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20070618

Analysis - Countries - People - Law - Money - Environment - Religion - Terrorism - Nuclear - Military - Politics - "The Failed States Index 2007." ... "The world’s weakest states aren’t just a danger to themselves. They can threaten the progress and stability of countries half a world away." ... "The problems that plague failing states are generally all too similar: rampant corruption, predatory elites who have long monopolized power, an absence of the rule of law, and severe ethnic or religious divisions." ... "For the second year in a row, Sudan tops the rankings as the state most at risk of failure. The primary cause of its instability, violence in the country’s western region of Darfur, is as well known as it is tragic. At least 200,000 people—and perhaps as many as 400,000—have been killed in the past four years by janjaweed militias armed by the government, and 2 to 3 million people have fled their torched villages for squalid camps as the violence has spilled into the Central African Republic and Chad. These countries were hardly pictures of stability prior to the influx of refugees and rebels across their borders; the Central African Republic plays host to a modern-day slave trade, and rebels attacked Chad’s capital in April 2006 in a failed coup attempt. But the spillover effects from Sudan have a great deal to do with the countries’ tumble in the rankings, demonstrating that the dangers of failing states often bleed across borders. That is especially worrying for a few select regions. This year, eight of the world’s 10 most vulnerable states are in sub-Saharan Africa, up from six last year and seven in 2005." ... "That is not to say that all failing states suffer from international neglect. Iraq and Afghanistan, the two main fronts in the global war on terror, both suffered over the past year. Their experiences show that billions of dollars in development and security aid may be futile unless accompanied by a functioning government, trustworthy leaders, and realistic plans to keep the peace and develop the economy." ... "Today, two countries among the world’s 15 most vulnerable, North Korea and Pakistan, are members of the nuclear club. Their profiles could hardly be less similar: The former faces the very real prospect of economic collapse, followed by massive human flight, while the latter presides over a lawless frontier country and a disenchanted Islamist opposition whose ranks grow by the day." (1 of 9)

2 "The world’s weakest states are also the most religiously intolerant",

3 "several vulnerable states took a step back from the brink",

4 "Three of the five worst performing states—Chad, Sudan, and Zimbabwe—have leaders who have been in power for more than 15 years",

5 "correlation between stability and environmental sustainability",

6 "world’s failing states tend to cluster together",

7 "A dozen countries among the 60 most vulnerable contain “virtual states”",

8 Failed State Rankings,

9 "FAQ and Methodology"

-FundForPeace.org/fsi -ForeignPolicy.com

[Below are the 20 most vulnerable countries out of 60 countries listed out of 177 countries examined and ranked by the Fund for Peace's Conflict Assessment System Tool (CAST) that uses 12 indicators of country vulnerability for it's country stability analysis.]

"[Failed State] The Rankings."

-FundForPeace.org/fsi -ForeignPolicy.com

1 Sudan

2 Iraq

3 Somalia

4 Zimbabwe

5 Chad

6 Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire)

7 Democratic Republic of the Congo

8 Afghanistan

9 Guinea

10 Central African Republic

11 Haiti

12 Pakistan

13 North Korea

14 Burma (Myanmar)

15 Uganda

16 Bangladesh

17 Nigeria

18 Ethiopia

19 Burundi

20 Timor-Leste (East Timor)

20070520

US - Iraq - Afghanistan - Pakistan - Terrorism - Money - Military - Intelligence - Osama bin Laden - "Influx of Al Qaeda, money into Pakistan is seen: U.S. officials say the terrorist network's command base is increasingly being funded by cash coming out of Iraq." ... "A major CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] effort launched last year to hunt down Osama bin Laden has produced no significant leads on his whereabouts, but has helped track an alarming increase in the movement of Al Qaeda operatives and money into Pakistan's tribal territories, according to senior U.S. intelligence officials familiar with the operation." ... "In one of the most troubling trends, U.S. officials said that Al Qaeda's command base in Pakistan is increasingly being funded by cash coming out of Iraq, where the terrorist network's operatives are raising substantial sums from donations to the anti-American insurgency as well as kidnappings of wealthy Iraqis and other criminal activity." ... "The influx of money has bolstered Al Qaeda's leadership ranks at a time when the core command is regrouping and reasserting influence over its far-flung network. The trend also signals a reversal in the traditional flow of Al Qaeda funds, with the network's leadership surviving to a large extent on money coming in from its most profitable franchise, rather than distributing funds from headquarters to distant cells." ... "Al Qaeda's efforts were aided, intelligence officials said, by Pakistan's withdrawal in September of tens of thousands of troops from the tribal areas along the Afghanistan border where Bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman Zawahiri, are believed to be hiding." ... "Little more than a year ago, Al Qaeda's core command was thought to be in a financial crunch. But U.S. officials said cash shipped from Iraq has eased those troubles." ... ""Iraq is a big moneymaker for them," said a senior U.S. counter-terrorism official." -By Greg Miller -LAtimes

