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Seven soldiers 'killed by same gun'   Last Updated: Wednesday, 09 April 2008, 21:40 GMT - Search: Basra sniper victims     Seven soldiers were killed by the same rifle in Basra Seven British soldiers were shot in Basra last year by the same sniper rifle, the Ministry of Defence said. The soldiers were picked off one by one on the streets of the southern Iraqi city over a deadly period of several months. A spokesman for the MOD said Rifleman Aaron Lincoln, 18, Kingsman Danny Wilson, 28, Kingsman Alan Jones, 20, Corporal Rodney Wilson, 30, Rifleman Paul Donnachie, 18, and two others who have not yet been named, were all killed by bullets from the same weapon. But the MOD spokesman said he could not verify that a single gunman was responsible for the killing.   "We have been able to confirm that it was the same weapon, but there is no evidence to suggest that it was a single sniper as it were," he said. Earlier, an inquest into the death of Rifleman Lincoln of the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, heard that he died from a single bullet wound while he was on patrol on April 2, 2007. The court heard that the American-made high velocity bullet penetrated his protective glasses and helmet. Ballistics expert Ann Kiernan, of LGC Forensics, told the court, in Spennymoor, County Durham, that it had been fired from the same gun that had killed several other soldiers in the Basra area last year. "There had been six incidents from March to June where projectiles have all been discharged from the same rifle," she said. She added that the bullets were manufactured in America by Lake City Arsenal, an arms manufacturer. Coroner Andrew Tweddle recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.

Bin Laden's 'right-hand man' set for life on British benefits after judges rule deportation would breach his human rights Last updated at 06:22am on 10.04.08 One of the world's most dangerous terror suspects was last night preparing for a life on benefits in Britain after judges ruled that his deportation would breach human rights law. Abu Qatada, dubbed Osama Bin Laden's "truly dangerous" ambassador in Europe, could be released from jail within months following the Court of Appeal verdict. scroll down for more... Abu Qatada: 'Mouthpiece of Bin Laden' (what a fat piece of shit...)   Yesterday's decision has left Britain's anti-terror laws in tatters. It means the Jordanian father of five - who has been linked to a string of global terror conspiracies and is held in a high security prison under immigration powers - can expect to receive £1,000 a month in handouts. The taxpayer also faces a bill of tens of thousand of pounds to keep the hate-filled cleric under 24-hour surveillance by security services under a control order unless a last-ditch Home Office appeal is granted by the House of Lords. Even if it is, Qatada could appeal again, to the European Court of Human Rights. Yesterday the Court of Appeal said Qatada could stay because evidence used against him in any prosecution in his native Jordan may have been obtained by torture - a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. At the same time, 12 Libyan fanatics were cleared to remain in Britain for the rest of their lives by a second human rights ruling. They include an asylum seeker considered a "real and direct threat" to security who had a map marked with the flightpath to Birmingham Airport. The rulings mean that - despite Tony Blair's promise in the immediate aftermath of the 7/7 attacks that the "rules of the game have changed" - not a single international terrorist has been forcibly removed from this country. Almost three years on, the only Islamic fanatics to depart are eight Algerians who went voluntarily. The Home Office had secured a Memorandum of Understanding with both Jordan and Libya, which said that returned terror suspects would not face torture. But judges - torpedoing the much-heralded strategy - said there was no guarantee that the Libyans would not suffer ill treatment or harm in the future. scroll down for more ...   Grave doubts must now be cast on the remaining 11 deportation cases before the courts, many of which are understood to involve Algerians. A separate agreement with Algeria - which has an appalling human rights record - has yet to be tested, and could be struck down in the same way as that signed by Libya. Tory MP Patrick Mercer, who recently advised Gordon Brown on national security, said: "Yet again, terrorists are laughing at us and remaining in this country at the taxpayer's expense. "Abu Qatada, Bin Laden's twisted mouthpiece, stays with us inside this country. What a shambles." Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "This deals a major blow to the Government's assurances that Memorandums of Understanding are the answer in seeking to deport terror suspects." The Qatada ruling is particularly devastating for the Home Office, which has been trying to deport the former asylum seeker for three years. He was first detained in 2002, after spending ten months on the run immediately after September 11. Ministers had been confident he would be booted out after securing the Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan in August 2005. It gave assurances he would not be tortured or ill-treated. But, in a ruling which displays the true reach of human rights law, the Court of Appeal said that - while Qatada might not be harmed - witnesses who may be called to give evidence against him in any future trial held by the Jordanian authorities may have been tortured. The judges said this would be a breach of the right to a fair trial under the European Convention on Human Rights. Qatada remains in London's Belmarsh jail with other fanatics, including hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza. But if the Home Office loses an expected appeal to the House of Lords, Qatada will be set free. The Government has no immigration power to hold those it has no realistic prospect of deporting. Instead, officials would have to rely on placing Qatada - whose wife and children live in West London - under a control order, and hope he does not abscond. A string of international and homegrown terrorist suspects have gone on the run while under the shambolic orders. The Libyan ruling, handed down by the same three Court of Appeal judges, was equally devastating. It leaves the Memorandum of Under-standing with that country in tatters. The judges, headed by Master of the Rolls Sir Anthony Clarke, upheld an earlier ruling by the special immigration appeal court that two men known only as AS and DD could not be removed in case the agreement with Libya was breached at a later date. The men, who had been on bail, were immediately released from any court conditions. Deportation proceedings against a further ten Libyans were abandoned, after officials admitted they had no prospect of success. The Home Office responded by placing the men under what were described as "strict" control orders, but even the most restrictive conditions would allow the Libyans to roam the streets for ten hours each day. Last night, Qatada's solicitor poured scorn on the Government, and Tony Blair's deportation promise, which had been part of a 12-point terror plan drawn up in direct response to the loss of 52 innocent lives in the July 7 London attacks. Many of the measures have since collapsed. Gareth Peirce said: "It is of the greatest importance to us all that there are rules, that they cannot be changed and that they are in no way treated as a game. We welcome the court's decision." Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said: "The Government's top objective is to keep the public safe and I am disappointed that the courts have found that deportations to Libya can't go ahead for now. "I am pleased the courts dismissed all but one of Abu Qatada's reasons for appeal. We are seeking to overturn that point, and I believe we will be able to secure his deportation to Jordan and we will push for it as soon as possible. In the meantime, he remains behind bars."   • KEY AL QAEDA FIGURE 'IS DEAD' An Al Qaeda planner linked to terror attacks in Britain and against British subjects around the world is said to have died near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.   U.S. officials said intelligence indicated that Obaidah Al Masri had died of natural causes - thought to be hepatitis - and not in a series of recent American airstrikes targeting his hideouts in Pakistan's tribal area of Waziristan. Intelligence officers said that Al Masri, a trained bomb-maker originally from Algeria, was at the "core of Al Qaeda". He is known to have been involved in the recruiting of British-born Pakistanis and other "foreigners" for operations in Europe. A U.S. official said: "Al Qaeda lost something when this man died. He was someone who had ties to operations outside of the South Asia region." A British official said : "He is not at the very top of Al Qaeda but has been part of the core circle for a long time." U.S. officials declined to discuss Al Masri's whereabouts when he died. Much of Al Qaeda's key leadership is believed to be holed up in remote areas of Pakistan near the Afghanistan border.

