1-2 SEPTEMBER 2006

Sri Lanka

Late on the 1st an LTTE force of around 20 boats attacked a navy patrol near Kankasanthurai, east of the Jaffna peninsula. The navy patrol pushed the LTTE force into the area off Point Pedro, where the battle continued until early the next day. According to the navy, 12 LTTE boats were sunk, including five suicide craft; two navy boats were slightly damaged (AP).

2 SEPTEMBER 2006

Afghanistan

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime released a report saying that opium cultivation in the country was up 60% over the previous year. The area under poppy cultivation rose to 407,700 acres in 2006 compared to 257,000 in 2005. The estimated yield of opium resin for 2006 was 6,100 tons, up from 4,100 tons in 2005, and greater than the previous high for total global output of 5,764 tons in 1999 (AP).

2-3 SEPTEMBER 2006

Iran, foreign policy

On the 2nd U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki pledged Iran's full cooperation in implementing UNSC 1701. The next day, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, after meeting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, said Ahmadinejad reaffirmed his support for implementation of UNSC 1701 (CNN.com).

2-17 SEPTEMBER 2006

Afghanistan

NATO and Afghan forces conducted Operation Medusa, an anti-Taliban offensive in Kandahar province that NATO claimed killed over 400 Taliban fighters (AP).

3 SEPTEMBER 2006

Turkey

A remote-controlled bomb in Catak killed two people (AP).

Iraq

A bomb attack in Khalis killed four people (CNN.com).

4 SEPTEMBER 2006

Philippines

Khaddafy Janjalani, head of the Abu Sayyaf group, was wounded on Jolo island in a clash with security forces; he later died of his wounds.1

7 SEPTEMBER 2006

Burundi

President Pierre Nkurunziza and Agathon Rwasa, leader of the Forces for National Liberation (FNL) rebel group, signed a cease-fire in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (Reuters).

Britain, politics

Prime Minister Tony Blair said that his Labour Party's annual conference that month would be his last (CNN.com).

8 SEPTEMBER 2006

India

Three bomb attacks in Malegaon killed over 30 people. There was no immediate claim of responsibility (Reuters).

9 SEPTEMBER 2006

Taiwan

A rally in Taipei against President Chen Shui-bian drew 90,000 people. Chen has come under pressure to resign over a series of corruption scandals (AP).

10 SEPTEMBER 2006

Afghanistan

Abdul Hakim Taniwal, governor of Paktia province, was killed by a suicide bomber in Gardez (CNN.com).

Tonga, politics

King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV died in a New Zealand hospital at age 88 (AP).

12 SEPTEMBER 2006

Middle East and North Africa, diplomatic affairs

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran. Afterward Ahmadinejad said, "Iran will provide assistance to the Iraqi government to establish full security. We believe strengthening the Iraqi government is tantamount to promoting security, peace and friendship in that country" (CNN.com).

Turkey

A bomb attack in Diyarbakir killed seven people (CNN.com).

Syria

In Damascus, four gunmen detonated a car bomb outside the US embassy, then attempted to storm the compound. Three were killed and one was captured by Syrian security forces (CNN.com).

13 SEPTEMBER 2006

Iraq

Attacks on two soccer games in Baghdad killed 15 people (CNN.com).

15 SEPTEMBER 2006

Iraq

A bomb attack on a soccer game in Falluja killed eight people (CNN.com).

Taiwan

There was a demonstration in Taipei against President Chen Shui-bian that police said numbered 360,000 people (AP).

16 SEPTEMBER 2006

Taiwan

Police estimated about 60,000 participated in a rally in Taipei in support of President Chen Shui-bian (AP).

17 SEPTEMBER 2006

Sweden, politics

Prime Minister Göran Persson's ruling coalition was narrowly defeated in elections for the 349-seat parliament. Fredrik Reinfeldt led an alliance of the Moderates (M), Center Party (C), Liberal Party (FP) and Christian Democrats (KD) to victory with 48.1% of the vote and 97, 29, 28 and 24 seats respectively. The Social Democrats (S), Left Party (V) and Green Party (MP) won 46.2% of the vote and 130, 22 and 19 seats respectively. Turnout was 80.4%. Reinfeldt had argued that the government had failed to translate healthy economic growth into adequate employment of the labor force (AP, IFES).

Iraq

Four car bomb attacks on police and civilian targets in Kirkuk killed at least 23 people (CNN.com).

18 SEPTEMBER 2006

Iraq

Tribes in Anbar province, in the northwest, announced they had agreed to join forces in fighting insurgents.

A suicide bomber killed 20 people in Tal Afar (CNN.com).

18-19 SEPTEMBER 2006

Democratic Republic of Congo

There were some violent protests in Kinshasha by supporters of presidential candidate and Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba after apparent attacks by supporters of President Joseph Kabila (Reuters).

18-20 SEPTEMBER 2006

Hungary

Thousands violently protested in Budapest against Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany. Many were upset over both Gyurcsany's austerity measures and his recent admission that the government had, in the past, deceived the people as to the extent of fiscal problems (CNN.com, Reuters).

