IRAQ

US Combat Troops Out 'Within Three Years' - Deborah Haynes, The Times

American soldiers will withdraw from cities across Iraq next summer and all US combat troops will leave the country within three years, provided the violence remains low, under the terms of a draft agreement with the Iraqi Government. In one of the most detailed insights yet into the content of the deal, Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, has also told The Times that the US military would be barred from unilaterally mounting attacks inside Iraq from next year. In addition, the power of arrest for US soldiers would be curbed by the need to hand over any detainee to a new, US-Iraqi committee. Troops would require the green light from this joint command before conducting any operation.

Six Killed in Bombings; US Soldier Among Dead - Associated Press

A series of car bombs targeted a senior city official and civilians Wednesday in northern Iraq, killing at least four people, officials said, the latest in a spate of attacks the US military said was a show of force by an enemy on the run. A roadside bomb also killed a US soldier and an Iraqi interpreter in northwestern Baghdad, an American military official said. At least 4,141 members of the US military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Brig. Gen. David Perkins, a US spokesman, said the attacks were a show of force by insurgents who "are feeling more and more pressure in their areas" because of military operations and want to show "they are still relevant."

Mission Not Yet Accomplished - National Review editorial

News flash: The Iraq war isn’t over. The gusher of encouraging developments from Iraq keeps coming: Moqtada al-Sadr promises to disband his militia in what is a de facto declaration of surrender after the beating he’s taken from American and Iraqi forces; the number of American troops killed in action dropped to five in July, the lowest monthly total since the war began; attacks in Baghdad have been averaging four a day, down from ten a day earlier this year and 40 a day last June. The turn in the war has created a large constituency for declaring victory, since the Right is accustomed to having to trumpet good news, lest no one else do it, while the Left seeks any excuse to leave - and victory will have to do if defeat is no longer an option. The danger is that the irrational pessimism that has so long characterized the conversation over the war is giving way to an irrational exuberance that will make us lose focus on the work that remains to be done.

Basra and the Brits - Wall Street Journal editorial

A controversy has broken out in London over Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the honor of Britain's military, and Iraq. It's a reminder of the road America could have taken before the surge made victory possible - and a warning to politicians who are slaves to public opinion in war. The story starts with this spring's military offensive by the Iraqi government to oust the Shiite militias from the southern city of Basra. The British were given coalition control in the south starting in 2003. Yet when the Iraqi military ran into trouble at the start of their operation this year, the 4,100 Brits remained in their garrison at the airport outside the city. The Iraqis had to call in the Americans from the north for air cover and other support to help defeat radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. It was the first time the US had deployed to the British-controlled region of Iraq in five years. The operation turned into a major success, with the Mahdi Army routed and the Iraq government in control. But the British failure to act was an embarrassment, even a humiliation, and explanations have begun to emerge. All point to a failure of political leadership. It turns out that last September the British had struck a deal with Mr. Sadr, essentially ceding him control over Basra and releasing some 120 militia regulars from custody.

Enemies Become Allies - Pete Hegseth, National Review opinion

The Abu Saif I met today - leader in the Samarra Rescue Council - is not the Abu Saif we knew in 2006. Same goes for Abu Faruk, Abu Anis, and others in the room. All were High-Value Targets just two years ago - men we tried our damnedest to kill or capture - and today they are our partners. For a soldier, it’s tough to square this circle - as I’d rather have avowed enemies six-feet under than six-feet in front of me; especially those who may have killed or injured a brother-in-arms. But today - embedded with a new unit in Samarra - I can more easily forget the memory of old enemies than the present threat of enduring ones. The friends of my brothers are - I suppose - my friends, and I’m witnessing the awakening I thought possible in 2006. The story of the Samarra Rescue Council (Samarra’s “Sahwa,” or Awakening Movement) is complex, with every aspect of its development deserving detailed explanation.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

3 Aid Workers, Driver Killed in Attack - Rondeaux and Boustany, Washington Post

Three Western women employed by a New York-based aid agency were killed along with their Afghan driver Wednesday by Taliban insurgents who ambushed their vehicle as it traveled south of the Afghan capital, Kabul. The assault, the second fatal attack on employees of the International Rescue Committee in a little over a year, was part of an upswing in violence against civilian aid workers in Afghanistan in 2008.