France has offered Nato a "substantial" number of extra troops for Afghanistan, a spokesman for the alliance said during a summit in Bucharest. The pledge came as the summit agreed to meet Canada's demand for 1,000 extra troops in southern Afghanistan.   Nato also agreed to invite Croatia and Albania to join the alliance, but has postponed a decision on Macedonia, it was revealed.

Leader of Ansar al-Sunna surrenders in Iraq aswataliraq ^ | Monday , 31 /03 /2008 | VOI   Senior armed group commander surrenders to police in Kirkuk Kirkuk - Voices of Iraq Monday , 31 /03 /2008 Time 10:05:40 Kirkuk, Mar 31, (VOI) - A senior fighter of an armed group surrendered on Monday to security force in Kirkuk, a police source said. "One of the most wanted persons surrendered to security forces in Haweija, south-west Kirkuk," a Kirkuk police source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq – (VOI). The source identified him as Salah Hassan, a senior member in Ansar al-Sunna, one of the armed groups working under the mantra of the self-named Iraq's Islamic state. Kirkuk, the capital city of Kirkuk province, lies 250 km north Baghdad. AM/SR as the man say's....."We are seeing the tipping point..The Iraqi government just showed they aren’t going to be pushed around any more. And the locals are tired of zealots with guns. Methinks a lot of guerrillas are going to pack it in soon, there will still be trouble, but it will be at Northern Ireland levels rather than what it was back in 2003-04. I think honestly, next time you see this fella, or Muqtada Al-Sadr...they’ll be standing for Parliamentary seats...and that alone will be a victory for the good guys".

