Al Shabaab Speaks to Uganda and Nigeria

Bill Roggio at Long war Journal reported on a recent press release by Ali Mohamud Raghe (Sheikh Ali Dhere). of special note:

"We call on our brothers [Al Qaeda] to come to Somalia and to help us expand the East Africa jihad," Rage told reporters, according to Garowe Online.

second,

On Dec. 23, Rage also held a press conference to "inform our brothers in

• Afghanistan,
• Iraq,
• Nigeria
• Uganda

of the Shabaab/Hizbul Islam merger, and he threatened the eastern African nations of Uganda and Burundi, which make up the African Union forces fighting in Mogadishu.

"We, al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam have united and we warn

• Uganda
• Burundi forces

and their people that we shall redouble our attacks," Rage said, according to Reuters. "We also inform our brothers in

• Afghanistan,
• Iraq,
• Nigeria
• Uganda,

that we have united in one name -- al Shabaab."
***************************************

Since Uganda and Nigerian Mujahadeen Islamist movements are fledgling operations. It is interesting to hear them speak directly to them. Perhaps there is more a direct link

-Shimron Issachar

FARC Behind Deal with AQIM to Guard Sahara Trafficking Routs

South American drugs gangs are providing millions of pounds of funding for al-Qaeda terrorists by paying them to ensure the safe passage of cocaine across north Africa and towards Europe.
Islamic rebels familiar with the barren terrain of the Sahara have struck deals under which they provide armed security escorts for drug traffickers in return for a slice of their profits.

Counter-terrorism experts said that the terrorists belong to the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group, which has kidnapped a series of Westerners and killed a British tourist last year.

They warned that the money they receive from drugs gangs could be used to attract new recruits and plan terrorist attacks on European cities.

Olivier Guitta, a counter-terrorism and foreign affairs consultant, said that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the Marxist rebel group, was the “force behind the agreement with AQIM”.

In the past drugs were flown or shipped from South America straight to Spain or Portugal but the introduction of more rigorous controls in those countries led FARC to change its way of operating.

” Since the routes going through Europe became much more difficult to use, FARC saw an opportunity to use the Sahel and North Africa as its new drug route,” said Mr Guitta.

“And since AQIM has a hold over the area and was already involved in major smuggling operations it made sense to offer them a deal.

“AQIM is an independent unit of al-Qaeda and does not share the monies with al-Qaeda central but is looking to pull off terror attacks on its own in Europe.”

Terrorists linked to al-Qaeda in north Africa have made $130m (£84m) from helping drugs gangs and kidnap ransoms since 2007, according to one report citing an investigation by the Algerian government.

The Rest @ In Depth Africa

Iranian Arms Courrier Azim Aghajani gets Bail in Nigeria

court in Nigeria has granted bail to an Iranian man charged with arms trafficking after an illegal shipment of weapons was intercepted in October.
court in Nigeria has granted bail to an Iranian man charged with arms trafficking after an illegal shipment of weapons was intercepted in October.
Judge Ishaq Bello of the high court in the capital, Abuja, set the amount at 20m naira ($131,150; £84,940).
Azim Aghajani, identified by court documents as a Tehran-based businessman and member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, says he is not guilty.
Three Nigerians have also been charged in connection with the incident.
The weapons, which included rockets, shells, mortars, grenades and ammunition hidden among building materials, were found on a ship docked at seaport of Apapa, in Lagos.

The Rest @ InDepth Africa

Islamist Unity in Somalia

There is a big show of unity between Awayes and leaders and some Junior leaders of al Shabaab. Actually, it looks like al Shabaab defeated Hizbul Islam, and offered the survivors death or enlistment. Aweys cares not, as long as he becomes the head of an Islamist state in Somalia. Conspicuous in his absence is Adbi Godane, or Mukhtar Abdirahman Abuu Zubeyr). Where is he?

Shimron Issachar


************************
At least 17 people were killed in the Somali capital Mogadishu during Tuesday clashes, as Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys publicly declared his support for the merger of Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam insurgent factions, Radio Garowe reports.




The fighting started overnight Monday and continued into Tuesday, with Somali government forces and allied African peacekeepers (AMISOM) repelling attacks by Al Shabaab insurgents.

Most of the violence was concentrated around Mogadishu's Hodan, Bondhere and Abdiaziz districts. Medical workers reported more than 32 wounded persons were admitted to local hospitals.

Witnesses said 8 civilians were killed in two separate incidents when an artillery shell hit residential areas in Kaaraan and Howlwadaag, which are districts outside of Tuesday's fighting zone.

A businessman in Bakara Market, a notorious insurgent stronghold since early 2007, confidentially told Garowe Online that AMISOM peacekeepers had moved "too close" to the market.

"There is plenty of fear that the fighting will spread into Bakara Market," said the business source who declined to be named for security reasons.

Al Shabaab-Hizbul Islam merger

Mogadishu has been wracked by insurgent violence since early 2007, when Islamist fighters went underground and spearheaded a bloody insurgency to overthrow the country's internationally recognized but weak Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

In Feb. 2009, a new Islamist faction was established under the leadership of Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who formed the Hizbul Islam insurgent group with the goal of toppling the TFG and installing an Islamist regime in Mogadishu.

On Tuesday, Sheikh Aweys appeared at a public rally with Al Shabaab leaders including Sheikh Fuad Shongole and Sheikh Ali Dheere, Al Shabaab's propaganda chief and spokesman, respectively.

The event was held in Afgoye, a small farming town 30km south of Mogadishu and formerly a major base for Hizbul Islam faction.

Sheikh Aweys said: "I am pleased to witness the unity of Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam. I urge all Islamist fighters and all Muslims to join the war."

He called on AMISOM troop-contributing countries, namely Uganda and Burundi, to "pull out your troops or they will return to you dead."

Sheikh Shongole, who is Al Shabaab's third-in-command and chief of propaganda, bragged that he survived a mosque last May to "witness to the unity of the Mujahideen [holy warrior] in Somalia."

Aweys' failure

It is a major change of fortune for Sheikh Aweys, who led all Somali Islamists under the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) umbrella in 2006. The ICU militia seized Mogadishu in June 2006, but were ousted by the Ethiopian army's invasion six months later.