20070219

Noteworthy - Pakistan - Afghanistan - US - Terrorism - Intelligence - bin Laden - "Al Qaeda Chiefs Are Seen to Regain Power." ... "Senior leaders of Al Qaeda operating from Pakistan have re-established significant control over their once-battered worldwide terror network and over the past year have set up a band of training camps in the tribal regions near the Afghan border, according to American intelligence and counterterrorism officials." ... "American officials said there was mounting evidence that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, had been steadily building an operations hub in the mountainous Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan. Until recently, the Bush administration had described Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahri as detached from their followers and cut off from operational control of Al Qaeda." ... "The United States has also identified several new Qaeda compounds in North Waziristan, including one that officials said might be training operatives for strikes against targets beyond Afghanistan." ... "American analysts said recent intelligence showed that the compounds functioned under a loose command structure and were operated by groups of Arab, Pakistani and Afghan militants allied with Al Qaeda. They receive guidance from their commanders and Mr. Zawahri, the analysts said. Mr. bin Laden, who has long played less of an operational role, appears to have little direct involvement." ... "The new warnings are different from those made in recent months by intelligence officials and terrorism experts, who have spoken about the growing abilities of Taliban forces and Pakistani militants to launch attacks into Afghanistan. American officials say that the new intelligence is focused on Al Qaeda and points to the prospect that the terrorist network is gaining in strength despite more than five years of a sustained American-led campaign to weaken it." (1, 2) -By Mark Mazzetti and David Rohde with contributions by David Johnston and Carlotta Gall -NYTimes

20060925

US - Afghanistan - Iraq - Pakistan - Osama bin Laden - Religious - Terrorism - Money - Politics - Military - Intelligence - "Afghanistan, 5 years later: U.S. confront Taliban's return." ... "Afghanistan has become Iraq on a slow burn. Five years after they were ousted, the Taliban are back in force, their ranks renewed by a new generation of diehards. Violence, opium trafficking, ethnic tensions, official corruption and political anarchy are all worse than they've been at any time since the U.S.-led intervention in 2001." ... "By failing to stop Taliban leaders and Osama bin Laden from escaping into Pakistan, then diverting troops and resources to Iraq before finishing the job in Afghanistan, the Bush administration left the door open to a Taliban comeback. Compounding the problem, reconstruction efforts have been slow and limited, and the U.S. and NATO didn't anticipate the extent and ferocity of the Taliban resurgence or the alliances the insurgents have formed with other Islamic extremists and with the world's leading opium traffickers." ... "There are only 42,000 U.S. and NATO-led troops to secure a country that's half again the size of Iraq, where 150,000 U.S.-led coalition troops are deployed. Suicide bombings have soared from two in all of 2002 to about one every five days. Civilian casualties are mounting." ... "James Dobbins, who was President Bush's special envoy to Afghanistan, said that the administration dismissed European offers of a major peacekeeping force after the U.S. intervention and almost immediately began shifting military assets to invade Iraq." ... "The White House "resisted the whole concept of peacekeeping," said Dobbins. "They wanted to demonstrate a different approach, one that would be much lower cost. So the decision to skimp on manpower and deploy one-fiftieth the troops as were deployed in Bosnia was accompanied by a decision to underplay economic assistance." ... ""We invaded Afghanistan in October 2001. We conquered the country in December, and Congress was not asked to provide any (reconstruction) money until the following October," he continued. "Much of the money didn't show up for years. And not only were the actual sums relatively small, but with the failure to establish even a modicum of security in the countryside, there was no way to spend it."" ... "There are 22,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. But there are only 5,000 U.S. combat soldiers in eastern Afghanistan bordering Taliban refuges in Pakistan, a 27,000-square-mile area of vast deserts and mountains nearly the size of South Carolina." ... "ISAF [International Security Assistance Force led by NATO], with 20,000 troops from 36 nations, has only 8,000 troops for 77,000 square miles - slightly smaller than Minnesota - in the south." ... "The insurgents and their leaders operate from Pakistan, aided by Pakistani officials, radical Islamic parties and al Qaida. They're flush with recruits from Islamist seminaries on both sides of the border that offer religious instruction and combat training." ... "Taliban extremists also have been to Iraq for training in combat and bomb-making, and Iraqi insurgents have traveled to Pakistan to forge closer ties with Afghan and Pakistani extremists, according to U.S. intelligence officials." ... "The Afghan army has about 30,000 troops who participate in operations with U.S. and ISAF forces. But they lack basic equipment - helmets, radios and armored vehicles - and rely on U.S. and other foreign funds for their salaries." -By Jonathan S. Landay -McClatchy-RealCities

