Afghanistan
China offers conditional support to Afghan-US security deal
Author Archives: Lisa Lundquist
Nigeria
The Nigerian military closed the border between Adamawa state and Cameroon to prevent the infiltration of Islamist militants; the border has not been closed in neighboring Borno state. Hundreds of travelers turned off the road near Damaturu in Yobe state after reports that Boko Haram was blocking a 50-mile stretch of road into Maiduguri in […]
Al Nusrah Front
German rapper, now jihadist still alive in Syria
Ahrar al Sham
Military escalation will add to Syrian catastrophe
Iran
Iran boosts military support in Syria to bolster Assad
Libya
Police arrested six Qataris at Benghazi airport carrying fake Libyan passports and $146,000 as they tried to board a flight to Istanbul. Two security force members were killed in Benghazi, and an unexploded bomb was found in a Benghazi school. Judges across the country have stopped working due to frequent assassinations and harassment. A joint […]
Iran
Hardline Iran cleric warns against resuming US ties
Syria
The Syrian Foreign Ministry offered to cooperate with Lebanon in combating terrorism. The regime offered a 100-day deadline for the removal of its chemical weapons, but the US and Britain said the work can be done sooner. The UN evacuation mission in Homs is focusing on male evacuees. In Aleppo, regime forces clashed with the […]
Lebanon
Arsal overflows with refugees fleeing Yabroud
Syria
The UN Security Council will vote tomorrow on a resolution for cross-border aid access and an enforceable halt to bombardments in Syria. The Islamic Law Council of Deir al-Zor told women to wear the hijab, as the council is “obliged to promote virtue and prevent vice.” Al Nusrah, ISIS, and Islamic battalions fought against regime […]
Central African Republic
UN chief wants 3,000 more troops for Central African Republic
Lebanon
The pro-Assad Arab Democratic Party issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Lebanese authorities to arrest the killers of Abdel-Rahman Diab, the father of a suspect in the August 2013 twin car bombings in Tripoli. Following Diab’s death, clashes erupted in which two people were killed and five wounded; nearly all schools in Tripoli closed for security […]
Turkey
In their first phone conversation in six months, President Erdogan and US President Obama “agreed on the importance of close cooperation … to address the growing terrorist presence in Syria.” Authorities removed 207 officers from their posts in the Ankara police counterterrorism unit today. The ruling AKP party is seeking to restructure Turkey’s national intelligence […]
Turkey
Turkish gov’t to expand powers of national intelligence agency
Libya
Ansar al Sharia in Libya issued a statement vowing it will no longer accept oppression, denouncing democracy, calling for sharia law, and threatening that the hands of “our people in Benghazi” and in other areas “are on the triggers.” Turnout was low in the election for a constitutional drafting committee. In Derna, gunmen shot a […]
Tunisia
Army units on Mount Chaambi are investigating the source of a loud explosion heard yesterday. The day before, a roadside bomb detonated near an armored vehicle on Mount Chaambi. A TV show on a private channel has sparked controversy for airing views of terrorists and their associates, including the father of recently slain Kamel Gadhgadhi, […]
Afghanistan
Study Warns on Afghan Troop Cuts
United States
The Homeland Security Department has issued a warning, based on “very recent intelligence,” about shoe bomb terror plots targeting US-bound passenger flights. Ahmed Muhammed Haza al Darbi, a Saudi detainee at Guantanamo, pled guilty to helping with an al Qaeda plot to attack oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz between 2000 and 2002. Jose […]
Kyrgyzstan
Authorities recently announced the arrest of six suspected terrorists in Osh on Feb. 14. Some of the suspects allegedly trained in international terrorist group camps in Syria and fought there before returning to Kyrgyzstan. The suspects were said to be planning attacks in Osh and Bishkek. Kyrgyz fighters are known to have traveled to Syria […]
Somalia
Graft charges test West’s ties to Somali leader
Syria
Salim Idriss, the recently sacked head of the Free Syrian Army, rejected the dismissal; several top FSA commanders expressed support for him as their leader. Thousands of Syrians are fleeing to Lebanon at Arsal. Islamic battalions and the Al Nusrah Front clashed with regime forces in Hama and in Aleppo. Regime forces fought against Islamic […]
Al Nusrah Front
Abdullah Azzam Brigades alive and well, despite key arrests
Lebanon
The al Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades conducted a double suicide attack at the Iranian Cultural Center in Beirut, killing at least eight people and wounding 128. The group also threatened further attacks against Iran and Hezbollah if their forces are not withdrawn from Syria and jihadists are not freed from Lebanese prisons. The army released […]
Hezbollah
Residents quietly flee Beirut’s southern suburbs
Denmark
Denmark ‘cautiously optimistic’ over Syria chemical weapons
Al Qaeda
Timbuktu waits for peace dividend
Libya
A judge was critically injured by a car bombing attack in Benghazi. The government played down threats by two militias calling for GNC members to quit; but over 20 GNC members left after the threats. Prime Minister Zeidan said a compromise was reached with the militias to extend the deadline for the GNC by 72 […]
Indonesia
Islamists in Jakarta and Bekasi recently demonstrated in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham. Aceh, a province with 5 million inhabitants, has adopted a bylaw requiring both Muslims and non-Muslims to abide by sharia; sharia authorities are empowered to make arrests; confiscate property; detain suspects for 30 days prior to trial; […]
US Military
Star Wars to become reality as US Navy on course to arm ship with laser
Afghanistan
Karzai Condemns Killing of Taliban Leader, Body Returned to Takhar