Afghanistan
Turning border police into lifesavers in Afghanistan’s remotest places
Monthly Archives: January 2014
Afghanistan
Afghan Officials Rethink Poppy Strategy
Iraq
At least 32 people were killed as the military and tribes in Anbar battled the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham in Fallujah, Ramadi, and other cities and towns in the province. An ISIS commander known as Abu Abelrahman al Baghdadi is said to have been killed during the clashes. The ISIS is still […]
Syria
A mass demonstration against both the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham and the Assad regime took place in Aleppo city. ISIS clashed with rebel groups in various locations in Aleppo province. The Islamic Front and the Syrian Revolutionaries Front called on ISIS to leave the town of Atareb in Aleppo. The Islamic Front […]
Turkey
After the Jan. 1 interception of a truck in Hatay carrying weapons bound for Syria, the police who stopped the vehicle, as well as Hatay counterterrorism officers, were relocated. The Adana prosecutor filed a criminal complaint alleging obstruction of justice by government officials, including the Interior Minister and Turkish intelligence, for preventing a search of […]
Lebanon
The army said DNA tests confirmed that the suspect arrested on Dec. 26 is Abdullah Azzam Brigades leader Majid al Majid, and called him one of the “most dangerous wanted men.” Authorities identified the bomber in yesterday’s suicide attack in Beirut as Qotaiba Mohammad al-Satem, a Lebanese man who reportedly had fought alongside the Islamic […]
Report: Ex-Guantanamo detainee and member of Bahrain’s royal family joins Syrian jihad
An ex-Guantanamo detainee, Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifah, has reportedly traveled from Bahrain to join the jihad in Syria. According to a leaked Joint Task Force Guantanamo threat assessment, Sheikh Salman had ties to senior al Qaeda and Taliban officials prior to his detention in Pakistan and transfer to Guantanamo.
Russia
Authorities have detained over 700 people in Volgograd following two suicide bombings in the city at the end of December. Officials have said that the two bombers were men from the North Caucasus; other reports alleged that one was an ethnic Russian who had converted to Islam. No group has claimed the attack.
Egypt
At least eleven people were killed during clashes between security forces and Muslim Brotherhood supporters. Four soldiers were wounded by explosions targeting armored vehicles near Sheikh Zuweid. Two civilians were killed by unidentified gunmen in mysterious circumstances in North Sinai. A Swiss couple was found murdered at their home in a Red Sea resort.
South Sudan
Rebels and the government are holding preliminary ceasefire meetings in Ethiopia even as they continue to fight at home. Rebel leader Riek Machar said his troops will refrain from attacking the capital city of Juba in an attempt to reach a “negotiated settlement.” The US said it will give $49.8 million in additional humanitarian assistance […]
Somalia
Reports suggest a large number of Ethiopian troops have moved into Baidoa in Bay region. Somali officials have donated blood in an attempt to help victims of the Jazeera hotel attack.
Tunisia
Authorities arrested four terrorists in Sidi Bouzid on Jan. 1; detonators and explosives were seized along with weapons and cash. The Congress started debate on Tunisia’s draft constitution.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives behind recent bus bombing near Tel Aviv
During interrogation, one member of the cell said he planned to carry out more attacks. It was the first such attack in about a year.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed six people in a bombing at a market in Logar. Police killed four Taliban fighters while repelling a complex assault in Ghazni. Security forces captured a would-be suicide bomber and an associate during a raid in Nangarhar.
Free Syrian Army
Silence continues over abduction of Syrian human rights lawyer
Hezbollah
Hezbollah Upgrades Missile Threat to Israel
Hezbollah
Chatah’s assassination marks rise of extremism in Lebanon
Malaysia
Malaysian authorities seize bibles in ‘Allah’ row
NSA
NSA seeks to build quantum computer that could crack most types of encryption
2nd Shabaab attack on Mogadishu’s Jazeera hotel
Three bombs exploded within an hour of each other near a Mogadishu hotel popular with diplomats and soldiers. Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack, in which at least 11 people have been killed and 17 or more were wounded.
Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham has taken over large areas of the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah; a police chief was killed during clashes in Ramadi. An ISIS suicide bomber killed 12 people in Balad Ruz. The ISIS killed 11 civilians and five policemen in attacks in Baghdad, Latafiyah, and Mosul. Security […]
Lebanon
A car bombing in Beirut killed four people and wounded 77; a Hezbollah official said the attack took place just meters from the party’s political council. Security forces are reportedly taking unprecedented measures after the arrest of Majid al Majid, the leader of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, which has threatened attacks until Hezbollah withdraws from […]
Syria
The Syrian National Coalition charged that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham is linked to the Assad regime and serves its interests. An opposition activist group said the body of a British doctor who had been allied with the Islamic Front’s Ahrar al Sham but executed by ISIS was recently handed over in […]
Egypt
Ansar Jerusalem announced the deaths of a fighter and preacher, and threatened revenge attacks. Interior Minister Ibrahim identified Tawfiq Mohammed Freij Ziada as an Ansar Jerusalem leader and accused the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas of carrying out hostile acts. Authorities defused seven explosive devices in Tanta in the Nile Delta. In North Sinai, one terrorist […]
Palestinian Territories
The Palestinian leadership reportedly prefers returning to the UN over extending peace talks with Israel. A secret Palestinian security document warns that a third intifada may soon begin. Hamas denied allegations that its members are carrying out hostile acts in Egypt. Fatah canceled plans to hold a massive celebration for its 49th anniversary. Hamas leader […]
Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula gunned down a colonel in the intelligence branch outside of his home in Aden. AQAP claimed credit for the Dec. 31, 2013 suicide assault on a security headquarters in Aden, and vowed to continue attacking the military.
Egypt identifies Ansar Jerusalem leader as group announces deaths of fighter and preacher
The group threatened to strike the neck and cut off the fingertips of those responsible for the deaths of a fighter and a preacher. Also today, Egypt’s interior minister identified a leader of the Sinai-based jihadist group.
Hezbollah
Israeli study of foreign fighters in Syria suggests Shiites may outnumber Sunnis
Al Qaeda seizes partial control of 2 cities in western Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham has taken control of sections of Ramadi and Fallujah. In Ramadi, a large convoy of ISIS fighters has been seen moving through the city.
Libya
A British man and a New Zealander woman were found shot dead outside the Mellitah oil complex in western Libya. Authorities in the UK and New Zealand are investigating; the two victims reportedly were teachers. The Libyan army detained two American basketball players from the campus of Benghazi University. Sebha police are investigating the murder […]