Less than a week after both parties agreed to establish an independent state in northern Mali and implement sharia law, Tuareg rebels have publicly renounced the accord signed with the al Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Dine group.
In an escalation of the war of words, a senior Iranian military commander warned the US not to resort to military force as US bases in the region were vulnerable to Iranian missiles. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, threatened a “lightning response” to any Israeli attack and accused the West of telling “lies” to […]
President Assad denied responsibility for the Houla massacre and said the violence in Syria was caused by foreign forces. He compared his actions to that of a doctor performing emergency surgery.
As sectarian fighting from Syria spilled into Lebanon, the Lebanese army sent troops and armored vehicles to the city of Tripoli. The Lebanese prime minister instructed security forces to use an “iron fist” to quell the violence there.
Eleven al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and two soldiers were killed during fighting in Zinjibar and Jaar. Yemeni troops are being transferred from Lawdar to Sharqa, which is under al Qaeda’s control.
China steps up Afghan role as Western pullout nears
A suicide bomber killed 15 people in an attack on a Christian church in Bauchi. The attack is the seventh suicide bombing in Nigeria this year.
Crude Oil Output Is Soaring in Iraq, Easing Markets
Syria President Decries ‘War From Abroad’
US drone targets in Yemen raise questions
The Nigerian terror group has lived up to its promise to “eradicate Christians.”
The drones targeted a group of Taliban and “foreigners” who gathered to note the death of one of Mullah Nazir’s commanders, who was killed in yesterday’s drone strike.
In Timbuktu, Mali Rebels and Islamists Impose Harsh Rule
The Taliban killed two policemen in Uruzgan and a British soldier in Helmand. Coalition and Afghan forces rescued two foreign and two Afghan aid workers in Badakhshan and killed four Taliban commanders in Badghis. Ninety-seven school girls were poisoned in Takhar.
Chechen Adversaries Unveil Rival Concepts Of Jihad
Several people were killed during fighting between Houthis and Salafists in the Kitaf district in Saada. Yemen and Iraq signed an agreement to share intelligence on terrorists operating in the region.
Syrian Tribal Networks and their Implications for the Syrian Uprising
UN envoy Kofi Annan warned that Syria was slipping into an “all-out, sectarian war.” Russia blocked efforts for tougher UN sanctions. The US published satellite images showing evidence of mass graves following the massacre in the town of Houla.
Fighting erupted between pro and anti Syrian factions in the northern city of Tripoli. Seven people were killed and 22 wounded.
An Egyptian court sentenced former president Mubarak to life in prison for complicity in the deaths of more than 800 during protests that brought down his government. Protests erupted as many thought the sentence was too lenient.
Kabul spurns NYT story on detainees as flawed
Rahmanullah, “a key commander” for Mullah Nazir, was reported killed in today’s strike. Nazir considers himself an al Qaeda leader.
Panetta: No unilateral US military action likely in Syria
Court Presses US on a Terror Listing
Iran threatens to target US bases if attacked
NATO forces rescue four aid workers in north Afghanistan
EU Freezes Cash for UN’s Afghan Police Fund
Defense Secretary Panetta said unilateral US action in Syria was unlikely and that international cooperation and pressure on the regime was imperative. He also said that by 2020, 60% of the US Navy fleet will have shifted to Asia-Pacific waters. A federal court directed Secretary of State Clinton to decide whether the People’s Mujahedeen Organization […]
New evidence shows Sudan is dropping cluster munitions onto civilian areas
US publishes satellite images of Syria