Reuters

"The White House said the accurate figure for the Libyan mustard gas was 23.6 metric tons, or 26 short tons, not 50 tons. Moreover, the substance was found at different locations across Libya, not at a turkey farm. And observers did not find mustard gas on the farm at all, but rather unfilled chemical munitions, the White House acknowledged." [more]

"United States forces killed three attackers and thousands of soldiers swooped on a town in a major crackdown on Wednesday as violence and instability gripped Iraq in the wake of Saddam Hussein's capture." [more]

"U.S. officials said Kay, who could leave as early as January or February, was frustrated in part by the lack of progress and because some of his staff have been diverted from the weapons search to helping combat Iraqi insurgents." [more]

"Federal prison officers in Brooklyn physically and verbally abused immigrants detained after the Sept. 11 attacks, slamming them against the wall and painfully twisting their arms and hands, the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general said on Thursday." [more]

"The assaults came a few hours after news that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been captured in Iraq, news welcomed by many Kuwaitis whose country was invaded by Saddam's forces in 1990." [more]

" 'While his crimes could merit a court martial, mitigating factors involved were considered including the stressful environment our leaders and soldiers face daily and Lt Col West's record as an officer and commander,' the division [court] said in a statement." [more]

The city was closed down by squads of riot police during the Free Trade Area of the Americas meeting ... armored vehicles patrolled the streets, police helicopters hovered overhead and, during street clashes on Nov. 20, police fired volleys of rubber bullets and pepper spray at protesters in the city center. [more]

" 'We will finish the job we have begun,' Bush said during a state visit to Britain. 'We could have less troops in Iraq. We could have the same number of troops in Iraq. We could have more troops in Iraq — [whatever is] necessary to secure Iraq.' " [more]

"A new U.S. office established in Baghdad to supervise and oversee contracts has set an aggressive timetable, awarding up to $18.7 billion in 25 contracts over the next 10 weeks to rebuild Iraq." [more]

"A military official said the fleeing Islamic Jihad gunman received shelter at the police station and policemen helped him to escape the area." [more]

"Peace activists, many carrying placards, said increasing concerns about casualties in Iraq have spurred the U.S. anti-war movement back into action after months of relative quiet." [more]

"Fighters from the two factions have clashed repeatedly since the Taliban's overthrow by U.S.-led forces in late 2001. Past U.N.-brokered disarmament drives have failed. The violence has raised doubts about the ability of President Hamid Karzai's government to bring stability to the entire country." [more]

"Foley said he was 'fully confident' Iraq could become 'a thriving capitalist economy.' He said he believed estimates that placed Iraqi unemployment at 50 to 60 percent were too high." [more]

"Buoyed by U.S. backing for Israel's right to defend itself, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Tuesday the Jewish state was ready to hit its enemies anywhere following an air raid deep inside Syria." [more]

"The civilians died in their beds when a bomb landed on their tent in Naw Bahar district of the southern province of Zabul on Wednesday night." [more]

"The night watchman said the soldiers had arrived in military vehicles but were casually dressed and were drinking beer. At the tiger's cage, now empty, pools of blood showed that the soldier passed through a first cage intended only for keepers and stood next to the inner cage's narrow bars." [more]

"A spokesman in Iraq did not specify how many were being held but U.S. defense officials in Washington said six people claiming American nationality and two who said they were British were in detention at the Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad." [more]

"Witnesses said a joint patrol of local police and a U.S.-trained security force were chasing thieves shortly after midnight on Friday when U.S. soldiers opened fire on them." [more]

"The draft resolution demand[s] Iran demonstrate full compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Washington says Tehran has violated. The toughly-worded draft, circulated at a closed-door meeting of the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors, also called on Iran to 'suspend all further uranium enrichment activities.' " [more]

"Pipe's nomination has been stalled for months in the Senate, where key Democrats objected to his controversial statements and writings defending racial and religious profiling and suggestions that mosques in America should be targets of police surveillance." [more]

"Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network has been described by experts as a terror chain with franchises worldwide. But this week's Jakarta bombing, if it turns out to be the work of an al Qaeda affiliate, suggests that head office may not need a strong grip on its distant outposts." [more]

"Human rights groups have criticized Washington for refusing to give the detainees the rights accorded to prisoners of war under international treaties." [more]

The United States is in discussions with Afghanistan to send hundreds of advisers to government ministries in order to accelerate reconstruction there. Critics contend the system would be the beginning of a colonialization similar to Iraq. [more]

"Hunching down to sprint across road junctions, ducking the ever-whistling bullets, has become a way of life for people who have no choice but to move in an often futile hunt for food and clean water." [more]

The general, "whose troops usually blame the attacks on die-hard Saddam loyalists, said the sophistication of the raids had increased over the last 30 days." [more]

"Secretary of State Colin Powell said Bush was examining the options and was still considering sending combat troops. But the Pentagon was believed to be reluctant to commit soldiers." [more]

"Amnesty staff heard complaints that included prolonged sleep deprivation and detainees being forced to stay in painful positions or wear hoods over their heads for long periods. Detainees also said U.S. troops had shot some captives." [more]

"The move would block the Justice Department from using any funds to take advantage of the section of the act that allows it to secretly search the homes of suspects and only inform them later that a warrant had been issued to do so." [more]

"An angry crowd laid 18 bodies, one of them headless, in front of the U.S. embassy and hurled abuse at the mission for not intervening to stop the fighting in a country founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century." [more]

"Troops on the archipelago seized power Wednesday in a dramatic escalation of bubbling political turmoil on the mountainous archipelago, fanned by arguments over what may be rich oil reserves lying near its shores." [more]

"The measure said administering and rebuilding Iraq likely will cost tens of billions of dollars over several years, and projected Iraqi oil revenues will not meet those costs." [more]

" 'Then there are the deaths by malnutrition and dehydration as a consequence of the war which we haven't even started talking about,' Sloboda added." [more]

"The Afghan foreign ministry says Musharraf, during a recent trip to Europe, questioned Karzai's influence across Afghanistan, spoke of a power vacuum and said the government was not representative of all ethnic groups." [more]

"Tony Blair and his government did not mislead parliament or doctor evidence to justify the war on Iraq, a parliamentary committee concluded on Monday. The government, though, did get its knuckles wrapped over its dossiers on Iraq's weapons." [more]

"Delegates held the inaugural session on Monday of a new Baghdad city council, hailed by the United States as a major step towards democracy in Iraq even though it has only an advisory role." [more]

"Bush set Taylor's departure as a first condition for bringing stability to Liberia and necessary before he would agree to send peacekeepers to the West African country wrecked by nearly 14 years of violence. But the former warlord has said he wants a peacekeeping force in place first to prevent rebels or his own volatile fighters from running wild." [more]

"The U.S. military said a bomb-making class inside a mosque triggered a deadly explosion that enraged the Iraqi town of Falluja, where residents vowed Wednesday to wage holy war against U.S. occupiers." [more]

"Mullah Omar called on the Taliban to make sacrifices to drive out U.S. and other foreign troops and the "puppet" government of U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai." [more]

"Leading U.S. senators said on Monday they believed American troops could be in Iraq for at least five years and knowing the fate of Saddam Hussein and his sons was key for the future stability of the country." [more]

"Two former senior British ministers accused Prime Minister Tony Blair of deceiving the public at the start of a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday into the government's justification for launching a war with Iraq." [more]

"'We said at the meeting that we want an elected political council and an elected constitutional council,' Hamed Bayati of the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution (SCIRI) told Reuters. 'We will not participate in an administration that would be appointed by ambassador Bremer.' " [more]

"[Philadelphia] City Council passed a resolution calling on local members of Congress to work for the repeal of the federal law that granted the Justice Department broad new police powers for Washington's so-called war on terrorism." [more]

"European Union officials say they are bracing for the next tug-of-war in strained ties with Washington over whether to isolate or engage with the Islamic republic." [more]

