Police shoot 7 ‘terrorists’ to end kidnap in China’s restive Central Asia border region

Police in China’s restive Central Asia border region fatally shot seven members of a Muslim ethnic group in what officials said Thursday was an effort to end a kidnap by terrorists, but what a rights group said was extreme force.

Accounts from officials and government websites said police officers opened fire after they encounter resistance in a Wednesday night raid on a mountain hideout outside Hotan city to free two men kidnapped by “a violent terrorist group.”

Aside from the seven dead, four people were injured and another four were arrested, and while police freed the two hostages, one officer was killed and another injured, said an account on the official website of Xinjiang, the area where the incident took place. A spokeswoman for the Xinjiang government established the account and identified the kidnappers and their hostages as Uighurs, the indigenous, mainly Muslim ethnic group.

Long-simmering resentment among Uighurs over rule by China’s Han majority and influxes of Chinese migrants into Xinjiang has periodically erupted into violence. Separatist sentiment is rife, with some Uighurs advocating armed rebellion. A smaller fringe has been radicalized by radical calls for Muslim holy war and has been establish in training camps across the border in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

China has respond to the sporadic violence by raising the police presence, conducting raids and at times restricting the practice of Islam - moves that have further alienated many Uighurs and ratcheted up tensions.

China originally blamed that attack on Uighur terrorists trained overseas, and though the government regularly makes that accusation whenever violence erupts in Xinjiang, it has seldom provided proof to back up the claims of organized terrorism.

The actually easy way to stop terrorist acts

Former American President Jimmy Carter commented on the kind of state terrorism reflected in American actions in Guantanamo Bay and other places as a dishonor to the US. “I wouldn't say it's the reason of terrorism, but it has given force and excuses to potential terrorists to lash out at our country and justify their despicable acts.”
“Terrorism” and “terrorists” are the key labels of warmongers working to inspire fear into the public to justify military slaughtering. Just about anyone who refuses to obey with the dictates of pre-emptive military states can be targeted. The incredible part of this charade is that the labels are used by the states to justify outright murders while indulge in the same behavior under a different name.
The labels “terrorism” instills fear and arouses action. It was used to become engaged in the Iraq War. When either the US or Israel indulge in further pre-emptive strikes or assassination, it will be state terrorism used to protect against fictional terrorists. Scholar and author Noam Chomsky observed wisely: “Everybody's worried about stop terrorism. Well, there's an actually easy way: Stop participate in it.”

Inflicted Wounds Are Not Forgotten in Camaguey

50 years passed but still the U.S. government goes on giving a green light, encouraging and committing the common acts of terror that have injured the very center of the Cuban people’s soul.    

This dreadful plague has left deepest marks in the families living in Camagüey province. It is still fixed in the memory events such as that occurred on January 5th, 1963, when more than 7 metric tons of rice, a sugar cane field, a school, fertilizer storage and several houses were burned and completely destroyed in Santa Cruz del Sur.

In 1967, a human being was arrested on charges of placing ground glass in the foodstuff of children that focused several schools in the coastal city of Nuevitas, showing no mercy for such little human beings.

In the same year a counterrevolutionary crowd which was trying to penetrate the country and had dedicated terrorist actions to threaten the civilians was finally caught.  

But the example appears not to be sufficient as the mercenaries showed their teeth again in the 90’s. Members of the “Cuba Independent y Democratic” organization were arrested in Camagüey while they were distributing rebellious misinformation, besides they were also damaging the high-voltage power lines in the municipality of Santa Cruz del Sur, 82 km south of the city of Camagüey.

To impede actions of this sort, five exceptional men named Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González, René González and Gerardo Hernández, put aside their individual plans and went to the safe place of the anti-Cuban mafia in Miami to warn their homeland about the terrible plots like those previously mentioned.

Pain is not totally repaired in the families of those who passed away in the bombing of a Cubana aircraft off the coast of Barbados, a physical attack masterminded by confess terrorists Orlando Bosh and Luis Posada Carriles, in which Camagüey province lost two of its daughters Inés Luaces and Milagros Pélaez.

The parents of those children who died in 1980 after being infected by Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF), it has been carried into Cuba by lackeys of imperialism, can also talk about what certainly terrorism means for them.    

