Pakistan
Pakistan – Bill seeks to ‘rein in’ intelligence agencies
Pakistan – Bill seeks to ‘rein in’ intelligence agencies
The Taliban denied that Mullah Omar sent a letter to President Obama. Civilian casualties have risen to more than 3,000 last year; the Taliban are said to be responsible for 77 percent of civilian deaths. French troops have withdrawn from two camps in Kapisa province.
The US killed al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operative Abdul Mun’im Salim al Fatahani in the Jan. 31 drone strike in Lawdar. He was involved in the suicide attack on the USS Cole in 2000.
The government is negotiating with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to get the terror group to withdraw from Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan. AQAP fighters attacked an Army base in Lawdar; one militant was killed during the assault.
Norway – Hate video suspects released
Russia and China vetoed the UN resolution on Syria. Government forces killed 260 people in a major assault on the city of Homs. The Arab League called on all Arab countries to sever diplomatic relations with Syria. Protesters in Kuwait attacked the Syrian embassy.
In parliamentary elections, the opposition Islamist party won a majority, securing 34 of the 50 seats. The election was held after parliament was dissolved over allegations of corruption in December.
US and European officials called the UN nuclear inspector mission to Iran a failure. Iran’s oil minister said Iran would not retreat from its nuclear program. The US warned there is a growing possibility Israel will attack Iran as early as April. Ayatollah Khamenei said “Iran will help anyone willing to cut out the cancer […]
Aslanov Zaur, an Azeri national and al Qaeda commander, was killed during Pakistani airstrikes in Kurram last week. He likely entered Pakistan with the aid of al Qaeda’s support network in Iran.
Text of proposed UN Security Council resolution on Syria vetoed by Russia, China
Kenyan attack helicopters struck a Shabaab convoy traveling near Dalayat; several Shabaab fighters were killed and wounded. The UN said Somalia’s drought has ended.
Defense Secretary Panetta’s statement about US plans to withdraw from Afghanistan should come as no surprise. It is the same plan that was announced over a year ago.
Boko Haram denied that their spokesman, Abul Qaqa, is in police custody. Instead, they said that Abu Dardaa, the chief of “public enlightenment,” has been arrested. Police deployed 10 riot police units to Kano to provide security after recent Boko Haram attacks.
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The Hard Way Out of Afghanistan
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Civilian deaths in Afghanistan at highest level in a decade
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Seven Pakistani soldiers and 18 Taliban fighters were killed during clashes in Kurrram; seven soldiers are said to be missing. The Taliban killed three people in a suicide attack on a tribal leader in Peshawar and bombed a girls’ school in Dera Ismail Khan.
NATO is in disarray after the US announced it would end its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2013, one year early. Security forces captured a dual-hatted Taliban and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan commander in Helmand. The Islamic Jihad Union said it works closely with local Taliban forces.
NATO mulls paying for Afghan forces after 2014
A jihadist confirmed that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operative Abdul Mun’im Salim al Fatahani was killed in the Jan. 31 airstrike in Lawdar, Yemen. He was involved in the October 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole.
Abdul Mun’im Salim al Fatahani, who was involved in the suicide attack on the USS Cole in 2000, was killed in the Jan. 31 strike in Lawdar, according to a Yemeni jihadist.
Doku Umarov said that “law enforcement structures, the military, intelligence services and political leadership of Russia” remain legitimate targets.
US asks citizens to avoid gatherings in Pakistan
Taliban, Al-Qaeda Sanctuaries in Pakistan: Afghan government spokesman