Kenya
Kenyans enhance vigilance as threats of terror attack rise
Author Archives: Lisa Lundquist
Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham
Turkish tomb in Syria becomes flashpoint for conflict
Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham
Syrian Kurds, rebels find common enemy in ISIS
Iraq
United Nations warns of increasing militant links between Iraq, Syria
Syria
The Al Nusrah Front, the Ansar al Sham, and the Sham al Islam continued to battle regime forces in Latakia; the regime responded with bombardments. Al Nusrah and the Islamic Front clashed with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham over oilfields and facilities in Deir Izzour. ISIS fought against Al Nusrah, Islamist fighters, […]
Lebanon
Masked gunmen killed an army officer in Tripoli. Suspected car bomb expert Sami Ahmad Atrash died following a shootout in Arsal with police; authorities are conducting raids in Arsal in search of terrorists linked to Atrash. After an Islamic Jihad initiative, Fatah agreed to a memorandum of understanding with Islamists in Lebanon, including Hamas, the […]
Boko Haram
Nigeria’s Boko Haram insurgency ‘affects millions’
Afghanistan
Exclusive: Pakistan Taliban agrees to ceasefire to help Afghan allies
Al Qaeda
Digging Trenches: Al Shabaab in Kenya
Turkey
Authorities shut down YouTube after the airing of leaked audio in which the foreign minister, the intelligence head, and a top general are heard discussing possible military operations in Syria. Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said publicly yesterday that Turkey would take steps to protect its security, including an operation in Syria to protect the tomb of […]
Kenya
Security forces aided by the FBI are trying to prevent rumored “dirty bomb” or car bomb attacks in Mombasa and Nairobi as well as disrupt a Shabaab plot said to involve Ugandan tanker trucks. Police in Mombasa were given shoot-to-kill orders. After the deadly attack on a Likoni church on March 23, the Interior Ministry […]
Libya
An unknown group exploded a massive quantity of ordnance that was stored in 40 underground bunkers outside Sebha. Experts defused a car bomb near a school in Ajdabiya. The captain of an oil tanker that illicitly loaded Libyan oil said the ship’s owner had told him to take on the oil in Libya after crossing […]
France
Counterterrorism authorities announced the prevention of an imminent terrorist attack in the Cote d’Azur region and the arrest of a jihadist who had returned from Syria. The suspect, Ibrahim B., had fled in 2012 along with two other members of the terrorist group Cannes-Torcy to Syria, where they allegedly joined the Al Nusrah Front. A […]
Europe
Military Cuts Render NATO Less Formidable as Deterrent to Russia
United States
US intelligence and counterterrorism officials expressed concern that al Qaeda’s central command is trying to establish bases and recruit fighters in Syria for attacks against the West. US military officials said North Korea has the capacity to fire missiles on short notice and the US lacks assets to conduct amphibious operations in the Pacific. In […]
Syria
Syria rebels gain foothold by Mediterranean
Syria
Lawmakers bash Obama administration’s ‘delusional’ Syria policy
Al Nusrah Front
Counting the Cost in Arsal
Syria
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham bombed a Shiite shrine in Raqqah. Regime forces bombarded rebels who have seized Kasab in Latakia, including the Al Nusrah Front, the Islamic Front, and the Ansar al Islam. Turkey is allowing the rebels to move somewhat freely in the border areas of Latakia.
Lebanon
The military prosecutor recommended that 21 people be indicted for two car bombings in Tripoli last August; among them are Alawite leader Ali Eid and Tripoli-based preacher Hashem Minqara. Three people were killed in Tripoli in incidents related to the Syrian conflict. Government and military officials convened to discuss ways to improve security and prevent […]
Al Qaeda
Qaeda Militants Seek Syria Base, US Officials Say
Libya
Armed men set up blockades on several roads leading to Tripoli airport. Protesters threatened a shutdown of the Ruwais power plant, which would cause outages in Tripoli. Security forces intercepted a shipment of 480 tons of subsidized flour that was being smuggled out of Benghazi via Sebha into Chad and Niger.
Ansar al Sham
The Ansar al-Sham Battalions
Syria
Islamist rebels from the Ansar al Sham raised their black banner over coastal territory in Latakia after regime forces lost control of the largely Christian town of Kasab. The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front clashed with regime forces in Deir Izzour; in Hama; in Aleppo, where they were backed by the Al-Mojaheden and […]
Lebanon
A Syrian woman in Tripoli and a Lebanese gas station owner in the Bekaa valley both tried to immolate themselves but were saved when bystanders intervened. At least two rockets from Syria landed near Baalbek. About 50 rockets have reportedly been fired this month at Lebanese towns in Hezbollah strongholds.
Boko Haram
Women’s harrowing tale of escape from Boko Haram
Saudi Arabia
Saudi clerics decry “blasphemous” cartoon series
Turkey
The military said Syrian missile systems locked on to five Turkish jets patrolling the border. The military is on heightened alert after Turkish forces shot down a Syrian jet on March 23 that allegedly strayed into Turkish airspace. Syrian military forces are battling al Qaeda-linked rebels for border territory in Syria’s Latakia province, and have […]
Tuareg
Belmokhtar empire based on crime
Afghanistan
Last year bloody for Afghan security forces: Azimi