It is precisely for the reason that those who live in Camagüey have gone through the sour knowledge of having been struck by state sponsor terrorism, today we can stand on our own feet and demand justice.

U.S. Charges Two Men with Illegal Lobbying for Pakistan

Two Pakistani-American men were charged Tuesday with being on the payroll of Pakistan’s ISI and illegally lobbying the U.S. government over the issue of Kashmir on behalf of Pakistan, according to reports. The men are charged in connection with a front group in the United States that Pakistani intelligence has allegedly operated for 20 years, funneling money to lawmakers and lobbying Congress and the White House.

One of the men charged, Syed Fai, lives in Virginia and was arrested on Tuesday. The other, Zaheer Ahmad, is in Pakistan and is being sought. Fai is the director of the Kashmiri American Council, which the FBI alleges is financed by the Pakistani military to lobby U.S. lawmakers against India’s control over much of Kashmir. The FBI alleges that “Fai and his council received more than $4 million from the Pakistani government since the mid-1990s. The FBI said that in 2009, the council’s projected budget called for $100,000 in contributions to members of Congress,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Ahmad is alleged to have organized contributors to the council in Pakistan, who would then be reimbursed by Pakistan’s military.

The allegations come at a tense moment in U.S.-Pakistan relations, which have deteriorated since the May raid that killed Osama bin Laden and the diplomatic stand-off over the arrest of a CIA contractor in Pakistan earlier this year.

Mapuche Juvenile Processed Under Antiterrorism Law

 On Saturday, April 30th, a Mapuche juvenile (either 16 or 17, depending on the report) was detained and, ultimately, arrested and processed for four crimes under Chile’s Antiterrorism Law. Specifically, the youth was processed for having violated the arson, association (with terrorists), attempted terrorist murder and armed robbery sections of the Antiterrorism Law.

Although the investigation is still pending, the Temuco Court of Appeals met on May 3rd and granted the youth his freedom. This decision upheld what the lower court had granted and came despite arguments from the Chilean prosecutor seeking continued detention as the proceedings continue.

The arrest and processing were controversial for a number of reasons, one of which is because, according to José Venturelli, the European Secretariat of the Ethical Commission Against Torture, the arrest and processing violates the commitments made by the Chilean Government to the Mapuche with respect to terrorism charges. In addition, according to Venturelli, the arrest appears to be in violation of international law.

Thus far, the media coverage of the event has been scarce and this site is aware of no comments made by any Chilean Government officials on this issue at this time.

In addition to being processed under the Antiterrorism Law, there were also allegations made by Jorge Huenchullan — the werken of the community where the arrest took place — of abuse and coercion at the time of the arrest. At the time of this writing, those allegations have neither been corroborated by other witnesses, nor denied by the Chilean Government.

Strengthen of Nigeria Borders

Jonathan said that Nigeria will strengthen its borders with neighbors.

ABUJA—PIQUED by expanding occurrence of trans-border offense and terrorism around Nigeria, President Good luck Jonathan yesterday said that the country would take specific steps to make stronger security cooperation with neighboring countries.

He also added that the move was to check trans-border crime and terrorism in the West African sub-region.He expressed his distress at reports of an attempted revolution in Niger, and said the sub-region would not be familiar with such interference in Niger or anywhere else in West Africa.

Jonathan was speaking to President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic at the opening of bilateral talks between designations of the two nations at State House.Jonathan said that the Terrorism and trans-border crime create a serious security threat to all our countries, so we will strengthen border patrols and other areas of cooperation with our neighbours, to guarantee the safety of our citizens.

On food security for the two countries, the President told President Issoufou that Nigeria had plenty of gas and was going to establish plants to produce fertilizer suitable for the different types of soil in the country, and invited Niger to communicate with significant officials to make sure that appropriate fertilizer was produced for their country.

China to climb anti-terrorism collaboration with Pakistan

To ensure regional peace and stability (IANS) China would step up its anti-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan, Xinhua reported Wednesday.

Foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told that China and Pakistan have copied tremendous cooperation in anti-terrorism. He added these words while vowing that China will carry on making stronger its collaboration with Pakistan and jointly breaking down on the 'three evil forces' of terrorism, independence and radicalism.

