March 22, 2004

New Violence in Afghanistan Afghanistan's minister for civil aviation, the son of one of the country's most powerful warlords, was killed in some of the worst fighting in Afghanistan since the Taliban's fall more than two years ago. PAGE A15 Taiwan Election Dispute Riot policemen stood guard as opposition supporters rallied in Taipei calling for a recount and an investigation into Saturday's the presidential election. PAGE A9

Senior American commanders in Iraq publicly complain that delays in delivering radios, body armor and other equipment have hobbled their ability to build effective Iraqi security force that can ultimately replace United States troops there; say lag in supplying equipment, caused by contract dispute, may have contributed to loss of lives among Iraqi recruits; equipment for America's combat troops and that for Iraqi security services is obtained through separate contracting and procurement processes; senior Army officials in Washington say sloppy contract language, staff turnover, incomplete paperwork and stressful combat conditions on ground led to badly flawed process; Army is rushing to seek new bids for contract, but that could take months; in meantime, officials look to see if they can use other funds and piggyback on existing contracts for weapons and other equipment; photo (M)

Europe has become prized target for Islamic terrorists in last 20 years; police and intelligence agents all over Europe confront growing numbers of Islamic militants who blend easily with other immigrants from North Africa, Middle East and elsewhere, as terrorists among them exploit tactical advantage; militants operate in ever-changing constellation of cells, moving freely from country to country across continent; agents tracking them are constrained by jurisdictional and bureaucratic boundaries; intelligence is far too infrequently shared, often leaving information about dangerous militants woefully incomplete; at least three of suspects in Madrid terror bombings were known to European and Arab intelligence officials for some time; one, Jamal Zougam, consorted with militant leaders from five countries, had his home searched by police, yet was never thoroughly investigated; in Madrid bombings, which killed 202 people, suicide bombers were replaced by triggering devices engineered with cheap cellphones; this suggests terrorists linked to Al Qaeda are able to modify their tactics and adopt mind-set different from one investigators thought they knew; map showing places where authorities foiled terrorist plans against European targets (L)

Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid is chosen to receive 2004 Pritzker Architecture Prize, first woman to do so; prize, which carries $100,000 grant, will be awarded at May 31 ceremony at Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia; photos (M)

Chart shows NCAA Regional tournament results; photo,