Iraq
Scholars call for Christian safe haven in Iraq
Monthly Archives: August 2014
Syria
A new report estimates that militants in Syria have several hundred portable anti-aircraft missiles, which are easily smuggled out of the country. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Islamic State gained 6,300 recruits in Syria in July alone. The Islamic State clashed with regime forces in Raqqah, where the IS reopened the road […]
Lebanon
The interrogation of Islamist commander Imad Jomaa was postponed after his lawyer submitted documents alleging that his confession and those of 42 other suspects arrested during recent clashes in Arsal were coerced. Sheikh Amama of the Muslim Scholars Committee said he decided to collaborate with Sister Agnes-Mariam of the Cross after she arranged the repatriation […]
Al Nusrah Front
Mother Agnes: The efficient mediator who draws controversy
Taliban launch offensive in province outside of Kabul
The Taliban are launching massed attacks against Afghan forces in several provinces throughout the country.
Islamic State beheads American reporter
James Wright Foley, a journalist who was captured in Syria by the Islamic State in November 2012, was executed on camera. The Islamic State threatened to kill another captive American reporter if the US military does not halt its air campaign against the jihadist group in northern Iraq.
Yemen
The Yemeni military deployed armored vehicles and troops in the capital of Sana’a after thousands of Houthis launched a protest to force the resignation of the government. The Yemeni government paid out more than $1 million to compensate innocent victims of US drone strikes.
Iraq
Washington, Damascus at odds in fight against ISIS
Libya
Islamist militias continued to clash with pro-government forces in Tripoli, where airstrikes reportedly targeted militias that had not agreed to the government’s order for a ceasefire. The Revolutionary Shura Council of Benghazi, which includes Ansar al Sharia, Libya Shield, and other Islamist groups, denounced the newly formed Shura Council of Benghazi, which is led by […]
Mali
The UN Security Council condemned the Aug. 16 suicide attack in Ber that killed two UN peacekeeping troops from Burkina Faso and wounded seven other troops, and said the attack will not deter UN efforts. On Aug. 10, French special forces captured three suspected members of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb near Timbuktu; the […]
Islamic State repels Iraqi military’s 3rd attempt to retake Tikrit
Iraqi forces broke off their advance on Tikrit after taking heavy fire from Islamic State fighters based in and around the capital of Salahaddin province.
Chad
Chadian troops have freed 85 kidnapped Nigerians from a convoy of buses guarded by Boko Haram fighters near Lake Chad, but 30 others are still held captive. The freed captives, all males, had been seized by Boko Haram during a raid in Doron Baga in Borno state on Aug. 10. On Aug. 11, the US […]
Al Qaeda
Saudi top cleric blasts Al Qaeda, Islamic State as ‘enemy No 1’ of Islam
US government adds Gaza-based jihadist ‘umbrella’ group to terrorist designation lists
The US government today added the Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC) to the foreign terrorist organization list and labeled the group a specially designated global terrorist entity.
Nigeria
Police arrested a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber from Niger at Murtala Airport in Lagos yesterday; he said he had been sent with two others to bomb targets in the city. Boko Haram fighters killed 14 people during raids in two Borno state villages on Aug. 17. A group of about 40 soldiers in Borno […]
China
China plans to fight terror with ‘dozens’ of new cities
Afghanistan
Pakistan fires 5,000 missiles on Afghan borders over past year
Mali
Women Beyond the Veil in Mali
Iraq
Islamic State recruits at record pace in Syria: monitor
Cameroon
Cameroon sealed its border with Nigeria, reportedly due to fears of the Ebola virus. Boko Haram has twice destroyed the major bridge connecting the two countries. Residents and government employees are fleeing the border areas for fear of Boko Haram.
Syria
The Islamic State clashed with Kurdish YPG forces in Hasakah, and kidnapped and killed a YPG commander; fought regime forces in eastern Hama; battled the Islamic Front and was targeted by regime airstrikes in Aleppo; killed a female dentist, issued rules for Al Mayadin city, and clashed with and was bombarded by regime forces in […]
Lebanon
Sheikh Adnan Amama of the Muslim Scholars Committee said the Islamist militants still holding Lebanese security forces captive have issued a list of their demands; he said the government has asked that the details of the demands be kept from the media. Amama said the Islamic State holds 11 soldiers and a corpse, and the […]
Islamic State
Morocco ramps up counter-terror fight
Iraq
The Iraqi military and the Peshmerga claimed to have retaken control of Mosul Dam. The US launched 15 airstrikes to aid the Iraqi forces near the Mosul Dam. The Iraqi military claimed it killed 17 Islamic State fighters in an airstrike in Mosul.
US airpower supports Peshmerga, Iraqi forces to retake Mosul Dam
President Obama expanded the US military mission in Iraq to include protecting “critical infrastructure” and supporting Iraqi Army and Peshmerga offensive military operations in northern Iraq.
Libya
Operation Dignity forces conducted airstrikes against Islamist targets in Tripoli, reportedly killing five people and wounding 30 more. Both Libyan and NATO forces denied reports that their aircraft were involved in the strikes. The commander of Operation Dignity’s air forces warned that there will be similar attacks on Islamist fighters in the coming weeks “in […]
Belgium
Authorities are investigating the possibility that two explosions in March that put a major power transformer in Hainault out of order may have been caused by sabotage, as reports emerged that sabotage caused a nuclear reactor in Doel to shut down. Four of eight Belgian reactors are out of operation through the end of this […]
Iraq
Exclusive: Kurdish fighters protect Yazidis fleeing IS terror campaign
France
Eight men armed with Kalashnikovs ambushed a Saudi Embassy convoy as it headed to Bourget airport outside Paris. The attackers stole a vehicle, a suitcase filled with 250,000 euros, and allegedly “sensitive” diplomatic documents, but did not harm the members of the convoy, including an unnamed Saudi prince.
United Kingdom
Defense Secretary Fallon said the RAF’s efforts in Iraq against the Islamic State could last weeks or months, as it “is not simply a humanitarian mission,” but vowed that the British Army would not have boots on the ground in Iraq. Prime Minister Cameron issued a statement on Aug. 16 asserting that the fight against […]