Jordan's king defers new parliamentary session by two months

Amman - Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday issued a decree postponing the start of the new parliamentary session by two months, according to a royal court statement. The new parliamentary session will begin on December 1 instead of October 1, the statement said.

It did not state the reasons of the decision, but local press reports suggested the monarch could be mulling a cabinet reshuffle or a change of the government led by Prime Minister Nader Dahabi.

Local editorialists have blamed the government for failure to come up with solutions for the country's key problems, particularly poverty and rising staple food prices.

The government has also been trying to come to grips with an unprecedented budget deficit that was aggravated by the fallouts of the global recession.

Last week, the government concluded talks with the World Bank for signing an agreement under which the world body will loan Jordan 300 million dollars to be used for narrowing the budget gap, which is expected to reach 1.5 billion dollars in fiscal 2009.

Obama scrapping missile shield for Czech, Poland

By KAREL JANICEK and WILLIAM J. KOLE, Associated Press Writers

PRAGUE – President Barack Obama has decided to scrap plans for a U.S. missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland that had deeply angered Russia, the Czech prime minister confirmed Thursday.

NATO's new chief hailed the move as "a positive step" and a Russian analyst said the move will increase the chances that Russia will cooperate more closely with the United States in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

Premier Jan Fischer told reporters that Obama phoned him overnight to say that "his government is pulling out of plans to build a missile defense radar on Czech territory."

"The same happened with Poland. Poland was informed in the same way about this intention," Fischer said.

Under the plan, which had been proposed by the Bush administration to defend the United States and its European allies against a possible missile attack from Iran or elsewhere in the Middle East, 10 interceptor rockets were to have been stationed in Poland and a radar system based in the Czech Republic.

But Russia was livid over the prospect of having U.S. interceptor rockets in countries so close to its territory, and the Obama administration has sought to improve strained ties with the Kremlin.

A top Russian lawmaker praised the move.

"The U.S. president's decision is a well-thought and systematic one," said Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign affairs committee in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament. "It reflects understanding that any security measure can't be built entirely on the basis of one nation."

Fischer said Obama assured him that the "strategic cooperation" between the Czech Republic and the U.S. would continue, and that Washington considers the Czechs among its closes allies.

Fischer said after a review of the missile defense system, the U.S. now considers the threat of an attack using short- and mid-range missiles greater than one using long-range rockets.

"That's what the Americans assessed as the most serious threat," and Obama's decision was based on that, he said.

In Poland, officials declined to confirm Fischer's remarks, saying they were waiting for a formal announcement from Washington.

Obama took office undecided about whether to continue to press for the European system and said he would study it. His administration never sounded enthusiastic about it, and European allies have been preparing for an announcement that the White House would not complete the shield as designed.

Alexei Arbatov, head of the Russian Academy of Science's Center for International Security, told a Moscow radio station Thursday that the U.S. was giving in on missile defense to get more cooperation from Russia on Iran.

"The United States is reckoning that by rejecting the missile-defense system or putting it off to the far future, Russia will be inclined together with the United States to take a harder line on sanctions against Iran," he said.

The Czech government had stood behind the planned radar system despite fierce opposition from the public, which has staged numerous protests.

Critics fear the Czech Republic would be targeted by terrorists if it agreed to host the radar system, which was planned for the Brdy military installation 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Prague, the capital.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates scheduled a news conference Thursday with a top military leader, Marine Gen. James Cartwright, who has been a point man on the technical challenge of arraying missiles and interceptors to defend against long-range missiles.

The decision to scrap the plan will have future consequences for U.S. relations with eastern Europe.

"If the administration approaches us in the future with any request, I would be strongly against it," said Jan Vidim, a lawmaker with Czech Republic's conservative Civic Democratic Party, which supported the missile defense plan.

Police: Terrorism mastermind Noordin Top dead

By IMRON ROSYID, Associated Press Writer

SOLO, Indonesia – Noordin Muhammed Top, a militant mastermind who eluded capture for nine years and terrorized Indonesia with a string of deadly al-Qaida-funded bombings, was killed during a raid in central Indonesia, the country's police chief said Thursday.

