The presidential election has been postponed until Aug. 20 to allow the US “surge” forces to provide for additional security. Coalition forces killed four Taliban fighters in Zabul province. Ten Afghan workers were abducted in Herat province while two aid workers were freed.
EU anti-terrorism chief: EU, US need time on Guantanamo
Three candidates slain ahead of Iraq polls
Briefing: Iraq’s provincial elections
Security forces detained a Saudi suspected of recruiting more than 20 Arabs to fight against Coalition forces in Afghanistan. The Saudi served as a noncommissioned officer in the Kuwaiti Army. One of his sons is in al Qaeda and another was killed fighting US troops in Afghansitan.
Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca took control of the town of Dhusamareb after a battle with Shabaab. The deputy governor of Bay province said he is gathering forces to dislodge Shabaab from Baidoa, where sharia law has been declared. A battalion of Nigerian troops is prepared to deploy to Mogadishu.
Three candidates for election in Iraq were killed in separate incidents. Iraqi security forces detained 22 insurgents in Baghdad. Police foiled a plot to bomb an oil well in Basrah; four suspects were detained. Eight Iraqi soldiers were wounded in an IED attack in Baqubah. Al Qaeda fighters bombed three homes in Kanaan.
Sadrists back two independent parties
Iraqis vote in al Qaeda’s last stronghold
US Navy searches cargo vessel for Iranian weapons
Iraqi courts to decide fate of America’s detainees
Battling Aghan drug dealers: NATO high commander issues illegitimate order to kill
US fights information war with Taliban
AQIM denies alleged germ warfare experiment gone wrong
Uzbek group linked to video terror threat against Germany
Iraqis on cusp of landmark election
The Army said it would restore order in Swat. Eleven civilians and 10 Taliban were killed in fighting in Swat; eight more civilians were killed, then dumped in Mingora. Two policemen were wounded in an attack in Bannu.
Al Qaeda in Iraq released a 30-minute videotape calling for Muslims to become snipers and avenge the deaths in Gaza. “If you feel that your heart is being squeezed and you are sorry about what is happening to Muslims, become a sniper. … Then approach God’s enemy and his closest prophet and put a bullet […]
French envoy: Assad stopped Hezbollah action over Gaza war
A DC court ruled that Ghaleb Nassar al Bihani, a detainee at Guantanamo, is being lawfully detained as an enemy combatant. Al Bihani is one of several brothers who have served al Qaeda in some capacity.
Report: Massive Hezbollah attack against Israeli target in Europe thwarted
President Ahmadinejad said the US must remove its forces from the Middle East and apologize for “the crimes they have committed against the Iranian nation.” Egypt’s foreign minister said Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas are conspiring to spark a regional conflict. A US congressman said “there’s no way and no chance to stop the Iranian nuclear […]
Shabaab fighters chopped off the hand of a thief in Kismayo. Ethiopian forces have halted traffic along the Somali-Ethiopian border. Somaliland rejected the Djibouti peace process and reiterated its independence.
Pakistan claims Mumbai attack planned outside: Report
Taliban reign of terror returns to Afghan district
The US military paid the families of 15 people killed during a raid in Kapisa province last weekend. The family of the targeted Taliban commander and other fighters were among those killed. ISAF estimated it killed around 100 civilians in 2008, while the Taliban killed 973 civilians. Coalition forces detained a Taliban commander in Zabul […]
Early voting for the provincial elections has begun. Kurdistan leader Massoud Barazani rejected the formation of Awakening councils in the North. Four al Qaeda fighters were captured in Mosul. Two policemen were wounded in an attack on a polling station in Touz Khormato.
FOXNews.com – US pays $40,000 to relatives of 15 Afghans killed in raid
‘Jihadi rehab’ is a possibility for post-Gitmo
Top reserve officer: Israel passed up ‘historic opportunity’ to wipe out Hamas