Foreign ministry spokesman praised the achievements of Pakistan that has made so far in fighting terrorism and also said that the country is a significant frontline state in the international fight against violence and has made terrific contributions in the region. 

China blamed the terrorists who trained in Pakistan for an attack in its far-western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that killed six people and 15 injured, on Monday. State-run Xinhua news agency confirmed a collection of religious extremists led by 'culprits trained in overseas terrorist camps' were behind the weekend attack on civilians in the Xinjiang region. 

The early investigation has shown that the heads of the group had educated the skills of producing explosives and firearms in overseas camps of the terrorist group 'East Turkistan Islamic Movement' (ETIM) in Pakistan before entering Xinjiang to organize terrorist activities, the government of Kashgar city said in an online statement.

The Challenge of Terrorism to India's Infrastructure and Economy - II Expo & Conference

Security Watch India’s, The Challenge of Terrorism to India's Infrastructure and Economy - II - Expo & Conference is first-of-its-kind exposition and conference for those responsible for protecting others from the threats posed by international terrorism and sub-state violence. In October 2011, it will bring together world’s leading expertise and cutting-edge technology to one of the world’s largest homeland security market – India. In addition, it will provide a unique opportunity to access world’s latest, most innovative and highly relevant ideas that to the professionals, who are involved with this dynamic and ever-changing task of providing homeland security, to help them deliver against this menacing challenge.

This two-day conference & expo will be a novel learning experience for security experts to exchange ideas and expose themselves to emerging understandings and practices in their specific sub-fields. While the central focus of the conference will be challenges of business continuity and urban terrorism, issues like modernization of Indian security infrastructure, mass transit protection and critical infrastructure security will also receive considerable attention.

The exposition complimenting the conference will not only be the showcase of state-of-the-art technologies from around the globe for security professionals from the Indian Government and the private sector to familiarize themselves with. It will also be a unique opportunity for developers of these technologies to understand and adapt according to what can soon be the biggest market for their technology on the planet.

SWI has been a catalyst for thought leadership in the field of Indian Homeland Security for the last two years. Its events, held regularly in every part of the world, are recognized as foremost learning opportunities for security professionals and are held in high esteem. This event is the flagship event of Security Watch India and represents culmination of a two-year long discussion that SWI has carried forward involving all stakeholders in various parts of the world.

Pune Terrorism: Indian Group Now Suspected

Pune police wait for the chemical analysis reports to establish which group was responsible for Saturday’s bomb blast in Pune However Riyaz Bhatkal and his brother Iqbal Bhatkal, founder-members of the Indian Mujahideen (IM), have emerged as prime suspects.

Sources said the modus operandi of the blast looks the handiwork of IM led by Riyaz Bhatkal, held responsible for at least 11 blasts across India since 2005. The blasts stopped in 2008 when Mumbai crime branch busted the module and arrested its leading members. ‘‘Bhatkal has been masterminding various blasts since 2005. But it was only after the Mumbai police busted the ring that his and Sadiq Shaikh’s names cropped up. Until then, all investigating agencies had been speculating the hand of Lashkar-e-Taiba,’’ said an officer on condition of anonymity. 

In 2008, when crime branch arrested 21 IM members, the prime accused, Riyaz Bhatkal, his brother Iqbal Bhatkal, and their associates, Mohammed Ali, Amin, Irfan and Abu Rashid remained at large. Among the 21 arrested, most are well educated and from well-off families. Top among them were the computer engineer Mohammed Mansoor Asgar Peerbhoy and MBBS doctor Anwar Bagwan. During interrogations, the accused revealed that all the operations were carried out under Bhatkal, a small time extortionist in Kurla.

Sources said the Bhatkals were born in Bhatkal village in Mangalore, and grew up in Kurla, Mumbai, where they ran a leather-tanning business. In Kurla, they stayed at Pipe Road, a stone’s throw from the place that once housed the banned organisation SIMI’s head office. It was there that the two brothers became strong SIMI members and ran the office until the Maharashtra government sealed it in 2001.

To escape the police, Riyaz came in contact with Naseer Aydeet, a member of the Fazlu Rehman gang. After the fall of the gang, Riyaz and Naseer decided to start their own gang named RN (R for Riyaz and N for Naseer).