The ICU splintered into three factions: Al Shabaab; Hizbul Islam, led by Sheikh Aweys; and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), led by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who became TFG President in Jan. 2009.

Insiders say Sheikh Aweys, who was the leader of all ICU splinter groups in 2006, has now surrendered his seniority and leadership over to junior officers within the former ICU group, but who are now top leaders in Al Shabaab group.

Those who know Sheikh Aweys describe him as a man obssessed with becoming the President of Somalia one day, but his aspiration faces many obstacles not the least of which is that he is on the U.S. terrorism watch-list.

Somali insurgents have remained unable to over-power the 8,000-strong AMISOM peacekeeping force, which guards the port, airport and presidential compound.

Upwards of 21,000 have been killed in the Somali insurgency since early 2007, with more than 1million people displaced.

The Rest @ Garowe Online

All Shabaab Bombs Bus Bound for Kampala Uganda

A bomb attack on a Kampala-bound bus in Nairobi by the al-Shabaab militants on the night of December 20, claimed three lives and injured 26 as the bus was preparing to leave for Kampala. It could have been worse if the attacker had found his way into the bus undetected.

This comes as the al-Shabaab leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, also known as Abu Zubayr, threatened further attacks on Uganda and Burundi for contributing troops to the African Union mission. Such incidents should remind us that these militants are still around and are going nowhere until they achieve their mission.

On the question of how terrorist attacks can be foiled, it is important to investigate just why someone might be inclined to become a suicide bomber. In my understanding, terrorists are not born, they are created. Unprovoked, most human beings will continue to live their own lives, attempting to improve their environment and acquire a greater quality of life. But, once provoked, any person has the potential to revert to violent means to ward off a perceived or real threat.

Terrorists could make a bomb in an item as small as a soda can. They could sneak weapons in body cavities. They could set off a bomb to go off in a line at a sporting event, or in the security line at an airport. Risk is just something that we have to deal with. Fortunately, like many risks, the risk from terrorism is very small. Thinking outside the box can help.


The target of a suicide bomber is usually a highly populated space which is likely to be a well-known public area, usually at peak times like the festive season we are in. This is the most damaging method in terms of destruction of life, property and evidence. A suicide bomber will typically place himself and his deadly payload wherever he thinks he will kill the most people.



A single suicide bomber can carry enough explosive on his body to kill or gravely wound everyone within a 50-foot radius in an open area. A bomber driving a truck or car laden with explosives could destroy an entire building.



The destruction can

Somali Bound Arms Captured in South Africa

Dec 23 2010

An arms-shipment from Malta, purportedly earmarked to 'help fight Somalian pirates', was 'illegally diverted" to the illegal arms trade in South Africa claims the SAPS, whose task force raided a Westville Durban home and confiscated

• 308 rifles,
• two shotguns,
• two AM3 assault rifles with telescopic lens and silencers, and
• 592 rounds of ammunition.

The South African harbour is well known among international security agencies for its many illegal shipments of weapons to African 'rebels' and terrorist groups

Four people of unknown origin including three women, were arrested on Thursday when Durban police raided a Westville home and seized weapons and ammunition which the Mercury wrote was 'believed to be destined for Somalia to help in the fight against piracy, but which had been illegally diverted".

Nompumelelo Magwaza and Kyle Venktess wrote in the Mercury that the weapons came from Malta (which has no arms industry…).

Police spokesman Lt-Col Vincent Mdunge refused to tell the Mercury who this arms shipment had been designated to, claiming 'itwas still being investigated".

The investigation which led them to the house in Westville had been ongoing and more firearms could be found. "We believe the firearms were illegally diverted to South Africa, but how they ended up in Durban remains a mystery," he said. "We believe the house was being used as a firearms holding area," Mdunge said.

Those arrested, two 20-year-old women, a 28-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man, would appear in the Pinetown Magistrate's Court today. It is believed that part of the house had been converted into offices where two women were working.

Who was buying these weapons headed for Somalia?

There is indeed a rather strangely-convoluted and secretive trade going on between South African business people in Zululand and Somalia's mineral-rich, self-styled independent Puntland region (pop. 2.4-million) which also is important to the international naval task force fighting Somalian piracy. There apparently is an an ethnic-cleansing campaign going on against the Warsangali tribe living in the mineral-rich villages, allegedly being led by warlord Cabdiraxman Faroole if Western military sources are to be believed.

They claim that he used to be engaged in human trafficking and piracy but that the traditional council of Puntland has lately 'taken a hard line against piracy.' Faroole apparently has signed deals to sell the region's rare minerals and tin to an Australian mining company. To do all this, he obviously needs lots of firearms to make the area secure for mining.

Puntland warlord Cabdiraxman Faroole training more than a thousand soldiers:Puntland's warlord is said to be training more than a thousand soldiers: to 'fight piracy' as he claims, but Somalia and the Pentagon are accusing him of mounting an ethnic cleansing campaign against local Warsangali tribesmen to make the region secure for an Australian company to mine the region's 30,000 tons of tin mineral worth about 250 million American dollars.

Two villages in particular are being converted into safe mining regions: Galgala and Mijayahan. Somalia's provisional 'government' arrested "six Russian crew members" and seized this hired South African plane which was 'carrying military supplies to Puntland' the Somalian authorities claimed.']

However it may all have been a terrible mistake… the plane may have been hired by an American documentary-producer to transport a South African TV-crew to cover a news story in Somalia… all the equipment found on board were of a 'non-lethal' nature…

Somaliland's interior minister, Mohamed Abdi Gabose, was adamant however, telling reporters in the regional capital Hargeysa that the cargo plane was in violation of the international arms embargo on Somalia.

"The aircraft was originally coming from South Africa and Kampala. They asked for permission to land at our airport after experiencing a fuel shortage," Gabose said. "But it landed before we officially gave our green light and we have seized the plane," he said, adding that the six crew members were arrested.

"This aircraft was heading to Puntland and carried military uniforms as well as other supplies for the newly recruited militiamen," the minister claimed. -----------Puntland is crucial to the multinational task-force which fights the Somalian pirates: most of their naval bases are along its shoreline.

The US-government has however been vehemently opposed to Somalia's use of the UK-based 'private security company' Saracen International to help 'train a dedicated anti-piracy force'.