Captured Foreign Fighters Provide Insight into Enemy Facing Iraq By Samantha L. Quigley American Forces Press Service   WASHINGTON, March 16, 2008 – Information gleaned from 48 foreign fighters detained in Iraq offers insight into al Qaeda’s methods, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman told reporters during a briefing today in Baghdad. “The foreign detainees told similar stories about what happened to them once they were smuggled into Iraq,” said Navy Rear Adm. Greg Smith, director of Multinational Force Iraq’s communication division. “These 48 men told us they were lured here with the promise they would be killing Americans … but they were disappointed that most of the violence they saw was directed at the Iraqi people … fellow Muslims,” Smith said. This reality left the foreign fighters feeling misled, he said. They were promised they would see a victorious al Qaeda, but soon realized the organization was rejected by the majority of Iraqi citizens and constantly on the run from coalition and Iraqi security forces. “Again and again, we heard this reality bothered the recruits, this disconnect between the stories they were told as they were recruited and … indoctrinated and the reality of a war against innocent civilians was deeply disturbing,” Smith said. “They had not come here to kill Iraqi civilians.” The interrogations also revealed a profile of a foreign fighter. They’re mostly single men with an average age of 22. All tend to come from large, lower or low middle class families, where they fight to be recognized and make a mark in life. Despite their desire to stand out in the family, they don’t tell their parents about their plans out of fear of disapproval. Al Qaeda recruiters are trained to prey upon this desire for acknowledgement, Smith said. Though the detainees described their upbringing as religious, but not extremist, they were drawn in by al Qaeda recruiters after seeing what Smith described as heavily edited videos depicting Americans allegedly abusing Iraqis and al Qaeda attacks on Americans. After harsh treatment at the hands of their al Qaeda handlers in Iraq, and learning that the truth had been shaded, most said they just wanted to go home, Smith said. However, their handlers, who had confiscated their passports and money, pressured them to become suicide bombers. “They were told, ‘This is your duty. This is what you can do for the jihad. You will be a martyr. This is what we need you to do,’” Smith said. “Ironically they were relieved having been captured by the very Americans their recruiters said they would kill in Iraq.” The interrogations also shed light on the logistics of the smuggling operations. Most of the 48 detainees flew into the airport in Damascus, Syria, and then moved by ground transportation into Iraq, a process that often took months, Smith said. In mid-2007, about 120 foreign terrorists crossed into Iraq in a similar manner each month. That number is now down to 40 and 50 terrorists a month, Smith said, adding that about 41 percent of these foreign terrorists are from countries in North and East Africa, while another 40 percent are from Saudi Arabia. “The reduction in foreign fighter flow can be attributed to a number of factors, including coalition and Iraqi security force interdiction of foreign fighter networks here in Iraq,” Smith said. The admiral added that “the tightening of visa and immigration controls, airport and border enforcement, as well as a general increased awareness by host nations of the consequences to their own security in the human trafficking of terrorism” has also helped the situation. Still, Smith said the fact remains that about 90 percent of foreign fighters in Iraq become suicide bombers. The 48 detainees’ stories are not only paint a picture of foreign fighters themselves, they also reveal a great deal about the greater enemy facing Iraq, Smith said. “Al Qaeda imports foreign fighters to do a job that few others will do … kill fellow Muslims using large amounts of explosives and blowing themselves up,” he said. “We still have a lot of work to do and the knowledge gained in the interrogation of these 48 foreign fighters will aid us in our efforts to reduce this foreign-borne threat to Iraq.”

Body found of Ohio soldier missing in Iraq After nearly four years of hoping, waiting and praying, an Ohio family learned Sunday their missing son died in Iraq. A 2004 memorial at Glen Este High School in Ohio in honor of Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin. "It hurts -- it really hurts. You go through four years of hope," said Carolyn Maupin, whose son, Staff Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin, was captured by insurgents in April 2004. "It's like a letdown to me. I'm trying to get through that right now." His father, Keith Maupin, said military officials informed the family Sunday afternoon that the remains of the 24-year-old Army reservist had been identified. "Every parent knows the possibility exists that they may have to face the death of their child when they volunteer to go to war," he said. "However, those who are fortunate make peace with that and support their soldier, because they enlisted at their own free will." A Defense Department official also confirmed the identification, saying Maupin's remains were found last week but DNA results just came in. Maupin, who was 20 at the time of his capture, and another soldier, Sgt. Elmer Krause, 40, were captured by insurgents April 9, 2004, after their convoy came under attack near Baghdad International Airport. A week later, Maupin was shown on a videotape, surrounded by several armed masked men. "My name is Keith Matthew Maupin," he stated in the video. "I am a soldier from the First Division. I am married with a 10-month-old child. I came to liberate Iraq, but I did not come willingly because I wanted to stay with my child." Krause's body was found two weeks later. Later that summer, Al-Jazeera aired a videotape purportedly showing the execution of Maupin, but U.S. officials haven't confirmed the identity of the person on the tape. The U.S. Army continued to promote Maupin, who was a private first class in the Army Reserves at the time of his capture, to sergeant and then staff sergeant as they searched for him. Three U.S. troops remain missing in the five-year-old Iraq war: Pvt. Byron W. Fouty and Spc. Alex R. Jimenez have been missing since their military convoy was raided west of Mahmoudiya May 12. Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie disappeared October 23, 2006, and his status was changed to "missing-captured" nearly two months later. The news about Maupin came Sunday as roadside bombings in northern and western Iraq killed two U.S. troops and attacks on Iraqi police and others left another 19 dead, Iraqi police and U.S. military officials reported. One roadside bombing killed a U.S. soldier north of Baghdad, and a Marine died in another bombing in the western province of Anbar, the U.S. military headquarters there reported. No details of the attacks were released. The latest attacks bring the U.S. death toll in the five-year-old war to 4,009.