Insurgency’s Scars Line Main Road - Carlotta Gall, New York Times

Not far from here, just off the highway that was once the showpiece of the United States reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, three American soldiers and their Afghan interpreter were ambushed and killed seven weeks ago. The attack, on June 26, was notable not only for its brutality, but also because it came amid a series of spectacular insurgent attacks along the road that have highlighted the precariousness of the international effort to secure Afghanistan six years after the United States intervened to drive off the Taliban government. Security in the provinces ringing the capital, Kabul, has deteriorated rapidly in recent months. Today it is as bad as at any time since the beginning of the war, as militants have surged into new areas and taken advantage of an increasingly paralyzed local government and police force and the thinly stretched international military presence here.

9 Suspected Insurgents Killed in Missile Strike - Associated Press

A missile strike in a Pakistani tribal region killed at least nine suspected insurgents, including foreigners, Pakistani officials said Wednesday, raising suspicions that the United States was again seeking out militants in Pakistan. A spokesman for the American military denied that it was behind the four missiles, which reportedly struck late Tuesday, destroying a compound in a mountainous area near Angore Adda in South Waziristan. However, past strikes are believed to have been conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency using Predator drones.

Wrong Force for the ‘Right War’ - Bartle Bull, New York Times opinon

Barack Obama and John McCain have plenty of disagreements, but one thing they are united on is promising a troop surge in Afghanistan. Senator McCain wants to move troops to Afghanistan from the Middle East, conditional on continued progress in Iraq. Senator Obama goes much further, arguing that we should have sent last year’s surge to Afghanistan, not Iraq, that Afghanistan is the “central front” and that we must rebuild Afghanistan from the bottom up along the lines of the Marshall Plan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is on board, too. He has endorsed a $20 billion plan to increase substantially the size of Afghanistan’s army, as well as the role and numbers of Western troops there to aid it. Polls show that nearly 60 percent of Americans agree with the idea of an Afghan surge. A recent Time magazine cover anointed the fighting there as “The Right War.” But what are the real prospects for turning fractious, impoverished Afghanistan into an orderly and prosperous nation and a potential ally of the United States? What true American interests are being insufficiently advanced or defended in its remote deserts and mountains? And even if these interests are really so broad, are they deliverable at an acceptable price? The answers to these questions put the wisdom of an Afghan surge into great question.

IRAN

Is War in Air in the Gulf? - Claude Salhani, United Press International

No sooner was there an end to Operation Brimstone - a joint US, British and French naval megaexercise held in the Atlantic Ocean, where the allies practiced enforcing an eventual blockade on Iran - than, according to numerous reports, the armada set sail for Gulf waters and a potential showdown with Iran. The move came shortly after the European Union issued a decree Friday authorizing the imposition of stronger sanctions against Iran, on top of existing UN Security Council sanctions, over its refusal to back down from its controversial nuclear program. Leading the joint naval task force is the nuclear-powered carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its Carrier Strike Group 2. In addition to the 80-plus warplanes the Roosevelt normally transports, it is carrying an additional load of Rafale fighter jets from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle, currently in dry dock. Also reportedly heading toward Iran are another nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, and its Carrier Strike Group 7; the USS Iwo Jima; the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal; and a number of French warships, including the nuclear hunter-killer submarine Amethyste.

Confronting the Iranian Threat - Washington Times editorial

As it considers its options in dealing with Iranian nuclear weapons, Israel has become increasingly concerned about the possibility of a larger war with Tehran and its proxies - and specifically, the possibility that it could be on the receiving end of missile attacks launched by the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah in the event of a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. During the summer 2006 war, Hezbollah fired 4,000 rockets, blanketing Northern Israel, and it is apparently prepared to do so again if war breaks out between Iran and Israel. Israeli intelligence says that Hezbollah has close to 40,000 short- and medium-range missiles in Southern Lebanon - triple the size of its its pre-war stockpile.

