Pakistan News Blog @newzblogz.com

WASHINGTON - While held incommunicado for more than two years by the U.S. and Pakistan, accused jihadist Marwan Jabour claims he was beaten, burned with an iron, held naked for a month and chained to the wall of his cell so tightly that he could not stand up.

His rare account of the secret world of terror detentions - provided in a new report from Human Rights Watch - ended last summer when the United States flew him to Jordan from a secret detention facility that he believed to be in Afghanistan. By September, the Jordanians turned him over to the Israelis. Six weeks later, he was let go in the Gaza Strip, where the 30-year-old Palestinian had family.

U.S. counterterrorism officials would not confirm Jabour's account, but they say they still view Jabour as one of al-Qaida's most dangerous. One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the information's sensitivity, said Jabour was in direct contact with al-Qaida's operational leaders, had ties to al-Qaida's chemical and biological programs and plotted to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Underscoring growing alarm in the West at how militants have regained ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday sought Pakistani aid to help counter al-Qaida's efforts to regroup, officials said.

However, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf insisted his forces have already "done the maximum" possible against extremists in their territory - and insisted that other allies also shoulder responsibility in the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

Cheney, accompanied by CIA deputy director Steve Kappes, made an unannounced stop in Pakistan en route to Afghanistan, where snow prevented him from reaching Kabul for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

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KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed up to 10 people outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan in an attack aimed at visiting Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday, but Cheney was not hurt in the blast.

An American soldier and a South Korean who was part of the U.S.-led coalition were killed, as was a U.S. government contractor whose nationality was unknown, officials said. NATO put the toll at four, including the bomber, and 27 wounded.

Local police said 10 people died.

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Underscoring growing alarm in the West at how militants have regained ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday sought Pakistani aid to help counter al-Qaida's efforts to regroup, officials said.

However, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf insisted his forces have already "done the maximum" possible against extremists in their territory — and insisted that other allies also shoulder responsibility in the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

Cheney, accompanied by CIA deputy director Steve Kappes, made an unannounced stop in Pakistan en route to Afghanistan, where snow prevented him from reaching Kabul for talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

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Rep. Norm Dicks returned from Iraq on Monday, saying he had gained some optimism about U.S. chances for success in the war-torn country.

Dicks, D-Wash., voted in favor of the war but has been a critic in recent years. He said the troop buildup led by Gen. David Petraeus, the new U.S. commander in Iraq, could work — if Iraqis believe in it and participate fully.

"I think this plan has possibilities, if the Iraqis will get their troops in the field and do the embedding with the U.S. forces, and if they do the political reconciliation" necessary for long-term stability, Dicks said.

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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) An owner of a shuttered travel agency accused of conspiring to steal public funds with a suspect in a terrorism case pleaded not guilty Monday.

Ashraf Zaim appeared in U.S. District Court on charges of conspiring to commit theft of public funds, making false statements and wire fraud.

The charges are related to a $40,000 federal grant Zaim and Marwan Othman El-Hindi obtained to operate clinics for low-income taxpayers.

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AMID the attention it has lavished on Iraq, the Bush administration must keep a sharp eye on al-Qaida.

Intelligence officials have noted renewed activity in remote border areas of Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden and his legions have vanished from scrutiny.

Recently, President Bush planned to redeploy some of the 24,000 U.S. troops now stationed in Afghanistan, but reversed course at the urging of Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

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CHICAGO - Two Chicago-area cousins linked to a terrorism conspiracy last week traveled to Egypt in 2004 and planned to head to Pakistan for military training, federal prosecutors told a judge Monday.

Zubair A. Ahmed, 27, and Khaleel Ahmed, 26, were seeking "training in Jihad," prosecutors said during a detention hearing on whether Khaleel Ahmed should be kept in custody as he is transferred to Ohio to face the charges.

The trip was not a vacation as the Ahmeds have maintained, Assistant U.S. Attorney Vickie Peters said.

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LAHORE, Pakistan -- At least 11 people were killed and more than 100 injured by sharpened kite strings, stray celebratory bullets and accidents at an annual kite-flying festival in eastern Pakistan, officials said Monday.

The two-day festival regularly is marred by casualties. Kite fliers often use strings made of wire or coated with ground glass to try to damage rivals' kites.

