Reports that a senior Afghan al-Qaida-linked figure is being held in Tanjung Pinang immigration detention centre are false, according to sources inside the centre.
Al-Qaeda
Inspire: Al-Qaeda launches a magazine in English
While the line “Make a bomb in the kitchen of your mum” line certainly raises eyebrows to its authenticity, US officials have confirmed that the new Inspire magazine is being published by Al-Qaeda.
The War on Terror ends, the War on Al-Qaeda begins
The US National Security Strategy was announced last week, finally bringing an official end to the War of Terror. The war strategy shows Barack Obama as a very different president to his predecessor, writes Waleed Aly.
How to make a bomb: with al-Qaeda
The AfPak Channel has an al-Qaeda propaganda video showing bombmakers assembling IEDs, plus insight from a demolition and pyrotechnics expert into just how much (or little) skill it takes to construct a DIY bomb.
What’s with all the stupid terrorists?
The foiled shoe bomber, the Christmas Day undie-bomber, and now the wanna-be Times Square car bomber — is blowing yourself up really that hard? Actually, it is, say experts, and terrorist outfits are probably saving up their best and brightest for much bigger missions.
The best way to defeat terrorists is to take the piss out of them
A new study has found that the most effective way to deter young Muslims from joining extremist groups is to make them “uncool”. Just like drugs — and governments have done such a job with that problem…
Why assassinating terrorists won’t win the war on terror
Sending targeted missiles into Pakistan to kill individual terrorists isn’t just legally dubious — it’s counterproductive, explains Robert Wright: they’ll just be replaced by newer, angrier terrorists.
Bin Laden threatens to kill Americans. What’s news?
Osama bin Laden has threatened to kill any Americans captured by al-Qaeda if Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is found guilty for 9/11. But as the Christian Science Monitor points out, it rings pretty hollow when they’ve already been killing captured Americans for years.
Why the CIA baked a birthday cake for a suicide bomber
CIA officers in Afghanistan threw a big birthday bash for a spy they thought could help them crack al-Qaeda — but he missed the party, because he was busy blowing himself and seven CIA officers up.
revealed 
How the CIA tried to turn a “gay terrorist” spy against Al Qaeda
The NY Observer has the bizarre inside scoop on how the CIA’s failed attempt to recruit a “fat”, “gay” terrorist as a spy to penetrate Al Qaeda, and how the whole saga may have prevented the FBI from foiling 9/11.
Friedman: It’s in the capable hands of the Iraqis now
The recent election in Iraq is a big deal. Iraqis overcame major sectarian disputes and voted despite the violence and bombings. This is how peace will be achieved in the region: when the citizens are prepared to fight for it. Watch out, Ahmadinejad.
Mungo MacCallum: Rudd spies an election year bonus in ASIO
Terrorism, we were warned portentously, had emerged as a permanent feature of Australia’s security environment. Well, in an election year it would, wouldn’t it? Our pollies love to get patriotic when elections swing around.
Congressman Charlie Wilson’s war is finally over
Charlie Wilson, former US congressman, died overnight. His name would hardly ring a bell if it not for the 2007 film Charlie Wilson’s War, which dramatised his role in promoting US support for the anti-Soviet resistance in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Should the US put a child soldier on trial?
Omar Khadr was just 15 when he was arrested for allegedly throwing a grenade at a US soldier in Afghanistan. Is it right to try him as an adult war criminal? The Washington Post tells his tale, you decide: dangerous terrorist, or victim of circumstance?
Future Afghan government will include Taliban
Nine years of bloodshed and death, and billions upon billions of dollars spent on the Afghanistan occupation, we are facing negotiations on significantly worse terms than before the war began.
Crikey Clarifier: All roads lead to Yemen
Yemen has been big new lately, since alleged Christmas Day bomber, Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, admitted to terrorist training in the country and put it firmly back on the map. But what do we actually know about Yemen? Crikey gets a background briefing.
Warning to the US: tip toe softly, softly into Yemen
It’s still not clear exactly what US military intervention is going to occur in Yemen, but Barack Obama needs to be careful of the ripple effect that intervention will have in the Horn of Africa, writes Simon Tisdall.
Yemen: next stop for the War on Terror?
The would-be-bomber on the Northwest Amsterdam-Detroit flight claims he was trained and armed by al-Qaeda in Yemen. How did Yemen become the destination of choice for international jihadi’s planning terrorist attacks?
must read Tora Bora: How Osama got away
Eight years since Osama bin Laden slipped through America’s fingers in the Battle for Tora Bora, The New Republic has the “definitive account” of what it describes as one of “the greatest military blunders in recent U.S. history.”
Best of frenemies: why Pakistan hates the US
Pakistan and the US have long had a complicated relationship but Pakistan’s recent actions have turned it toxic, writes Christopher Hitchens. When will the US realise that its true closest ally in the region is India?
The Osama bungle: time to pass the impassable
For a country who prides itself on dominance and power, why can’t the US just catch Osama Bin Laden? Eight years after Tora Bora, it’s time to head into Pakistan and stop this embarrassing stain on US military history, writes Maureen Dowd.
John Kerry: How Bush stuffed up our chance to get Bin Laden
Al Qaeda’s power is growing as of late, so it’s too bad President Bush missed the chance to capture Osama bin Laden back in 2001. The decision to let Afghanistan troops lead have cursed the US military ever since, writes John Kerry.
CIA outsources its dirty work in Pakistan
The US is paying controversial private military contractor Blackwater to plan targeted drone-strike assassinations and run “snatch and grab” operations on key Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan, according to an investigation by The Nation.
The Taliban grows more powerful than Al Qaeda
The power balance between the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan has flipped, with the latter’s numbers dwindling to fewer than 100 members in the country. Some Taliban factions are now shunning the terrorist group in an effort to win over local civilians.
Why we shouldn’t destroy Al Qaeda
As tempting as it is to pull the trigger on the world’s most notorious terrorist network, keeping Al Qaeda intact may be in the world’s best interests: by funnelling extremists into one “social network”, it’s easier to spot, track and contain them.