The Pentagon was angered by the move, claiming that it was concerned over 'the lack of transparency regarding the funding'. "This company that is training the militiamen is doing illegal business and violated the international arms embargo on Somalia," Gabose said. "The military training provided to Puntland is a threat to Somaliland's security and to that of the region in general," he said. Airport officials said heavy security was deployed around the plane as its cargo and manifest were being further investigated.http://ping.fm/x4voE '

Afrikaner TV-journalists released by Somalia: mistaken for mercenaries: The Mercury noted in their story however that Afrikaner TV-journalists Anton van der Merwe and Chris Everson from Cape Town were released by the Somalian authorities.

They were mistaken for mercenaries and were arrested in Somalia on December 10.The two journalists work for SPA, an American documentary news show and had been enroute to cover an independent production in Somalia. They were arrested when boarding a charter aircraft which had been arranged for them by the American company.http://ping.fm/kK14M---------------------------------------------Somalian pirates still hold two white South Africans:

Somali pirates have been involved in horrifically cruel kidnappings and hijackings of ships and their crews along the entire East Coast of Africa up to Kenya for the past two decades. As their wealth grew, they have become more sophisticated: purchasing hi-tech equipment and focussing on kidnapping the most lucrative targets: whites on board ships passing the East-African coastline.

White captives fetch millions of dollars in ransom and because the pirates also use the news media to put pressure on the families of their captives, they usually get paid very well indeed. At the moment, one white couple from Durban is still held captive: Bruno Pelizzari and Deborah Caitz were kidnapped by the armed pirates along with skipper Peter Eldridge on October 26. Within ten days, a Dutch naval vessel ran their vessel ashore; forcing the pirates to flee with the couple while leaving Eldridge behind: he refused to leave the yacht. Eldridge was then brought back to Richards Bay by the Dutch naval vessel.

The International Maritime Organisation and the World Food Programme have expressed concern over the alarming rise in piracy along the East African coastline. For the past ten years, companies have increasingly been diverting their ships around the Cape of Good Hope, causing soaring shipping coasts and seriously interfering with the shipments of emergency food-aid to famine-struck regions.

A multinational coalition naval task force including Russia, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, the USA and Japan has been set up to patrol the vast stretches of Indian ocean to combat the scourge. Increasingly wealthy Somalian pirates in their high-speed boats have kidnapped thousands of people and hundreds of marine vessels from as far away from Somalia as the Seychelles islands and even in Kenya. This was a compilation of the Mercury articleand other news sources.

The Rest @ The Long Walk Since Freedom

Somali Terrorists Captured in the Netherlands

Dutch authorities have arrested 12 men of Somali origin they believe were about to carry out a terrorist attack, authorities said Saturday.

The country's intelligence service provided information that led to the arrests in Rotterdam, Public Prosecution Service spokesman Wim de Bruin told CNN.

No weapons or explosives were found, he said. The suspects are in police custody.

"The attack was said to be imminent so the national police started an investigation which led to the arrest of 12 Somalis later on Friday in Rotterdam," de Bruin said.

• "We are not sure about what the target was, how they were going to carry out the attack or when."
• A Dutch counterterrorism office spokeswoman said the immediate threat to the country has been removed and the terror alert level will remain "limited," or relatively low.
  "We are now following the information that comes out of the interrogations with these 12 individuals to see if there still remains a threat from this plot," said Judith Sluiter of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism.

The men, between ages 19 and 48, were arrested in various locations. Police have searched a pawn shop, four homes and two hotel rooms, de Bruin said.

Six of the suspects live in Rotterdam and one is from Denmark. Some are Dutch citizens. They all are of Somali origin, de Bruin said.

A spokesman for the Danish Security Service said authorities are in "close contact" with Dutch police.

War-torn Somalia has a virtually powerless central government and is home to several militant groups, including Al-Shabaab, which controls much of the country. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including a series of bombs that tore through an Ethiopian restaurant and a rugby center in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

Officials said the July 11 blasts, which killed 79 people, were probably set off by suicide bombers.
The United States this year charged several people with trying to funnel money or otherwise assist Somali extremists. Al-Shabaab has been linked to al Qaeda.

Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in September asked other countries to train Somalia's forces to help counter militant groups.

The Netherlands is concerned about threats to Western countries, including itself, said Sluiter. She made a reference to the recent suicide bombing in Stockholm, Sweden.

A 2009 Dutch intelligence report indicated a decreased threat from domestic militant networks.
Domestic militants were becoming more focused on jihad outside the Netherlands, the report said.

But it did say the country was seeing more jihadist threats from Somalia and Yemen.
The report noted several cases of Dutch citizens trying to travel to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab, including four arrested in 2009 in Kenya.

The arrests in the Netherlands followed an unrelated sweep a few days before in the United Kingdom. An operation Monday led by the British intelligence service, MI5, resulted in arrests of 12 suspects ranging in age from 17 to 28 in the cities of London, Stoke and Birmingham, England, as well as Cardiff, Wales.

A senior British official not authorized to speak on the record said the suspects were arrested on suspicion of "preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism in the UK," but he also said the suspects were "aspirational" rather than equipped and "ready to go."

The Rest @ CNN

Ivory Coast in Election Crisis

About 14,000 people have fled Ivory Coast to neighbouring Liberia following last month's disputed Ivorian presidential election, the UN says.

It says it is prepared for a total of 30,000 refugees in the region.
Most of those fleeing are supporters of Alassane Ouattara, who is recognised internationally as the new president.

Three West African presidents will go to Ivory Coast on Tuesday to personally urge incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo to quit, Benin's foreign minister says.

Mr Gbagbo has rejected widespread calls to step down, citing vote rigging in northern areas.

'Ivorian blood'

The spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba, told the BBC that most of those who had left Ivory Coast since the 28 November election had come from villages in the west of the country.

She said they had been walking for days to escape tensions they feared could explode into violence, and the flow was continuing.

A UNHCR statement added: "With their numbers growing, the humanitarian needs are increasing for the mostly women and children refugees as well as for the villagers hosting them."
Benin's Foreign Minister Jean Marie Ehouzou has said the presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde will visit Ivory Coast to tell Mr Gbagbo on behalf of regional bloc Ecowas "that he must step down as quickly as possible or face legitimate military force".