20060906

Pakistan - Afghanistan - US - Military - Terrorism - "Pakistan Reaches Peace Accord With Pro-Taliban Militias: Deal Arouses Alarm in Afghanistan." ... "The government of Pakistan signed a peace accord Tuesday with pro-Taliban forces in the volatile tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, agreeing to withdraw its troops from the region in return for the fighters' pledge to stop attacks inside Pakistan and across the border." ... "Under the pact, foreign fighters would have to leave North Waziristan or live peaceable lives if they remained. The militias would not set up a "parallel" government administration." ... "Reached as Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, prepared to visit the Afghan capital Wednesday, the accord aroused alarm among some analysts in Afghanistan. They expressed concern that, whatever the militias promise, a Pakistani army withdrawal might backfire, emboldening the groups to operate more freely in Pakistan and to infiltrate more aggressively into Afghanistan to fight U.S. and allied forces there." ... "More than 1,500 people have been killed in combat and terrorist attacks this year as violence in Afghanistan swelled to its highest level since 2001, when U.S.-led forces drove the Taliban from power. Suicide bombings, once unheard of, are now almost daily occurrences. Schools have been burned across the region and dozens of community leaders have been assassinated." -By Pamela Constable -WashingtonPost

20060905

Pakistan - Afghanistan - US - Military - Terrorism - Osama bin Laden- "Bin Laden Gets a Pass from Pakistan." ... "Osama bin Laden, America's most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a "peaceful life," Pakistani officials tell ABC News." ... "The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a "peace deal" with the Taliban." ... "If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."" ... "Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, but U.S. officials say his precise location is unknown." ... ""What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director." -By Brian Ross and Gretchen Peters -ABCNEWS.com

20060816

Pakistan - US - Afghanistan - Osama bin Laden - Terrorism - Politics - "White House backing new plan to defuse insurrection in Pakistan." ... "A U.S.-backed plan to defeat Islamist militants in Pakistan's autonomous tribal areas has backfired badly, and the Bush administration is working with Pakistan to come up with a new strategy to defuse the insurrection." ... "Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf "sees that what he was doing wasn't working," said one U.S. official who's familiar with the new plan. "He really has a mess."" ... "Now Musharraf's government is attempting to negotiate truces in the areas, expand local police forces and introduce development projects to reward tribal leaders who break with the militants. The Bush administration has pledged millions of dollars to the new effort, said the official, who, like others familiar with the plan, spoke only if granted anonymity." ... "Ending the uprising by Islamist militants aligned with Osama bin Laden and Taliban rebels is crucial to American-led efforts to contain the worst surge in Taliban violence in Afghanistan since 2001. The bloodshed is adding to the Bush administration's woes in the Middle East and other fronts in the war on terrorism." ... "Pakistan deployed 80,000 troops in the areas, which border Afghanistan, at Washington's behest to hunt down bin Laden and his sympathizers and secure Pakistan's side of the border. The Bush administration reportedly has spent nearly $1 billion since 2003 to underwrite the Pakistan army's operations." ... "But the army's use of artillery and helicopter gunships - as well as U.S. airstrikes on suspected al-Qaida hideouts - has killed numerous civilians and stoked popular ire." -By Jonathan S. Landay -McClatchy-RealCities

20060815

British - Pakistan - US - Aviation - Terrorism - Law Enforcement - Intelligence - Book - Military - Politics - "The Triumph of Unrealism." ... "The London plot against civil aviation confirmed a theme of an illuminating new book, Lawrence Wright's "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11." The theme is that better law enforcement, which probably could have prevented Sept. 11, is central to combating terrorism. F-16s are not useful tools against terrorism that issues from places such as Hamburg (where Mohamed Atta lived before dying in the North Tower of the World Trade Center) and High Wycombe, England." ... "Cooperation between Pakistani and British law enforcement (the British draw upon useful experience combating IRA terrorism) has validated John Kerry's belief (as paraphrased by the New York Times Magazine of Oct. 10, 2004) that "many of the interdiction tactics that cripple drug lords, including governments working jointly to share intelligence, patrol borders and force banks to identify suspicious customers, can also be some of the most useful tools in the war on terror." In a candidates' debate in South Carolina (Jan. 29, 2004), Kerry said that although the war on terror will be "occasionally military," it is "primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation that requires cooperation around the world."" -By George F. Will -WashingtonPost