"If the war on terror was supposed to make the world safer, it has failed, and has given governments an excuse to abuse human rights in the name of state security, [Amnesty's report] said." [more]

"The coalition demanded that the United Nations play the lead role in rebuilding Iraq, while safeguarding human rights and being allowed to send its weapons inspectors back into the country." [more]

"Analysts said Monday night's attacks, blamed by Saudi and U.S. officials on Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, highlight the pressures the Saudi royal family faces in maintaining a domestically unpopular alliance with the United States." [more]

"The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a $400.5 billion bill for the Pentagon that clears the way for possible research on low-yield nuclear weapons, backs its missile defense program and supports a swifter, more mobile fighting force, lawmakers said on Friday." [more]

"A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a law requiring that legal immigrants who commit certain crimes in this country be detained in prison while awaiting deportation hearings." [more]

"Looters operating right under the nose of U.S. forces emptied the museum of priceless antiquities documenting the development of mankind in ancient Mesopotamia, one of the world's earliest civilizations. Their theft has left the international archaeological community in shock. Two cultural advisers to the administration of President Bush resigned in protest at the failure of U.S. forces to prevent the looting." [more]

"Denver police will no longer photograph, record license plate numbers or intercept e-mail of peaceful demonstrators, under terms of a settlement reached on Thursday between the city and the ACLU." [more]

"A U.S. diplomat resigned from government service on Monday in protest of President Bush's preparations to attack Iraq, the second to do so in less than a month." [more]

"Officials said Washington was waiting to hear from international inspectors before deciding on a response to disclosures Iran's nuclear program was more advanced than previously thought." [more]

"Organizers said the actions were typical of what was taking place or planned across the country and that mass rallies and campus 'teach-ins' reminiscent of the Vietnam war protest era were called elsewhere. The student actions followed on protests worldwide in recent weeks that have drawn millions in opposition to the U.S.-led campaign to disarm Iraqi President Saddam Hussein." [more]

"Hundreds of thousands of opponents of a U.S. war against Iraq called and faxed their senators and the White House on Wednesday in a 'virtual march on Washington', jamming many congressional telephone lines for several hours." [more]

"The United States and Britain considered giving diplomacy more time on Sunday in the face of resistance at the United Nations to their plans for war to disarm Iraq and after vast weekend peace protests." [more]

"Sen. Edward Kennedy said he plans to introduce a resolution on Wednesday calling on President Bush to present Congress with 'convincing evidence of an imminent threat before we send troops to war with Iraq.' " [more]

"The Bush administration faced new problems today in its confrontation with Iraq as China and Russia joined U.S. allies France and Germany in rejecting early military action." [more]

"A hail of automatic rifle fire killed an American working for the U.S. military and wounded another in an ambush on their car Tuesday near a U.S. base in Kuwait where Washington is preparing for a possible war on Iraq." [more]

"Men from Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Kuwait will be added to the list of foreign visitors who must register with the U.S. government under a controversial anti-terrorism program, Justice Department officials said on Thursday." Deadlines for immigrants from 18 other nations have also been extended. [more]

"A U.S. anti-terrorism program that forces tens of thousands of Muslims and Arabs to report to the government for fingerprinting and photographing expands to include Saudis and Pakistanis next week, raising new cries of ethnic and religious discrimination." [more]

"U.S. Treasury and State Department officials said on Saturday they had discussed economic aid for close ally Turkey to reassure markets and ensure stability in the event of a war in neighbouring Iraq." [more]

"German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer appeared on Saturday not to rule out his country voting for military action against Iraq on the U.N. Security Council despite German insistence it will not take part in a war." [more]

"The U.S. Attorney General and the nation's immigration service were hit by a class action civil liberties lawsuit on Tuesday over the mass detentions of immigrants from Muslim countries who came forward to register under new anti-terrorism rules." [more]

"Shocked and frustrated Islamic and immigrant groups estimate that more than 500 people have been arrested in Los Angeles, neighboring Orange County and San Diego in the past three days under a new nationwide anti-terrorism program. Some unconfirmed reports put the figure as high as 1,000." [more]

