February 2006 Intelligence News

Al-Qaida Leadership Seen as Depleted but Still a Danger Washington File 28 Feb 2006 -- Al-Qaida’s leadership has been depleted significantly but its top priority remains the planning and execution of attacks within the United States, against U.S. interests overseas and against U.S. allies, members of the intelligence community told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Iran, North Korea, China Emerging as Threats AFPS 28 Feb 2006 -- After terrorism, the ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction is the second major threat to the safety of the U.S. and its allies, and Iran and North Korea are both emerging as potential dangers in that area, a top U.S. official told a Senate committee here today.
Terrorism Biggest Threat to National Security, Officials Say AFPS 28 Feb 2006 -- Terrorism remains the pre-eminent threat to U.S. national security and interests abroad.
Senate Judiciary Committee Discusses Government's Surveillance Authority VOA 28 Feb 2006 -- The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday on the president's wartime powers and the National Security Agency's surveillance authority.
Top US Intelligence Officials Concerned With Latest Iraq Violence VOA 28 Feb 2006 -- Sectarian violence in Iraq over the past week has killed hundreds of people, raising concerns that the country is sliding towards civil war
Total force in action with Predator operations AFPN 27 Feb 2006 -- The U.S. Air Force Warfare Center’s implementation of total force initiatives continues as more Guard and Reserve members integrate into Predator operations here.
German secret service did not pass Saddam's defense plans to US: official IRNA 27 Feb 2006 -- Germany's BND foreign secret service agents did not get their hands on Saddam Hussein's defense plans for Baghdad and they did not pass it to the US one month before the outbreak of the 2003 Iraq war, a top German official said in Berlin on Monday, rejecting a story in the daily New York Times.
Germany Reportedly Gave Prewar Intelligence On Iraq RFE/RL 27 Feb 2006 -- The American newspaper "The New York Times" is reporting that Germany gave the U.S. intelligence on Iraq before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Former Afghan Spy Chief Sentenced To Death RFE/RL 25 Feb 2006 -- An Afghan court today sentenced communist-era spy chief Assadullah Sarwari to death for ordering the killing of hundreds of people.
Belarus: Opposition Targeted As Lukashenka Calls For 'Preemptive' Security Sweep RFE/RL 22 Feb 2006 -- Belarus's Committee for State Security, better known as the KGB, on 21 February staged a series of raids targeting members of the political opposition
German Police Official Implicated in CIA Jail Charges VOA 21 Feb 2006 -- A German man, allegedly held in a U.S. secret prison in Afghanistan, says he has identified a German police official who visited him there.
US intelligence eavesdropped on German secret agents in Iraq: daily IRNA 21 Feb 2006 -- US intelligence eavesdropped on two agents of Germany's BND foreign secret service who remained in Baghdad during the Iraq war, the daily Leipziger Volkszeitung reported in its Tuesday edition.
Kazakh Secret Agents Held Over Sarsenbaev's Killing RFE/RL 21 Feb 2006 -- Kazakhstan's secret service says five of its members have been detained on suspicion of involvement in the killing of the opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbaev.
Controversy Deepens Over Iraq Prewar Intelligence VOA 20 Feb 2006 -- One of the puzzling questions hanging over the Iraq war is: how did the intelligence turn out to be so wrong?
Top Pentagon Lawyer Reportedly Warned Of Detainee Abuse Before Abu Ghraib VOA 20 Feb 2006 -- A U.S. magazine says a former top Defense Department lawyer warned that the policy of circumventing international agreements on humane treatment of prisoners could lead to the kind of abuse that caused a scandal two years ago.
Drug Enforcement Administration Element Becomes 16th Intelligence Community Member Office of the Director of National Intelligence 17 Feb 2006 -- The Director of National Intelligence, John D. Negroponte, and the Attorney General, Alberto R. Gonzales, announce the designation of the Office of National Security Intelligence, an element in the Drug Enforcement Administration's Intelligence Division, as the 16th member of the Intelligence Community (IC).
Global Hawk UAV returns to America AFPN 17 Feb 2006 -- The Edwards flightline is the scheduled return landing site for Prototype Global Hawk Air Vehicle No. 3, an unmanned aircraft that has flown 4,245 hours in support of combat operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and the Combined Task Force-Horn of Africa mission.
U.S.: Ex-CIA Official Publicly Challenges Pre-War Iraq Assessment RFE/RL 17 Feb 2006 -- A member of the audience at a public speech given in Washington today identified himself as a retired intelligence analyst with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, and challenged the reasons President George W. Bush used to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq
Domestic Spying Controversy Debated in Congress VOA 16 Feb 2006 -- There has been more heated debate in Congress over President Bush's approval of a program to spy on communications between suspected terrorists in the United States and those overseas
Senate Speech: Seeking the Truth on Spying on Americans at Home Office of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd 15 Feb 2006 -- Senator Byrd on Wednesday called for a thorough investigation into possible violations of intelligence law and the Constitution by the Bush Administration.
