirect connection between the Syrian government and Al-Zu'bi's death. The following are excerpts from Dr. Sa'id's article:(1) "I do not know what went through the Prime Minister's mind...

Russians mop up after fight with Islamic insurgents that claimed over 100 lives

Photo: Telatives and friends carry the body of Tamerlan Kazikhanov, press-officer of regional police, killed in Nalchik on Thursday, at a cemetery in the outskirts of Nalchik Friday.

NALCHIK, Russia- Russian security forces in an armoured personnel carrier smashed through the wall of a store to rescue two hostages held by Islamic insurgents Friday as authorities tried to clear out the last pockets of rebel resistance after more than a day of fighting that claimed least 108 lives. Chechen rebels claimed involvement in the near-simultaneous attacks ...

Israelis, Palestinians move toward agreement on Gaza border security

JERUSALEM- Israel and the Palestinians were moving toward agreement on new security arrangements for the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, officials from both sides said Saturday, a deal that could allow Palestinian residents of the coastal strip relatively free movement for the first time...

Iran has reverse-engineered, deployed nuke-capable cruise missiles  from Ukraine

Teheran received 12 long-range Kh-55 cruise missiles from Ukraine in  2001 and has since enhanced the missiles and deployed them in the  military, a leading Iranian opposition source said..

Israeli forces disguised as vegetable vendors capture senior Hamas militant

Photo: This undated picture provided by the family shows 14-year-old Palestinian Sariel al Jitan, from the Balata refugee camp, adjacent to the West Bank town of Nablus. The Israeli army said Wednesday it arrested the boy who allegedly was recruited by militants to carry out a suicide bombing against his will, the latest in a string of attempted attacks involving Palestinian youths.

HEBRON, West Bank- Israeli forces disguised as vegetable vendors captured a senior Hamas operative who had been on the run for eight years as well as a 14-year-old boy whom militants tried to push into becoming a suicide bomber, the army said Wednesday...

First Abbas-Sharon meeting since Gaza pullout postponed for second time. JERUSALEM, West Bank- Israeli-Palestinian summit was called off Monday at the last minute, a sign that Israel's Gaza pullout last month has failed for now to create the peace momentum the international community had hoped for. The meeting, set tentatively for Tuesday, stumbled over day-to-day issues such as Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners, and not over fundamental disputes that have kept the sides from reaching a peace deal for more than a decade. The summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was postponed after the two sides deadlocked over the turnover of West Bank towns to Palestinians control...

Sharon pledges progress toward peace with Palestinians if they do their part. TEL AVIV - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged Tuesday to continue with steps toward peace with the Palestinians, but only if they do their part first, while ruling out new initiatives. Greeting party leaders on the occasion of the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement, Sharon said he would follow the internationally backed "road map" plan that calls for a Palestinian state...

Palestinian chaos: Fatah's Popular Army on the loose. GAZA CITY - Despite opposition by the Palestinian Authority, Fatah has deployed its so-called Popular Army. Over the last month, Fatah's Popular Army has clashed with Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip. In most cases, the army was used to attack rivals and disrupt protests by unions and opposition groups. Palestinian sources said the Popular Army has been employed by Fatah officials who also serve in the PA...

Iraqi government announces new security measures ahead of referendum

Photo: Iraqi youngsters walks by posters promoting the country's new constitution in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday.

TIKRIT, Iraq- The Iraqi government on Saturday announced plans to clamp down with security measures including a curfew, weapons ban and a closure of the borders ahead of next week's constitutional referendum as Sunni Arabs geared up their campaign against the charter. The military also said two U.S. army soldiers died of wounds sustained Friday during the River Gate offensive in western Iraq, bringing to eight the number of American service members killed in recent operations aimed at clearing the volatile area of militants. With their deaths, at least 1,952 U.S. service members have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003...