"Hundreds of Muslim men and boys are being subjected to strip searches in freezing, standing room only detention centers in southern California after being arrested for routine visa irregularities, immigration lawyers said on Thursday." [more]

"The United States on Wednesday moved closer to declaring Iraq in violation of a U.N. disarmament resolution over its weapons disclosure but U.S. officials said this would not be an immediate trigger for war." [more]

"President Hamid Karzai urged donors at the opening of the talks Tuesday to shift away from immediate humanitarian aid and to focus more on the longer-term investments needed to aid the shattered nation. Diplomats say that any U.S.-led war against Baghdad is likely to divert aid budgets toward future reconstruction of Iraq, thinning cash available for nations like Afghanistan." [more]

"Anti-war demonstrators rallied across the United States Tuesday, with protests against a possible attack on Iraq ranging from a letter from Hollywood celebrities to a pot-banging march to the White House and coordinated demonstrations that led to scores of arrests." [more]

European Reaction To the 2002 elections [more]

"He said Saudi Arabia was among countries that supply Iraq with goods such as cooking oil, soap and milk powder under a UN-run oil for food scheme that allows Baghdad to distribute rations to Iraqis burdened by UN sanctions." [more]

"The former commander of U.S. forces in the Gulf spoke out on Thursday against attacking Iraq, saying a policy of containment would work and Washington had at least five higher priorities in the Middle East." [more]

" 'It's great to see a public debate on such a critical issue,' [Martin] Sheen said, adding that 40 years ago the then President John Kennedy used diplomacy to prevent the Cuban missile crisis sparking a war." [more]

"Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States on Wednesday, declaring that Rome had a duty to support U.S. diplomatic and military efforts to disarm Iraq. " [more]

"rominent members of the U.S. Congress warned on Sunday that a unilateral U.S. attack on Iraq could draw in Israel and lead to a wider Middle East war." [more]

Asked if it would in effect constitute a human shield of people trying to prevent any bombing raids, he said: "A voluntary one, yes." [more]

"'U.S. troops? No, I don't think that would be wise at all. We are looking after any foreign elements in Pakistan. We have deployed a part of our army and the frontier force for this purpose and the United States knows what we are doing.'" [more]

"'It is impossible to rebuild this site because we need to import sophisticated equipment and material from abroad, and the second essential reason is that we have no intention to carry out nuclear activity,' he said." [more]

"Talks had become bogged down in any case because of bitter political in-fighting in Iran, tough terms demanded by Tehran, and political uncertainty after the United States included Iran on an "axis of evil" with Iraq and North Korea." [more]

"It is necessary to hold a national dialogue on the future of our ties with the United States because we are getting repeated signals from Washington that they no longer see our relations in the same way," read a recent editorial in the ultra-conservative Riyadh daily newspaper. [more]

"A rocket fired by unidentified attackers landed close to a U.S. special forces base in eastern Afghanistan( news - web sites) early on Monday but caused no casualties, the U.S. military said." [more]

"General MacDonald, vice chief of the Canadian defense staff, said the ideas under discussion centered on a joint unit to assess possible threats, based in Colorado Springs next to the binational North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as Norad. As Norad addresses threats from missiles and aircraft, the proposed unit would address threats from land and sea, monitoring ship traffic, for example, and coordinating military planning." [more]

"Undeterred by memories of war, military training camps are filling up, with teenagers, women and elderly men volunteering for instruction. The authorities say around seven million Iraqis -- out of a population of around 22 million -- have already attended these camps. 'We have to defend our country and our beloved leader. Bush will regret any attack on great Iraq,' a volunteer said." [more]

Akiba invited Bush to Hiroshima "to confirm with his own eyes what nuclear weapons can do to human beings" and lashed out at Washington's go-it-alone stance. "America has not been given the right to impose a 'Pax Americana' and to decide the fate of the world," Akiba said. [more]

