Internet: Russian Diplomats to Die
Four Russian diplomats abducted in Iraq earlier this month have been sentenced to death, according to an internet posting by the Mujahedeen Shura Council. The organization of insurgent groups, which includes al-Qaeda in Iraq, says because Russia refused to withdraw its soldiers from Chechnya where Muslim militants are fighting, the diplomats will be executed. The current status of the Russians remains unknown. The Mujahedeen Shura Council is the same terrorist organization that claimed responsibility for killing two US soldiers. Their bodies were discovered earlier this week.
US Death Toll in Iraq Reaches 2,500
The number of American deaths since the invasion of Iraq has reached 2,500 this week. According to White House press secretary Tony Snow, President Bush is acutely aware of the milestone. "Any president who goes through a time of war feels very deeply the responsibility for sending men and women into harm's way, feels very deeply the pain that the families feel. This president is no different," he said. The Pentagon provided no details on the how the 2,500th American died in Iraq.
Nations on Edge over North Korea Missile Launch
Worries over a possible North Korean missile launch continue to grow weeks after reports of activity at the country's northeastern coastal launch site dripped to the International community. According to US officials, a Taepodong-2 missile is possibly being fuelled there, a rocket believed capable of reaching parts of the United States. Government officials vow to "impose some cost" on North Korea if it carries through with the launching.
Record Drug Bust
US and Colombian authorities took custody of 56 people involved in all levels of an enormous heroin-smuggling operation. The heroin ring was broken apart by the arrests of leaders in South America and organizers in New York and Florida. $25 million worth of heroin was also seized in the two-year case, the largest confiscation of a single drug organization in New York City's history. Altogether, 250 pounds of heroin was secured by drug enforcement agencies involved.
Al Qaeda's #2 Issues Videotape Statement
Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahri, issued a 3 ½ minute videotaped message urging Afghans to fight against US troops around the country. The message was broadcast a day after American officials warned that clashes with Taliban forces might worsen, particularly in Afghanistan's remote border regions. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has labeled al-Zawahri "the enemy of the Afghan people . . . the cause of the misery of Afghanistan for many years," reminding the Afghan people of al-Zawahri's terrorist ties, both past and present.
Saddam Hussein on Hunger Strike
Saddam Hussein has launched a hunger strike to protest the murder of one of his lawyers this week. Reportedly 55 other detainees have joined Hussein since the assassination of Khamis al-Obeidi, refusing to eat in hopes of garnering attention from US and international committees. The prisoners hope the strike will renew efforts to keep defense lawyers safe. Khamis al-Obeidi, the third defense attorney for the ex-president of Iraq to be assassinated, was killed in his Baghdad home by about 20 men dressed in civilian clothes. The lawyer's body-riddled with bullets and both arms broken-was found on a Baghdad street.
Four US Soldiers Dead in Afghanistan
Four US soldiers have been killed in clashes with Taliban insurgents this week in Afghanistan, according to the US military. The recent deaths have added to this year's death toll of more than 1,000, the worst period of violence in Afghanistan since the 2001 arrival of US troops. The four soldiers died in the eastern province of Nuristan, where Coalition forces attacked insurgents in a remote area during security operations. Two Taliban fighters were killed in the operation and US authorities say more than 100 rebels have been killed in southern offensives in the recent days.
17 Kidnapped Factory Workers Rescued in Iraq
Iraqi police infiltrated a farm 20 miles north of Baghdad and freed at least 17 people who were kidnapped the day before from a factory where they worked. The mass abductions occurred at the end of a work shift, when 85 Shiite Muslims were taken by gunpoint aboard a bus. About 30 of the hostages, mainly women and the children they had taken to work were previously released by the captors. Several insurgents were captured during the morning raid.