Mr Gbagbo says the presidential poll was rigged in rebel areas that backed Mr Ouattara
He was echoing a warning on Friday from West African leaders of possible military action.
Mr Gbagbo's government said the threat was unjust. It also condemned a decision by the West African central bank to give control of Ivory Coast's account to Mr Ouattara.

Earlier Mr Ouattara urged the armed forces to protect civilians against attack from "the militias and foreign mercenaries that are spilling Ivorian blood".

He said perpetrators of recent violence would be prosecuted and invited investigators from the International Criminal Court to the country.

Mr Ouattara and his cabinet are based at a hotel in the main city, Abidjan, under the protection of UN troops.

• Mr Gbagbo has demanded that UN and French troops leave the country. A close ally even warned that they could be treated as rebels if they did not obey the instruction.
• The UN, which has 10,000 peacekeepers in the country, rejected the call.
  UN officials say at least 170 people have been killed in recent attacks linked to the Ivorian armed forces, who remain publicly loyal to Mr Gbagbo.
• There have been suggestions that member nations send in troops to strengthen the presence of the UN peacekeeping force.

The election was meant to unite the country after a civil war in 2002 split the world's largest cocoa producer in two, with the predominantly Muslim North supporting Mr Ouattara and the mainly Christian south backing Mr Gbagbo.

The Rest @ the BBC

India Identified Terrorist Money Laundering Through Foreign Credit Card Use

On instructions from Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the Intelligence Bureau has taken up the task of identifying a sudden quantum jump in the amount of foreign money flowing in the country through withdrawals by foreigners on credit and debit cards issued by foreign banks.

In his monthly review meetings, Mukherjee sought updates on this subject.

The IB warned that such money poses a serious security risk as it can be pumped into terrorist and other anti-national activities.

It started probing withdrawals after intercepting a highly volatile conversation on transfer of funds through credit cards.

Investigations led to eight states in particular, including

• Andhra Pradesh,
• Goa,
• Gujarat
• Maharashtra

....that have witnessed in recent times withdrawal of large sums of money by foreigners using the cards.

There is no way to track down the source of money and it is possible that some such withdrawals may be from funds transferred by terror organisations, sources said.

"If a terrorist outfit anywhere in the world deposits huge funds in a foreigner's account and he withdraws them daily in India in small quantum, we have no help from our banks to plug the mischief," the sources said.

They point out that the small withdrawals do not create suspicion, but totalling the money taken out on a daily basis will throw up a mind-boggling figure.

The sources said that IB has, therefore, not only alerted Union Home Secretary G K Pillai on this new form of funding for suspected anti-national activities, but it has also written to the finance ministry and the Reserve Bank of India to quickly put in place a system to monitor withdrawals of money by foreigners on their credit and debit cards.

Presently, there is no system to monitor transactions made by foreigners using these cards as they are recorded on the computer servers located abroad, which cannot be tracked unlike. Indian transactions, on the other hand, can be tracked as they are managed by the servers based in India, the sources said.

The IB hopes that the system will be able to assess and check the total amount of foreign money getting into the Indian system through these cards.

Last week, Pranab Mukherjee chaired a meeting on the inflow of the terror funds through different modes like hawala, ATMs and Western Union money transfers.

Since international obligations do not permit India to stop money transfers through Western Union, Mukherjee asked the banking department, RBI and IB to work together to find out a solution to check suspicious transfers. Other nations face the same problem

"We do not have control over the transfers that take place through servers in foreign countries," an official said.

As the withdrawals are in the Indian Rupee while the deposits in the foreign banks are in the US $ or other foreign currencies, there is also a risk of heavy foreign exchange outflow, the sources said.

They point out that India is not the only country facing this boom in credit and debit card withdrawals.

The United States is battling the problem as seen from a circular put up by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue on its website irs.gov about "repatriation of offshore funds using credit cards."

The circular says, "Credit cards (such as MasterCard and VISA) issued by tax haven domiciled banks are a preferred method used by US taxpayers to anonymously and covertly repatriate offshore funds that may or may not have been previously taxed.

American Express cards are used in the same way but differ in that these cards are issued directly by American Express rather than by member banks."

The IB has urged the RBI to devise a method to ensure that foreigners' card withdrawals are put under scrutiny and those taking out huge sums through ATMs in India are reported to the authorities to keep a check on their activities.

It has also suggested that ATMs should be calibrated to refuse withdrawals on foreign banks' cards after an individual reaches a particular limit of money taken out over the period of his or her stay in India.

The Rest @ Rediff

UN sending Panel to Nigeria to Investigate Iranian Arms Dealer Azim Aghajani

THE United Nations is sending an eight-man team to Nigeria in the third week of January over the arms shipment intercepted from Iran, a senior official has said.

The UN panel of experts on Iran is expected in the country on January 18 for a three-day working visit, the official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.

The panel’s earlier request to visit Nigeria this month was not cleared from Abuja due to administrative reasons, the official said.

Yesterday, Iranian businessman Azim Aghajani, who is facing trial along with three Nigerians over the importation of the illegal arms into Apapa port in Lagos, was granted bail by an Abuja High Court.

The Nigerians on trial with him are Ali Abbas Jega, Aliyu O. Wamako and Muhammed Tukur Umar.

They were arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court which remanded them in SSS custody.
The Iranian,　on Dec 16, approached the court through his lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), for bail, relying on sections 341(2) and (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code; and Section 35 (4) 39 of 1999 Constitution.

He also prayed that the bail be sustained, pending his trial by the court.
Granting the bail application, Justice Ishaq Bello held that since the prosecution failed to file a counter affidavit to the application, there was no basis denying the accused bail.

He ordered him to produce two sureties in the sum of N20 million each.
The sureties must be citizens of Iran and officials of the embassy.

The eight-man UN panel was appointed last month by the UN Secretary-General to monitor states’ implementation of the sanctions against Iran.
Nigeria’s Maj-Gen. Ishola Williams is a member of the panel, which is coordinated by Salome Zourabichvili of France.

Other members of the panel expected to visit Nigeria are Jonathan Brewer from the UK, Kenichiro Matsubayashi from Japan and Jacqueline W. Shire from the United States.
Also on the team are; Elena Vodopolova from Russian, Christof Wegner from Germany and Wenlei Xu of China.

