Syria
Frustration forces Western shift on Syria
Monthly Archives: March 2013
Syria
Government troops and rebels fought for control of key neighborhoods in northeast Damascus. Fighting erupted between Damascus and the Golan Heights in what could be a new battlefront. Croatia withdrew its peacekeeping troops from the Golan Heights over fears they could be targeted.
Syria
Saudi youth fighting against Assad regime in Syria
Afghanistan
Ex-Spy Chief: Pakistan Sees Afghanistan As ‘Sub-Nation’
Somalia
Somali pirates release sailors as piracy reports reach five-year low
Afghanistan
Sweden – Riksdag ‘misled’ about Afghanistan mission
Tunisian ‘martyrs’ celebrated by Ansar al Sharia
The head of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia has said that foreign jihads have “emptied Tunisia of its young,” but his group’s Facebook page openly celebrates the “martyrdom” of Tunisians killed while fighting in Syria.
Al Qaeda
Insight: Islamist inroads in Mali may undo French war on al Qaeda
Al Qaeda
Taqiya, or the terrorist ‘art of deception’
Egypt
A film about Egypt’s Jews was banned by authorities. Seven Palestinians, who were recently in Syria and Iran, were detained at Cairo International Airport but then released after maps in their possession were determined to be for locations in Gaza, and not Egypt as originally thought. Egyptian officials said they were determined to continue closing […]
Palestinian Territories
A senior Hamas official said that reconciliation with Fatah is not progressing anywhere, as Fatah is not serious about it. Hamas said two of its members were arrested by PA security forces. The World Bank transferred $60.5 million to support the Palestinian Authority’s struggling budget. Lithuania upgraded Palestine’s diplomatic status from a commission to a […]
Hamas Interior Minister behind terror group’s activities in West Bank
A new report from the Shin Bet indicates that Hamas’ Interior Minister, Fathi Hamad, is behind the group’s efforts to renew terror activities in the West Bank.
Iran
Ripe oil market offers window to amp up pressure on Iran: report
Kenya
The Mombasa trial of suspected terrorist Jermaine Grant is being moved to a high-security complex due to a new “security threat.” Grant’s accomplices Fouad Manswab and Samantha Lewthwaite are at large and reportedly planning an attempt to free him; authorities recently arrested two men allegedly linked to a plot to free Grant.
Libya
The US appointed Deborah K. Jones as its new ambassador to Libya, to replace Chris Stevens, who was killed along with three co-workers in Benghazi in September 2012. The NGO Handicap International destroyed 4,500 weapons in Sirte that had been collected by clearance agencies over the past year. The death toll in the so far […]
Mali
The UN is considering the creation of a 10,000-strong heavily armed rapid deployment force in Mali as part of a peacekeeping mission after the French-led intervention is over. Authorization of such a deployment would take about two months. The French military has completed mopping-up operations in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains but is continuing to […]
Al Nusrah Front poised to take over last major city on Euphrates River
The al Qaeda affiliate continues to push back government forces in Deir al Zour, and the group has also established the Sharia Committee for the Eastern Region to govern areas under its control.
Germany
Authorities banned three radical Islamist groups — DawaFFM, Islamic Audios, and al-Nussrah — and raided 21 apartments and a meeting room. The three groups all encourage fighting against those who do not follow the Salafist version of Islam. The German Salafist movement has grown from some 3,800 In 2011 to about 4,500, of whom 30% […]
France
France said it plans to introduce a UN resolution this month for an April vote on the establishment of a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali to replace the French-led mission. At least three Frenchmen have gone to Mali for jihad.
United States
The US granted exemptions to 10 European nations and Japan from Iran sanctions because those 11 nations have recently reduced their imports of Iranian oil. Iran is buying wheat from the US for the first time in three years. The Obama administration is planning to give US intelligence agencies greater access to the financial data […]
Afghanistan
Pakistan – A Few Words : Talking to the Taliban: consequences
China
The Big Story Out of Herzliya Might Be About China and Israeli Drones
Did Israel do enough to Hamas in Operation Pillar of Defense?
A former deputy IDF chief of staff says Israel did not do enough in Operation Pillar of Defense. Is he right?
United States
Wary of Attack With Smallpox, U.S. Buys Up a Costly Drug
Egypt
Outsourcing Justice in the Sinai: Sharia Courts Thrive in the Shadow of a Weak State
Syria
Syria, Bosnia, and the Old Mistakes
Iran
Covert Iranian nuclear dealings via Turkey revealed
Denmark
US criticises Denmark for letting former Guantanamo detainee “return to jihad”
Sweden
Sweden – Reinfeldt presses Turkey to reform terror laws
United States
Intelligence Official Warns Congress That Cyberattacks Pose Threat to U.S.