News: Terrorism and fundamentalism

NCRI, September 28 – Iraqi dailies including Az-Zaman, Al-Haqaeq, Al-Fourat reported that two thousand Iraqi lawyers and jurists, 41 political and social groups, sheikhs' councils and over 200,000 Iraqi citizens called for revision of Article 21(3) of draft constitution in their joint declaration released on September 25.

The Sunday Times, September 25 - As the US special forces Hercules flew low over the desert in March 2003 before landing behind enemy lines, Hazim al-Shalan prepared to step onto Iraqi soil for the first time in almost 20 years.

Shalan — the exiled leader of a Shi’ite tribe with 1m members worldwide and 250,000 in southern Iraq — had already been helping British and American intelligence for several months.

The Sunday Times, September 25 - TWO SAS soldiers rescued last week after being arrested by Iraqi police and handed over to a militia were engaged in a “secret war” against insurgents bringing sophisticated bombs into the country from Iran.

The men had left their base near the southern Iraqi city of Basra to carry out reconnaissance and supply a second patrol with “more tools and fire power”, said a source with knowledge of their activities.

NCRI, September 2 - Fars News Agency, affiliated to Ahmadinejad’s faction, quoting Ali Motahari, a close associate to Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the clerical regime reported on August 29 that the Islamic world should unite to get rid of injustice. "The Islamic Republic (of Iran) should be thinking of establishing a United States of Islamic Republics instead of seeking rapprochement with Europe. According to Islam and Moslem scholars no one is allowed to kill the innocent civilians of an aggressive state within the context of legitimate defense. But Israel is an exception and this rule does not apply and as the people of Israel are aggressors themselves, therefore, the Islamic scholars believe that although fighting the Israeli soldiers takes priority, but attacking and killing Israeli people is justified in this fight,”  according to Fars.

ABC News web, Aug. 31 -  The State Department says Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a terrorist, but will grant him a visa anyway, ABC News has learned.

The State Department has issued a legal finding that Ahmadinejad is ineligible for a U.S. visa because of section 212(a)3(b) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, which says anyone with terrorist ties cannot be granted a visa.