The panel while in Nigeria will meet with officials of some key government agencies involved in the investigation.
They will also inspect the seized cache of arms.
Nigeria reported Iran to the UN in November after security agents intercepted weapons hidden among building materials on a ship docked in Lagos in October.
Four persons, including one Iranian, were arrested and charged to court over the seized weapons.
The weapons include assorted calibers of mortars and 107 mm rocket launchers, designed to attack static targets and used by armies to support infantry units.

The Rest @ The Nation

What will Happen Next in Sudan

Sudan's Referendum will happen on January the 9th, 2011, as scheduled. If it is a clean election, the South will vote to become a separate country. Whether it is clean or not, the results will be challenged. During the challenge, the allies of each side will emerge.

Expect the usually Islamist suspects to rise up, namly, the Muslim Brotherhood, everywhere in the world. China is a major player, and since it has oil perchase contracts with the North, It is likely they will side with them. The south will ask for whatever help they can get, mostly western sources. The civli rights watchers who nmonitor the Darfur criminals will fall into the south's camp.

When the time of challenges is over, if the south has succeeded in the separation efforts, the North will act. They will act on three fronts, Political, Public Opinion, and Military.

Political.

• They will use what ever diplomatic relationships they have to try and delay implementation of the separation as long as possible.

Public Opinion

• Expect them to borrow a page from the Palestinian book. You will find a cadre of attractive, empassioned sudanese giving press conferences to the press all around the world talking about how the est is trying to pull their country apart.
• Expect al Aqaeda and other islamist groups to begin to recruit using Sudan as another front for the global jihad.

Military

• While using the actions of unsactioned "militia groups" to commit attrocities, The North created almost universal global condimnation in Darfur, a section of NOrth West Sudan, they were tactically very succesfull. The North is already planning series of attacks in the south by "unscantioned malitias.
• Look for Eritria, Somalia, and Ogaden islamist mujahadeen to participate
• Look for al Aqeda trainers and leaders to be active in the mix.

I don't know how the UN, the AU, and the west will respond, but it is likely the South Sudan has been preparing and arming for defense. I see that it is likely that the civil war will be reignighted.

-Shimron Issachar

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and Hizbul Islam has surrendered and joined Al Shabaab Insurgents

we will wait and see what Aweys hinself has to say

-Shimron
***************
Somali Islamist hardliner Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and the Hizbul Islam insurgent faction he leads has surrendered and joined Al Shabaab insurgents, on a day when at least four Somali government soldiers were killed in a Mogadishu roadside bombing, Radio Garowe reports.

Sheikh Mohamed Osman Arus, the spokesman for Hizbul Islam insurgents, told local media that "the name Hizbul Islam no longer exists."

"All the officers of Hizbul Islam have joined Al Shabaab and no one refused, including our leader Sheikh Aweys," Arus told reporters in Mogadishu.

He stated that Sheikh Aweys informed his Hizbul Islam loyalists that an "Islamic government will be established for Somalia," adding: "We have adopted the Al Shabaab name and our forces have joined Al Shabaab."

• On Monday, Hizbul Islam fighters were seen pouring into areas of Mogadishu controlled by Al Shabaab, which is an Al Qaeda-affiliated group that controls most regions in southern Somalia.
• Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam have fought many times since 2009, with Al Shabaab seizing military control over key towns like Kismayo and Beledweyne through violent force.
• Most recently, earlier this week, Al Shabaab fighters seized control of Burhakaba town in Bay region in two days of fighting where at least 30 militants were killed.

Soldiers killed in roadside bombing

• At least four Somali government soldiers on patrol along Industry Road in Mogadishu were killed in a roadside bombing Monday, witnesses and officers said.
• Six people were killed including two civilians described as a woman and a young male.
• Both victims were bystanders who were killed when a car transporting soldiers exploded.
  Ahmed Yare, a Somali military official, told Garowe Online that Somali troops had been conducting search operations in the vicinity when the explosion happened.
• Al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility for the bombing.
  

The Rest @ Garowe Online

Robow challenges Godane (Zubeyr)

Islamists in control of South and Central Somalia are fighting internally as they try and recover from battle losses. Shabaab fought and took Burhakaba town, formerly held by Hizbul Islam.

-Shimron
****************
A months-long dispute among senior members of Somali insurgent group Al Shabaab took a worse turn Saturday when a senior commander condemned the group’s top chief, Radio Garowe reports.

Sheikh Fuad

Sheikh Fuad Mohamed Khalaf “Shongole” gave a publicly address at a mosque in Mogadishu’s Bakara Market, saying that Al Shabaab chief Ahmed Abdi Godane alias Sheikh Muktar Abdirahman Abu-Zubeyr has “hidden agendas.”

“A leader is he who addresses his people and leads his people towards all good things, but fighting everyone is not part of the solution,” Shongole said.

Local sources report that the dispute among Al Shabaab’s top leaders intensified earlier this month when Al Shabaab insurgents attacked and seized Burhakaba town, located in Bay region northwest of Mogadishu.

Upwards of 30 people were killed in the clashes between Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam insurgent factions. Burhakaba had previously been under the control of Hizbul Islam, a group led by Islamist hardliner Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys.

“The fighting in Burhakaba was not jihad, because its haram [prohibited] for a Muslim person to kill another Muslim person and then brag about it,” Shongole said publicly at the mosque.

• Insiders say Shongole is allied to Al Shabaab’s deputy commander, Sheikh Muktar Robow “Abu Mansur,” a native of Bay region. Godane, Al Shabaab’s top chief, is a native in northwestern Somalia separatist region of Somaliland and has no population base in southern Somalia.

This is the first time that a senior member of Al Shabaab has publicly condemned Godane, thereby publicly revealing the fractures that occurred within the group since September fighting when upwards of 800 Al Shabaab fighters were killed in Mogadishu clashes with African Union-backed Somali government forces.

Abu Mansur [Robow] was reportedly angered by the massive losses suffered by Al Shabaab, but his dispute with Godane briefly disappeared from the public until Shongole’s public comments.

The U.S. government designated Al Shabaab as a terrorist organization in early 2008, subsequently followed by other Western powers including Australia.