19-20 SEPTEMBER 2006

Thailand

Overnight, the army seized power in a bloodless coup. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was out of the country at the time. Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit and a few other top members of Thaksin's administration were arrested. The coup was led by Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who said it was necessary to heal mounting rifts in Thai society and end the government's alleged corruption and attempts to destroy democratic institutions. He said the country's foreign policy and international agreements would not change and that power would be returned “to the Thai people as soon as possible” (AP).

Thaskin had been popular, particularly in rural areas, but had alienated the urban middle class and intellectuals; there had also been complaints about heavy-handed handling of Islamic unrest in the south.

20 SEPTEMBER 2006

Iraq

According to the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq, 6,599 civilians were killed in July and August (AP).

21 SEPTEMBER 2006

Iraq

Italian forces formally turned over security responsibility for Dhi Qar province, in the south, to Iraqi forces (AP).

21-23 SEPTEMBER 2006

Hungary

In Budapest there was a peaceful protest over the night of the 21st-22nd by about 10,000 people against Prime Minister Gyurcsany. Another peaceful protest on the 23rd drew 40,000 (Reuters).

22 SEPTEMBER 2006

Indonesia

Fabianus Tibo, Marinus Riwu and Dominggus da Silva were executed for leading a Christian militia which launched a series of attacks against Muslims in Sulawesi province in May 2000. The executions were followed by some rioting by Christians in Sulawesi and East Nusatenggara provinces (AP).

Lebanon

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, at a rally in Beirut, said, "No army in the world will force us to drop our weapons, force us to surrender our arms, as long as people believe in this resistance" (CNN.com).

23 SEPTEMBER 2006

Iraq

A blast in the Sadr City area of Baghdad killed at least 34 people. Jamaat Jund al-Sahaba (Soldiers of the Prophet's Companions), a Sunni militant group, claimed responsibility (CNN.com).

24-25 SEPTEMBER 2006

Sri Lanka

The navy attacked a LTTE convoy off the eastern coast near Pulmoddai; it claimed to have sunk eight of 22 LTTE vessels (AP).

25 SEPTEMBER 2006

Iraq

Omar Farouq, said to be a senior member of al Qaeda, was killed by British forces in Basra (AP).

Guatemala

Security forces, including 3,000 police and soldiers, stormed the Pavon prison, which had been effectively under the control of organized criminals (Reuters).

26 SEPTEMBER 2006

Japan, politics

Shinzo Abe was selected as the new Prime Minister. He named Fumio Kyuma as director-general of the Japan Defense Agency; Taro Aso remained foreign minister. Koji Omi was named finance minister. Abe said he would pursue economic and fiscal reform and improve relations with China (www.rulers.org, CNN.com).

United States

Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela and Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela, Colombian brothers who helped found the Cali drug cartel, were sentenced to 30 years imprisonment (Reuters).

27 SEPTEMBER-2 OCTOBER 2006

Diplomatic affairs

On the 27th Georgia arrested four Russian officers for spying. The Georgian government later accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of secretly meeting with Georgian separatist leaders on the 29th. Russia responded by withdrawing its ambassador from Tbilisi and stopping the issuing of visas to Georgians. On 1 October Putin accused the Georgian government of "state terrorism with hostage-taking". On the 2nd Georgia released the Russian officers, but this did not prevent Russia from cutting rail, air and postal links with Georgia (Reuters).

28 SEPTEMBER 2006

Iraq

An audiotape was posted on several Islamic websites in which the speaker, purportedly al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, said over 4,000 foreign fighters had died battling Iraqi government and US-led foreign forces in the country (CNN.com).

Afghanistan

NATO, at a meeting of defense ministers, decided to assume command of at least 10,000 US troops operating independently in the eastern part of the country. It already was in charge of roughly 2,000 US troops (AP).

28 SEPTEMBER-2 OCTOBER 2006

Zambia, politics

Presidential and legislative elections were held on 28 September. On 2 October the Electoral Commission announced that President Levy Mwanawasa of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) had won reelection with 43.0% of the vote. Michael Sata of the Patriotic Front (PF) won 29.4% and Haikande Hichilima of the United Democratic Alliance won 25.3%. In the 158-seat National Assembly, 72 of the 150 elected seats went to the MMD. The PF won 44, up from one in the December 2001 elections, while the UDA won 27, down from the 74 seats previously won by the alliance's parties. Turnout was 70.8%. Sata claimed the elections were fraudulent, and on 2 October there were some violent protests by his supporters in Lusaka and other urban areas. Foreign observers said the voting was largely smooth and transparent (Reuters, www.rulers.org, IFES).

30 SEPTEMBER 2006

Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

The Indian government accused Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of planning the terrorist attack on Mumbai in July. It also said the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba terrorist group and the Students Islamic Movement of India participated in the planning and carried out the attack, and that the bombs consisted of pressure cookers filled with ammonium nitrate and RDX. Pakistan repeated its condemnation of the attack, said that intelligence should be shared and that if India provided solid evidence of Pakistani involvement the matter would be addressed.

The next day, India said it would provide such evidence (CNN.com).

Notes

1. “DNA 'confirms terror leader dead'”, AP, 20 January 2007; “Philippines intensify efforts against rebels”, AP, 21 January 2007.