“The leader of the al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group that claimed responsibility for twin bombings in Uganda during the World Cup final is threatening further attacks.

The leader of al-Shabab — Sheik Muktar Abu Zubayr — also thanked the militants who carried out Sunday’s twin bombings in Uganda. The attacks killed 76 people.”

“India has accused Pakistan’s powerful spy agency of planning and executing the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in the strongest and most specific allegation of Islamabad’s involvement in the assault from a top official.

The remark comes a day before the foreign ministers of the rival nations are set to meet in Islamabad to attempt to rebuild a fragile peace dialogue that was shattered by the attacks, which killed 166 people. It appeared to be an attempt to ratchet up the pressure on Pakistan to prosecute people whom India says were deeply involved in the assault.

“Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen launched simultaneous attacks Wednesday on the intelligence and security services headquarters in the south Yemen town of Zinjibar, killing three policemen and wounding 11, a security official said.

Two gunmen were killed and one wounded in the clashes, the official added.

He said that around 20 gunmen carried out the attacks, and that Al-Qaeda was believed to be responsible.

“Taliban insurgents are carrying out more attacks this year than at any time since early in the war, killing increasing numbers of civilians as U.S.-led forces push into the militants’ southern strongholds, an Afghan rights group said Monday.

International troops were responsible for about one-fifth of civilian deaths — down from previous years, thanks to restrictive rules of engagement that some soldiers feel put their own lives at risk.

That so many noncombatants are dying shows that the international force has yet to succeed in its goal of protecting the Afghan people, whose trust and support are key components of NATO’s new counterinsurgency strategy in the nearly 9-year-old war.

At least 1,074 civilians died in the first half of this year, triple the number of international forces killed over the same period, the Afghanistan Rights Monitor said in a report that called 2010 the worst year for security since shortly after the demise of the Taliban regime.

“At least nine people have died in pair of bombings that struck a restaurant and a rugby ground in Uganda’s capital as patrons gathered to watch Sunday’s World Cup final, police said.

Nine people died and five were wounded at an Ethiopian restaurant in Kampala, police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said. But there was a yet-undetermined number of fatalities and injuries at a rugby field where other fans gathered to watch Sunday night’s match between Spain and the Netherlands, Nabakooba said.