Getting Real on Iran - Boston Globe editorial

There have been welcome indications recently that the Bush administration intends to continue with purely diplomatic efforts to dissuade Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability. As Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote in a recent article for the United States Army War College quarterly, "Another war in the Middle East is the last thing we need." Recent admonitions to Israel not to bomb Iranian nuclear sites, delivered by top US military and intelligence officials, suggest that Gates is on firm ground. The warnings to Israel reflect a newfound willingness to weigh the risks in a matter that can have far-reaching security ramifications for America, Israel, and many other countries.

Subverting Iran Sanctions - Washington Times editorial

While the United States emphasizes the need to halt investment in Iran's energy sector, Russia and China continue to forge ahead with billions of dollars in new investments that will enable Iran to finance its military buildup and fund terrorist groups. During the past year, Washington has had some success in persuading European allies not to go forward with projects that would provide capital for Iranian weapons-of-mass-destruction programs and terror. US diplomatic pressure caused firms such as the French firm Total and Royal Dutch Shell to delay energy investment projects in Iran and has led European banks to withdraw financing for oil exploration there. The opposite appears to be the case with Russia, which is determined to expand its oil and gas investments in Iran.

THE LONG WAR

Border Security Equals Sovereignty - Rivkin and Casey, Washington Times opinion

The war on terror has required a number of compromises between individual liberties and the community's security, prompting a robust public debate. Unfortunately, some of the critics have opposed even the government's more traditional public safety-related activities, as well as the new wartime measures. Examining the contents of laptop computers and other electronic devices carried by international travelers falls well within the government's traditional right to conduct searches - of people, luggage and cargo - at the border. These searches are consistent with well-established legal principles and practices and play an important role in protecting our borders against terrorists and other threats. Securing the nation's border is, of course, an essential attribute of sovereignty. Federal officials have inspected persons and goods seeking admission into the United States since the earliest days of our republic. These inspections have always had the same fundamental purpose: to facilitate legitimate trade and travel, while upholding US laws and public safety. The courts have ruled on numerous occasions that such "special needs" searches are fully consistent with the Fourth Amendment's requirements for lawful searches and seizures and do not require a warrant. Such searches include the examination of documents and papers being brought into the United States.

Jihad for Oil - Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Weekly Standard opinion

Oil dependence is America's Achilles' heel in the battle against terrorism--a fact that has not escaped the terrorists. Osama bin Laden and others have declared the oil supply a top target, and subsequent plots demonstrate that the desire to disrupt world energy markets is more than mere rhetoric. This significant weakness should factor heavily in current political debates about alternatives to oil. When bin Laden dramatically addressed the United States in a video released on the eve of the 2004 elections, he boasted of his "bleed-until-bankruptcy" plan for defeating America. His focus on the economy is a primary reason that the terrorist leader reversed his original pledge to keep oil off limits as a military target. In his 1996 declaration of war against America, bin Laden said that oil was not part of the battle because it was "a large economical power essential for the soon to be established Islamic state," but in a December 2004 audiotape he reversed this promise. Declaring Western countries' purchase of oil at then-market prices "the greatest theft in history," he stated: "Focus your operations on it [oil production], especially in Iraq and the Gulf area, since this [lack of oil] will cause them to die off [on their own]."

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Air Force Leadership Works to Regain Trust - Gordon Lubold, CS Monitor

The Air Force is beginning a new chapter in an attempt to put its many troubles behind and to fundamentally change its culture regarding everything from nuclear safety to buying new aircraft. As that process begins in earnest, the new Air Force leadership says it will demand a new level of accountability from officers involved in its recent problems. In the coming weeks, senior leaders will complete a review that may result in the dismissal or punishment of officials involved in nuclear blunders that resulted in the unprecedented firings of the air service's top two officials earlier this summer. And it remains unclear if the jobs of senior officials within the service's acquisition departments will be safe after Defense Secretary Robert Gates took over the service's controversial bid to replace its fleet of aerial refuelers. But as those past failures reverberate, the Air Force must be reinstilled with the ethos of "precision and reliability," says the man who will lead the service into this new phase.