"The Iraqi invitation to the chief U.N. inspector to visit Baghdad for 'technical talks' won only skepticism on Friday from Britain, Washington's firmest military ally and one of the five key permanent members of the U.N. Security Council." [more]

"Ý'Blair is determined to avoid replying to an offer made by Iraq on February 28 to immediately receive a British mission sent by Blair himself to show how and where Iraq is attempting to produce such weapons," the Iraqi spokesman said. 'If the British prime minister wants to prove his claims, the offer still stands and we challenge him once again to produce any evidence.'Ý" [more]

" 'Any interference into the domestic affairs of Iraq would be against the interest of the people of Iraq, the interest of the countries of the region and it would be against the peace and tranquility of the region and the world,' Khatami told a news conference." [more]

"The parliament's decision also urged the Arab League and the U.N. Security Council to hold 'emergency sessions to discuss American threats for an aggression against Iraq.' The Iraqi parliament would also contact Arab, regional and international parliaments to hold 'special sessions to discuss such U.S. threats.' " [more]

"At least five people were wounded in what some witnesses said was an attack on the home of Youssef Abed al-Wahab, a leader of the militant Hamas group in southern Gaza." [more]

"AIP said four soldiers died and six were wounded in the rocket attack. The vehicle was destroyed. AIP quoted the Afghan army officer as saying the Pashtun heartland of southern Afghanistan — once the stronghold of the vanquished Taliban — was turning against the U.S. and its allies since the wedding bombing." [more]

"Nine Europeans and three Pakistanis were wounded on Saturday when an assailant hurled a hand grenade at a tourist party in northern Pakistan, a senior interior ministry official said. No one claimed responsibility for the attack — the fifth such incident on Westerners in Pakistan this year." [more]

"U.S. warplanes bombed Iraqi air-defense facilities on Saturday after coalition aircraft patrolling a 'no-fly' zone in the south of the country came under fire, the U.S. military said. In Baghdad, an Iraqi military spokesman said seven people were wounded when U.S. and British warplanes struck civilian targets in the south of the country. The spokesman also said anti-aircraft missile defenses might have hit one of the attacking Western warplanes." [more]

"Even though Qadir was far from universally popular among Afghanistan's large Pashtun population, his death will further increase the Pashtun's feeling of alienation from the government, which is dominated by ethnic Tajiks." [more]

"Anger about the incident grew among ordinary Afghans, a factor which could complicate the task of the U.S. military as it continues its efforts to track down al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives in the country." [more]

"Preliminary reports indicate that heavy cannon fire from a U.S. AC-130 warplane and not an errant 2,000-lb bomb dropped by a U.S. B-52 bomber may have torn into an Afghan wedding party, killing and maiming perhaps dozens of people, defense officials said on Tuesday." [more]

"A Defense Ministry official said celebrants were firing into the air, as is traditional in Pashtun weddings." [more]

"A rocket struck near Kabul's airport on Saturday, a key base of foreign peacekeeping troops, but caused no casualties or damage, an Afghan Interior Ministry official said. General Deen Mohammad Jurat, the ministry security chief, said the Russian-made rocket, called a BM1, landed after dawn on the perimeter of the airport to the northeast of the city." [more]

"Live rockets, missiles and mortars littered the streets of the scruffy Afghan border town of Spin Boldak on Saturday after an arms dump blew up, killing at least 25 people and leaving a trail of destruction." [more]

"The Red Cross has warned Afghan children not to play with unexploded yellow cluster bomblets dropped on Afghanistan by the United States last year that look a little like toys." [more]

"A major Iraqi opposition organization said in remarks published on Saturday that Washington should seek to oust President Saddam Hussein through U.N. resolutions and not by military force." [more]

"The tit-for-tat exchanges, which started after Western aircraft began patrolling northern and southern no-fly zones in Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War, have increased in recent months amid speculation that Washington is preparing for a possible invasion of Iraq to oust President Saddam Hussein." [more]

