Saudi Arabia
Saudis Back Syrian Rebels Despite Risks
Monthly Archives: January 2014
United States
US officials said the State Department is expected to designate Ansar al Sharia branches in Tunisia and in Derna and Benghazi in Libya as foreign terrorist organizations; Derna branch leader Abu Sufian bin Qumu is expected to be designated as a global terrorist, along with militia leaders Ahmed Abu Khattala and Seif Allah bin Hassine. […]
Afghanistan
Robert Gates, former defense secretary, offers harsh critique of Obama’s leadership in ‘Duty’
Islamic Front
Turkey declares vanishing truck to Syria ‘state secret’
Syria
The head of the Al Nusrah Front called for a ceasefire between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham and clashing rebel groups in Syria, the creation of an independent Islamic council to mediate disputes, and the exchange of prisoners. An opposition activist group said that 274 people have been killed in four days’ […]
Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed seven policemen and a soldier near Tikrit, and two policemen near Baqubah. Security forces killed an ISIS leader in Jisr al-Ruood, two ISIS fighters in Ramadi, a suicide bomber in Babil, and two “gunmen” in Baghdad.
Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula assassinated an officer and a soldier in Aden. Tribes in Hadramout again bombed a oil pipeline. Yemeni officials denied an airstrike took place in Rada’a, and instead claimed three AQAP fighters died in a premature detonation.
Al Qaeda in Iraq
The Iraqi government’s battle to control Fallujah
US Military
In his new memoir, Robert M. Gates, the former Defense Secretary, offers a critique of the president
Egypt
Security forces arrested two Palestinians illegally entering Egypt through tunnels from Gaza. Explosive devices targeted armored vehicles near el Arish and Rafah. Influential Qatar-based cleric Yusuf al Qaradawi issued a fatwa banning participation in Egypt’s upcoming constitutional referendum. Army Chief Abdel Fattah el Sisi is said to be planning to run for president. A police […]
Egypt
Hamas’ fortunes slide with change in Middle East neighbors
Libya
The tortured body of a female lawyer who was kidnapped in August was found dumped by the roadside in Tripoli. The Libyan navy intercepted a Maltese-flagged oil tanker trying to enter Libyan waters near the Sidra export terminal, which is officially closed. In the northeastern oasis town of Jalu, the local council is digging a […]
Al Murabitoon
Al Murabitoon, the group formed in August 2013 by the merger of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) and Mokhtar Belmokhtar’s al-Mulathameen Brigade, reportedly issued a statement on Jan. 4 detailing its attacks in Mali, Algeria, and Niger in 2013. It also threatened France, warning that it would continue to attack […]
Tunisia
The Tunisian military bombed Islamist militant hideouts in Mount Chaambi on Jan. 5; the defense minister said between 25 and 30 militants are operating in the area near the Algerian border. The International Crisis Group recently warned that Tunisia is losing control over its border areas near Algeria and Libya, which have become hotbeds for […]
Nigeria
In Kaduna state, suspected Boko Haram militants killed four policemen. In a central Nigerian village, 30 people were killed as a result of ethnic and religious hostility.
US adds Afghan Taliban deputy shadow governor to terrorist list
Qari Saifullah, whom the State Department described as a “Taliban shadow deputy governor and an operational commander in Zabul Province,” also supports al Qaeda in southern Afghanistan.
Afghanistan
Iraq a bloody lesson for Zero Option in Afghanistan
United States
The US is accelerating sales and delivery of military equipment, including Hellfire missiles and drones, to Iraq to help in the fight against al Qaeda. A US gunmaker turned down a deal to sell precision rifles to Pakistan, out of concern they could be used against US troops. Iran rejected Secretary of State Kerry’s suggestion […]
Al Nusrah Front
Syria rebel infighting spreads to city in east
Pakistan
A suicide bomber killed a student in an attack outside a school in Hangu. Nine people, including three children, were killed in a bombing at the home of a tribal leader in Khyber.
Afghanistan
A Taliban suicide bomber killed three Afghan Local Police officers in Ghazni. The Taliban killed four people in a rocket attack in Helmand. Security forces captured a young female suicide bomber in Helmand. The government will free 88 prisoners at Bagram despite US objections that they are members of the Taliban.
Iraq
Security forces killed seven Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham fighters in Ramadi, two in Abu Ghraib, and two more in Mosul, an ISIS “prince” in Fallujah, and eight “gunmen” in Hillah. The ISIS killed five soldiers in Abu Ghraib and one more in Balad, and a policeman and a civilian in Samarra.
Syria
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham clashed with the Syrian Revolutionaries Front and the newly formed Jaish al Mujahideen in al Tabqa in Raqqah. Islamist and non-Islamist rebels also fought against ISIS in other Raqqah cities, and released 50 captives from an ISIS prison in Raqqah city. ISIS clashed with rebels in Aleppo, […]
Al Qaeda in Iraq
Fuelled by Syria war, al Qaeda bursts back to life in Iraq
Egypt
Security forces in el Arish thwarted attempts to detonate four explosive devices targeting security personnel. Authorities also reportedly arrested an Ansar Jerusalem member linked to the group’s October South Sinai attack. The US State Department urged US citizens to avoid travel to North Sinai. Security was increased at churches around the country. An Islamist alliance […]
Somalia
According to Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, Somali troops will soon begin a large-scale assault on Shabaab bases in central and southern Somalia. Military supplies for Djiboutian AMISOM soldiers have arrived in Beledweyne.
South Sudan
Fighting has continued in Juba and Bor as ceasefire talks in Ethiopia have been delayed. In Bor, a general and others senior military officers loyal to the government have been killed. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is in Juba to help peace efforts.
Nigeria
President Goodluck Jonathan said that Boko Haram is a temporary threat that will soon be overcome. One person has died after suspected Boko Haram gunmen attacked the village of Buratai in Borno state. Unknown perpetrators bombed the High Court in Ahoada, in southern Rivers state.
Libya
The head of the Zawia Security Directorate was kidnapped outside the Prime Minister’s office and held for several hours in Tripoli, then was released after intervention by the first deputy prime minister and the acting interior minister. A 77-year-old man and the young son of a newspaper editor were kidnapped in separate incidents in Benghazi. […]
Mali
The French air force has performed its first operational flight using an A400M tactical transport, delivering 22 tonnes of supplies for Operation Serval in northern Mali. On the same flight was French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who warned that although Mali was almost secure, continued vigilance was needed. He said France would continue to […]