20060510

Human Rights - Politics - China - Cuba - Pakistan - Russia - Saudi Arabia - Azerbaijan - Iran - Venezuela - "New U.N. Rights Group Includes Six Nations With Poor Records." ... "Six nations with poor human rights records were among those elected to the new Human Rights Council on Tuesday, although notorious violators that had belonged to the predecessor Human Rights Commission did not succeed in winning places in the new group." ... "China, Cuba, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, countries cited by human rights groups as not deserving membership, were among the 47 nations elected to the council. But in a move hailed by the same groups, both Iran and Venezuela failed to attract the needed votes." -By Warren Hoge -NYTimes

20060329

Pakistan - Parents - Abortion - Science - "Baby Carrying Two Fetuses Dies." ... "A 2-month-old Pakistani girl has died following surgery to remove two fetuses that had grown inside her while she was still in her mother's womb, a doctor said Wednesday." ... "A report in a June 2000 issue of the U.S. journal Pediatrics called such occurrences rare and estimated their rate at about one per 500,000 births." -AP via -CBSNews

20060328

Pakistan - Parents - Abortion - Science - "Surgeons Remove Two Fetuses From Infant." ... "Surgeons operated on a 2-month-old Pakistani girl Tuesday to remove two fetuses that had grown inside her while she was still in her mother's womb, a doctor said." ... "[Zaheer] Abbasi, the chief doctor who led the operation, said the case was the first he was aware of in Pakistan of fetus-in-fetu, where a fetus has grown inside another in the womb." -By Paul Garwood-AP via -WashingtonPost

20051230

Pakistan - Religious - Schools - Politics - Terrorism - London bombings- UK - "Pakistan's Islamic schools resist expulsion order: · Ban on foreign students followed London bombs · Leaders claim Musharraf ruling is discriminatory." ... "Leaders of Pakistan's 13,000 madrasas have vowed to defy a government deadline to expel foreign students by December 31, saying the regulations discriminate against religious schools." ... "President Pervez Musharraf required Pakistan's madrasas to expel about 1,800 foreign students after the July 7 bombings in London highlighted the extremist links of some schools. Three of the London bombers were of Pakistani descent, and the Aldgate bomber, Shehzad Tanweer, attended a Lahore madrasa that has since been linked to Islamist militants." -By Imtiaz Gul -Guardian.co.uk

20051205

US - Pakistan - Egypt - Terrorism - Intelligence - Aircraft - Robots - "Drone said to have killed Al Qaeda's No. 3: If true, Abu Hamza Rabia would be the third to hold the post and be taken out." ... "In the dead of night, the US Predator aircraft swooped in over the [Pakistan] hamlet of Haisori, locking in on an abandoned house five travelers had quietly entered just hours before, according to neighbors. Then, they say, the drone fired on the stone and mud dwelling for about eight minutes, reducing it to rubble." ... "Pakistani officials say the airstrike, which took place last Thursday in tribal region of North Waziristan, killed five people, including Al Qaeda's No. 3 man, Egyptian Abu Hamza Rabia. Conflicting reports cast some uncertainty on Mr. Rabia's death and his exact rank, however." ... "If Islamabad's account holds true it would represent the third Al Qaeda "No. 3" to be killed or captured in as many years. Taking out the terrorist network's operations manager represents an intelligence victory with obvious short-term gains in disrupting terrorist planning, but also points to Al Qaeda's ability to bounce back from these losses in the past, say analysts." -By Gretchen Peters -CSMonitor

20051130

Pakistan - Earthquake - Disaster - Flying - "Pakistan Earthquake Aid Flights Interrupted by Winter Storms." ... "Winter storms in Pakistan's mountainous Kashmir region forced relief organizations to interrupt helicopter flights bringing aid to more than 3 million people left homeless by last month's earthquake." ... "Flights carrying supplies to villages above 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) were suspended over two days beginning on Nov. 26, the International Organization for Migration said in an e-mailed statement late yesterday from Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. More bad weather is forecast for the rest of this week, it said." -By Khalid Qayum and Paul Tighe -Bloomberg