"No one in the 15-member council agrees with the American stance on the court, the world's first permanent tribunal to try the worst crimes: genocide, war crimes and systematic, gross human rights abuses." [more]

"A U.S. official said if American personnel were not protected there would 'no longer be U.S. peacekeepers.' No one in the 15-member council agreed with the American stance on the court, the world's first permanent tribunal to try the most heinous crimes ó genocide, war crimes and systematic, gross human rights abuses." [more]

"Afghanistan's tribal assembly will try again on Wednesday to appoint a president after the only declared candidate, interim leader Hamid Karzai, jumped the gun by mistakenly declaring that it had acclaimed him leader. Karzai's claim — which he later acknowledged to have been an error — added to the confusion and tension surrounding a much-heralded solemn meeting that had already been delayed by a day owing to factional bickering." [more]

"Factional wrangling, confusion and fears of violence have cast a shadow over a gathering the United Nations views as a key stage in the country's transition from 23 years of poverty and conflict to a future of peace and stability." [more]

"A Kashmiri separatist leader was gunned down in Indian Kashmir Tuesday in the latest incident in a spiral of violence which is pushing India and Pakistan to the brink of war." [more]

"U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, setting up a showdown with the White House, said on Tuesday he would push for an independent commission to investigate events leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States." [more]

"Shouting 'Yankee go home', about 20,000 protesters marched peacefully in Berlin against U.S. policies today on the eve of a visit by President Bush that officials fear may widen a transatlantic rift rather than close it." [more]

"U.S. planes pounded the village of Bul Khil of Sabari district in Khost province for several hours overnight after crew flying U.S. helicopters in the area mistook traditional firing at a wedding for an attack." [more]

"Israeli forces have encircled Palestinian cities in the West Bank and set up checkpoints across Palestinian territories which they say are meant to prevent attacks on Israelis. But Palestinians have branded it collective punishment." [more]

"he White House said on Thursday it warned U.S. airlines that it had received general threats of hijackings last year before the Sept. 11 attacks." [more]

"The rockets fell close to Khost airport in an early morning attack, the latest in a string of mostly ineffective rocket attacks in the area targeting U.S. forces. 'I don't know from which direction the rockets came from but their bang definitely woke me up,' one witness said." [more]

" 'I felt it was my duty to spend as long a time as possible to brief him on the facts directly and without an intermediary.' " [more]

"The Pakistani government's reluctance to go after pockets of al-Qaeda fighters on its territory would be the first major disagreement in the US-Pakistan alliance against terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States." [more]

"Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, under pressure to crack down on militants following a suicide bombing, Wednesday ordered Palestinian security forces to foil any attempt to attack Israeli civilians." [more]

"Negotiators were trying to revive parts of a deal to end Israel's 37-day-old siege of the church after it stalled on Tuesday when Italy refused to take 13 militants whom Israeli and Palestinian officials had agreed would be sent into exile." [more]

"Israel agreed on Sunday to a proposal by U.S. President George W. Bush to end a month-long siege of Yasser Arafat, but defied the United Nations over a fact-finding mission to the ravaged Jenin refugee camp." [more]

"Speaking to several hundred heavily armed U.S. and allied troops in an aircraft hanger at Bagram, Rumsfeld said the world was determined to end 'the tyranny of terror.' " [more]

"Remnants of Taliban and al-Qaeda forces on Saturday attacked the main eastern Afghanistan town of Gardez, an Afghan minister said. The attack was staged on the day US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Kabul and several hours after the Afghan capital's airport was hit by several rockets. There were no casualties in the airport attack." [more]

"Chanting, singing and beating drums, tens of thousands of protesters converged on the U.S. capital on Saturday to demonstrate against the U.S.-led war on terror, Israeli military actions in the West Bank and globalisation." [more]

"Muslim guerrillas in the Philippines may be channeling some of the millions of dollars they have earned in ransom to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said today." [more]

"The top Democrat and Republican on a key Senate panel asked President Bush on Friday for a meeting to explain their demand his homeland defense chief testify on his budget needs, amid complaints in both parties the White House is disregarding Congress." [more]

