Palestinian Authority
Saudis will give $100 million to Palestinians
Saudis will give $100 million to Palestinians
Iran struggles to woo reluctant Egypt
Al Assad is becoming a liability to Iran
Syrian rebels accuse jihadist groups of trying to hijack revolution
Several months before his death in May 2011, Osama bin Laden ordered al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to stand down with respect to hostage negotiations. The terror master said he would negotiate with France concerning AQIM’s hostages. Mokhtar Belmokhtar’s spokesman recently confirmed that he still answers to al Qaeda central.
More than 100 people were shot, stabbed or burned to death by government forces in a village outside the city of Homs. Jordan said it would not allow a surge of Syrian refugees into the country in the event of the collapse of the Assad government.
Security forces arrested a “terrorist” group and seized a large arms cache. The arrests came as security forces went on alert after Islamist militants seized hostages in neighboring Algeria.
Suspected Shabaab militants opened fire at a restaurant in Garissa, killing at least five people, including a senior prison officer, and wounding four more. An informer had helped plan the attack, according to witnesses. Security in northeastern Kenya has been heightened amid reports that Shabaab militants have crossed the border.
Islamist militants fighting French forces in the Diabaly area are said to be hiding among civilians. French troops in Mali now number about 1,400. Germany provided two transport planes to assist the intervention. The European Union agreed to send a military training mission to Mali; no combat role is planned.
Algerian troops launched an operation to free 41 hostages being held at a gas facility by an Islamist group called Battalion of Blood; 25 hostages are said to have escaped and six were killed along with eight militants. Other reports say that 34 of the captives and 15 militants have been killed in the rescue […]
Afghan media reports of a recent green-on-blue attack in the far western province have been dismissed by the International Security Assistance Force.
Only 3 percent Afghans have proper access to internet
Pakistan – Tribesmen pile bodies outside Governor’s House in protest
Sahara hostage siege turns Mali war global
A Taliban suicide assault team attacked the NDS headquarters in Kabul; six Taliban fighters and a security guard died during the attack. The Taliban killed three NDS officers in an IED attack in Uruzgan, and killed an ISAF soldier in the west. A British soldier died of wounds sustained during combat on Jan. 14.
Insurgents killed 32 Iraqis, including eight policemen, and wounded 181 more in a series of bombings and attacks in Kirkuk, Tuz, and Baghdad. Security forces captured a local al Qaeda leader in Baqubah.
“Gunmen” assassinated the deputy chief of police in a shooting from a motorcycle in Damar. Iran’s ambassador to Yemen denied the US ambassador’s accusation that Iran is supporting insurgent and terrorist groups.
Shabaab said it would execute French hostage and intelligence agent Denis Allex. Police officials claimed to have detained 1,700 suspected Shabaab members in Mogadishu. Puntland security forces launched an operation in Galgala against Shabaab.
A terrorist group headed by Mokhtar Belmokhtar has claimed credit for the raid on a natural gas field in Algeria. Belmokhtar is a longtime Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb commander, but split from the group last year. Belmokhtar’s spokesman has said that he still answers to al Qaeda central.
Afghanistan: My Enemy’s Enemy
Sea piracy falls to 5-year low as Somali gangs retreat
Three dissidents were charged in court with “insulting the president” and with a new charge, “tarnishing the president’s image.” The foreign ministry demanded that the United Arab Emirates disclose charges against the 11 Egyptians arrested last month.
Three car bombs exploded near government facilities in Idlib, killing 24 people. Government forces stepped up attacks in Idlib, Hama, and Homs. Russia suspended its consular operations in Aleppo. Government forces may have used chemical weapons in Homs, but a US spokesman dismissed the report.
Swede in court for violating Iran sanctions
Sweden rules out taking Syria’s Assad to the ICC
The French Intervention in Mali Could Take Longer than First Thought
Arsonists attacked the Sidi Bou Said mausoleum in Tunis; Salafists are suspected. Last month, five Salafists were arrested for a similar attack on a Sufi shrine that took place in October 2012.
French anti-terror judge says ‘no choice’ but war in Mali /a>
Report: Malian villagers caught in the crossfire
National Directorate of Security personnel repelled the suicide assault team after it detonated a bomb at the main gate and entered the compound.