AFRICA

Darfur Onslaught 'to Clear Way for Chinese Oil Hunt' - Rob Crilly, The Times

A major offensive involving 300 Sudanese government battlewagons intended to clear space for Chinese oil exploration in Darfur's far north has begun, according to rebel commanders who have come under attack. Oil companies have been waiting for the Government to secure the region before starting work on seismic surveys. The claims of fresh fighting come after Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese President, embarked on a two-day peace mission to Darfur last month, promising investment and inviting rebel leaders to talks.

Talks Adjourn Without Any Deal in Sight - Celia Dugger, New York Times

After three days of intensive negotiations to resolve Zimbabwe’s political crisis, President Robert Mugabe and the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai were deadlocked Wednesday on the most fundamental issue: which one of them would lead a new unity government. The talks, which began last month with high hopes for a quick settlement, were adjourned with no date set for a resumption of negotiations. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the official mediator in the crisis, left Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, on Wednesday without the power-sharing deal he had hoped for.

No Deadlock, Says Zimbabwe Opposition Leader - Washington Post

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Wednesday that his party remains committed to negotiating an end to Zimbabwe's political crisis amid reports that talks had deadlocked over who should wield executive powers in a proposed unity government. South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is facilitating the talks, traveled to Zimbabwe last weekend to finalize a proposed power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe and the opposition. But Mbeki left the country empty-handed Wednesday after Mugabe and Tsvangirai failed to reach an agreement.

Pressure on Tsvangirai to Strike Deal - Nico Hines, The Times

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Zimbabwean opposition, was tonight under increasing pressure to sign a power-sharing deal with President Mugabe. With Mr Mugabe and the leader of an opposition splinter group, Arthur Mutambara, in agreement, Mr Tsvangirai was urged by Mr Mutambara to “put national interest before self-interest". Mr Tsvangirai walked out of negotiations yesterday claiming that the president was unwilling to cede enough of his authority to from a satisfactory coalition. Reports last night suggested that Mr Mugabe had reached agreement with Mr Mutambara, who leads a separate faction of the Movement for Democratic Change, to exclude Mr Tsvangirai.

Mugabe Divides Rivals to Hold On - The Australian

Zimbawean President Robert Mugabe appears to have ensured his political survival by splitting the Opposition Movement for Democratic Change. A senior member of Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party said yesterday the dictator had agreed to set up a coalition government with Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a breakaway faction of the opposition MDC with 10 seats in the parliament. The terms of the deal were unclear, but it appeared to exclude Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the mainstream MDC who was denied victory in Zimbabwe's presidential elections by vote-rigging and violence. Mr Tsvangirai left the Rainbow Towers hotel in Harare last night grim-faced and silent after three days of talks between himself, Mugabe and Mr Mutambara on ways to end Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis. The talks were mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki. Mr Mbeki flew out of Zimbabwe after overseeing the agreement with the breakaway opposition faction.

Majority of Mauritania Parliament is Pro-coup - Associated Press

More than two-thirds of lawmakers in Mauritania's parliament signed a declaration Wednesday favoring last week's army-led coup, contrasting sharply with the international condemnation of the political upheaval. The declaration asked world governments to recognize the new military-run regime that ousted the African nation's democratically elected president. The coup prompted the US to cut off more than $20 million in aid. France also has frozen aid to Mauritania, and the European Union has threatened to cut off aid. The African Union suspended Mauritania from the 53-nation body because of the military takeover. The country borders Senegal, Mali, Algeria and Western Sahara.

France's Role in the Rwandan Genocide - Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe opinion

Is the defendant's dock at the International Criminal Court reserved for leaders of small and poor countries that defy the West? Not if Rwanda has its way. It wants to charge some of France's most celebrated leaders of the 1990s as collaborators in genocide. Last week the government of Rwanda issued a damning 500-page report documenting France's participation in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This marks a remarkable turnaround in the deeply politicized world of human rights reporting. Usually, such reporting takes the form of governments or human rights groups based in the West condemning poor countries for having political or social systems that do not meet Western standards. Now a wretched African country has turned the table. All who study the Rwandan genocide, as I did while researching a book about that ill-fated country, come away stunned by what they learn about French support of mass murder. France was so eager to defend a client regime against English-speaking rebels that, as the new report asserts, it gave that regime "political, military, diplomatic and logistic support" and "directly assisted" its genocidal campaign.

