President Musharraf will chair a Loya Jirga on November 8, consisting of Baloch and Pashtun leaders. India accused the ISI of infiltrating the armed forces and ‘espionage activity.’ AQ Khan has smuggled several P2 nuclear centrifuges to Dubai, which were likely transferred to Iran and North Korea.
Iran ‘blocks Israel soldier deal’
Global Crisis Watch: October 16, 2006 North Korea’s Allies in Beijing, Terror Attacks in Mindanao, Islamic Law in Malaysia Global Crisis Watch calls to New York City, Manila and Penang, Malaysia, to tackle China’s enabling of North Korea and refusal to enforce the Chapter VII UNSC resolutions, the terror attacks in Mindanao and hunt for […]
The Islamic Courts have opened 4 “centers for jihad registration” in the Hiran region. The ICU shut down the “Mogadishu-based Bariga Afrika radio station… because the station ‘divides the community.’” Two carloads of the popular stimulant khat were burned near Kismayo.
Islamic Courts repulse an attack on Kismayo, continues to consolidate gains Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Sheik Yusuf Indohaadde during a news briefing, Saturday, June 17, 2006. AP photograph, click to view. Colonel Bare Hirale, the defense minister in the transitional government and leader of the Juba Valley Alliance, has made good on his pledge […]
North Korea has detonated its first nuclear device, sending the international community into a crisis over how to respond. The debate over possible sanctions and even a blockade has begun in the United Nations. There are questions about whether the test was successful or not due to the yield of the explosion, but regardless the […]
Islamic Courts, Ethiopian troops dance in south central Somalia Somalia. Cities in red indicate ICU controlled territory. Click map to view. As the Islamic Courts Union presses forward with consolidating power in southern and central Somalia, the chance of a battle between the army of the Islamic Courts and Ethiopian troops currently in country has […]
North Korea joins the nuclear club Red Star indicates location of test, based on USGS seismic reports. Click map to view. North Korea has successfully tested its first nuclear weapon. The Korean Central News Agency, the mouthpiece of the regime, has reported the test took place. “The nuclear test is a historic event that brought […]
North Korea reports a successful nuclear test, despite the multi-lateral message that the test “cannot be tolerated.” Some fear that North Korea’s test will serve as an example to harden Iran’s resolve on nuclear development.
A Sunni tribe joins al Qaeda, The Islamic Army in Iraq offers negotiations with the U.S. Iraq. Click map to view. The splits within the Sunni Insurgency and al Qaeda continue to manifest as Sunni groups begin to chart their future actions. One of the major Islamist insurgent groups is willing to negotiate, as a […]
The Islamic Courts army is now on the Kenyan border. The ICU commander of Hiran province has threatened Ethiopia with war if their troops enter the country. The ICU has officially established shariah courts in Mogadishu and appointed leaders.
Police hold Iranian in Belgian airline bomb plot
Sadr’s Madhi Army the target of Iraqi and Coalition pressure in Diwaniyah Muqtada al-Sadr. Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iranian backed Shiite cleric, has been a thorn in the side of the Coalition and the fledgling Iraqi government. In the spring and late summer of 2004, U.S. forces fought intense battles against Sadr for control over the […]
A status update on Pakistan, plus the Brits call for a truce in Helmand province The results of the Waziristan Accord, Pakistan’s ‘truce’ with the Taliban and al Qaeda in the tribal agency of North Waziristan, reverberate throughout the Afghan-Pakistani border region and beyond. The Taliban continue to violate the truce. A Pakistani military base […]
Musharraf threatens the West: “You’ll be brought down to your knees if Pakistan doesn’t co-operate with you” in the war. Musharraf and Karzai agree to hold loya jirgas (tribal meetings) in the border regions. The Pakistani government has forced the Taliban to close their office in Miranshah. Afghan security forces and a “Pakistani militia” clashed […]
Pakistani government abandons North Waziristan as the Taliban opens an office in Miranshah. Miranshah, North Waziristan, when the Pakistani Army patrolled the streets. The Taliban has now taken control. Click image to view. The Pakistani government, led by President Pervez Musharraf, has repeatedly stated the Waziristan Accord does not mean the government has ceded control […]
Yet again I had the honor and privilege of co-hosting this week’s edition of Global Crisis Watch’s Podcast: Prison Radicalization and Blogging the Coup. We tackle U.S.-Pakistan post-9/11 relations, prison radicalization inside America, the ties between Caracas and Tehran, and the role bloggers played during the Thai coup with Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, author of “My Year […]
Egypt is openly discussing starting a civilian nuclear energy program. As Iran continues to proceed in developing its nuclear program, expect other Arab states to do the same.
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and I have co-authored an article titled Pakistan Surrenders for the October 2 edition of The Weekly Standard. The article provides an overview of the Fall of Waziristan and the strategic implications. The full text of the article is available below:
Pakistan attempts to deflect attention away from the real impact of the Waziristan Accord President – General Pervez Musharraf. President Pervez Musharraf is making a great effort to portray the Waziristan Accord as a positive step in reigning in the Taliban and al Qaeda during his visit to the United States and his meetings with […]
Israel Calls Iran Its Greatest Threat
Iran protests Turkey™s grounding of official plane
Chirac urges lifting UN sanctions threat on Iran
Operation Together Forward moves into several Baghdad neighborhoods over the past week Map of Baghdad operations. Click map to view. Iraqi and Coalition forces continue to clear Baghdad’s’ neighborhoods under Operation Together Forward. Over the last week, five neighborhoods have been the focus of the joint effort: Bakriya (East Monsour), Rusafa, Risala and Khadra in […]
Documenting the Taliban’s rise to power in Waziristan and beyond over the course of 2006 and 2007
Former Head of Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. on Iranian TV: ‘The 9/11 Events Were Planned by the American Administration’
Iraq Asks Iran to Stop Flow of Militants
The initial report was incorrect, Hekmatyar has not been captured, see the correction for details. On the day of the fifth anniversary of the 9-11 attack, Coalition forces score a high value target in Afghanistan. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the commander of Hezb-i-Islami and ally of al Qaeda and the Taliban, has been captured during a joint […]
The Taliban take retribution against pro-American “spies” and “collaborators” The federally Administered Tribal Areas and North West Frontier Province. Click to enlrage. The purge of anti-Taliban tribal elements has begun in the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan, formerly as the Pakistani tribal agency of North Waziristan. The “Waziristan accord” specifically prohibits the extra judicial killings of […]
The majority of the day’s violence has occurred in and around Baghdad. The first day of a Shiite holiday in Karbala ended with incident. Prime Minister Maliki will travel to Iran.