Their names cropped up after the 7/11 blasts, but they had already fled Karnataka. While the two brothers are on the run, their family members are underground, police said. It’s learnt they went to UP where they recruited youth from Azamgarh to send them to Pakistan for training. Bhatkals are accused of hatching conspiracies ranging from recruiting youth, training and selecting targets and even supplying RDX.

The same group was responsible for sending e-mails by hacking into WiFi systems in Sanpada, Chembur and Khalsa College, Sion before the Ahmedabad and Delhi blasts.

Northern Ireland-terrorism 'increasing threat' to Britain

The threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism to large Britain has increased, the government's new counter-terrorism strategy says.
The strategy concentrates on global terrorism and potential threats to the Olympic Games.

Support for dissident republican terrorists in NI remains low, it says.
But it notes the frequency of attacks within Northern Ireland has risen significantly from 22 in 2009 to 40 in 2010, and 16 attacks so far this year.
It claims many more attack has been successfully disrupted.

Whilst the level of the terrorist threat within Northern Ireland is rated as rigorous, in Great Britain the threat level is considered substantial, meaning there is a strong possibility of an attack.

The Home Office says it will work with the Stormont government to make sure any changes are compliant with the legal system in Northern Ireland.

The strategy states that important additional funding has already been given to the PSNI to build its capabilities to investigate and disrupt terrorist attacks over the next four years.

It adds that an important percentage of security service operational resources will remain devoted to Northern Ireland-related terrorism.

Factors: urban terrorism in Pakistan

The number of incidents of ‘violence and terrorism’ in Pakistan fell by 11 percent in 2010 when compared to the previous year’s, says a report prepared by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies.

It further states that Pakistan needs to come up with an inclusive, sound and long-term strategy to tackle militancy.

According to a noted writer: “No civilised society can give to stand by and allow urban guerrilla warfare to be waged in its streets. The problem increased from the level of response that is considered enough to contain the terrorism.”

In countering urban terrorism, it is vital to launch psychological warfare so that population can be neutralized and alienated from terrorists. The problem is that this strategy may backfire if not accompanied by
socio-economic actions.

There are multiple factors of urban terrorism in Pakistan: cross-border terrorism, religious militancy, socio-economic decadence, bad governance, poverty, injustice, etc. The pace with which urban terrorism is increasing may lead to full-scale urban-guerrilla warfare, giving birth to anarchy.

In today’s world, a problem affecting a specific region can spread like wildfire in other directions. Criminal organizations have developed the ability to suddenly adopt their modus operandi and areas of intervention.

In order to combat the new trends of urban terrorism in Pakistan, government, intelligence agencies, civil society and media
should adopt an effective, well-coordinated, long-term and comprehensive strategy.

Bin Laden’s death was not an end to terrorism

President Barack Obama televises confirmation of Osama bin Laden’s death in his May 1, speech, at the White House. "Justice has been done," he said to viewers.
The death of Bin Laden brought crowds outside of the White House, in Times Square and at West Point which celebrates this victory.

“His death was a symbolic victory in the world. Bringing him to justice in some format required to happen” said Social Studies teacher Mr. Daniel Vinat.

President Obama has met with the National Security Council to discuss the quest of bin Laden, and on early April 29, he gave orders to plan an assault on his suspected position. The President issued last orders the next morning.

Bin Laden’s life was not the only one taken by United States armed forces. Three male adults, one being a son of bin Laden and are also said to have been killed. Also, one woman, who was used as a protect by a male combatant, was killed and two other women were injured (cbsnews.com).

Moments after Obama’s speech, the U.S. was put on aware by the State Department and warned of the heightened possibility for anti-American violence.

Sri Lanka seek new global laws to fight terrorism

Sri Lanka pressed ahead Tuesday with a global seminar aimed at sharing its practice of defeating terrorism despite a boycott campaign and new claims that its troops committed war crimes.

The seminar entitled “Defeating Terrorism, Sri Lankan Experience” is co-sponsored by China, but rights groups have called for a boycott and main nations such as the United States and Japan have stayed away.

A massive military offensive crushed the country’s Tamil Tiger separatists two years ago, bringing an end to ethnic violence for the first time in decades but also luminous allegations of war crimes.

On Monday, a UN envoy confirmed that a video allegedly depicting Sri Lankan troops executing Tamil Tiger rebels was authentic and that the actions constituted “definitive war crimes” that should be investigated.

