GENEVA, SWITZERLEAND -Western leaders’ promises of help to the Afghan government when their troops leave, made Monday at an international conference in Germany, appeared to offer smaller hopes of peace following deadly attacks in Kabul and a city in the north Tuesday 6 December.
Close to 60 people died and 160 were injured when a suicide bomber attacked Shi’ite Muslims at a Kabul shrine crowded with religious observers.The blast was the worst in three years. Several of the wounded are reportedly in critical condition
The Irish Times reports that “a Pakistani militant group with close ties to al-Qaeda said it carried out the attack, although security sources could not confirm the group’s involvement.” Aljazeera says attention is focusing on Sunni groups based in Pakistan, but it is unclear as yet who is to blame.
Links to other sites: Aljazeera, Guardian (photo gallery), Irish Times, Reuters
New rules issued for tighter security at Russia’s airports
The Russian government a week ago issued new security requirements for airports which will include checking that all cars have their papers in order and verifying individuals’ IDs before they enter an airport. Media in Moscow published the information Monday 7 February, noting that it was published a few days earlier by the government, but with no date set for implementing the new rules. The roles of various security groups and responsibilities for guarding different parts of the airport have been spelled out, an effort to remedy confusion that was harshly condemned by President Dmitry Medvedev in the wake of the Moscow Domodedovo Airport suicide bombing in January that killed 36 people.
Links to other sites: Moscow Times, Ria Novosti
Muscovites have been shocked by the news of a suicide bomb going off at the city’s largest airport, Domodedovo International Airport, at 16:40 Monday afternoon 24 January. Authorities say a suicide bomber was among a crowd waiting at an arrivals gate, with a bomb the equivalent of 5kg of TNT. Russia’s transport minister has ordered tightening of security at all the country’s airports, effective immediately. According to state news agency Ria Novosti, “Planes from London and Brussels, as well as Greece, Ukraine and Egypt, had landed in the 30 minutes preceding the attack.” A flight from London turned around before landing, after hearing the news, but flights have begun to land again, late in the evening Moscow time.
President Dmitry Medvedev has postponed his Tuesday flight to Davos, Switzerland, where he was scheduled to speak at the World Economic Forum.
Links to other sites: Ria Novosti, for updates, Reuters
Reuters video
Turkish authorities have handed out to local media the photo of the dead man suspected in the suicide bombing 31 October in Taksim Square, but they have not provided a name. The bomb injured 32 people, two critically. The authorities are not speculating about what group may have been responsible, and the Kurdish separatist group PKK denied responsibility. The PKK has waged the fiercest and longest campaign against the Turkish government. A PKK spokesman said it was extending a unilateral cease-fire that would have expired the day of the bombing till mid-2011.
Links to other sites: Christian Science Monitor, CNN, Hurriyet, Washington Post
A blast in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, killed three cabinet ministers and at least 18 other people Thursday 3 December, although AllAfrica, picking up the story from a UN humanitarian newsletter which cites a hospital source, puts the figure at 50 dead. The authors of the crime remain a mystery. A bomb exploded during a medical school graduation ceremony and suspicion quickly fell on an Islamist group, al Shabaab, but the group has denied it was involved. The extremist group has been locked in a power struggle with the Western-backed government, which the extremists accused of masterminding the blast, pointing out that the government itself has deep rifts. The US has called al Shabaab a proxy for al Qaeda in the region and Reuters reports that “Western security agencies say Somalia has become a safe haven for militants, including foreign jihadists, who are using it to plot attacks across the impoverished region and beyond.”
Update 13:00 Police in Islamabad believe the suicide bomber who blew up the World Food Program (WFP) office in Islamabad, Pakistan Monday 5 October walked into the building weraing paramilitary clothing, after asking if he could use the toilets. The bomb, which went off in the reception area, killed five WFP staff and has left several others in critical condition in hospital. THE WFP provides food for more than 10 million people in Pakistan, including 2 million who are receiving emergency aid in the Swat Valley, according to a statement from the head of WFP, Josette Sheeran. Security had been tight at the building, with anyone entering screened for weapons and some media are speculating that security guards must have been involved.The WFP reportedly received no advance warning of the attack.
The Taliban Tuesday claimed they were behind the attack.
Links to other sites: Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Pakistan Observer, Washington Post
At least 22 people were killed when a suicide bomber walked into a police station at the border in the town of Torkham, at the Khyber pass between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The bomber, a boy carrying water, entered the check point as the border guards were sitting down to Iftar, the traditional evening breaking of the fast of Ramadan. The Khyber pass is a crucial supply route for the coalition forces fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan and has been the scene of many attacks on convoys. BBC, CNN
A security checkpoint in Pakistan’s tribal regions was the scene of a suicide bomb attack that killed at least 12 bystanders. Police opened fire on the heavily armed vehicle, which exploded just before it reached the checkpoint. CNN
A suicide bomber killed himself and a policeman outside the gates of a police station in Islamabad, Pakistan Monday 23 March. The bomber wounded 10 others and damaged both the police station and an adjacent mosque. The attack occurred on Pakistan day, a national holiday. CNN
A suicide bomber blew himself up among thousands of people attending the funeral of a Shia Muslim leader murdered yesterday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The Guardian
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) has sharply condemned the suicide attack on a refugee registration centre in Sri Lanka 9 February that reportedly killed 10 people and injured some 40. The lead humanitarian aid organization for the conflict area said 10 February that it is “outraged by the unnecessary loss of hundreds of lives and the continued suffering of innocent civilians” inside the area in Sri Lanka controlled by the Tamil Tigers.