20051108

Pakistan - UN - "Death Toll in South Asia Quake at 87,350." ... "One month after South Asia's massive Oct. 8 earthquake, the regional death toll jumped to 87,350 Tuesday following a new count of Pakistan's casualties, officials said." ... "The U.N. stepped up its appeals for more money to help victims centered in Pakistan's portion of Kashmir, urging donors to be as generous as with other recent disasters and saying it urgently needs $42.4 million to keep bringing help through November." -By Sadaqat Jan -AP via -Guardian.co.uk

20051107

Pakistan - India - Politics - "Police Keep Kashmiris From Crossing Border." ... "Pakistani police fired tear gas to disperse Kashmiri villagers Monday when some tried to cross into Indian territory during an unprecedented frontier ceremony by the South Asian rivals to exchange aid for victims of the Oct. 8 quake." ... "The border opening that India and Pakistan agreed to last month was supposed to have been a much grander gesture: letting Kashmiris cross at five points to check on long-lost relatives and visit relief camps set up along the frontier." ... "But India on Saturday said it was prepared to open only one crossing, and on Sunday officials on both sides said bureaucratic wrangling would delay chances for people to cross, partly because India must be assured that no Muslim militants will head into Indian territory." -AP via -CBSNews

20051101

Pakistan - People - Earthquake - History - Homes - "Pakistan seeks more medical aid as quake toll rises." ... "Pakistan appealed for antibiotics and painkillers on Tuesday as it raised the toll from last month's devasting earthquake to 57,597 killed and nearly 79,000 injured." ... "The updated figures from Pakistan Federal Relief Commission brought the total official toll from the disaster to nearly 59,000 -- including 1,309 confirmed deaths and 6,622 injuries on on the Indian side of the devasted Kashmir region." ... "At 7.6 magnitude, the quake was the strongest to hit the South Asian region in 100 years. It destroyed huge numbers of houses and left more than three million people homeless or in need of emergency shelter with a brutal winter just weeks away." -By Robert Birsel with contributions by David Brunnstrom -Reuters via -AlertNet.org/Newsdesk
Pakistan - Earthquake - Weather - US - Military - "Worsening weather threatens more misery for Pakistan quake survivors." ... "The U.S. military promised to keep flying helicopter relief missions to help survivors of Pakistan's worst earthquake through the harsh winter, as a bleak weather forecast for Tuesday loomed over hundreds of thousands of people living without shelter." ... "With the brutal Himalayan winter approaching, the relief effort is rushing to deliver tents, food and medicine to victims of the Oct. 8 quake before villages are cut off by snow and helicopter-grounding fog." (1, 2) -By Zarar Khan -AP via -Canada.com

20051026

Pakistan - Earthquake - Disaster - UN - "Pakistan quake toll could double without swift help." ... "More people could die of hunger, cold and injuries in the wake of Pakistan's earthquake than during it unless rich countries meeting in Geneva come up with more money fast, a top U.N. aid official said on Wednesday." ... ""The disaster is looming large. We have thousands and thousands of very vulnerable people," U.N. chief aid coordinator Rashid Khalikov said hours before 65 nations were due to meet at the United Nations in Geneva to talk about how to help." ... ""This disaster may have the number of people who died after the disaster bigger than those killed by the earthquake," he said outside his tent office in the destroyed Pakistani Kashmir capital of Muzzafarabad." (1, 2) -By Robert Birsel -Reuters

20051020

UN - Pakistan - Earthquake - People - Health - "U.N.: Berlin-Type Airlift Needed in Asia." ... "The top U.N. relief coordinator warned Thursday that bold initiatives like the Berlin Airlift are needed to save as many as 3 million people left homeless by the South Asian earthquake as winter approaches in the Himalayas." ... "The World Health Organization, meanwhile, reported three quake survivors died of tetanus, reinforcing fears that disease and infected injuries could drive the 79,000 death toll far higher." ... "Jan Egeland, the U.N. relief coordinator, appealed to NATO and other potential donors to step in with an army of helicopters to fly in relief supplies and evacuate perhaps hundreds of thousands of people." -By Munir Ahmad -AP via -SFGate.com

20051019

Pakistan - Earthquake - Disaster - "Number of dead in Pakistan over 79,000." ... "A series of fresh landslides have been triggered by two strong aftershocks from south Asia's earthquake, inflicting more damage on the already hard-hit cities of Balakot and Muzaffarabad in northern Pakistan." ... "The 5.8-magnitude aftershock struck 129 kilometres north of Islamabad, near the epicentre of the first earthquake, and was strong enough to be felt in the capital." ... "It was followed less than an hour later by another strong tremor measuring 5.6." ... "But the suffering continues and now officials, using figures from local governments and hospital sources, are projecting the number of dead from the disaster at over 79,000." -CBC.ca

