Afghanistan
British Forces Begin Detainee Transfers
Monthly Archives: June 2013
Al Nusrah Front
Terror nexus threatens Tunisia
Africa
With multiple missions, US military steps up Africa focus
Russia
Islamist militants in Chechnya’s Shatoi district clashed with police, killing one policeman and injuring 14 others in a shootout. Security forces are searching for the militants, who have fled to the mountains. Captured Ingush insurgency commander Emir Magas, a.k.a. Akhmed Yevloyev, has denied serious charges and pled guilty only to setting up an illegal group […]
Somalia
Shabaab fighters claimed to have killed two of their senior commanders: Abul Hamid Hashi Olhayi, a co-founder of the group; and Ibrahim Haji Jama Mead, a.k.a. al Afghani, who is wanted by the US. Top Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane allegedly ordered the arrest of al Afghani and a number of other commanders earlier this […]
France
Syria: France’s evidence of chemical weapons use increases with 14 samples
Thailand
A massive roadside bomb that targeted military vehicles in the Krong Pinang district of Yala province killed eight soldiers, wounded two more, and also wounded two civilians. The attack by suspected Islamist insurgents was the deadliest in several years against Thai security forces.
Al Nusrah Front claims joint operations, including a suicide assault, with Syrian rebel groups
Al Qaeda’s affiliate carried out a suicide assault with the help of the Nasser Salahuddin Brigade, and conventional attacks with the help of Dera’ al Assima, Liwa al Habib al Mustafa, and Liwa’ al-Tawhid brigades, three Free Syrian Army units in Damascus.
United States
Federal investigators for the Office of Personnel Management alleged that USIS, the largest private provider of background checks for the government, repeatedly misled the government between 2008 and 2011 as to the thoroughness of the checks. The company vetted NSA leaker Edward Snowden in 2011. NSA chief Gen. Alexander said the surveillance program had disrupted […]
Afghanistan
President Karzai described the opening of the Taliban’s office in Qatar, with US assistance, as an “anti-Afghan conspiracy.” He then called the Taliban his “brothers.” The Afghan military claimed 36 Taliban fighters were killed during operations in Ghazni and Wardak.
Iran
Iran’s nuclear energy chief, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davan, said the country’s uranium enrichment program would continue at its current pace, despite the election of Hassan Rowhani to succeed President Ahmadinejad in August. Abbasi-Dayan also said refinement work at the underground Fordow facility would not change. Israel has warned that pressure on Iran over its nuclear program must […]
Suicide bomber kills 4 in Christian neighborhood in Damascus
Today’s suicide attack is the third in the Syrian capital this month. It is unclear if the bomber targeted Christians or a pro-Assad militia.
Syria
Syria: France’s evidence of chemical weapons use increases with 14 samples
Iraq
Al Qaeda killed 11 Awakening fighters and recovery personnel in a double bombing at a checkpoint in Zangoura. A suicide bomber killed four people at a funeral in Dujail. Four more people were killed in a bombing near a soccer field in Madeen.
Syria
Rebel forces claimed to have overrun a major military outpost in Deraa. Kurdistan Workers’ Party fighters shot and killed three protesters in Amuda. The Gulf Cooperation Council nations of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar will meet next week to plan the imposition of sanctions on Hezbollah for its role in […]
Salafists
Maghreb women fear regression of rights
NSA
NSA chief says agency eavesdropping helped foil 54 plots
Afghanistan
Don’t Talk With the Taliban
Hezbollah
Spying on Hezbollah
Afghanistan
Pierre Borghi: How I gave the Taliban the slip
Palestinian Territories
Three Palestinians were arrested in possession of a variety of weapons in a West Bank village by Israeli authorities; the three admitted they were planning a terror attack. Israeli and Palestinian officials have been conducting “secret talks” related to the potential release of numerous Palestinians arrested prior to the 1993 Oslo Accords.
Egypt
Authorities are continuing operations to shut down smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. As major protests are planned for and against President Morsi in the coming days, the al Azhar institute warned that “vigilance is required to ensure we do not slide into civil war.” An American was stabbed to death while taking photos of […]
Israel
Israel deployed an Iron Dome missile defense battery to the northern city of Haifa. Authorities are worried that jihadists in the Sinai may take advantage of unrest during upcoming protests in Egypt to try to attack Israel. The outgoing commander of the Caracal Battalion warned that it is only a matter of time before jihadists […]
China
In Snowden playbook, Obama administration prioritized legal channels over diplomacy
Jabhat al-Nusra
Rebels in Syria Move to Show Moderation
CIA
Biden Gathers Senators For Last-Minute Syria Briefing; CIA Torture Report Nixed
Somalia
Shabaab commander Hassan Dahir Aweys has not surrendered to the government and said he will not negotiate with the Somali government. Kenya troops arrested senior Somali officials in Kismayo.
Tunisia
Gen. Rachid Ammar, the head of the Tunisian military, abruptly resigned on June 24, citing age as the reason. He warned, however, that Tunisia was in danger of becoming another Somalia, and complained about a lack of intelligence resources during a recent operation to confront extremists in the Jebel Chaambi area. Democratic Movement Party chairman […]
Algeria
At the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, presidential advisor Kamel Rezzag Bara stressed the global implications of growing terrorist activity in the Sahel. African Union envoy Francisco Caetano Jose Madeira urged greater participation by the UN, the AU, and the European Union in addressing the problem. EU envoy Gilles De Kerchove warned that interactions between terrorists and […]
United States
A federal grand jury filed a 30-count indictment against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev, including weapon of mass destruction, bombing, firearms, carjacking, and conspiracy charges. The CIA has begun moving light weapons and possibly antitank missiles from Jordan to Syria, where they are to be given to ‘elaborately’ vetted opposition elements. The CIA is […]