The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, released photos purporting to show its use of a United Nations vehicle in a suicide bombing against regime positions in southern Syria.
Afghan official says Western troops leaving prematurely
The US released six Guantanamo detainees to Uruguay, including Jihad Ahmed Mujstafa Diyab, who had been assessed a “high-risk” detainee with extensive connections to al Qaeda’s global network. The US handed over Latif Mehsud and two others detained by US forces in Afghanistan in 2013 to Pakistani authorities. US officials said the unsuccessful raid to […]
The British Embassy warned of the possibility of terrorist attacks against UK interests. An American doctor in Abu Dhabi praised security forces for protecting his family from an attempted bombing by the person suspected in the murder of an American teacher. An Emirati official said the suspect learned from terrorist websites how to make bombs.
Latif Mehsud and two others detained by US forces in Logar, Afghanistan in 2013 have been handed over to the Pakistani authorities.
Two suicide bombings killed 15 people, most of them journalists and politicians, at a restaurant in Baidoa northwest of Mogadishu on Dec. 5. Local police announced the arrest of at least 60 suspected members of Shabaab after the attack. A Kenyan military plane crashed in southern Somalia on Dec. 4; Kenyan authorities cited mechanical issues, […]
An Egyptian court upheld death sentences for seven men accused of an August 2013 attack on a convoy in Sinai that killed 25 policemen. The British Embassy in Cairo has suspended services due to unspecified security concerns. Authorities have enacted new regulations that ban Egyptians from traveling to Turkey without a permit, in a bid […]
US Africa Command General David Rodriguez noted that reports on the Islamic State’s presence in Libya are “mixed,” but that individuals are “coming [to Libya] for training and logistics support right now. It’s for training sites, and that’s what we see right now. As far as a huge command-and-control network, I’ve not seen that yet.” […]
Military and security forces are on high alert due to fighting between Libyan factions close to the Tunisian border. A Libyan pro-government airstrike hit a rival militia post near the Ras Jedir border crossing on Dec. 5.
Nigerian authorities seized a Russian airplane bound for Chad carrying two helicopters, a bullet-proof vehicle, and various heavy weapons. The crew has been variously reported as being Ukrainian and “French-speaking.” Ten Nigerian soldiers and over 70 Boko Haram fighters were reportedly killed when the jihadist group attempted to overrun the town of Ashaka in Borno […]
Abd al Baset Azzouz, an al Qaeda operative who served as Ayman al Zawahiri’s representative in Libya, was captured in Turkey in mid-November. Azzouz is reportedly being investigated for his possible ties to the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi.
After two years of captivity by Abu Sayyaf militants, Swiss bird watcher Lorenzo Vinceguerra escaped while Philippine troops fired rounds into the Abu Sayyaf camp in Patikul on Sulu. During the clash, Vinceguerra killed one of his captors, militant subcommander Juhurim Hussien, and was wounded by militant gunfire. In pursuit, Philippine troops later killed five […]
Forty special operations troops assaulted an al Qaeda compound in the southern province of Shabwa in an attempt to free American photojournalist Luke Somers.
Militants Strike in Kashmir as Elections Approach
Pakistan claimed it killed Adnan Shukrijumah in a raid in South Waziristan. Shukrijumah, who was wanted by the US, was al Qaeda’s operations chief for North America.
An exclusive look at life in Syrian town of Kobane
CENTCOM reported that since Dec. 3, the US has conducted six airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria and that the US and partners have carried out 14 airstrikes against the group in Iraq. US officials discussed plans for the temporary addition of extra US troops to NATO’s Afghan training mission Resolute Support.
Turkey not expected to revise Syria policy
Muslim-Christian cooperation vital in tackling ISIS
Iran confirms it carried out air strikes against Islamic State extremists in Iraq
Al Nusrah Front kills captive Lebanese soldier
Peshmerga defused 3,000 ISIS bombs: official
Syria’s Assad downplays US strikes on Islamic State
White House Seeks to Clarify Syria Policy
ISIS commander threatens Lebanon over arrest of wife
US moves ahead with plan for extra troops in Afghanistan until allies finalize plans
Does France’s Jewish population have reason to be afraid?
Mosul diaries: Shortages bite
In Germany’s first-ever trial of an Islamic State fighter, Kreshnik Berisha was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. Authorities estimate that of some 550 Germans who have joined the Islamic State in the Middle East, 60 have been killed and 180 have returned to Germany; about 300 people are currently under investigation. […]
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws backfire on religious groups