The Rest @GAROWE ONLINE

The displaced people on the southern outskirts of Mogadishu are living in an increasingly insecure situation due to in-fighting and tension between radical Islamist groups
Al-Shabaab and Hizbu Islam have both exhibited the desire to expand their territories.

Most of the war displaced peoples from Mogadishu live on a strip of land between the city and Afgoye town, 30km south of the Somali capital. Indeed, the thousands of families are facing an increasingly uncertain situation as al-Shabaab fighters keep targeting more positions held by Hizbu Islam.

According to sources, which requested to remain anonymous due to fear of victimisation, the anxiety among the displaced is forcing them to prepare themselves for self defence.
Militias’ movements around the camps make the mobilisation more critical.

The same sources indicate that on Tuesday night, Hizbu Islam’s top brass that included the movement’s leader, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, militia commander Abdulkadir Komandos, political strategist Mussa Abdi Arale, and other members of the Shura (consultative council) and Fulinta (executive body), held a meeting at undisclosed site. The group is said to have rejected the motion of counter-attacking al-Shabaab.

Any resistance

However, the Hizbu Islam leaders are said to have adopted a self-defence strategy against the advancing al-Shabaab fighters.

Hizbu Islam is apparently reacting to series of advances made by al-Shabaab fighters against their loyalists in southern Somalia recently.

- Source unsited

Sengal Severs Relations with Iran over Arms Smuggling

Senegal is "disatisfied" with Iran's answers to why they allowed a "private" Iranian company to ship Arms apparently aimed for Senegal (stopped by customs in Nigeria).


-Shimron Issachar

Senegal has recalled its ambassador to Iran, saying that Tehran had failed to provide a "satisfactory" explanation for an arms shipment seized in Nigeria.

The weapons were found hidden among building materials on a ship docked in Lagos in October.
An Iranian man and three Nigerians have been accused of attempting to import the arms and send them to The Gambia, which cut ties with Iran last month.

But there has been speculation that they were destined for south Senegal.
Despite a peace deal, a low-level separatist rebellion simmers in Casamance, a region cut off from the rest of Senegal by The Gambia.

The Iranian government has said only that the shipment belonged to a private company and was being sent to a "West African country".

"True to the need for peace and security which should guide ties between states, and deeming not satisfactory the explanations provided by the Iranian side in this affair, Senegal has decided to recall its ambassador to Iran for consultations as of today," the foreign ministry said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Monouchehr Mottaki was sacked on Monday while on an official trip to Senegal. No reasons were given.

Nigeria charges Iranian over arms 25 NOVEMBER 2010, AFRICA

The Rest @ The BBC

Zubeyr (Godani) being Exposed to Capture by Robow and Aweys?

It may be, that as part an al Shabaab "reorganization" being conducted by Sheikh Hassan Dahir and Mukhtaar Abu Mansur Robow, that Sheikh Mohamed in Juba and Mukhtar Abdirahman Abuu Zubeyr are being deliberately exposed to capture or death by the release of their whereabouts to the press.

This would explain why there has been certain releases of information about Sheikh Mohamed in Juba being in a Kenyan Jail, and Mukhtar Abdirahman Abuu Zubeyr (Abdi Godane)'s recent trips to visit his family in UAE after recent discussions about the merging of al Shabaab with other Islamist Groups....


-Shimron Issachar

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Mogadishu (Sunatimes) Al-shabab militias in Kismayo have for the first time said that one of their leaders named as Sheikh Mohamed in the Juba region has been in a Kenyan jail for the last six months.

Malim Adan Mohamed Abdullahi blamed some of Al-shabab leaders in Kismayo for not providing money that was needed to secure the release of the arrested senior militia man of the group.

Malim Adan claimed that Kenyan authorities asked for $1000 to release their member but A-shabab’s treasury officer and head of the militia in Kismayo Hasan Yakub Ali refused to provide the funds.

However, Malim could not explain where and how Sheikh Mohamed was arrested by Kenyan authorities.

Another member of the insurgent group sneaked out of a Kenyan prison early this year after allegedly bribing the Kenyan police when he was arrested at the border between Kenya and Uganda.




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Somalia:Alqaeda’s Alshabab leader seen in United Arab Emirates

Dubai (Sunatimes) Some very reliable sources report that the leader of Alshabab, an insurgent groups allied to Alqaeda, Ahmed Aw Mohamud Godane, aka Sheikh Mukhtar Abdurahman Abu Zubeyr, had visited Sharjah, UAE, at least two times so far this ending year.

The reclusive leader made unreported trips to United Arab Emirate to visit his wife and children are had been living in UAE since 2008.

The report says that

• Abu Zubeyr traveled to UAE in March 3, 2010, through Kenya Khat flight and second time was crossed the border as a normal man.
• March 3, 2010“He took a flight which brought Khat, green stimulant leafs, to KM50 airport, an air strip controlled by Alshabab which locates 50kms in the south of Mogadishu"
• Some investigations we made confirmed that Abu Zubeyr crossed the Kenyan border in November 11, 2010 to make his trip to UAE and visited his wife the second times this year.
• Abu Zubeyr was confirmed having a Kenyan passport with unidentified name, and he also has a resident permit from UAE which some Somali businessmen facilitated for him to make sure that he can visit his family when needed.
• A source close to Alshabab, which is in UAE told us that Abu Zubeyr visited his wive Muna Sheikh Abdirahman (Barawe) who lives with his in Sharjah. And he spent six days with them according to the source which claimed anonymity because of security reasons.

This wife, Muna, who is descent from Shiiqaal-Hawiye clan but her mother is Issa-Musse of Isaq clan got the resident permit from one of the Amirs of UAE who had relationship with her father who was working for the Amir long time, according to the source.

She moved from Hargeysa in October 2008 when Alshabab launched the deadly suicide targeted to the Somaliland presidential palace, the Ethiopian business council in Hargeysa and the UNDP head quarters.

A maid who used to work for the family of Abu Zubeyr in UAE confirmed that She saw Abu Zubeyr in the house but didn’t know that he was the unpopular leader of Alshabab.
“I saw him, I didn’t think that he was Abu Zubeyr, but I was told two months later that the man who was in the house was Abu Zubeyr, but I couldn’t talk about that” she said. “I couldn’t talk his information to anyone because I was in UAE without resident permit, I didn’t want to be in trouble” she added.