20051018

Pakistan - Earthquake - Parents - People - School - Psychology - "Grim future for young quake survivors: Schoolchildren learn to cope with losing classmates." ... "Imagine being the only child in class to survive after friends and teachers were all buried beneath the rubble." ... "This is the scenario now facing young student Mohammad Waseem after his school in Muzaffarabad [Pakistani-controlled Kashmir] was destroyed by the South Asia earthquake." ... "Children were among the hardest hit by the disaster since many were in school when the magnitude 7.6 tremor struck." -By Matthew Chance -AP -CNN

20051012

Pakistan - Earthquake - Disaster - Homes - UN - Food - "Aid still failing to reach most of Pakistan's 4m earthquake survivors." ... "Humanitarian aid has reached only a small proportion of the 4m people whose homes have been destroyed or damaged by the devastating earthquake that struck Pakistan four days ago, according to a disaster assessment by UN officials." ... ""This is a huge catastrophe and the more we see the worse it's getting," said Andrew Macleod, a member of the UN's disaster assessment team, yesterday. "It's no criticism of Pakistan to say that it's only a small proportion of the affected population that has received any aid, and that there are areas that may not for some time."" ... "The UN yesterday appealed for $272m (€225m, £150m) to support its efforts for six months, of which $62.5m would be spent on shelter and non-food items and $50m on food. It said strong aftershocks had left survivors afraid to go back inside damaged houses and many preferring to sleep in fields." -By Jo Johnson and Farhan Bokhari -FT.com
Pakistan - India - Earthquake - Disaster - "Disease threat for quake zone: Top U.S. diplomat will visit Pakistan." ... "Weather is hampering relief efforts to survivors of the deadliest quake in South Asia for a century, as health experts warn the Himalayan region could become a fertile breeding ground for disease." ... "Millions of people remain homeless in the mountainous areas of northern Pakistan and India following the quake, which is estimated to have claimed more than 41,000 people." ... "As Wednesday arrived, new threats loomed for the people left without shelter following the quake; international health experts warned of potential disease threats from the devastated public sanitation systems." -With contributions by Andrew Stevens, Satinder Bindra, Matthew Chance, Ram Ramgopal, Becky Anderson, Syed Mohsin Naqvi, John Raedler, Mukhtar Ahmed, Tom Coghlan and -AP -CNN

20051011

Pakistan - India - Earthquake - Disaster - "Food arrives as toll tops 42,000." ... "The death toll from the massive South Asia earthquake soared above 42,000 as the first trickle of humanitarian aid began to flow into the region, authorities said." ... "Meanwhile, 120 metric tons of ready-to-eat food arrived Tuesday, enough to feed 240,000 people for five days, a World Food Programme spokesman told CNN." ... "Another 80 million metric tons of food aid is in the pipeline, Amjad Jamal said." ... "But he acknowledged the need was great and said appeals were being made to the international community for additional donations of food, supplies and money." ... "Even with many far-flung areas still not reached, the death toll has hit 41,000 in Pakistan alone, with another 1,239 dead in India and one reported death in Afghanistan, officials have said." -By Andrew Stevens, Satinder Bindra, Matthew Chance, Ram Ramgopal, Syed Mohsin Naqvi and John Raedler with contributions by Mukhtar Ahmed and Tom Coghlan -CNN
Pakistan - India - Earthquake- People - Military - "Quake relief fights tough terrain: The Asian temblor is being described as the worst disaster in Pakistan's history." ... "Relief workers and military officials on both sides of the border in the Himalayan region of Kashmir struggled to reach hundreds of villages cut off by the worst earthquake to hit this region in a century. Estimates of the death toll ranged Monday between 20,000 and 30,000. Relief agencies have put out a massive appeal for food, tents, and medicines for an estimated 2.5 million people who are thought to be homeless - a number similar in scope to the Indian Ocean tsunami." ... "Just as Americans voiced anger at the slow response of emergency relief agencies in the wake of hurricane Katrina, many Kashmiris in both the Indian and Pakistani portions of the divided territory decried what they called a slow emergency response." ... "The earthquake of Oct. 8 could be a crucial test of both the military-dominated government of President Pervez Musharraf, as well as renewed peace efforts between India and Pakistan, who both claim the quake-ravaged state of Kashmir." -By Scott Baldauf and Laura Winter with contributions by Anuj Chopra -CSMonitor

