Finland
Finland to close embassy in Pakistan
Yearly Archives: 2012
Somalia
UK: Fate of ransom payments to pirates unclear
Yemen
Five al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and two Yemeni solders were killed during fighting near Zinjibar. Five people were killed during fighting among forces loyal to Major General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar.
Somalia
Kenyan forces killed a Shabaab commander known as Sheikh Hassan Hussein and two fighters during an assault on Fafadun. One Kenyan soldier was killed during the fighting.
Nigeria
Boko Haram fighters killed a girl and overran a police station in Jigawa. Boko Haram killed three civilians during attacks in Damaturu and Maiduguri.
Libya
Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the head of Libya’s National Transitional Council, warned that the continued presence of militias threatens to plunge the country into civil war. One of the militias is led by Abdel Hakim Belhadj, the leader of the al Qaeda-linked Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.
Afghanistan: US strategy changes to match drawdown of forces
In June 2011, President Obama announced a drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan. But no new strategy to accommodate a smaller force was announced. Finally, there might be one.
White House denies deal to release Taliban leaders
The White House denied a report that said the US had agreed to release five Guantanamo detainees as part of a quid pro quo deal with the Taliban. The denial does not rule out the possibility that the five Taliban commanders will be freed in the future.
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Will Iran make good on its threat against US?
Are the top 2 Pakistani Taliban leaders ‘at each other’s throats’?
Hakeemullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman Mehsud have long been the subject of rumors of conflict; one such false report in 2009 claimed they killed each other.
Pakistan
Taliban U-turn : Will keep attacking Pak
Norway
Russia – Submarine’s torpedo compartment was on fire
China
China says Xinjiang kidnappers were on ‘holy war’
Afghanistan
US likely to release top Taliban leaders from Gitmo
Afghanistan
Karzai Welcomes US-Taliban Peace Talks
Pakistan
Husain Haqqani interview: ‘If I leave my house, I fear I will be killed’
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan extends state-of-emergency
China
China Takes Aim at US Naval Might
Egypt
US Reverses Policy in Reaching Out to Muslim Brotherhood
Libya
Militias could drag Libya into civil war: NTC chief
Egypt
In final leg of vote, Egypt’s Islamists eye majority
Pakistan
Security forces killed 11 Taliban fighters during airstrikes in Kurram; seven militants were killed during infighting in Khyber. Five people were killed in bombings in northwestern Pakistan.
Afghanistan
Face to Face with Afghanistan’s Opium Brides
Afghanistan
The Taliban announced that it would establish a “political office” in Qatar. The Taliban killed five policemen and six civilians, including four children, in a suicide attack and bombings in Kandahar. The US will move $30 billion in equipment out of the country starting in 2012.
Yemen
Al Qaeda-linked fighters killed two Yemeni soldiers in Zinjibar. Eleven Yemeni coast guards, including three officers, were found dead when their boat capsized in the Red Sea off the coast of Hudieda province.
Taliban releases statement on negotiations
The Taliban confirmed it is in talks to set up an office in Qatar.
Pakistan
Pakistan’s febrile politics: Open spats
Israel
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met in Jordan for the first time in more than a year. The Palestinian president threatened to take “new measures” against Israel if the meeting failed to bring about a resumption of peace talks.
Iran
Iran warned US aircraft carriers not to return to the Persian Gulf after the USS Stennis exited the gulf. The US dismissed the warning. France said it was convinced Iran was developing nuclear weapons and called for stricter economic sanctions.
Syria
Killings in Syria continue in spite the government’s withdrawal of heavy weapons. Syrian army deserters killed 18 government security forces. The commander of the Free Syrian Army threatened to step up attacks on government forces. The Arab League called for an urgent meeting to decide whether to withdraw observers.