Philippines
Kidnappings Point to Security Breakdown in Southern Philippines
Kidnappings Point to Security Breakdown in Southern Philippines
China warns US on Asia military strategy
Latest Egypt vote brings Islamists closer to win
Iran plans more war games in strait as sanctions bite
The al Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades had denied responsibility for the last two suicide attacks in Damascus on Dec. 23, 2011.
Suspected Boko Haram fighters killed 20 Christians at a town hall in Mubi, and “gunmen” opened fire in a church in Gombe, killing six Christian worshippers. Thousands of people attacked and wounded more than 50 Muslims in Sapale in protest of Boko Haram attacks in the north.
The Taliban killed three ISAF soldiers in an IED attack in the south. President Karzai said that the US must transfer the Parwan detention facility to Afghan control as soon as possible.
After Shalit, Israel Changing Prisoner Exchange Rules
Iraqi Moves to Embrace Militia Open New Fault Lines
Taliban prisoner release: a premature, dangerously naive move
Today’s attack is similar to a series of suicide and car bombings in Baghdad that took place on Dec. 22, 2011.
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan executed 15 Frontier Corps soldiers who were captured late last month in Tank, and freed 17 hostages who crossed the border from Afghanistan. Security forces arrested a Taliban commander and three fighters who are accused of conducting attacks in Karachi.
Attacks against Shia pilgrims before the Arbaeen holiday have killed over 60 civilians, the deadliest being a suicide attack against a security checkpoint that killed 44 and wounded dozens more in Nasiriya. Qais Qazali, the notorious leader of the Shia death squad Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, is prepared to disarm and join the political process.
F-16 supply to Pakistan to continue, says US
Turkey’s prime minister vowed to continue the fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party but acknowledged the need to “learn lessons” from the airstrike in northern Iraq that killed 35 villagers. The National Intelligence Organization denied it shared intelligence with the Turkish General Staff that led to the errant airstrike.
Yemeni forces attacked the northeastern outskirts of Zinjibar with ground troops and warplanes, killing six al Qaeda-linked Partisans of Sharia fighters. Four Yemeni soldiers were killed and 10 others were wounded in the battle. Mohammed Miftah has formed a political party to represent Yemen’s Shia rebels.
The terror group was formed in 2007 and operates under the aegis of al Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq.
Iran intensifies efforts to influence policy in Afghanistan
50% drop in drone strikes as Pak-US ties plunge
Afghan Leader, Karzai, Warily Accepts US-Taliban Talks
Turkey’s Glow Dims as Government Limits Free Speech
China’s vice president orders more thought control over students
Pentagon military review ‘will axe US troops’
South Korea says ready for talk with hostile North
Analysis: Doubts over Syria rebel army after escalation threat
Ansar al Islam, an al Qaeda-linked terror group based in northern Iraq, named Abu Hashim Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman al Ibrahim as its new emir.
Boko Haram claimed responsibility for two bombings in Maiduguri and Damaturu; no casualties were reported. Archbishop John Olurunfemi Onaiyekan denounced Boko Haram as “terrorists who cause problems for anyone in Nigeria who stands in their way,” and criticized media reports that depict the ongoing violence as a civil war between Muslims and Christians.
The 15 troops were captured on Dec. 22 after the Taliban overran a fort in Tank. The execution was carried out to avenge the death of a senior Taliban leader who was killed in Khyber last weekend.
Suicide Attacks in Nigeria: Islamist Terror Network Gains Strength in Africa
Pakistan – Army’s militant rehabilitation programme hits snags: PIPS report