AMERICAS

6 Officers in Mexico Crime Unit Arrested - Ken Ellingwood, Los Angeles Times

Six members of the Mexican government's top organized-crime unit have been arrested on suspicion of leaking information to drug traffickers, officials said Wednesday. An official in the Mexican attorney general's office said a supervisor and five agents are thought to have passed tips to smugglers in the west-central state of Sinaloa for about three months. The official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, said the men disclosed details about evidence that had been seized during government raids and information about arrestees. He said authorities were looking into possible involvement by other employees of the agency, known as SIEDO, its initials in Spanish. SIEDO, which investigates drug and arms smuggling as well as kidnapping and terrorism cases, is well known and generally trusted by American law enforcement agencies.

Mexico Nabs 6 Drug Snitches in AG Office - Associated Press

Six federal agents have been arrested on suspicion of passing information to a group of powerful drug lords, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office said Wednesday. The agents worked for the anti-drug-trafficking intelligence unit of the Attorney General's office, the spokesman told reporters on condition of anonymity because his office prohibits him from being named. None were prosecutors, but all had various coordination responsibilities during arrests, interrogations and the transfer of prisoners.

ASIA PACIFIC

Philippine Troops Regain Control of Villages - Al Jacinto, Los Angeles Times

Government forces Wednesday took back control of more than a dozen villages abandoned by retreating Muslim rebels in the troubled southern island of Mindanao, military officials said. Philippine troops, backed by attack planes and artillery, expelled hundreds of Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters who seized 15 villages across North Cotabato province last week, they said. "We have totally reclaimed the villages occupied by rebels. But troops are still clearing the areas of land mines left behind by the MILF forces," said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the army's 6th Infantry Division. Rebels occupied the villages in the mainly Christian province, saying they are part of a Muslim homeland that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government last month agreed to establish in negotiations brokered by Malaysia. The Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the accord after politicians and lawmakers opposed to the deal filed a petition.

Specter of Arrest Deters Demonstrators - Andrew Jacobs, New York Times

Like scores of other aggrieved citizens in China’s capital, Zhang Wei was stunned last month to learn that the Chinese government would allow demonstrators to air their complaints during the Olympics at specially designated protest zones around the city. All they had to do was fill out a form at their local police station. In an authoritarian country that bans almost all forms of public protest, the newfound openness seemed too good to be true. And it was.

After the Games, Tibet - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times opinion

China’s cup runneth over. The Olympics are a milestone in Chinese history, a celebration of the Middle Kingdom’s return to international greatness after nearly two centuries of torpor and humiliation. Yet the Olympics could end up being the second-most-significant event in China this year. The Chinese leadership and the Tibetan government in exile have delicately discussed a possible visit by the Dalai Lama to China, nominally to commemorate the victims of the earthquake in Sichuan Province in May. That would be the first meeting between the Dalai Lama and Chinese leaders in more than 50 years and would give enormous impetus to resolving the Tibet question.

Thaksin Shinawatra Faces Extradition - Richard Lloyd Parry, The Times

Thailand confirmed today that it will request extradition from Britain of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai prime minister and owner of Manchester City, who fled to exile in London at the weekend to avoid facing trial for fraud. Tej Bunnag, the Thai Foreign Minister, said that the country's first step would be the cancellation of the diplomatic passports held by Mr Thaksin and his wife, Potjaman, after arrest warrants were issued for them on Monday by the country’s Supreme Court. “We will act promptly - this is our priority,” he said in Bangkok. “The extradition procedure is difficult, complicated and time consuming and we cannot predict the timetable. Extradition is a very sensitive international legal issue, so it will require close consultation [with Britain].” A team of lawyers has been assembled and the process will begin in earnest next week after the return from overseas of Thailand’s attorney-general. Any extradition attempt will be made under the terms of a 1911 treaty between Britain and the Kingdom of Siam, as Thailand was then known.

