From the Calgary Sun, Feb. 18:

OTTAWA -- A Liberal MP has accused the Conservatives of trying to keep the public in the dark about the state of three terrorist suspects on a hunger strike in a prison derisively known as Guantanamo North.

Followers of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr insist their leader is still in Iraq, disputing claims by US officials that he has fled to Iran to avoid a new offensive against militants. Four Sadr aides said he was still in the country, with some indicating he was in Najaf but had reduced public appearances for "security reasons." "He is now in Iraq," Nassar al-Rubaei, head of the Sadrist bloc in Iraq's parliament. The conflicting reports come after Iraq announced it is closing its borders with Iran and Syria and lengthening a night curfew in Baghdad to try to curb relentless violence in Baghdad.

From the Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus, Feb. 14:

MONTPELIER — Vermont's Legislature became the first in the country Tuesday to pass a resolution calling for an immediate and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

A year ago, al-Qaeda issued a call for its followers to target oil infrastructure throughout the Islamic world. Now it threatens to take the campaign global, calling for attacks on US suppliers in the western hemisphere—especially invoking Canada, Mexico and Venezuela. From AFP, Feb. 14:

The passing of Turkmenistan's wacky despot Saparmurat "Turkmenbashi" Niyazov and the country's first-ever multi-candidate (although not multi-party) elections have brought no surprises so far. In the weeks prior to the Feb. 11 vote, Turkmen officials announced that foreign journalists would be welcome to observe, but EurasiaNet reports that "virtually no outside journalist seeking to cover the election received a visa to do so." In a Feb. 9 statement, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the imposition of "restrictions" on foreign and domestic journalists hoping to cover the election. CPJ director Joel Simon said "the press is systematically impeded from doing its work" in Turkmenistan. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which operates an information-gathering network inside Turkmenistan, claimed that the turnout total of 99% appeared to be dramatically inflated. Hudayberdy Orazov, a Turkmen exile in Sweden who heads the Watan opposition movement, said there was "quite enough evidence" that the totals were manipulated. Avdy Kuliyev, another exiled Turkmen opposition leader, called the vote a "stage-managed drama," Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reported. "We consider the election … illegal and undemocratic, and of course, we cannot recognize it." (EurasiaNet, Feb. 12) All six candidates—chosen by the country's legislative body, the People's Council—pledged fealty to the ideas of Turkmenbashi and vowed to follow in his footsteps. (RFE/RL, Feb. 12)

Explosions tore through two buses traveling on a highway Feb. 13 near Ein Alaq, a mountain town northeast of Beirut, leaving at least 12 dead and 10 wounded. Ein Alaq is near Bikfaya, the ancestral home of the Gemayel family, a powerhouse of Christian politics in Lebanon. Pierre Gemayel, a Cabinet member, was assassinated in November. His father, former President Amin Gemayel, visited the White House and met with Bush last week. (AP, Feb. 13) The blasts come a day before Lebanon is to mark the second anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. Al-Hariri's son, S'ad A-Din Hariri, head of the Al-Mustaqbal movement and one of the country's most influential politicians, called yesterday on all Lebanese to participate in the memorial ceremony. A huge rally is planned at Hariri's grave—just feet from the site of ongoing Hezbollah protests seeking to topple the government. (MediaLine, AP, Feb. 13)

US military officials and Japanese police have confirmed an explosion near the Camp Zama base outside Tokyo, adding no one was hurt and there was no damage from the blast. A similar incident was reported near Camp Zama in 2002, when police found a metal projectile after two blasts were heard in the area. (Bloomberg, Feb. 13) Global Security informs us that Camp Zama is home to the US Army Japan/9th Theater Army Area Command. In addition to the usual speculation about al-Qaeda, reports are raising the possibility of Japanese left-wing radicals.

Michael R. Gordon's Feb. 10 New York Times story, "Deadliest Bomb in Iraq Is Made by Iran, US Says," backs up some administration claims: "The most lethal weapon directed against American troops in Iraq is an explosive-packed cylinder that United States intelligence asserts is being supplied by Iran... In interviews, civilian and military officials from a broad range of government agencies provided specific details to support what until now has been a more generally worded claim, in a new National Intelligence Estimate, that Iran is providing 'lethal support' to Shiite militants in Iraq. The focus of American concern is known as an 'explosively formed penetrator,' a particularly deadly type of roadside bomb being used by Shiite groups in attacks on American troops in Iraq. Attacks using the device have doubled in the past year... Because the weapon can be fired from roadsides and is favored by Shiite militias, it has become a serious threat in Baghdad. Only a small fraction of the roadside bombs used in Iraq are explosively formed penetrators. But the device produces more casualties per attack than other types of roadside bombs." Note the usual suspects: "The link that American intelligence has drawn to Iran is based on a number of factors, including an analysis of captured devices, examination of debris after attacks, and intelligence on training of Shiite militants in Iran and in Iraq by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and by Hezbollah militants believed to be working at the behest of Tehran."