Police hunting for suspects in Jakarta hotel bombings raided a hide-out in central Indonesia, sparking gunfire and an explosion Thursday that left four suspected militants dead, including Noordin, national police Chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri said. Three alleged terrorists also were captured.

Noordin's remains were found in the house on the outskirts of the town of Solo in central Java after the hours-long gunfight, he said.

Fingerprints of Noordin's stored on a police database matched those of the body, Danuri said. DNA tests have not yet been conducted.

"It is Noordin M. Top," he told a nationally televised news conference to loud cheers from the audience. Documents and laptop computers confiscated from the house prove that Noordin "is the leader of al-Qaida in Southeast Asia," he said.

Hundreds of pounds (kilograms) of explosives, M-16 assault rifles, grenades and bombs were removed from the house as ambulances shuttled away the dead and injured.

"We asked Noordin M. Top to surrender, but they kept firing," Danuri said. "That is how he died ... he even had bullets in his pockets."

Noordin, a Malaysian citizen, fled to Indonesia in 2002 amid a crackdown on Muslim extremists in Malaysia in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. He was linked to bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in 2002 and 2005 that together killed 222 people, mostly foreigners.

"The most dangerous terrorist in Southeast Asia has been put out of commission," said Jim Della-Giacoma, Southeast Asia project director for the International Crisis Group think tank.

"It would have been better if police had managed to arrest him alive, but it appears that this was not an option," he said. "Unfortunately, Noordin's death does not mean an end to terrorism in Indonesia, though it has been dealt a significant blow."

Noordin, who is accused of heading a splinter group of the al-Qaida-funded regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, has been implicated in every major attack in Indonesia since 2003, including a pair of suicide bombings at Jakarta's J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in July that killed seven people and wounded more than 50.

He is also blamed for an earlier attack on the J.W. Marriott in 2003 and a bombing at the Australian Embassy in 2004.

A counterterrorism official said the militants killed Thursday included alleged bomb-maker Bagus Budi Pranato. The captured militants included a pregnant woman who is being treated at a hospital, national police spokesman Nanan Sukarna said. She was in stable condition.

Police tracked the seven suspects to the town of Solo and besieged a village house on its outskirts overnight. The raid ended near daybreak when an explosion occurred inside the home, Sukarna said.

The operation left behind a charred house with no roof and blown-out walls. The bodies were flown to Jakarta for autopsies.

Time Line of Somalia Conflict

(M e d e s h i)
Key events in recent history of Somalia
The Associated Press
Key events in recent Somali history:
- Somaliland declares independence from Somalia.
- Jan. 27, 1991: Guerrillas win control of Somalia fighting forces President Mohamed Siad Barre from his official residence. Siad Barre had ruled since 1969.
- Dec. 4, 1992: President George H.W. Bush authorizes U.S. troops to lead a mercy mission to Somalia in "Operation Restore Hope," America's largest humanitarian mission.
- May 1993: The U.N. establishes a peacekeeping mission in Somalia involving about 28,000 troops from 33 countries, 4,400 of them Americans.
- Oct. 3, 1993: Eighteen U.S. servicemen are killed and more than 70 wounded when warlord Gen. Mohamed Farah Aidid's militiamen shot down two U.S. helicopters in events that inspired the book and film, "Black Hawk Down."
- Oct. 6, 1993: President Bill Clinton says all U.S. forces will be withdrawn in six months.
- March 25, 1994: The U.S. completes its military withdrawal from Somalia. In all, 44 Americans died, 30 in combat.
- March 2, 1995: The last U.N. peacekeepers leave Somalia after failing to establish a functioning government.
- June 5, 2006: Militias loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts take control of Mogadishu and other parts of the south after defeating U.S.-backed warlords in fighting that left more than 330 people dead.
- Dec. 1, 2006: The United States circulates a U.N. Security Council draft resolution that would authorize a regional force to protect Somalia's weak government and lift an arms embargo on the country to allow the troops to be armed. The resolution is authorized Dec. 7.
- Jan. 8, 2007: U.S. forces launch airstrikes in the first offensive in Somalia since 1993. A U.S. intelligence official says it was believed to have killed an al-Qaida member suspected in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
- June 1, 2007: A U.S. warship pounds Somalia's remote coastal northeast, targeting Islamic militants hours after a gunbattle with Somali government forces that left eight insurgents dead, officials say.
- March 3, 2008: The U.S. Navy fires at least one missile in southern Somalia targeting al-Qaida fugitive Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, defense officials say.
- May 1, 2008: U.S. missiles destroy the house of Aden Hashi Ayro, identified by the U.S. military as the top al-Qaida commander in Somalia, killing him and 10 others.
- April 12, 2009: U.S. Navy snipers kill three Somali pirates who had stormed the cargo ship Maersk Alabama and held its captain, Richard Phillips, of Underhill, Vt., hostage.
- April 23, 2009: The U.S. and nearly a dozen other nations pledge more than $250 million to strengthen Somali security forces. It includes military equipment and development aid.
- Sept. 15, 2009: U.S. helicopters fire on a convoy in southern Somalia, killing top al-Qaida fugitive, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, according to U.S. and Somali officials.
---
Source: AP reporting.
Associated Press researchers Julie Reed and Judy Ausuebel compiled this report.