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U.S. officials said Cheney was not hurt in the blast -- which took place outside a security gate at Bagram Airbase, around 60 km (40 miles) from Kabul.

The former Afghan rulers, the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the blasts.

Conflicting reports from outside the airbase put the death toll at between 10 and 20 people, with several injuries.

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Pakistan on Monday to bluntly tell President Pervez Musharraf that his forces must markedly heighten their efforts to track down al-Qaida militants crossing the border into Afghanistan.

But Pakistan was defiant in its response to Cheney's message, blaming the increased violence in the region on lapses in security on the Afghan side of the border.

"Our reading is that there are security failures inside Afghanistan ...," said Nadeem Kiani, a spokesman for the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. "It doesn't have much to do with Pakistan."

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At least 11 people were killed and more than 100 people injured by sharpened kite strings, stray bullets and other accidents at an annual kite-flying festival in eastern Pakistan, officials said Monday.

The two-day Basant festival is regularly marred by casualties caused by sharpened kite strings or celebratory gunshots fired into the air. Kite flyers often use strings made of wire or coated with ground glass to try to damage a rival's kite, often after betting on the outcome.

Authorities had banned kite flying following a string of deaths at the festival last year, but temporarily lifted it before this year's event. Officials said the ban was re-imposed following the latest deaths.

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ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: Cheney to allies: Do more on terror

Vice President Dick Cheney went Monday to Pakistan and Afghanistan to press the two U.S. allies for stronger action to thwart a resurgence of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda is trying to set up training camps, the Bush administration says, and the Taliban is likely to launch a spring offensive from the mountainous region along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

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Two Chicago-area cousins linked last week to a terrorism conspiracy traveled to Egypt in 2004 and planned to head to Pakistan for military training, federal prosecutors told a judge Monday.

Zubair A. Ahmed, 27, and Khaleel Ahmed, 26, were seeking "training in jihad," prosecutors said during a detention hearing on whether Khaleel Ahmed should be kept in custody as he is transferred to Ohio to face the charges.

Prison Doc: Terror Suspect OK for Trial

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Vice President Dick Cheney warned Monday that al-Qaida is "regrouping" in Pakistan's remote border region and sought President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's help in a stiffened push against Taliban and al-Qaida militants, Musharraf's office said.

Cheney's unannounced stopover en route to Afghanistan came as British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett also held talks with Musharraf and expressed concern about suspected militant safe havens near the Afghan frontier.

"Cheney expressed U.S. apprehensions of regrouping of al-Qaida in the tribal areas and called for concerted efforts in countering the threat," according to a faxed statement from the presidential office.

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KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney landed at the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Monday afternoon for consultations with American military leaders ahead of a meeting with President Hamid Karzai.

Cheney landed at the base at Bagram, an hour north of Kabul, shortly after a meeting in neighboring Pakistan where he told Gen. Pervez Musharraf that al-Qaida is regrouping in Pakistan's remote border area and that Pakistan needs to do more to confront the problem.

Cheney's stops in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been shrouded in secrecy, and Afghan and U.S. officials refused to comment until after the vice president left the country. He was expected to be in Afghanistan only for a few hours.

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Cheney visited Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday to discuss with officials there a planned spring offensive against the Taliban after the most violent year since the hard-line group was ousted in 2001.Monday, February 26, 2007

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KABUL (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney visited Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday to discuss with officials there a planned spring offensive against the Taliban after the most violent year since the hard-line group was ousted in 2001.

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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to Pakistan on Monday to press President Pervez Musharraf for help in combating a new Taliban offensive in Afghanistan and a resurgent al Qaeda.

Cheney was meeting with Musharraf at the presidential palace in Islamabad, an official told reporters traveling with the vice president. He arrived under tight security after spending the night in Oman.

The United States is bolstering its troop presence in Afghanistan by 3,200 to help repel fierce spring fighting anticipated by the United States and NATO after the bloodiest year there since the Taliban was ousted by U.S.-led forces in 2001.

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney landed at the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Monday afternoon for consultations with American military leaders ahead of a meeting with President Hamid Karzai.

Cheney landed at the base at Bagram, an hour north of Kabul, shortly after a meeting in neighboring Pakistan where he told Gen. Pervez Musharraf that al-Qaida is regrouping in Pakistan's remote border area and that Pakistan needs to do more to confront the problem.

