Iran
Pakistan, Iran jockey for influence after bombings
Pakistan, Iran jockey for influence after bombings
3 Iraqi cities cancel Christmas festivities
The UN reportedly has proof that Hezbollah was directly involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Indictments of Hezbollah officials are rumored to be coming by the end of the year.
Young Russians in search of faith are turning to Islam
Kenya and Uganda bolster security after explosion
US embassy cables: Taliban using opium stocks like savings nest egg
ISAF’s top spokesman said there was “absolutely no truth” to rumors that special operations raids would target the Taliban in Pakistan. Pakistan’s ambassador to the US insisted foreign troops could not operate on its soil. The Taliban torched two NATO container trucks in Khudzar.
Coalition and Afghan forces killed and captured dozens of Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters in Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar, Zabul, Paktia, Logar, and Takhar. Two Taliban fighters died from a premature detonation in Logar. The Taliban killed two ISAF soldiers in the south.
Air Force is through with Predator drones
Venezuelan parliament votes to tighten internet rules
UK – Terrorism plot suspects may be charged ‘within days’
Afghanistan – British troops will hunt Taliban’s winter hideouts, says senior officer
US, NATO not planning ground ops in Pakistan, officials say
Iraq’s Parliament approved Nouri al Maliki as Prime Minister, and also approved three deputy prime ministers and 29 cabinet positions. Security forces killed an al Qaeda leader in Mosul. Insurgents killed an intelligence officer in Baghdad.
Fighters formerly loyal to Hizbul Islam have poured into Mogadishu to swell the ranks of Shabaab. The African Union downplayed Hizbul Islam’s union with Shabaab. Shabaab arrested farmers who refused to sell their land to pro-Shabaab businessmen.
US Attorney General Eric Holder said Anwar al Awlaki is one of the most wanted terrorists, on par with Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters killed a soldier during an attack on a checkpoint in Abyan province.
As noted last night, the likelihood of US special operations forces expanding ground operations into Pakistan is slim. Today, ISAF repudiated last night’s report by The New York Times, which claimed that the US was on the cusp of green-lighting expanded operations in Pakistan’s tribal areas. Today, ISAF’s spokesman forcefully denied the NYT report. From […]
A mineral fund for Afghanistan
Casualties in Iran’s latest earthquake rose to 40. Lebanese members of parliament denounced Supreme Leader Khamenei’s comments on the investigation of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. Iran boosted the domestic production of gasoline to 1 billion liters.
Terror threat in US aimed to poison food
Drone activity in Pakistan moves northward, official says
Ex-terror suspect Mohamed Haneef wins Australia payout
Waste in US Afghan aid seen at billions of dollars
Three people were killed and 37 more were wounded after a man detonated a grenade on a bus in Nairobi. Police suspect Shabaab may be involved in the attack. The bus was destined for Kampala, Uganda.
UK – Anti-terror police arrest 12 people in nationwide raids
According to The New York Times, US military leaders are pushing for the expansion of US ground operations against the Taliban based in Pakistan: The proposal, described by American officials in Washington and Afghanistan, would escalate military activities inside Pakistan, where the movement of American forces has been largely prohibited because of fears of provoking […]
US military in Afghanistan – Life and death decisions weigh on junior officers
Afghanistan feels the squeeze
India says Pakistan must drop ‘terror’ for friendly ties
UK – Anti-terror raids lead to 12 arrests over multiple bomb attack fears