A panel of experts advising UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon concluded last month that there were “credible allegations” of government forces shelling civilians and hospital and killing surrendering rebels. Sri Lanka has denied that any civilians were killed and believes it is being unfairly targeted after successfully ending a war that claimed an estimated 100,000 lives amid normal suicide bombings of government targets.

Roots of terrorism

THE assault by terrorists on a naval aviation base in Karachi has once again demonstrated the amount of the roots of terrorism in the country.
Even if the attackers did not have sympathizers and informants inside, the way they carried out the assault shows they had an active network in neighboring areas and an operational cell through which they managed to procure heavy weapons and carry them into the naval base. The same can be said of other high-profile terrorist attacks targeting safety forces throughout the country, including the October 2009 attack on GHQ in Rawalpindi.

The spread and reach of terrorists in Pakistan has become a critical challenge for the state. The attacks that they have launches have shown that they are capable of striking anywhere in the country. And yet ambiguity remains pervasive in society on the issue of terrorism. The group mindset reflects a state of out-and-out denial.
Almost every religious organization, whether its ambitions are political, sectarian or militant, maintains wings with a specific focus on women, lawyers, traders, doctors and teachers, among others.

International terrorist organizations, such as Al Qaeda, have also benefited from this level of radicalization, by generates financial and human resources as well as cultivating favorable perceptions among the populace in some parts of the country. According to an Asia Online report, numerous hundred students from Karachi affiliated with the student wing of an offshoot of a religious political party have joined Al Qaeda training camps in North Waziristan Agency in Fata. The report described that as a more hazardous development for Pakistan than any previous Al Qaeda alliance, as student wings can boast Al Qaeda’s recruitment drive and enhance its political power. In mainland Pakistan, however, terrorism has its roots in the ideological, political and sectarian narratives developed by the religious parties, aggressive groups and, at times, by the state itself.

Terrorism live on after Osama bin Laden

Nine and a half years ago, District Chronicles printed our first version. Our goal: tell compelling stories about people and events the big newspapers unnoticed. The first day of our first version was Sept. 11, 2001-9/11. All the enthusiastic joy and excitement of creating and producing the area's newest publication, quickly faded as haunting images of the World Trade Center dominated the airwaves; thick, black smoke billowed from the western wall of the Pentagon, and a anxious city scrambled, searching the skies, as another hijacked plane headed to Washington. As our title read back then, it was a 'Terrible Tuesday.'

The announcement by President Obama that Navy SEALs carried out a death-defying mission in Pakistan last week that ends with the death of Osama bin Laden brought back memories of how our world has changed since Sept. 11, and how so much of that change was in response to one man.

While many people took to the streets with American flags here and in cities across the country to rejoice bin Laden's demise, the sad truth is that the trillions of dollars spent on the wars have not done much to? stomp out terrorism against our state, even with bin Laden dead. In fact, officials say members of worldwide terror groups may want to avenge his death by attacking here or someplace abroad.?

The killing of the world's most elusive terrorist won't bring back the 3000 souls lost on that "Terrible Tuesday' here, in New York City and in Pennsylvania nor the courageous soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice pursuing him.

New terrorism alert system goes into outcome Wednesday

The federal government Wednesday is implements a new terrorism alert system that replaces the color-coded alerts put in position after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

The new system only has two levels of alerts - compare to the previous system's five levels.

"The National Terrorism Advisory System, which was urbanized in close collaboration with our federal, state, local, tribal and private sector partners, will provide the American public with information about credible threats so that they can better protect themselves, their families, and their communities," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement ahead of the official statement at 11:30 a.m.

She'll make the announcement in New York, where more than 2,700 people were killing when two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers.
The two alert levels of the new system will be "elevated threat," which "warns of a believable terrorist threat" to the United States; and "imminent threat," which "warns of a credible, exact and impending terrorist threat," according to a Department of Homeland Security statement.

Any alert will routinely expire after a specific time, although they could be extended if new information shows a threat persists, DHS said.

United States is backing terrorism: IRGC commander

TEHRAN- Iranian Brigadier General Hossein Salami has criticize the United States’s response to the Iraqi government’s crackdown on the MKO terrorists based in Camp Ashraf.