Urgent Message from the Shabab of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Uzbekistan

The systematic torture meted out by the corrupt Karimov regime against the Shabab of the Hizb ut-Tahrir in Uzbekistan has intensified greatly in recent times. We have received the following update from Central Asia.

"Indeed this oppressive ruler has instructed his cronies to imprison further Shabab and intensify their punishment and prolonging their prison sentences to a minimum of 10 years and over. Recently, 18 Shabab from Karasawa have been imprisoned, a further 10 from Tashkent and 15 from the North, all receiving sentences ranging from 10-13 years. This is on top of the many thousands of Muslims which already languish in the prisons. As a result of the torture, 3 shabab were recently martyred who include: Ghalib Malajanoth from the city of Andijan, Shadman from the city of Nahayat Asaka and Abdulraheem from the city of Karasawa.

Not withstanding the oppressive imprisonment of the Shabab, the corrupt regime has resorted to new tactics by imprisoning their relatives, some even under 15 years old! They have also imprisoned some of the wives and daughters of the Shabab, including some under the age 15! They have also imprisoned women whom their husbands are either already imprisoned or previously martyred! All this pressure is a result of the Shababs' refusal to surrender and leave their Deen!

Oh Brothers and Sisters! Please make dua for us against this corrupt ruler and his oppressive regime by asking Allah سبحانه وتعالى to strike him down and humiliate him in this dunyah before the Hereafter. Pray to Allah سبحانه وتعالى to relieve the pain and suffering of our brothers and sisters and to retaliate against the oppressors and humiliate them so that everything between the heavens and earth curse them - Oh Allah the All-Mighty.

Please make dua for us during these last 10 blessed days of Ramadan; and Allah is All-Powerful, All-Mighty."

Somali insurgents holding Frenchman issue demands

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Islamic insurgents demanded Thursday that France stop supporting Somalia's government and withdraw its warships from anti-piracy patrols in exchange for the release of a French security agent — conditions which the French government immediately rejected.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told France-Info radio that Paris' support for the embattled Somali government remains firm, noting he has twice met with Somali President Sheikh Sharif and his ministers, who "represent Somalia.".

The al-Shabab insurgent group, which allegedly has links to al-Qaida, also demanded that France exert pressure to force African Union peacekeepers out of the country and "release all the prisoners of the holy warriors held in many areas, which we will reveal later."

The Frenchman, whose identity has not been released, was seized along with another agent July 14 in the capital, Mogadishu. The pair were in the country to train Somali government forces, which are fighting Islamist militiamen.

The kidnappers separated the two men. The other agent escaped in August while his captors slept.