EUROPE

Flash Point: South Ossetia - Small Wars Journal

SWJ roundup of the conflict in Georgia. News, analysis, commentary, videos and background...

MIDDLE EAST

Petraeus' Visit Focuses on Military Assistance - Washington Times

Gearing up to take over the US Central Command for the Middle East in September, Gen. David H. Petraeus last week paid a surprise visit to Beirut to meet Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. The US Embassy in Lebanon said the meetings "focused on the United States´ assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, so it can maintain peace and stability, and safeguard the Lebanese people." However, the stopover last week came just a day after the Lebanese government agreed on a new manifesto, claiming "the right of Lebanon, its people, its army and its resistance to liberate its land in the Shebaa Farms, Kfarshuba Hill and Ghajar," areas currently under Israeli control.

Lebanon, Syria Agree to Diplomatic Relations - Alia Ibrahim, Washington Post

Lebanon and Syria agreed Wednesday to establish diplomatic relations for the first time in their complicated history, a possible step toward reducing violence and political strife that has flared since Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon three years ago. Hours earlier, a bomb exploded near a bus stop in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 50. Many of the casualties were Lebanese army soldiers who were on a bus headed to their posts or gathered at the stop. The Lebanese army said in a statement that the bomb was packed in a briefcase and planted among luggage at the bus stop. Security sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the bomb was made of nuts and bolts to maximize casualties and that it was detonated by remote control.

Bombing of Bus in Lebanon Kills 15 - Robert Worth, New York Times

A bomb hidden in a briefcase tore through a bus packed with Lebanese Army soldiers on their way to work here on Wednesday morning, killing 15 people, including nine soldiers, and wounding more than 40 people. The bombing overshadowed news from Damascus that Syria and Lebanon would establish diplomatic relations for the first time since each country achieved independence from France in the 1940s. The announcement, at the start of a fence-mending mission by President Michel Suleiman of Lebanon, did not specify when the countries would exchange ambassadors.

Hope Rises Despite Lebanon Bombing - Oliver August, The Times

Eighteen people, including nine Lebanese soldiers, were killed in a bomb attack yesterday only hours before the leaders of Lebanon and Syria agreed to establish diplomatic ties at a ground-breaking summit in Damascus. After decades of mutual suspicion and repeated Syrian military interventions in Lebanon, President Suleiman of Lebanon and President Bashar al-Assad of Syria announced that they would staff embassies in each other’s capitals for the first time since Lebanon gained independence 65 years ago. Mr Suleiman’s trip to Damascus was his first visit as head of state since his election in May after violent clashes in Beirut. Today he is expected to hold talks with President Assad, his Syrian opposite number, who has defied critics inside his Government to host the meeting. Many Syrians oppose diplomatic relations with Beirut, arguing that Lebanon is an integral part of a greater Syria and is not a foreign country.

Palestinians Turn Out to Bury Beloved Poet - Linda Gradstein, Washington Post

Seventeen-year-old Irjwan Assi never met Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, but she was in mourning all the same Wednesday as she craned her neck to watch his flag-draped coffin pass through the center of this West Bank city. "We lost a very important symbol of our nationalism and our cultural heritage," she said. "We will never have more poets like Mahmoud Darwish." Assi then recited a few lines from one of Darwish's most famous poems, written 40 years ago when he was serving time in an Israeli jail.

SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan Waits for Musharraf to Quit - Bruce Loudon, The Australian

Speculation swept Pakistan last night that President Pervez Musharraf had finally decided to bow to the inevitable and step down, after securing a deal that would allow him safe passage from the country. Sources within Mr Musharraf's so-called "king's party", the Pakistan Muslim League (Qaid), said an announcement was likely to coincide with today's celebrations marking Independence Day, the 61st anniversary of Pakistan's freedom from rule by the British Raj. Adding to the speculation, Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the Bhutto Pakistan People's Party, said Mr Musharraf would be "a guest for a few (more) days". The speculation about Mr Musharraf's departure came amid reports of heavy fighting in Pakistan's tribal areas, with claims al-Qa'ida No3, Abu Saeed al-Masri, identified in local media reports as Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, had been killed in battles raging in the Bajaur Tribal Agency close to Afghanistan. The militants were believed to be taking advantage of the political turmoil in Pakistan to launch their fiercest attacks yet.