“The Westerners indicated their obvious support for a veteran terrorist group by the recent stance they adopted,” Salami, who is a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution guard Corps, told reporters on Sunday.

The Mojahedin Khalq Organization, listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community, began a campaign of assassinations and bombings in Iran shortly after the conquest of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The group moved to Iraq in the early 1980s and fight Iran from there until the United States invaded the country in March 2003.

30 years for British Airways terror plotter

A British Airways computer professional, who had access to offices in Newcastle, has been jailed for 30 years for plotting to launch a 9/11-style terror attack from the UK.

Rajib Karim, 31, wanted to use his place at the airline to plant a bomb on a plane as part of a "chilling" conspiracy with Anwar Al-Awlaki, a disreputable radical preacher associated with al Qaida.

Among several plots to bring the airline to its knees, Karim hoped he could exploit industrial action by staff to become a cabin crew member and cause a blast on a US-bound flight.

He was found guilty last month of four counts of planning terrorism.
The judge recommended that Karim be automatically deport after he has finished his sentence.

He told Karim that he "worked incessantly to further terrorist purposes" while leading a quiet and unobtrusive lifestyle.

The judge said: "You are and were a committed jihadist who understood his responsibility to his religion involves fighting and, God-willing, dying and then being rewarded in the afterlife."

He accepted that Karim was a bit more of "a follower than a leader".

Faisalabad – terror tactics

Faisalabad, the country’s third main city, has faced its largest terrorist attack in many years. Up until now, the crowded textile-manufacturing centre had not been hit - blasts in Punjab, for the most part, took place in Lahore or Rawalpindi that houses the military headquarters. The blast in Faisalabad resembled those that have occurred in other places in terms of its cautious planning and execution. A car packed with explosives blew up at a CNG station, killing at least 20 people and injuring around 100 others with the numbers of both dead and injured expected to increase.

This latest blast indicates a development in the ring of terrorism. The menace has expanded beyond the tribal belt and into cities all over the place. It is possible that terrorists chased out of their strongholds in Khyber-Pakhtukhwa have set up bases elsewhere. It is also possible that they are working with activists based in Punjab. We require developing a broad-based strategy to tackle terrorism and hunt down those behind it wherever they may be in the country. The Punjab chief minister has already suggested that a national conference be held to talk about this growing crisis. The Faisalabad blast should help eradicate any doubt as to the require to call one and devise a plan to stop terrorism from growing and taking a still greater toll on lives.

It is only when the answers are found that we will be able to work out what methods to use against them and to stop the trail of destruction which winds its way through the country from extending out any further than is already the case.

FBI: Bomb found on MLK March way

A backpack found along the way of the Martin Luther King Jr. march in Spokane contained a bomb "capable of inflicting multiple casualties," the FBI said Tuesday, described the case as "domestic terrorism."

The FBI said the Swiss Army-brand backpack was originated about 9:25 a.m. PST on Monday on a bench at the northeast corner of North Washington Street and West Main Avenue in downtown Spokane.

A bomb disposal unit was called in and neutralizes the device with a robot. The FBI said in a statement on Tuesday that "the backpack contained a potentially deadly critical device, likely capable of inflicting multiple casualties."

The FBI has not established an official motive, but Harrill told NBC News "the timing and placement of the backpack (along the March route) is unavoidable."

"At that point, it falls straight in the realm and sphere of domestic terrorism," Harrill told the Associated Press. "Clearly, there was some political or social plan here."

No risks or warnings were issued before the march.

United States and Israel work together against terror

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Israeli leaders the United States is dedicated to protect both countries against terrorist threats.

Napolitano met Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich in Jerusalem as part of her international trip to Asia and the Middle East, the department said in a release.

"As a steadfast ally to Israel, the United States is committed to continuing our strong partnership to defend both countries against new and evolving terrorist threats," Napolitano said.

"The Department of Homeland Security will continue to work closely with the Israeli government and other nations around the world to strengthen the security of the international aviation system, safe the global supply chain, protect our vital cyber networks and infrastructure, and improve disaster preparedness and response capabilities."

Napolitano also discussed the department's efforts to fight the trafficking of chemicals used to manufacture ad hoc explosive devices and the need for the United States and Israel to work together to protect citizens of both countries from threats of terrorism.