A Somali businessman in UAE who is neighbor to Abu Zubeyr’s family in Sharjah told Sunatimes that he saw Abu Zubeyr and formally knew him because he used to teach him religion in Hargeysa early times.

“I saw him, he was entering the house, but I didn’t know if the house was his own, I was surprised why such this man who is in the international wanted lists to move freely in such place” said the man whose surname is Hamza.

“In 1999 I was one of his students, he was teaching us the book of the prayers, Safina, I have his photo with me, so I can make sure that in November 23, 2010, he was in his house in Sharjah” he added.

Investigative reporters from Waagacusub, a popular Somali portal website who have long been tracking down about Alshabaab leaders’ profile.

They have secretly received four pictures, one of them is Ahmed Abdi Godane, Alshabaab leaders’ picture To secure the authenticity of the picture, the reporters have discussed with a well-known Somali businessman about his knowledge about Godane by asking if he personally knew Godane.

He acknowledge that he know the militant leader well and selected Godane’s picture from our already-held pictures which confirms that Waagacusub has the personal photo of Ahmed Abdi Godane, Alshabaab’s reclusive leader.

• Abu Zubeyr was the secretary general of the union of Islamic courts regime (UIC) which rules much of southern Somalia in the second half of 2006, but he was hiding himself even as he was in that position.
• He was part of UIC delegation that went to Khartoum to participate the peace deal between the transitional government of that time led by then president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed and the UIC regime led by the current president of TFG Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
• He was using a passport with the name Mukhtar Abdi rahman, the same name he is using as his war name now, and in the passport it says that he was born July 10, 1977.
  

By Dahir Alasow,
dahiralasow@yahoo.com

The Rest @ Sunna Times

Audio: Richard Downie and Brian Kennedy on the 2011 Sudan Referendum | Center for Strategic and International Studies

Sudan Reforendum , Januray 2010 less than month away: A summary of the issues

Audio: Richard Downie and Brian Kennedy on the 2011 Sudan Referendum Center for Strategic and International Studies

Zubayer (Godane) Possibly Travels to Sharjah UAE

This is a rumor, but still bears watching. Sunatimes reported that Shabaab's spiritual leader, Sheikh Mukhtar Abdurahman Abu Zubeyr (AKA Ahmed Abdi Aw Mohamed Godane) has traveled twice, via Kenya to the UAE to visit his wife and family in Sharjah.The reclusive leader made unreported trips to United Arab Emirate to visit his wife and children are had been living in UAE since 2008.

The report says that Abu Zubeyr traveled to UAE in March 3, 2010, through Kenya Khat flight and second time was crossed the border as a normal man.March 3, 2010"He took a flight which brought Khat, green stimulant leafs, to KM50 airport, an air strip controlled by Alshabab which locates 50kms in the south of Mogadishu" Abu Zubeyr was confirmed having a Kenyan passport with unidentified name, and he also has a resident permit from UAE which some Somali businessmen facilitated for him to make sure that he can visit his family when needed.

A source close to Alshabab, which is in UAE told us that Abu Zubeyr visited his wive Hibo Sheikh Abdirahman (Barawe) who lives with his in Sharjah. And he spent six days with them according to the source which claimed anonymity because of security reasons.

This wife, Hibo, who is descent from Shiiqaal-Hawiye clan but her mother is Issa-Musse of Isaq clan got the resident permit from one of the Amirs of UAE who had relationship with her father who was working for the Amir long time, according to the source.

She moved from Hargeysa in October 2008 when Alshabab launched the deadly suicide targeted to the Somaliland presidential palace, the Ethiopian business council in Hargeysa and the UNDP head quarters.

The Rest @ Somalinet Forums

by Way of
THREAT MATRIX
Monday, December 13, 2010By
Bill Roggio

The article that follows is a bit dated, (6 October, 2010) but of interest. It suggests that al Shabaab and affiliated groups are trying to reorganize, and that there is a finacial struggle. Aweys and Robow met recently. Keep in mind that Aweys, in many ways is the estranged father of the al shabaab movement, and Robow is an out of Favor Former al shabaab leader, who has recently challenged Godane's leadership.

add to this that
a recent TBDA visit suggests that Abdi Godane may have taken a trip to Dubai recently.

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http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oG7nuigwZNzQkB76xXNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGFvAzEEZnIDeWZwLXQtODkyBGhvc3RwdmlkA1FXenpVVW9HN3Y0a1JuVm9UT1llX3cuRXhNbVhRMDBHZzZJQUFiUVQEbl9ncHMDMARuX3ZwcwMwBG9yaWdpbgNzcnAEcXVlcnkDZ29kYW5lIHZpc2l0IHRvIGR1YmFpBHNhbwMxBHZ0ZXN0aWQDREZENQ--?p=godane visit to ...

Afast (africa) Network Second Net
196.201.151.68
13th December 2010 20:37:33

yahoo search phrase

"godane visit to dubai"
using internet Explorer 8 and Windows 7 (newer computer)


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Somalia


Somalia: Secrets meeting between Aweys, Abu-Mansor over new insurgent group

6 Oct 6, 2010 - 1:44:30 PM

Somali insurgent leaders Sheikh Mukhtar Robow and Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys met in Mogadishu for secret talks, according to reports that Garowe Online received.

The two opposition leaders, Former Al-Shabaab’s top ranking official Mukhtar Robow also known Abu-Mansor and Hizbul Islam’s Hassan Dahir Aweys discussed about how to assemble new insurgent group.Abu-Mansor quit Al-Shabaab over dispute between him and his group official, now urging to establish new radicals group with his counterpart. “There is a new group that called Al-islamiyah which comes from broken branch of Al-shabaab and Hizbul Islam, the group will take over southern Somalia where Al-shabaab controls,” one of senior Hizbul Islam told Garowe Online who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of matter.According to Hizbul Islam top official, no comment about who will be the leader of the new group but they are ready to build it.However, Abu-mansor blast what he called ‘poor leadership’ in Al-shabaab, accused the group’s Leader Ahmed Godane.“Disagreement brought out when Godane and Abu-mansor failed to agree on Financials issues, Godane wanted to give head of financial department to one of his clan,” a high-rank of Al-shabaab told the reporters.Abu-Mansor claimed that he will withdraw his soldier from Somali capital Mogadishu.Al-Shabaab strongly opposes the policies of the government in Somalia. It is accused of having links with terrorist groups.