Cheney's stops in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been shrouded in secrecy, and Afghan and U.S. officials refused to comment until after the vice president left the country. He was expected to be in Afghanistan only for a few hours.

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President Bush has decided to send an unusually tough message to one of his most important allies, President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, warning him that the newly Democratic Congress could cut aid to his country unless his forces become far more aggressive in hunting down Al Qaeda operatives, senior administration officials say.

The decision came after the White House concluded that Musharraf is failing to live up to commitments he made to Bush during a visit in September. Musharraf insisted then that a peace deal he struck with tribal leaders in one of the country's most lawless border areas would not diminish the hunt for the leaders of Al Qaeda and the Taliban or their training camps.

Now American intelligence officials have concluded that the terrorist infrastructure is being rebuilt, and that while Pakistan has attacked some camps, its overall effort has flagged.

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The decision came after the White House concluded that Musharraf, a key ally in Washington's "War on Terror," was not living up to commitment he made to Bush in September to combat militant groups, the newspaper said, citing senior administration officials.

Pakistan says it is doing all it can to stop militants infiltrating Afghanistan, but the U.S. military says cross-border attacks around the Afghan frontier increased sharply last year.

U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that the terrorist infrastructure was being rebuilt, and that while Pakistan has attacked some camps, its overall effort has flagged, The New York Times reported.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush has decided to send an unusually tough message to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf warning that the new Democratic-led Congress could cut aid to his country unless it does more to crack down on al Qaeda operatives, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

The decision came after the White House concluded that Musharraf, a key ally in Washington's "War on Terror," was not living up to commitment he made to Bush in September to combat militant groups, the newspaper said, citing senior administration officials.

Pakistan says it is doing all it can to stop militants infiltrating Afghanistan, but the U.S. military says cross-border attacks around the Afghan frontier increased sharply last year.

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Today is Monday, Feb. 26, the 57th day of 2007. There are 308 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

One hundred years ago, on Feb. 26, 1907, concerns about a growing influx of foreigners, mostly Europeans, prompted Congress to create what became known as the Dillingham Commission, which examined the impact of immigrants on America. (The panel later recommended curtailing immigration from southern and eastern Europe through use of quotas, higher entry fees, literacy tests and other restrictions.)

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Britain's foreign minister is in Pakistan for talks on faltering efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.Margaret Beckett has met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf (pur-VEHZ' moo-SHAH'-ruhv). British officials say she'll also discuss the "hot topic" of Afghanistan with her Pakistani counterpart, as well as opposition leaders.A British Embassy spokesman says Beckett will also thank Pakistani leaders for their help in counterterrorism efforts.The visit comes as the U-S and its...

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan U-S Vice President Dick Cheney has made a surprise visit to Pakistan to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.A Pakistani official says Cheney arrived this morning and headed immediately to talks with President General Pervez Musharraf (pur-VEHZ' moo-SHAH'-ruhv) on efforts to stabilize Pakistan's neighbor.Cheney's visit came while British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett was also in Pakistan for talks with Musharraf on the same subject. It's unclear if Cheney joined the same...

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Pakistan Monday for talks with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan, an official said.

Cheney arrived on Monday morning and went straight to Musharraf's office in Rawalpindi, just south of the capital Islamabad, for talks on bilateral and international issues, a senior official in the president's office said on condition of anonymity because he is not an official spokesman.

It was unclear if Cheney joined the same talks held Monday between Musharraf and visiting British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

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WASHINGTON - The White House is pressuring Pakistan to crack down on al-Qaida and Taliban operatives in the lawless border area with Afghanistan that President Bush recently said was "wilder than the Wild West."

The move comes amid growing concern in Congress and the administration that terrorist forces are regrouping in the border area and preparing for a spring offensive in Afghanistan.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday the administration was concerned that al-Qaida was attempting to stage a comeback.

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LAHORE, Pakistan -- An annual kite festival Sunday in eastern Pakistan has left at least 11 people dead.

The festival is also often marked with celebratory gunshots fired into the air. Five people died after being hit by stray bullets.

Two people were electrocuted when they tried to untangle kites from overhead power cables.

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TORONTO — Mubin Shaikh, the informer, balances his 3-month-old son in the palm of his hand and hoists him aloft like the torch of the Statue of Liberty. The baby coos and smiles, unaware of the danger of falling, then lurches into space. Shaikh catches him gently and laughs.