20051004

Pakistan - Afghanistan - MIL - Terrorism - "Taliban spokesman arrested in Pakistan." ... "The self-proclaimed Taliban spokesman, known for changing his phone number weekly and making wild claims about purported Taliban attacks, has been arrested in Pakistan, officials said." ... "Mullah Hakim Latifi, who has served as a roving one-man Taliban press secretary for almost two years, was captured in Baluchistan province, just over the border from southern Afghanistan, Pakistan government spokesman Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told reporters in Islamabad." -By Kim Barker -ChicagoTribune via -MercuryNews

20051003

Pakistan - India - Military - "Pakistan, India sign agreement to give advance notice of missile tests." ... "Pakistan and India signed agreements today for giving advance notice of ballistic missile tests, and on setting up a hotline between their coast guard agencies, officials said." ... "The missile test warning deal was first struck during talks between Indian and Pakistani officials in New Delhi in August but is now being officially brought into force." -AFXNews via -Forbes

20050831

- CA - - - "Terrorism charges expected in California probe: Sources: One state prisoner involved in alleged plot." ... "Federal prosecutors are expected to seek terrorism-related charges Wednesday against four men in connection with an alleged plot in the Los Angeles, California, area, three sources told CNN." ... "The charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism are expected to be announced Wednesday after a federal grand jury returns an indictment." ... "Three of the four men are in custody on separate charges. One of the men is Hammad Samana, a Pakistan native who was taken into custody earlier this month on charges that remain under seal." -By Kelli Arena and Dree DeClamecy -CNN

20050818

Bangladesh - - - Religion - "Bombings strike Bangladesh." ... "The bombs reportedly targeted mainly government offices, bus and train stations, and markets in 63 of the country's 64 districts." ... "Most of Bangladesh's 141 million people are Muslim." ... "Bangladesh has many of the same demographic and cultural factors at play that led to the rise of militant Islam in nearby Pakistan and in Afghanistan. In particular, it has a network of Deobandi religious schools, or madrassas that, like Pakistan's, have contributed to radicalization of many poor youth." -CSMonitorand -AP via -SeattleTimes.NWsource

20050811

- - "Pakistan Successfully Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile (Update2)." ... "Pakistan successfully test-fired a cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, the army said in a statement[.]" ... "``Pakistan today conducted a successful test of its first- ever ground-launched cruise missile HATF-VII, also known as Babur,'' the army said from Islamabad. The ``Babur cruise has the capability to carry nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 500 kilometers (300 miles) with a pinpoint accuracy.''" -By Khalid Qayum -Bloomberg

20050706

- - - - - "Iraq Abductors Threaten to Kill Diplomat." ... "Kidnappers linked to al-Qaida's branch in Iraq threatened Wednesday to kill Egypt's top envoy here, as Iraq's prime minister called on other countries to stay the course and keep their diplomats in Baghdad." ... "The threat to kill Ihab al-Sherif, seized by gunmen in western Baghdad on Saturday, marks a dramatic escalation in a campaign to isolate Iraq diplomatically in the Arab and Muslim worlds. On Tuesday, gunmen fired on senior envoys from Bahrain and Pakistan in apparent kidnap attempts." -Mariam Fam -AP via -Guardian.co.uk

20050630

- - - "All 16 U.S. troops killed in Afghan crash." ... "The remains of those killed were being recovered at the site in Kunar province where the MH-47 chopper went down Tuesday, the military said in a statement. The helicopter crashed while ferrying reinforcements to a battle against insurgents near the Pakistan border." ... "The military reported earlier that 17 people were on board but revised that figure to 16 later Thursday." ... "Military officials said there were eight Navy SEALs and eight Army air crew on board." -By Daniel Cooney with contributions by John J. Lumpkin -AP via -Boston/Globe

