tagged w/ terrorism charges
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KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's president sharply critiqued the seven-year Afghan war yesterday, complaining that US and NATO troops haven't made life better. The criticism came a day after he accused foreign forces of undermining him with a "parallel government" in the countryside.
The back-to-back barbs aimed at the international community's handling of the fight with the Taliban and the rebuilding of Afghanistan underlined President Hamid Karzai's increasing frustration with a conflict that has gotten bloodier each year.
"We haven't accepted the international community so our lives would get worse. We accepted them so our lives would get better," Karzai said. "We can accept some destruction - even some civilian casualties - if we have hope for a future of security and peace . . . but this [style of] fighting can't be the only way forever."
During a meeting Tuesday with a UN Security Council delegation, Karzai called for the international community to set a timeline for ending the war, although he didn't mention a specific date.
He asked how - given the number of countries involved and the amount of money spent in Afghanistan - "a little force like the Taliban can continue to exist, continue to flourish."KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's president sharply critiqued the seven-year... more
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Terrorist attacks late Wednesday in Mumbai are unlikely to make multinational technology companies change their strategies for India.
The attacks late Wednesday by terrorists using guns and grenades in Mumbai did however appear different than previous ones, because it targeted top five-star hotels in Mumbai's business district. About 100 are feared dead in the shootouts, which still continue as police battle the armed terrorists. Some foreign residents at the hotel are being held hostage by the terrorists.
"It is sad that this has happened, but we are confident that India will bounce back to normalcy," said Vidya Natampally, director of strategy at Microsoft Research India.
A large number of technology companies including Oracle, Microsoft, and Dell run large software development and call center operations in India. But ever since the threat of terrorism increased since last year, these companies have tightened on security at their facilities.
The Bombay Stock Exchange in south Mumbai has shut down on Thursday. The state government has ordered schools and colleges closed Thursday.Terrorist attacks late Wednesday in Mumbai are unlikely to make multinational... more
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Mumbai BEFORE terrorist attacks (above)
New Delhi - Indian commandos on Thursday readied for an assault to flush out terrorists in a luxury hotel and a building in Mumbai, where about 35 people were being held hostage after daring overnight terrorist attacks in the city claimed 101 lives, officials and news reports said. The Trident along with the iconic Taj hotel were among the targets of heavily armed gunmen who carried out coordinated attacks beginning late Wednesday on at least 10 sites in southern Mumbai, an official at Mumbai's police control room said.
The official said 287 people were wounded and six foreigners were among the dead but they had not yet been identified.
The terrorists, who apparently reached Mumbai by boats, fired automatic weapons and lobbed grenades in the two five-star hotels, at the city's busiest railway station, in a cafe, a cinema hall and a hospital, among other targets.
Meanwhile, forces had begun operations aimed at securing the release of people at the Trident hotel. An estimated 100 people were trapped and 30 believed to be taken hostage by the terrorists at the facility, NDTV reported, quoting official sources.
An Israeli family of four was also being held captive by another group of gunmen at Nariman House, a residential building where an exchange of fire was heard, the report said.
"No negotiations are taking place," he said, adding that the authorities had received no demands from the terrorists.
Elite commandos with the National Security Guard who are trained in counterterrorism combat, the army and the navy's marine commandos, and the Maharashtra police's anti-terrorism squad were all involved in the operations.
Peripheral and outer security was being provided by a task force made up of members of army and police units. Sounds of grenade explosions and sporadic gunfire were heard at the Trident. Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Ghafoor said the attacks were suspected to be coordinated terrorist assaults. He said the gunmen appeared to be using automatic weapons like AK-47s, AK-56s and semiautomatic rifles.
A little-known organization called the Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attacks in e-mails sent to local news agencies. Police said the identity of the attackers had not yet been established.
Local media reports said a British, Japanese and Australian nationals were among the victims. Fourteen police officers, including the chief of Maharashtra state's anti-terrorism squad and three other senior officers, were killed in encounters with the gunmen.Mumbai BEFORE terrorist attacks (above)
New Delhi - Indian commandos on Thursday... more
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ANAA (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden's former driver has arrived home in Yemen after being released from Guantanamo prison, a Yemeni official said on Wednesday.
The official confirmed that Salim Hamdan would serve in Yemen the remainder of his sentence handed out to him by a U.S. court for providing material support for terrorism.
He declined to give further details.
The United States sent home Hamdan, the first prisoner to be convicted in a full trial of the widely criticised tribunals set up by the Bush administration and the U.S. Congress to try non-Americans on terrorism charges outside civilian and military courts at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
In the first U.S. war crimes trial since World War Two, Hamdan was convicted in August of providing personal services in support of terrorism, by driving and guarding al Qaeda's leader.
Hamdan was sentenced to 66 months in prison but given credit for some of the time served at Guantanamo, so that his term was set to end by December 31. The Pentagon said the remaining weeks of his sentence would be served in Yemen.ANAA (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden's former driver has arrived home in Yemen after... more
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