Iran has provided sniper units to kill Syrian protesters targeted by the regime of President Bashar Assad. Belarus is the latest country that Western powers suspect of helping Iran to skirt UN sanctions aimed at preventing Tehran from expanding its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
At least 200 Syrian opposition members have met outside the capital in a significant gathering of dissidents on Syrian soil. A group of Russian lawmakers arrived in Damascus Saturday in a bid to broker an end to violence. Russia is one of President Bashar al Assad’s few remaining supporters.
In Yemen, revolution moves at a crawl
Afghan commandos and Coalition special operations forces launched a raid to retake the district of Barg-e-Matal, which has switched hands multiple times over the past several years.
Iraqi troops killed three men armed with weapons and suicide belts in the western city of Haditha. Insurgents killed a policeman in Fallujah and a civilian in Baghdad.
Government forces killed six protesters in the capital of Sana’a. Saudi officials said that President Saleh, who has been recovering from injuries sufferred in an attack three months ago, may not return to Yemen.
Unidentified aircraft launched airstrikes on suspected Shabaab training camps near Kismayo. Three people were killed during fighting between Shabaab and government forces in Mogadishu.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb fighters are said to be moving into the Wagadou Forest near the Mauritanian border. Residents are fleeing the area in anticipation of a security operation.
The US State Department warned of an al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb plot to shoot down airliners chartered by oil companies in the country. AQIM is believe to be in possession of Russian-made SAM-7 anti-aircraft missiles.
Foreign Policy provides some historical context about Islam’s role in the Pakistani Army.
US Suspects Pakistan Link in Attack
Poor Central Asians migrate to Moscow
Accused Nigerian Bombers Are Junior – Government Official
Obama Adviser Discusses Using Military on Terrorists
Mozambique holds ‘pirate hunters’
Famine in Africa: inside Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp
Authorities arrested a man and a woman, both of Somali origin, who are suspected of financing and recruiting operatives for a terror attack against a country “not very near” Finland. Various houses in Helsinki have been searched in the ongoing investigation.
Exclusive: Haqqanis to follow Taliban on Afghan peace
Is the US just “trimming the frills,” or is it being penny-wise and pound-foolish?
Photo Essay: Marines fight on in south Afghanistan
Libya Counts More Martyrs Than Bodies
Taliban amnesty drive weak in Afghan hotspots: NATO
Official: US dollars ending up in Taliban hands
Kayani lays stress on national interest at NATO meeting
The Taliban’s counterintelligence unit in North Waziristan said Bahadar is an enemy, after the group was ejected from the North Waziristan Shura.
Security forces detained two al Qaeda fighters in Kirkuk. Two Iranians were found dead in Baghdad. The Iraqi Air Force is close to purchasing 18 US-made F-16 fighters.
Government forces prevented aid workers from entering Shabaab-held areas south of the capital. Shabaab reportedly took heavy losses during recent fighting in El Waq.
Egypt PM says peace deal with Israel not sacred
The military killed three al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb fighters during clashes near the Libyan border. The military released 59 “young fighters” who belong to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
A court sentenced two Ugandans linked to Shabaab to prison for their involvement in the July 2010 suicide attacked that killed 76 people in Kampala. Edris Nsubuga was sentenced to 25 years after admitting to planting the explosives; Muhamoud Mugisha was sentenced to five years for conspiracy.