11-21-2003, 06:27 AM
The centre of gravity in the ongoing crusade, the 21st century war on terror (aka islam) is shifting. Bharat with long-standing relations with Turkey should get concerned. It is not surprising that there is a Pakistani involved in the synagogue bombing. US should realise the nature of the failed state that they are trying to prop up. Even bigger dangers lurk ahead; the islamic nuke in Pakistan is ticking. US should get serious about de-nuking Pakistan -- with Bharat's help.
Kalyan
Explosions in Istanbul Destroy British Consulate and Bank; At Least 27 Killed, 400 Injured
By SEBNEM ARSU and CHRISTINE HAUSER
Published: November 20, 2003
ISTANBUL, Nov. 20 â Two explosions rocked Istanbul today, one at the British Consulate and the other at the British international bank HSBC, killing at least 27 people and wounding more than 400, Turkish government officials said.
Among the dead were the British consul general, Roger Short, and his personal assistant, Lisa Hallworth, The Associated Press said.
"In today's attacks, there were again trucks loaded with explosives and it's highly likely that both were suicide attacks," said the Turkish interior minister, Abdulkadir Aksu. He said two of those killed were police officers. The Istanbul governor's office said the death toll was 27, but rescue workers said more victims could be buried in the rubble.
The attacks, which coincided with President Bush's visit to Britain, came less than a week after suicide bomb blasts at two Jewish synagogues in the city; 25 people were killed in those attacks, including the bombers.
"This incident that innocent people have faced a day before the Kadir night, a day of Ramadan, is an incident to be cursed," said Abdullah Gul, Turkey's foreign minister. Kadir night, the holiest night of Ramadan, marks the beginning of the dictation of the Koran.
Windows were shattered in buildings in the vicinity of the bank, located near shops, restaurants and a metro station on the busiest street of the upper middle class Levent neighborhood. Shocked victims rushed from the scene, their hands clamped on their wounds in an attempt to stanch the flow of blood.
"There was a massive explosion, I couldn't tell what was happening," said a banker, Cigdem Dicle, who was coated with dust. Her suit was spattered with blood. "I was in shock. We immediately went down, everything happened in seconds."
The explosion at the consulate was so powerful that it blew off the outer wall, witnesses said, and the force of the blast smashed windows and rocked houses nearby.
Emergency physicians, who were meeting at the nearby Taksim Hospital, provided immediate medical attention to the victims, the television station NTV reported.
At a joint news conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair this morning in London, Mr. Bush said that terrorists hoped to intimidate and demoralize free nations, but "they are not going to succeed." He said Britain, the United States and other allies were "united in our determination to fight and defeat this evil wherever it is found."
Mr. Blair, a steadfast ally of the United States in the war in Iraq and the fight against terrorism, said: "Once again, we're reminded of the evil these terrorists pose to innocent people everywhere and to our way of life. "Once again, we must affirm that in the face of this terrorism there must be no holding back, no compromise, no hesitation in confronting this menace, in attacking it wherever and whenever we can, and in defeating it utterly."
Calling today's attacks a "terrorist outrage," Mr. Blair said an "unshakeable unity of purpose" was required to confront terrorism side by side with the United States.
No group claimed responsibility for the blasts, but the British foreign minister, Jack Straw, said, "I'm afraid to say it has all the hallmarks of international terrorism practiced by Al Qaeda."
"At this stage we can't say for certain who is responsible," he said in remarks broadcast on television before he left for Turkey.
The prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said in a news conference that the attacks today were similar to those last Saturday. "If one considers the form of the attack, it is almost the same as the attacks five days ago," he said.
He called the attack "another example of callous assault against peace and stability in the country by those circles who have no sense of humanity." Mr. Straw said that three or four consulate employees did not show up for roll call after the blasts in Istanbul, which he called an "appalling act of terrorism." He did not give the nationalities of the employees.
The television station NTV reported that HSBC bank closed its branches in Turkey for security reasons, and that security was tightened at American institutions.
[url="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/20/international/20CND-TURKEY.html?hp"]http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/20/internat...-TURKEY.html?hp[/url]
Pakistani link in synagogue attacks
November 20, 2003 16:46 IST
Last Updated: November 20, 2003 16:49 IST
Turkish police have found clues pointing to Pakistani links in last week's synagogue bombings in Istanbul, a report said on Thursday.
Three of the four Turkish suicide bombers involved in the attacks received training in Pakistan and Iran while the background of the fourth man was still not clear, The Turkish Daily News reported.
At least seven killed in Istanbul bombings
The paper also said that the police found pieces of a Pakistani passport believed to belong to one of the attackers. But it did not say why a Turk would have a Pakistani passport.
The local media carried the names and photos of the four terrorists on Thursday.
"Four Al Qaeda Turkish militants organised synagogue bombings," a headline in the Turkish Sabah newspaper said.
Six people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the bombings.
Meanwhile, a police official in Dubai denied reports in the Turkish press that two accomplices of the attackers, Azad Ekinci, and Feridun Ugurlu, had fled to Dubai before the bombings.