Kashmir: Muslims Riot After Killings - Reuters

Muslims angry about this week’s killings of protesters by the police torched security bunkers and rioted Wednesday in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir’s main city, as a conflict with Hindus over some disputed land continued. During funerals for two of the dead, others mourned, above. The police said that on Wednesday they fired tear gas to disperse thousands of Muslim protesters who had defied a curfew at several places across the Kashmir Valley. They said more than two dozen people were injured in clashes between stone-throwing protesters and the police. The land dispute began after the Kashmir government promised to give 98 acres to the trust that runs Amarnath, a cave shrine visited by Hindu pilgrims. Many Muslims were enraged. The government then rescinded its decision, which in turn angered Hindus.

High Noon in Kashmir - The Times editorial

Two months ago, tourists were flocking in near-record numbers to enjoy the matchless beauty of Srinagar and its surroundings. With a new international airport scheduled to open within months, the world's highest conflict zone was forecasting an economic boom. Last night it was under curfew. At least 20 Muslim activists have been killed and 500 injured in Indian-controlled Kashmir in the past three days. Police in one town were under orders to shoot protesters on sight, while those burying their dead demanded “blood for blood”. The dispute that threatens to undo four years of painstaking progress towards peace in Kashmir has the hallmarks of a Swiftian satire. It started at a Hindu shrine high in the Zanskar mountains, where Muslims are in a majority but Hindu pilgrims have long sought more space. In June, Delhi donated 40 hectares for this purpose to a Hindu trust. Local Muslims were outraged, and the gift of land was withdrawn. It was then the turn of Hindu hardliners to erupt, attacking Muslim businesses and blocking their only trade route out of the Kashmir Valley.

Sri Lanka Fighting Kills 16 - Associated Press

A wave of battles across the front lines in Sri Lanka's 25-year-old civil war killed 14 ethnic Tamil rebels and two government soldiers, the military said Thursday. Government jets hit a series of Tamil Tiger targets in the Mullaittivu region early Thursday in support of troops fighting on the ground, the military said in a statement. Fighting has escalated in recent weeks, with the military capturing a series of rebel bases and large chunks of territory, and government officials reiterating their pledge to crush the rebel group by the end of the year.

EVENTS OF INTEREST

11-12 September - DNI Open Source Conferece 2008 (Public Event - Conference). Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The Office of the DNI is pleased to announce the "DNI Open Source Conference 2008" to be held on Thursday, 11 September and Friday, 12 September, 2008 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC. The conference is free; however, all who wish to attend must register online in advance (deadline 31 July). The two-day conference will explore a wide range of open source issues and open source best practices for the Intelligence Community and its partners. We invite participants from the broader open source community of interest including academia, think tanks, private industry, federal, state, local and tribal entities, international partners, and the media to attend. The conference will include speakers from across the broader open source community participating in panel discussions and focus group sessions. Information about the agenda and break-out sessions is now available. The DNI Open Source Conference 2007 was held 16-17 July 2007 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. More than 900 registered participants and speakers attended. Presentations made at the conference break-out sessions are available on the DNI Open Source Conference 2007 website.

16-18 September 2008 - The U.S. Army and the Interagency Process: A Historical Perspective (Public Event - Conference / Call for Papers). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute. The symposium will include a variety of guest speakers, panel sessions, and general discussions. This symposium will explore the partnership between the U.S. Army and government agencies in attaining national goals and objectives in peace and war within a historical context. Separate international topics may be presented. The symposium will also examine current issues, dilemmas, problems, trends, and practices associated with U.S. Army operations requiring close interagency cooperation.