Somalia has had no effective central government for 19 years and although the administration of President Ahmed has the backing of the United Nations and AU, he faces a stubborn insurgency from the insurgent groups.

The Rest @ Garowe Online

Conflict within the al Shabaab Leadership

A Hersi reports that abde Godane has alegedely been "fired" from his post has head of al Shabaab and has been temporarily replaced by Ibrahim Haji Jama.


MOGADISHU (Sunatimes) The international terror network of Al-Qaeda has made a change to the leadership of Al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia firing Ahmed Godane from his position as the leader of that movement. Sources told Sunatimes on Friday.

Al-Qaeda temporarily named Ibrahim Haji Jama to be the leader of Al-Shabaab in Somalia. Jama is the same clan with the sacked Amir who has been leading the group for three years.

His removal from the office came after failing to diplomatically solving the deep rooted conflict within Al-Shabaab administration.

This unlikely, but reflects the conflict in al Shabaab leadership

Shimron Issachar

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Fuad Shangole, who had last week been talking to the local media about the conflict the Al-Shabaab leader, said a person (Ahmed Godane) who hid his face with mask because of fear could not claim to be the leader of Mujahideens calling on that person to show up if he is pleasant with the death.

No word yet from Godane himself but reliable sources told Sunatimes that he refused to guide [abide?] with Al-Qaeda’s order.

Some reports say it would be difficult that Ahmed Godane step down.

Al Shabaab Strength in December 2010

From Bill Roggio...

I missed this report from Sunatimes when it came out in November. According to Sunatimes, Shabaab officials claim to have more than 14,000 fighters under their command throughout Somalia. Among those are nearly 2,000 "Al-Qaeda foreign fighters." The report has specific numbers, and breaks down the composition of Shabaab by region and clan affiliation:
Quoting some of Al-Shabaab militant officials, the report says the biggest number of Al-Shabaab militias is from Digil and Mirifle clans of Rahanwein tribe totaling 4,230 fighters as indicated in the list of the clans and their figure. Rahanwein is the main dominant tribe in southwest Somalia.

• 3,106 soldiers of Al-Shabaab are from Darod tribe mainly from Ogaden and Marehan clans who are inhabitants in southern Somalia.
• 2,401 are from Hawiye tribe mostly from Duduble and Murursade clans in the country's central and southern regions.
• 1,982 from Al-Qaeda foreign fighters, among of them are highly skilled military experts with war strategy and information intelligence.
• 1,702 are largely from Isaaq clan of Somalia's northern Dir tribe as 753 fighters of that number belonging especially to the sub-clan of Al-Shabaab's leader Ahmed Godane.
• 1,005 are from the minority clans in Somalia those who are students and farmers recruited from the southern parts of the country.

Read more @ The Long War Journal

313 Key Numbers In the German Bakery Blast in India

In Febraury of 2010, in Pune, India (near Mumbai) al Qaeda bombmed a German bakery, killing 8 and wounding 57. Some usefull inteligence is emerging about 313 Brigade from that attack. See below.

Shimron Issachar



INVESTIGATION into the German Bakery blast has led security agencies to conclude that terror outfits are increasingly relying on al-Qaeda's tried-and-tested 313 brigade's method of indoctrination to get their cadres to believe they are fighting a holy fight.

The brigade's indoctrination techniques are built around Prophet Mohammed' s Battle of Badr in 624 AD in which he was assisted by 313 companions. These 313 companions later came to be known as Allah ke Bande and, by having this sacred number in everything they use, the terrorists are led to believe that they, too, are the Lord's fellows.

Senior ATS officials, who have spotted this pattern in the German Bakery blast in Pune, said that the Indian Mujahideen has also taken to instilling this doctrine into its cadres.

The number 313, or a combination of these digits, was present in almost everything that the blast accused used right from the number plates on the bikes and their cellphone numbers to the T-shirts they were sporting.

"The accused were using a combination of 313 numbers throughout. The team had 13 members, all the motorbikes which were used by the group had 13 in the registration numbers and even their t-shirts had 13 emblazoned on them.

One of the arrested accused, Shahnawaz Sayyed Abid Sayyed, bought a plot at Ambedkar Nagar which had the survey number 13, and most importantly, the blast occurred on February 13, 2010," said an ATS officer on condition of anonymity.

Cellphones

ATS sources said all the text messages and call details which are being scrutinised by them because of links to the blast have their origins in phone numbers which have 313 in them.

The ATS has been keeping a close watch on one Wasim, a very active member of the now banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Wasim is also very close to Mohsin Chowdhary, suspected mastermind of the German Bakery blast. Wasim's mobile phone number, said investigators, was 9730333313 while Shahnawaz's number was 9096113333.

Investigation into Wasim's movements on February 13 points to his involvement in the blast. The ATS has retrieved his call and SMS records from February 10 to February 13.

Brigade 313

In June, al-Qaeda generated a website, www.aqbrigade313.com, and Ilyas Kashmiri, leader of the Lashkar-Al-Zil, was announced the chief of an eponymous brigade.

The Brigade 313 website's landing page has the words 'al-Qaeda Brigade 313' in the centre, while text describing Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jundallah and Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan occupies the four corners of the page.

After the Pune blast, Kashmiri sent text messages to media organisations in the Gulf claiming the blast was the handiwork of members of the 313 brigade.

'Wanted to strike Varanasi on Dec 13'

Senior ATS officials said the 313 pattern can be detected in Tuesday's Varanasi blast as well.

"Initial investigations have revealed that the terrorists' original plan was to strike on December 13, in keeping with the 313 pattern.

The blast was prepositioned to ensure that it happens during French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to India," said a senior intelligence official.

"Fortunately, they did not get enough time to plan the blast properly on Tuesday, which resulted in less casualties. The blast would have been a major one had they stuck to their original plan," he added.

The Rest @ Mid-day News, Mumbai, India

Here's how they know....

When you say something is not there.....they know when its not true