Shaikh's own balancing act has been more difficult.

He is a 31-year-old Canadian-born Muslim who disavowed the mosque to fit in with his neighborhood friends, then rejected that life to practice traditional Islam. Later, he used his stature in the Muslim community to infiltrate a suspected terrorist cell, and then helped expose it — an act that alienated him from many in his own circles.

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 ? President Bush has decided to send an unusually tough message to one of his most important allies, President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, warning him that the newly Democratic Congress could cut aid to his country unless his forces became far more aggressive in hunting down operatives with Al Qaeda, senior administration officials say.

The decision came after the White House concluded that General Musharraf is failing to live up to commitments he made to Mr. Bush during a visit here in September. General Musharraf insisted then, both in private and public, that a peace deal he struck with tribal leaders in one of the country?s most lawless border areas would not diminish the hunt for the leaders of Al Qaeda and the Taliban or their training camps.

Now, American intelligence officials have concluded that the terrorist infrastructure is being rebuilt, and that while Pakistan has attacked some camps, its overall effort has flagged.

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Sarah Bush Lincoln medical staff elected Obstetrician-Gynecologist William Houseworth, M.D., FACOG, president of the medical staff for 2007.Other officers of the medical staff include Emergency Medicine Physician James Hildebrandt, D.O., president elect; Internal Medicine Physician Carl Johnson, M.D, secretary; and Anesthesiologist Sheryl Artmann, M.D., past president.Leaders of the medical departments include: Sheryl Artmann, M.D., Anesthesia; Phil Jenson, DMD, FACOMS., Dental; Joseph Burton, F...

BARBECK Communications Group, Inc. Central Illinois’ only Verizon Wireless Premium Retailer, announces the opening of it’s newest remodeled store with an expanded sales staff at a state-of-the-art location.

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VIENNA, AUSTRIA - Despite growing international concern about Iran's nuclear program and its regional ambitions, most U.S. intelligence shared with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has proved inaccurate and none has led to significant discoveries inside Iran, diplomats here said.

The officials said the CIA and other Western spy services have provided sensitive information to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency at least since 2002, when Iran's long-secret nuclear program was exposed.

None of the tips about supposed secret weapons sites provided clear evidence that the Islamic Republic is developing illicit weapons.

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After my boys recently requested new targets for paintball in the backyard, I found myself online, ordering a 25-pack of Osama bin Laden likenesses for $19.97. They arrived last week, on the same day as reports of an al-Qaeda resurgence in Pakistani training camps. Seems bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, are still alive, and apparently not the irrelevancy we had hoped, six years removed from 9/11.

As I stood opening the cylinder containing the terrorist's image, one of my sons asked what had become of the mastermind of the plot that killed 3,000. I found myself parroting the usual lines about the difficulty of finding one man amid rugged terrain. But the more my son prodded, the angrier I became.

Because I no longer believe we are hunting bin Laden. Worse, no one seems to care. What happened to the days when a Bryn Mawr soccer mom would have yearned to strangle bin Laden or Zawahiri with her bare hands?

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 ? As six leading world powers prepared for a crucial meeting on Monday to respond to Iran?s defiant nuclear-enrichment activities, the Iranian president remained undeterred and unapologetic today, saying the nuclear program had no ?reverse gear.?

That comment, by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, drew a simple retort from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who said: ?They don?t need a reverse gear. They need a stop button.?

Ms. Rice emphasized that she remained personally ready for high-level talks ? anytime, anywhere, on any topic ? if Tehran would simply halt its nuclear work.

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City bar and restaurant owners say the month-old smoking ban has virtually crippled their businesses, and at least one City Council member seems to be listening. “I’m for the ban, but I didn’t know it would devastate businesses like this,” Councilman Bill Courtright said. He has been seeking out business owners for suggestions on possibly amending the ban. “Something should be done, and I hope to put together and propose an amendment using suggestions from business owner...

Fire kills 3-year-old boy

A quiet West Scranton neighborhood erupted in chaos and horror Tuesday afternoon as a relentless fire devoured a multifamily home, killing a 3-year-old boy and critically burning four others, including two infants.

