Bin Laden says Gaza must be freed with 'iron and fire'

Osama bin Laden urged Palestinians on Thursday to use "iron and fire" to end an Israeli blockade of Gaza, in a recording after the Vatican rejected accusations by the al-Qaeda chief of a "new crusade". In an audiotape broadcast by the Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite channel on Thursday, bin Laden urged Muslims to keep up the struggle against US forces in Iraq

Vote counting starts in crucial Pakistani election

Vote counting got under way on Monday after a lacklustre turnout in Pakistan's parliamentary elections, which passed off relatively peacefully despite fears of sabotage by Islamic militants. With his future hanging in the balance, President Pervez Musharraf resolved to work with the new civilian government.

Al-Qaeda kingpin killed by US strike, say officials

A top al-Qaeda commander who led Osama bin Laden's terror network in Afghanistan was believed to have been killed when a missile fired by a United States drone hit his Pakistani hideout, officials said on Friday. Abu Laith al-Libi is said to be one of bin Laden's key lieutenants.

Pakistan missile strike kills 12 in new violence

Twelve suspected militants were killed by a missile strike in Pakistan's troubled tribal belt, hours after gunmen held 300 children hostage at a nearby school, officials said on Tuesday. Separately, a Pakistani soldier was killed and five others injured in the latest clashes between security forces and Islamist insurgents in the lawless borderlands with Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda chief launches 'any questions' session

Hundreds of subscribers to jihadist websites are posting questions for al-Qaeda's leadership at the invitation of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy. "Individuals, agencies and all information media outlets" have been told they can question Egyptian-born Zawahiri.

Morocco boosts security budget sharply

Draft Moroccan legislation has earmarked nearly 30% of the state's 2008 budget for security, underscoring anti-terrorism concerns after spring suicide attacks, a government source said on Saturday. The state is expected to pour about 45-billion dirhams ($5,8-billion) into security, a 29% boost from 2007.

Scores dead after Pakistan fighting, suicide blast

A suicide bomber rammed an air force bus in Pakistan on Thursday killing eight people while troops killed up to 70 militants in the north-west, as rumours swirled that President Pervez Musharraf could invoke emergency rule. Nearly 800 people have been killed in militant-linked violence and there have been more than 22 suicide attacks in the last four months.

Bin Laden calls for jihad against Darfur peacekeepers

Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden called for a holy war against a proposed peacekeeping force in Sudan's war-torn region of Darfur in a message that appeared on jihadi websites on Tuesday. The audio recording was accompanied by a still picture and excerpts were aired by pan-Arab satellite news channel al-Jazeera on Monday.

Suicide bomber rams car into Algerian convoy

A suicide bomber rammed a booby-trapped car into a convoy in Algeria on Friday, wounding two French engineers and an Italian, in an attack only hours after al-Qaeda called for an offensive against French targets. Six Algerians, five of them police, were also injured in the attack near the town of Lakhdaria.

Musharraf begins Pakistan's military musical chairs

Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf appointed a new military spy chief and made several other promotions on Friday, days after announcing his plan to step down as head of the army. Appointments are closely watched in Pakistan, as generals have ruled for more than half of the 60 years since the country was founded.

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