In Damascus, heavy fighting continued for a third day as government forces deployed tanks and helicopters. A rebel army commander said the fighting was the beginning of their push to take over the capital. A senior defector said Assad will not hesitate to use chemical weapons. Peace negotiations in the UN have deadlocked.
Zubayr al Turki had fought the Pakistani Army in Waziristan since 2008 and also trained fighters in military tactics in Kunduz province, Afghanistan.
A soldier from Central Security was captured while smuggling an explosive belt into a military camp. The soldier was preparing to detonate it during a parade on July 17.
In Afghan village, fears that government can’t provide after Americans leave
Ahmed Abdulrahman Sihab Ahmed Sihab is wanted for training “members of al Qaeda in terrorist tactics, techniques, and procedures.”
Security forces detained 10 suspected al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb fighters during an operation in Dagana, a town along the Mauritanian border. Ten imams and students suspected of plotting terror attacks were detained in Matam.
Syria fighting rages in capital, Russia pressed
UN doctor, driver shot in Karachi: officials
Afghan soldier sentenced to death for French killings
Shabaab claimed credit for yesterday’s attack that killed a former cabinet minister and member of parliament. Shabaab hit Ethiopian troops in Beledweyne with IED attacks.
A student was killed in a bombing outside of a government office in Jos. One person was killed in an attack outside of an Islamic school in Jos. Police found a bomb factory in Kogi.
The Taliban killed 10 Afghans in attacks in Kunduz, Ghazni, and Kandahar, beheaded three soldiers in Nuristan, and killed two ISAF soldiers in the south. The defense ministry is investigating claims of a truce between Afghan soldiers and the Taliban in Uruzgan.
Egypt Military Aide Meets Clinton, Then Steps Up Political Feud
US role in Egypt unclear
Tunisia coalition’s main party opts for ‘moderate’ stance
Iran left to ponder its next move in the Arabian Gulf
In Iran, two opposing pictures of Syria
Gunmen killed a prison director, his daughter, and two guards in an attack on a convoy in Taiz. Yemeni Salafists are seeking a greater role in the country’s political transition.
Shabaab killed a member of parliament in a car bombing in Mogadishu and shot and killed two more people in a bombing in Afgoye. Kenyan aircraft struck a Shabaab training camp in Howsingo, killing 18 people.
A female politician was murdered in Maiduguri. A car bomb was detonated near a church in Kogi; one person was detained in connection with the attack.
Port security: US fails to meet deadline for scanning of cargo containers
As Refugees Flee Islamists in Mali, Solutions Are Elusive
Removal of North Korea army chief is ‘merely power play’ by Kim Jong-un
Three Algerian diplomats from a group of seven kidnapped by Islamists in northern Mali in April have been freed and sent home. The remaining four diplomats are expected to be released soon.
The Taliban claimed credit for the attack, which is the third against Pakistani security forces in a week.
New Evidence Points to Syria Firefight, not Massacre
Olympic security farce: now MI5 sacks systems experts after anti-terror supercomputer collapse
Iran’s Supreme Leader decides whether to close Strait of Hormuz: military official
Peter B., a leader of the Salafist movement in Frankfurt, was arrested by German authorities in Istanbul. The German national and Muslim convert had been in Pakistan’s Waziristan area for a year, then traveled to Iran and Turkey. He is accused of belonging to a terrorist group and recruiting fighters for jihad in Afghanistan.
Maliki urges US to speed up arms transfers