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STILL THE TALLEST man on record, Robert Wadlow had an inappropriately short life. It started normally enough; he weighed 8-1/2 pounds when he was born Feb. 22, 1918. But the Alton, Ill., boy suffered from GIGANTISM, in which his pituitary gland cranked out so much GROWTH HORMONE that by the time he was 8 years old he was 6 feet tall. And Wadlow just kept growing, topping out at 8 FEET 11 INCHES when he died of an infection, stemming from the braces he needed to support his treelike legs, at age 22.

- Des Plaines shop that has a pair of Wadlow's size 37 shoes on display: SQUARE DEAL SHOE STORE.

- Number of pallbearers and assistants that were needed to carry Wadlow's casket at his funeral: 20.

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CARACAS, Venezuela, Feb. 24 ? Venezuela?s arms spending has climbed to more than $4 billion in the past two years, transforming the nation into Latin America?s largest weapons buyer and placing it ahead of other major purchasers in international arms markets like Pakistan and Iran.

Venezuelan military and government officials here say the arms acquisitions, which include dozens of fighter jets and attack helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, are needed to circumvent a ban by the United States on sales of American weapons to the country.

They also argue that Venezuela must strengthen its defenses to counter potential military aggression from the United States.

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's prime minister said Sunday that the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program should be resolved through negotiations, not force.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz made the remarks at the opening of a meeting of foreign ministers from seven Muslim nations meeting to discuss ways to resolve tensions in the Middle East, a statement by Aziz's office said.

Ministers from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, as well as Turkey's Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, a 57-member bloc of Islamic states, held the meeting in the capital Islamabad.

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LAHORE, Pakistan - The five small caskets were lined up head to foot at the border, each topped with a white wreath and scattered yellow flowers and holding the remains of a child killed in last week's train bombing in India.

The father of the five, Shaukat Ali, was only able to rescue his wife and their youngest - a toddler. The couple returned Saturday with the remains of the others, ages 6 to 15, for a funeral attended by thousands.

"My heart has broken. Only I know how I faced this tragedy," said Ali, 40, after arriving in the border village of Wagha, on the outskirts of Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore.

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FRANKTON, Ind. - A central Indiana soldier who died in Afghanistan had gone to that country last month as part of the American anti-terrorism effort.

Army Pfc. Jason D. Johns, 19, of Frankton, died Wednesday in Bagram of what the military said wasn't a combat injury. A spokeswoman for his unit, the Fort Bragg, N.C.-based 82nd Airborne Division, said his death remained under investigation.

Johns was born in Florida, but his family moved to Madison County when he was an infant, said his father, Jeff Johns. He grew up near Frankton with his two brothers and a sister before moving to Florida to live with his mother for several years.

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Almost five and a half years ago, America ? united by the shock of 9/11 ? understood exactly what it needed to do. It had to find, thwart and take down the command structure of Al Qaeda, which was responsible for the deaths of 3,000 innocent people on American soil. Despite years of costly warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq, America today is not significantly closer to that essential goal.

At a crucial moment, the Bush administration diverted America?s military strength, political attention and foreign aid dollars from a necessary, winnable war in Afghanistan to an unnecessary, and by now unwinnable, war in Iraq. Al Qaeda took full advantage of these blunders to survive and rebuild. Now it seems to be back in business.

As our colleagues Mark Mazzetti and David Rohde reported last week, American intelligence and counterterrorism officials believe that Al Qaeda has rebuilt its notorious training camps, this time in Pakistan?s loosely governed tribal regions near the Afghan border. Camp graduates are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq ? and may well be plotting new terrorist strikes in the West.

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    Trade Paperback Fiction

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Weeks on List

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KARACHI, Pakistan - Police arrested two men in a remote southern village and accused them of hacking two young women to death for allegedly having sex outside marriage, officials said Saturday.

The suspects, who are uncles of the women, were caught after authorities were tipped off by the girls' parents about the slayings in southern Sindh province, said Ajmal Magsi, an area police chief.

The two women, aged 18 and 20, were first cousins and unmarried, Magsi said.

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CHEECHA WATNI, Pakistan - Three Islamic militants died in eastern Pakistan on Saturday when a powerful bomb they were carrying on a bicycle accidentally exploded, police said.

The men were apparently targeting the funeral services for a policeman or the police guarding a cattle market in Cheecha Watni, a town about 60 miles east of Multan, a city in Punjab province, authorities said.

