American planes yesterday mounted the biggest recent air strikes of the Iraq war, pounding what the US military called al-Qaida “safe havens” south of Baghdad.
US spokesmen said 18 tonnes of explosives were dropped by B-1 bombers and F-16 fighters in 10 minutes on targets in Arab Jabour, a Sunni district of date palm groves on the banks of the Tigris river.
– The Guardian
The Government is facing pressure from police and prosecutors to challenge the perceived leniency of a jail term imposed on a terrorist who planned to kill British troops in Afghanistan.
The 4.50 year sentence given to Sohail Qureshi when he pleaded guilty to terrorism charges at the Old Bailey this week was greeted with anger by those who had brought the case to court. Peter Clarke, Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations at Scotland Yard, described him as “a trained and committed terrorist” and expressed surprise at the sentence.
– The Times
