US defense officials plan to charge Staff Sergeant Robert Bales with 17 counts of murder and six counts of assault and attempted murder on Friday. Bales is the sole suspect in the murders of 16 Afghan civilians in two villages in Kandahar province on March 11.
General Allen said ISAF would need “significant combat power” in 2013. Security forces killed and captured “insurgent” commanders and fighters in Uruzgan and Kandahar. Qatar is hedging on a deal that would allow five al Qaeda-linked Taliban leaders to be relocated in country.
US will respect Pakistan parliament’s decision: Munter
Extremist suspect upends French presidential race
The terror group said Taliban operations in Ghazni province “included emigrants.”
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula brutally executed a senior intelligence officer in Mukallah. Heavy fighting between AQAP and security forces was reported in Marib.
Ethiopian and Somali forces took control of Hudur, and Shabaab forces fled. Twenty-one Shabaab fighters, including two commanders, surrendered to military forces in Gedo.
A military junta calling itself the National Committee for the Establishment of Democracy overthrew President Toure purportedly for failing to end the Tuareg rebellion in the north. The group has sealed the borders while Toure has fled the presidential palace in Bamako.
A new version of the Duqu software worm, a Stuxnet variant, was found in Iran, indicating that its creators were still at work. A Chinese company sold Iran surveillance systems capable of monitoring landline, mobile, and Internet communications. China criticized US efforts to restrict Iran’s oil trade.
The UN Security Council agreed to a statement calling for an end to the violence in Syria. Unlike past resolutions, Russia and China also agreed. Syria’s opposition denounced the statement. Violence across Syria continued.
The Joint Task Force killed nine Boko Haram fighters and detained two more during a clash in the town of Tudun Wada Dakadai in Kano state. Boko Haram fighters attacked a police station and a bank in the town.
West to pay Afghan military $4 bn a year: Karzai
Russia destroys 60% of its chemical weapons
A court sentenced Hussain S., a Syrian-born German resident, to five years in prison for publishing jihadist propaganda online. A key German-language propagandist for Islamic extremist groups, he promoted the efforts of al Qaeda, the Islamic Jihad Union, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, among others.
Security forces shot and killed self-professed al Qaeda murderer Mohammed Merah after a 33-hour seige. Authorities in France, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the US are unclear about Merah’s past. An Internet posting by Jund al Khilafah claimed the killings at the Jewish school, but the post was quickly withdrawn.
No leads on French shooter in Afghanistan, Pakistan
But a popular web forum removed the statement within an hour after posting.
Report: Water shortages increasingly will offer weapon for states, terror groups
Muslim Brotherhood May Offer Presidential Candidate in Egypt
Afghanistan – Taliban Divisions Damage Peace Talks: Peace Council
Detainee Deal Stalls Taliban Talks
Mali soldiers loot presidential palace after coup
Analysis: Bali attack plot shows Indonesia terror threat evolving
General Allen said in testimony before Congress that US was scaling back its planned operations in Eastern Afghanistan due to reduced forces available.
Afghan officials likely to press for veto power over night raids in formal talks
The Taliban confirmed that three of Mullah Nazir’s deputies were killed in a March 13 drone strike in South Waziristan. The military killed five “militants” in Kurram.
US must respect Pakistan’s sovereignty for effective ties
Toulouse siege: live
The Taliban arrested two senior leaders in Ghazni for engaging the Afghan High Peace Council. The Taliban killed three children in Ghazni, and a policeman and a British soldier in Helmand.
French shooting suspect not jailed in Afghanistan: governor