Initially area police chief Mohammed Bashir said the blast injured one passer-by, but later said that person was also on the bicycle and had died. Police collected the suspects' remains for DNA testing, he said.

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2 Suspected Terrorists Die in Pakistan By KHALID TANVEER

Associated Press Writer

MULTAN, Pakistan ? Two suspected terrorists died in eastern Pakistan on Saturday when a powerful bomb they were carrying on a bicycle accidentally exploded near a cattle market, police said.

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OSLO, Norway - A declaration calling for a 2008 treaty banning cluster bombs was adopted Friday by 46 out of 49 nations attending a conference in Oslo, officials for the Norwegian government and two non-governmental groups said.

Norway's deputy foreign minister Raymond Johansen said Poland, Romania and Japan did not approve the final declaration. Officials for Human Rights Watch and the Cluster Munition Coalition also said those three countries dissented.

The gathering was snubbed by some key arms makers - including the U.S., Russia, Israel and China - but organizers said other nations needed to forge ahead regardless to avoid a potential humanitarian disaster posed by unexploded cluster munitions.

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NEW DELHI - Pakistan must clamp down on Islamic militants and keep them from attacking India if peace efforts between the nuclear-armed rivals are to succeed, India's president said Friday, days after the bombing of a train linking the countries killed 68 people.

Since the attack Sunday night on the Samjhauta Express in northern India, officials on both sides have shied away from the usual fingerpointing that follows such attacks.

But the comments by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, made in a speech opening the budget session of Parliament, were the latest in a series of statements from Indian officials suggesting they believe the culprits to be militant groups based in Pakistan.

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ISLAMABAD - Pakistan successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 1,250 miles on Friday, the military said.

The test was witnessed by the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, General Ehsan ul Haq, who described it as an important milestone in Pakistan's quest to sustain strategic balance in South Asia.

"Pakistan's strategy of credible minimum deterrence was fully in place and was a guarantee of peace in the region," he said in in a military statement.

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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India wants better ties with Pakistan but the peace process will only bear fruit if Islamabad fully curbs "cross-border terrorism," the Indian president said on Friday, days after a train between the neighbors was bombed.

The nuclear-armed rivals renewed their vows to push for peace this week despite the attack on a cross-border train that killed 68 people, and India refrained from the usual finger-pointing that has followed such violence in the past.

But President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, laying out government policy at the start of parliament's first session of the year, said New Delhi was still worried about the infiltration of militants into India from Pakistan and attacks launched by them.

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FRANKTON, Ind. (AP) -- A soldier from central Indiana died in Afghanistan of a non-combat related injury, the military said Thursday.

Army Pfc. Jason D. Johns, 19, of Frankton, died Wednesday in Bagram, the Defense Department said. His death is under investigation and no other details were immediately available, said Spc. Jacqueline Pryor, a spokeswoman for the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Johns was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division.

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ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Foreign ministers of seven Muslim countries and the chief of the Organization of the Islamic Conference will meet in Pakistan this weekend to prepare for an Islamic summit aimed at ending turbulence in the Middle East.

The idea for a summit of the Islamic countries has been championed by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf who has long said the Palestinian conflict was the root of terrorism and extremism.

Musharraf, whose government does not recognize Israel but has held talks with the Jewish state, has expressed gloom about the problems besetting the region and has urged a new initiative.

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MIAMI — Two forensic psychology experts testified Thursday that alleged Al Qaeda accomplice Jose Padilla suffered mental damage during his 3 1/2 years in U.S. military custody and was unfit to stand trial on terrorism charges.

Testing and evaluation of the 36-year-old former Chicago gang member revealed "strong indication of cognitive impairment" and a 98% probability of brain injury, said Patricia Zapf, a clinical forensic psychologist and associate professor at City University of New York.

"I believe he is not competent to proceed, that he is not fit to stand trial," Zapf testified as a witness for the defense.

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DALLAS - The U.S. Army's top general presented a grim picture Thursday of America's preparedness to confront future military challenges and was even bleaker about the prospects for stability in Muslim regions where those challenges are most likely to emerge.

Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, told a Dallas audience that the Army is overstretched because of demands posed by simultaneous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the military is badly in need of greater, more predictable funding in order to fight the wars of the future.

Although he was upbeat about progress in stabilizing Iraq, the general was frank about the toll the war is exacting on his troops.

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