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The article reports that Sunni insurgent groups in Iraq have begun a campaign of targeted assassinations of Iraqi government officials, especially police. At least 10 such attacks were staged on September 24-25, 2007, and scores of persons were killed, including two police chiefs. The two largest attacks were on meetings of tribal leaders and government officials to plan strategies against the insurgents.

The article reports that Abdul al-Rishawi, the Sunni tribal sheikh who aligned himself with U.S. forces in Anbar Province, Iraq, was assassinated in a bomb attack. Al-Rishawi had met with U.S. President George W. Bush in September, 2007 during Bush's visit to Iraq. His death comes as a setback to the U.S. alliance with Sunni tribal leaders in the region, a policy often cited as one of the few U.S. successes in the Iraq War.

The article reports on the assassination of Najia Sediqi, who is the acting head of women's affairs in Laghman Province in Afghanistan. Ahmad Gul Baidar, the head of administrative affairs for the women's department, says that two assailants on a motorcycle killed Sediqi as she was getting into a rickshaw in Mehtar Lam. The death of Hanifa Safi, former women's affairs head, caused by the explosion of an improvised bomb under her car was attributed to the Taliban.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Straight-backed, his bearing almost regal, Malik Niaz, 82, entered the Afghan president's compound this month, proudly wearing his best turban: a silk one from Turkestan in the north of the country, gray and black and white, its long tail draped gracefully over his shoulder He watched in disbelief as the guard asked the elder ahead of him to remove his turban and lay it on the table. Mr. Niaz, who had journeyed more than eight hours on rugged roads, shuddered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

KARZ, Afghanistan -- The marble grave of the Afghan president's half brother, assassinated two weeks ago by one of his own men, lies in this scruffy village that is near Kandahar and bears the family name. The white stone has a quiet to it that stands in stark contrast to the din he left behind. Ahmed Wali Karzai's killing put the region's spoils up for grabs, and the tribal elite of Kandahar are watching, waiting, and above all, calculating their next move. They all want a piece of the future, and among them are strong men with guns. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Ahmed Wali Karzai, the powerful half brother of Afghanistan's president, was assassinated Tuesday, removing from the political scene a divisive power broker who was accused of corruption and alienated the American military, but whose connections and ruthlessness made him a critical force in volatile southern Afghanistan. The death of Mr. Karzai, who effectively ruled much of the country's southern tier from Kandahar, sent tremors through the country's political establishment and raised questions about whether tenuous security gains made by the influx of American forces in the south could hold. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

KABUL, Afghanistan -- In a sophisticated attack, at least one suicide bomber entered the tightly secured police headquarters in Kandahar City on Friday afternoon and detonated his explosives, killing a police chief and two police officers, according to local government officials. The police chief, Gen. Khan Mohammed Mujahid, was a native of the nearby Arghandab district of Kandahar and a career officer respected for his role as a fighter against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. He had survived two previous assassination attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A day after five lethal bombs shook Kandahar, officials appealed Sunday to the central government to send more security forces and expand intelligence gathering in the southern province, underscoring the increasing violence and lawlessness in the city. Although Kandahar has long had violent periods, a number of explosions and assassinations in recent weeks have suggested that it is entering an even more chaotic chapter, with the authorities unable to ensure residents' safety. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports that 46 Iraqis were killed in assassinations, roadside bombs and a suicide car bomb. Not only this, two soldiers of the U.S. also died, one in a combat operation in Baghdad and another in a helicopter crash. Several sectarian killings indicated reasons for widespread anxiety over brutal acts by Shiite and Sunni groups. In separate incidents, two Iraqi reporters were also killed.