20050629

- - - - "17 Aboard Downed U.S. Copter Feared Dead." ... "U.S. military officials said Wednesday they feared all 17 troops aboard a special operations helicopter were dead after hostile fire downed the craft and it slid or rolled into a rugged mountain ravine in eastern Afghanistan." ... "Stormy weather hampered rescue efforts after the MH-47 helicopter crashed Tuesday while ferrying in reinforcements for troops already on the ground pursuing al-Qaida militants near the border with Pakistan." ... "On May 31, U.S.-led coalition soldiers gave the 8,000-strong NATO force responsibility for security in much of western Afghanistan. The International Security Assistance Force, currently under NATO command, already maintains security in the capital, Kabul, and other parts of the nation." -AP via -SFGate.com
- - - - "Fighting Prevents U.S. From Learning Fate of 17 on Copter." ... "Nine helicopters have been lost to various causes in Afghanistan since the Taliban were ousted from control of Kabul, the capital, in 2001." ... "The helicopter was the second Chinook to go down in Afghanistan this year. Fifteen American military personnel and three civilians were killed in April when their helicopter crashed in a sandstorm while returning to the airbase at Bagram. So far this year, 38 members of the American military have died in Afghanistan, including 13 in combat, according to Pentagon figures put out before the latest crash. In all of 2004, 52 Americans died in Afghanistan." ... "Kunar, the area where the chopper went down on Tuesday, borders Pakistan and for the last three years has been one of the provinces most troubled by insurgent activity." -By Carlotta Gall -NYTimes
- - - - "All 17 US troops in Afghan crash believed dead." ... "The [unidentified US] official told Reuters the twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook was believed to have been hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in mountainous terrain near the border with Pakistan, an attack claimed by Taliban guerrillas." ... "The crash was the second of a U.S. Chinook in Afghanistan in less than three months and comes amid a surge in guerrilla activity aimed at derailing September 18 parliamentary elections, the next big step in Afghanistan's difficult path to stability." ... "The Pentagon has previously reported 149 U.S. military deaths in and around Afghanistan since 2001, including 77 killed in action." -By David Brunnstrom -Reuters.co.uk

20050616

- - - - "Saudi Arabia Exempt From Nuke Inspections." ... "The U.N. atomic watchdog agency approved a deal Thursday that keeps nuclear inspectors out of Saudi Arabia despite an international push to scrap such arrangements because they can be abused by proliferators." ... "In the past two decades, the kingdom has been linked to prewar Iraq's nuclear program and to the Pakistani nuclear black marketeer Abdul Qadeer Khan." -By George Jahn -AP via -Guardian.co.uk

20050609

- - - - - "FBI: Al Qaeda plot possibly uncovered." ... "Papers filed in federal court said Hamid Hayat eventually admitted to interrogators that he attended a terror training camp funded and operated by al Qaeda near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, for six months in 2003 and 2004." ... "Terror expert Peter Bergen cast doubt on that detail." ... ""I'm a little skeptical of that, after all, the Pakistani government has been on a pretty massive campaign against al Qaeda in Pakistan and the affidavit in this case is suggesting that the training camp was near Rawalpindi," Bergen said. "Well, Rawalpindi happens to be the Pakistani Army headquarters, right next to Pakistan's capital. To me, its seems extremely improbable that an al Qaeda training camp with hundreds of people would be in that location."" ... "Instead, Bergen suggested, the camp might have been aimed at training Pakistanis for action in the disputed Kashmir region." -Contributed to by Nic Robertson and Kelli Arena -CNN
- - - - - "California Father and Son Face Charges in Terrorism Case." ... "An American man of Pakistani descent has been arrested along with his father, a naturalized American citizen, as part of an investigation by federal law enforcement officials into possible terrorist connections with Al Qaeda." ... "According to an F.B.I. affidavit filed in Federal District Court in Sacramento, about 40 miles north of this agricultural town, Hamid Hayat, 22, told investigators last weekend that he had been trained "on how to kill Americans" at a camp in Pakistan affiliated with Al Qaeda. The affidavit said that during Mr. Hayat's weapons training, "photos of various high-ranking United States political figures, including President Bush, would be pasted on their targets."" ... "Mr. Hayat, who was born in California, returned to the United States on May 29 after spending more than two years in Pakistan." ... "The affidavit said Mr. Hayat's father, Umer Hayat, 47, who drives an ice cream truck in Lodi, provided financial support for his son's training." ... "They have been charged with lying to federal investigators about the training camp and are scheduled to appear in court on June 21, said Johnny L. Griffin III, a lawyer for the father." -By Dean E. Murphy and David Johnston with contributions by Carolyn Marshall -NYTimes

20050527

- Religion - "Islamabad Bombing Kills 50, Ambulance Service Says (Update1)." ... "A suicide bombing at a Muslim shrine in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, today killed at least 50 people, according to a private ambulance service that responded to the scene." ... "Another 200 people were injured by the blast inside the Bari Imam shrine in the east of the city, the ambulance service, the Edhi Welfare Trust Group, said in an e-mailed