"The United States pulled 400 frontline troops out of the mountain assault on al Qaeda fighters Sunday, turning the battle over mainly to B-52 bombers and a divided Afghan force." [more]

"U.S.-led attacks on al Qaeda forces in eastern Afghanistan caused numerous casualties Thursday night, a U.S. military spokesman said on Friday." [more]

"Georgia said on Thursday militants from Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network were in rebel Abkhazia, raising the specter of military action by Georgian forces under the banner of the U.S.-led war on terrorism." [more]

"About a third of the al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, refused to eat on Thursday after guards forced a captive to remove a makeshift turban during prayers, military officials said." [more]

"Four Afghan fighters and an aid worker were killed in weekend clashes in northern Afghanistan between rival factions within the shattered country's interim government, officials said on Monday. The fighting, in which about 30 people were wounded, cast fresh doubt on the ability of the new Afghan government to hold together its loose coalition of old enemies and ensure security in the country." [more]

"A senior member of Afghanistan's defeated Taliban derided the interim government Monday for failing to stem rising lawlessness and said the people would soon demand the return of his hard-line movement." [more]

"Iraqi newspapers said on Monday the United States was launching a psychological war on Iraq in preparation for military strikes on the country." [more]

"President Bush, speaking as his administration considered ways to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, said on Wednesday he reserved all his options to act but he would not disclose them at this time.
" 'I will reserve whatever options I have. I'll keep them close to my vest. Saddam Hussein needs to understand that I'm serious about defending our country,' Bush said during a news conference with Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf." [more]

"Heavy gunfire and explosions were heard in the half hour exchange, which included intense firing over a five minute period." [more]

"Around 270 Taliban prisoners were released in a ceremony at the presidential palace on Saturday night under the watch of interim leader Hamid Karzai. The ragged prisoners from all over Afghanistan were delivered by bus to the palace grounds and then allowed to walk free." [more]

" 'I would say to everyone, let's step back here, and instead of worrying so much about what the president said Tuesday night, let's put equal energy into working to make sure that these regimes don't get these weapons of mass destruction,' Rice said on Fox News Sunday. Political leaders in allied countries, including Britain, France and Russia, have expressed concern over Bush's declaration in his State of the Union speech Tuesday that the three states were an 'axis of evil' committed to developing weapons of mass destruction and must be stopped." [more]

"Russia laid bare its differences with the United States over the war on terrorism on Sunday, challenging President Bush's attack on the 'axis of evil' and accusing the West of double standards." [more]

"Diplomats say warlords who watched the Northern Alliance rebels gain power in Afghanistan with the help of U.S. military might are seeking a repeat performance in Somalia.
" 'But Somalia is not Afghanistan. The transitional national government is not Taliban. I am not Mullah Mohammad Omar,' the president said, referring to the Taliban leader who sheltered bin Laden, wanted for the September 11 attacks." [more]

"Afghan villagers said Monday an American air strike killed more than 100 civilians as U.S. forces combed rugged mountain terrain for fugitive Osama bin Laden. A Reuters cameraman in the stricken village in eastern Paktia province said he could see huge craters blasted by bombs. Amid the destruction were scraps of flesh, pools of blood and clumps of what appeared to be human hair." [more]

"Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fresh mortar and heavy machinegun fire on Monday as New Delhi expelled a Pakistani diplomat, raising tensions between the nuclear-armed enemies ever higher." [more]

"The United States will recognize the new interim government of Afghanistan once it is sworn in at the weekend, U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan James Dobbins said Friday." [more]

"U.S. and Afghan forces destroyed the last bastion of the al Qaeda organization in Afghanistan on Sunday but did not find Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born militant who stands accused of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States." [more]

The United States continued to bomb the Tora Bora caves Wednesday after surrender talks with the Taliban led nowhere. [more]

"President Bush's order to permit secret military trials of suspected foreign terrorists drew bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill on Friday as well as calls for public hearings to examine the wisdom of the action." [more]