Byrd Calls for Investigation on Intell Abuses Office of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd 15 Feb 2006 -- Senator Byrd on Wednesday called for a thorough investigation into possible violations of intelligence law and the Constitution by the Bush Administration
More Abu Ghraib Images Could Harm Troops, Official Says AFPS 15 Feb 2006 -- Publicizing more images depicting alleged abuse of detainees at Iraqi's Abu Ghraib prison could bring harm to U.S. servicemembers, a senior Defense Department official said here today.
Pentagon Concerned Old Abu Ghraib Photos Could Spark Violence VOA 15 Feb 2006 -- The Defense Department has expressed concern that the release of more photos, and some videos, of prisoner abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib Prison more than two years ago could incite what it calls "unnecessary violence."
'Able Danger' Yielded Counterterrorism Tools, Official Says AFPS 15 Feb 2006 -- The Defense Department did not hamper the transfer of intelligence gleaned from the Able Danger program to other agencies, and the program did, in fact, yield useful tools for the counterterrorism effort, a senior DoD official said here today.
Intelligence Gathering In the Digital Age VOA 15 Feb 2006 -- The United States faces new kinds of adversaries capable of communicating and coordinating attacks around the globe at the speed of light
Two Afghan Intelligence Agents Found Dead VOA 15 Feb 2006 -- Afghan authorities have discovered the bodies of two intelligence agents kidnapped by suspected Taleban militants earlier this week.
Prototype Global Hawk flies home after 4,000 combat hours AFPN 14 Feb 2006 -- A high-flying prototype “Airman” is heading home after being deployed more than four years and flying 4,245 hours supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and the Combined Task Force-Horn of Africa.
Hawaii-based Airmen fight war on terror AFPN 14 Feb 2006 -- When a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle takes off from Balad Air Base, Iraq, a pilot at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., takes control of it.
EU Lawmakers to Seek Prison Testimony from US Senators, CIA Boss VOA 14 Feb 2006 -- European Union lawmakers say they hope to question two U.S. senators and the CIA director about reports of the agency's use of secret prisons in Europe to house accused terrorists.
Bush Gives Congress More Information on Domestic Spying VOA 09 Feb 2006 -- Pressure continues to build in Congress for changes to a three-decade-old law that critics accuse President Bush of violating when he approved efforts to spy on communications between people in the United States and those abroad
Putin Praises FSB For Exposing Spies RFE/RL 07 Feb 2006 -- President Vladimir Putin today praised the Federal Security Service (FSB) for the "professionalism" that he said Russia's counterintelligence service recently demonstrated in exposing foreign spies.
Attorney General Defends US Domestic Wiretap Program VOA 06 Feb 2006 -- The top U.S. law enforcement official is defending the legality of a controversial domestic surveillance program, saying it is an essential tool in the war on terrorism.
Terrorist Surveillance Program Designed to Detect, Prevent Attacks AFPS 05 Feb 2006 -- The president's terrorist surveillance program serves the purpose of gathering intelligence against terrorists wishing to attack the United States, the nation's No. 2 intelligence officer said in appearances on Sunday morning talk shows.
Former Cheney Aide to Stand Trial in January 2007 VOA 04 Feb 2006 -- A former top White House aide will stand trial next year on charges he blocked an investigation into the outing of a CIA agent.
U.S. Expels Venezuelan Envoy After Chavez Ousts U.S. Navy Officer Washington File 03 Feb 2006 -- In response to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's February 2 decision to order the expulsion of a naval attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the United States has declared Jeny Figueredo Frias, a diplomat at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, "persona non grata."
US Expels Venezuelan Diplomat VOA 03 Feb 2006 -- The United States is expelling a Venezuelan diplomat after the Caracas government Thursday ordered an American naval attaché to depart for alleged spying
Negroponte Says Terrorism Tops U.S. List of Threats Washington File 02 Feb 2006 -- The director of U.S. national intelligence calls terrorism "the pre-eminent threat to our citizens, to our homeland and to our interests abroad."
US Intelligence Official: Al-Qaida Remains Top Threat VOA 02 Feb 2006 -- The U.S. National Director of Intelligence says the al-Qaida terrorist network remains the top concern of the intelligence community, followed closely by the nuclear activities of Iran and North Korea.
Venezuela Expels US Naval Attaché for Allegedly Spying VOA 02 Feb 2006 -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says a U.S. Navy attache accused of spying has been ordered out of the country.
South Korean Spy Agency Finds 'No Evidence' North Korea is Counterfeiting US Dollars VOA 02 Feb 2006 -- A South Korean lawmaker has quoted intelligence officials as saying they have no evidence North Korea has recently counterfeited U.S. dollars.
Russian Activists Protest Accusations In Spy Scandal RFE/RL 01 Feb 2006 -- Russian human rights activists today again protested recent accusations by the secret services that they had received funding from alleged spies working for the British embassy in Moscow.
U.S. Ceaseless Aerial Espionage against DPRK under Fire KCNA 01 Feb 2006 -- The U.S. imperialists committed more than 190 cases of aerial espionage against the DPRK in January by mobilizing strategic and tactical reconnaissance planes with diverse missions, according to military sources.