The official said that they went through the airport records during the past month and the two names were not listed. They were checking the photographs published in the media to determine if the two had entered the country.
[url="http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/nov/20turkey1.htm"]http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/nov/20turkey1.htm[/url]
Kalyan
Explosions in Istanbul Destroy British Consulate and Bank; At Least 27 Killed, 400 Injured
By SEBNEM ARSU and CHRISTINE HAUSER
Published: November 20, 2003
ISTANBUL, Nov. 20 â Two explosions rocked Istanbul today, one at the British Consulate and the other at the British international bank HSBC, killing at least 27 people and wounding more than 400, Turkish government officials said.
Among the dead were the British consul general, Roger Short, and his personal assistant, Lisa Hallworth, The Associated Press said.
"In today's attacks, there were again trucks loaded with explosives and it's highly likely that both were suicide attacks," said the Turkish interior minister, Abdulkadir Aksu. He said two of those killed were police officers. The Istanbul governor's office said the death toll was 27, but rescue workers said more victims could be buried in the rubble.
The attacks, which coincided with President Bush's visit to Britain, came less than a week after suicide bomb blasts at two Jewish synagogues in the city; 25 people were killed in those attacks, including the bombers.
"This incident that innocent people have faced a day before the Kadir night, a day of Ramadan, is an incident to be cursed," said Abdullah Gul, Turkey's foreign minister. Kadir night, the holiest night of Ramadan, marks the beginning of the dictation of the Koran.
Windows were shattered in buildings in the vicinity of the bank, located near shops, restaurants and a metro station on the busiest street of the upper middle class Levent neighborhood. Shocked victims rushed from the scene, their hands clamped on their wounds in an attempt to stanch the flow of blood.
"There was a massive explosion, I couldn't tell what was happening," said a banker, Cigdem Dicle, who was coated with dust. Her suit was spattered with blood. "I was in shock. We immediately went down, everything happened in seconds."
The explosion at the consulate was so powerful that it blew off the outer wall, witnesses said, and the force of the blast smashed windows and rocked houses nearby.
Emergency physicians, who were meeting at the nearby Taksim Hospital, provided immediate medical attention to the victims, the television station NTV reported.
At a joint news conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair this morning in London, Mr. Bush said that terrorists hoped to intimidate and demoralize free nations, but "they are not going to succeed." He said Britain, the United States and other allies were "united in our determination to fight and defeat this evil wherever it is found."
Mr. Blair, a steadfast ally of the United States in the war in Iraq and the fight against terrorism, said: "Once again, we're reminded of the evil these terrorists pose to innocent people everywhere and to our way of life. "Once again, we must affirm that in the face of this terrorism there must be no holding back, no compromise, no hesitation in confronting this menace, in attacking it wherever and whenever we can, and in defeating it utterly."
Calling today's attacks a "terrorist outrage," Mr. Blair said an "unshakeable unity of purpose" was required to confront terrorism side by side with the United States.
No group claimed responsibility for the blasts, but the British foreign minister, Jack Straw, said, "I'm afraid to say it has all the hallmarks of international terrorism practiced by Al Qaeda."
"At this stage we can't say for certain who is responsible," he said in remarks broadcast on television before he left for Turkey.
The prime minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said in a news conference that the attacks today were similar to those last Saturday. "If one considers the form of the attack, it is almost the same as the attacks five days ago," he said.
He called the attack "another example of callous assault against peace and stability in the country by those circles who have no sense of humanity." Mr. Straw said that three or four consulate employees did not show up for roll call after the blasts in Istanbul, which he called an "appalling act of terrorism." He did not give the nationalities of the employees.
The television station NTV reported that HSBC bank closed its branches in Turkey for security reasons, and that security was tightened at American institutions.
[url="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/20/international/20CND-TURKEY.html?hp"]http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/20/internat...-TURKEY.html?hp[/url]
Pakistani link in synagogue attacks
November 20, 2003 16:46 IST
Last Updated: November 20, 2003 16:49 IST
Turkish police have found clues pointing to Pakistani links in last week's synagogue bombings in Istanbul, a report said on Thursday.
Three of the four Turkish suicide bombers involved in the attacks received training in Pakistan and Iran while the background of the fourth man was still not clear, The Turkish Daily News reported.
At least seven killed in Istanbul bombings
The paper also said that the police found pieces of a Pakistani passport believed to belong to one of the attackers. But it did not say why a Turk would have a Pakistani passport.
The local media carried the names and photos of the four terrorists on Thursday.
"Four Al Qaeda Turkish militants organised synagogue bombings," a headline in the Turkish Sabah newspaper said.
Six people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the bombings.
Meanwhile, a police official in Dubai denied reports in the Turkish press that two accomplices of the attackers, Azad Ekinci, and Feridun Ugurlu, had fled to Dubai before the bombings.
The official said that they went through the airport records during the past month and the two names were not listed. They were checking the photographs published in the media to determine if the two had entered the country.
[url="http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/nov/20turkey1.htm"]http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/nov/20turkey1.htm[/url]