Al-Shabab this week vowed to retaliate against Western interests for Monday's U.S.-led commando raid in rural southern Somalia that left six dead, including Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, one of the most-wanted al-Qaida operatives in the region.

The use of a helicopter attack rather than a missile strike from the sea or an unmanned Predator drone, suggests that the U.S. wanted to both prevent any civilian deaths and minimize local anger. But al-Shabab vowed swift retaliation.

Foreigners rarely travel to Somalia, which is among the most dangerous countries in the world. The country has not had a functioning government for 18 years since clan warlords overthrew a brutal dictator, then unleashed their militias on each other.

Kidnappings for ransom have been on the rise in recent years, with journalists and aid workers often targeted. Two foreign journalists — Canadian Amanda Lindhout and Australian Nigel Brennan — have been held for a year.

Many experts fear the country's lawlessness could provide a haven for al-Qaida, offering a place for terrorists to train and gather strength — much like Afghanistan in the 1990s. The United States accuses al-Shabab of having ties to the terror network, which al-Shabab denies.

Somalia's lawlessness also has allowed piracy to flourish off its coast, making the Gulf of Aden one of the most dangerous waterways in the world.

Various Islamist groups have been fighting the U.N.-backed government since being chased from power 2 1/2 years ago. Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, sees near-daily battles between government and insurgent forces. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed.

AP sources: US to reveal Euro missile defense plan

By ANNE GEARAN and DESMOND BUTLER, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration appears likely to adopt a compromise European missile defense plan that shelves many of the components that have been a major irritant in relations with Russia, with an announcement expected Thursday.

Obama's top military adviser, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the administration was "very close" to the end of a seven-month review of a missile defense shield proposal, an idea that was promoted by the George W. Bush administration. Mullen would not divulge its results.

President Barack Obama faces the dilemma of either setting back the gradual progress toward repairing relations with Russia or disappointing two key NATO allies that agreed to host components of the planned system.

Administration officials were expected to brief lawmakers and government officials in Poland and the Czech Republic on results of the review on Thursday, according to an administration official and a congressional aide. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates scheduled a news conference Thursday with a top military leader, Marine Gen. James Cartwright, who has been a point man on the technical challenge of arraying missiles and interceptors to defend against long-range missiles that an aggressor such as Iran might lob at the U.S. or its allies. Two military officials said the news conference would concern the missile defense plans.

Obama took office undecided about whether to continue to press for the European system and said he would study it. His administration never sounded enthusiastic about the plan, and European allies have been preparing for an announcement that the White House would not complete the shield as designed.

The decision comes as the Obama administration has been seeking closer ties with Moscow and as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is preparing to visit the United States next week for the U.N. General Assembly and the Group of 20 nations economic summit.

The plan for a European shield was a darling of the Bush administration, which reached deals to install 10 interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic — eastern European nations at Russia's doorstep and once under Soviet sway.

Moscow has argued that the system would undermine the nuclear deterrent of its vast arsenal.

Medvedev has praised Obama for reviewing the plans, though the U.S. administration has maintained the Bush administration's argument that the European missile defense plans are aimed at countering a threat from Iran and pose no threat to Russia.

The administration has given few clues on how it intends to handle European missile defense. Officials have said the review would consider alternative plans to those involving Poland and the Czech Republic.

At an Army missile defense conference last month, Cartwright, who is vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, suggested that the U.S. may have underestimated how long it would take Iran to develop long-range missiles. That was seen as a clue that the administration might be backing away from the European plan as devised.

Military officials at the conference discussed possible alternatives for European missile defense, including using shorter-range interceptors from other locations closer to Iran.

Cartwright also has discussed ways the United States might join forces with other nations to watch and protect against Iranian missiles. Using multiple sensors, including some in the Persian Gulf region, theoretically could provide at least a partial shield for Eastern Europe without basing a full radar and interceptor system so close to Russia.

It was unclear Wednesday whether the administration would preserve any of the planned physical emplacements for the European system.