Russia’s deputy foreign minister said the Assad regime was losing control of Syria; NATO’s Secretary General assessed that the regime was approaching collapse. The Syrian Army fired SCUD ballistic missiles at rebel positions for the first time. Two car bombs exploded southwest of Damascus, killing 24 people.
Authorities accused Israel of using a vulture tagged with a GPS-equipped camera to spy on Sudan; the military claimed to have captured one such vulture in the Darfur region this month. An Israeli ecologist dismissed the claim, saying the equipment was regularly used for tracking wildlife.
A leader from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s El Moulethemine Brigade reportedly turned himself in to authorities last week. The unnamed commander is reportedly wanted by INTERPOL.
Security forces investigating a Salafist group in El Kef found a large quantity of weapons and ammunition in a raid on a house in Tajerouine; two persons escaped during the raid, but a suspect linked to a recent Salafist arms trafficking incident was arrested.
Top Russian Envoy for Syria Says Assad Is Losing Control
The Israeli ambassador advised Jews in Denmark to avoid wearing Jewish faith symbols in public in order to avoid harassment. Authorities have urged Jews to be especially cautious in Copenhagen’s multiethnic Nørrebro district.
Russia admitted for the first time that the forces of its ally Assad may lose to the Syrian rebels, and is making plans for the evacuation of thousands of Russians from Syria. Russia is concerned about the seizure of Syrian chemical weapons arsenals by “extremists.”
Shaker Masri, an Alabama-born Chicago man, was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison. Masri had plotted to be a suicide bomber for al Qaeda or Shabaab in Somalia. Two Alabama men, Mohammad Abdul Rahman Abukhdair and Randy Wilson, were arrested in Georgia as they were planning to travel to Mauritania for jihad. Wilson is […]
A video showing Ayman al Zawahiri calling on Hazem Salah Abu Ismail to restart the Egyptian revolution is circulating on Egyptian web sites. The video is actually a clip from al Qaeda’s Oct. 24 video. Zawahiri urges Abu Ismail to work toward the implementation of sharia law.
Canada pledged an additional $15 million in humanitarian aid to help with the Syrian refugee crisis, but held back from granting official recognition to the Syrian National Coalition. Foreign Minister Baird said Canada first needed to see that all groups, such as Kurds, Christians, and Sunni and Shiite Muslims, are assured a place in Syria, […]
US lawmakers says Syria’s chemical weapons are ready to use
Kidnappings Fuel Extremists in Western Africa
Nearly three-quarters of Pakistan girls not in school
North Korea successfully launched a satellite into orbit, demonstrating North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile capability. NATO, UN, Russian, and Japanese leaders criticized the launch.
Security forces captured an al Qaeda commander near Mosul, four al Qaeda fighters in Fallujah, and three Ansar al Sunnah fighters in Kirkuk. A court sentenced three al Qaeda commanders and four fighters to death for kidnapping and executing 26 men in Anbar.
An Egyptian group calling itself the Ansar al Sharia Brigades has reportedly posted a list of people to assassinate in the event that the Egyptian government collapses.
Three al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and a pro-government tribesman were killed during a clash in Marib province. A counterterrorism officer escaped an assassination attempt in Sana’a on Monday.
The National Salvation Front opposition alliance called for a “no” vote on the upcoming referendum on a draft constitution. Egyptians abroad began voting. Protests by both supporters and opponents of President Morsi continued in Cairo and across Egypt.
Syrian rebels gaining ground against Assad’s air power
A look at North Korea’s secretive, advancing missile arsenal
The US recognized the opposition Syrian National Coalition as the “sole legitimate representative” of the Syrian people. More than 100 countries also recognized the opposition coalition. Russia, China, and Iran did not.
Taliban control schools in Ghazni province of Afghanistan
Afghanistan – Insecurity hampers development of some districts
“We can have ideological and political differences with certain parties,” the head of the Syrian National Coalition said, referring to al Qaeda’s branch in Syria.
Pakistani girls protest naming of college after Malala
Denmark – Bomb scare at Central Station called off
The government pledged support for peace negotiations conducted by the Afghan High Peace Council, and said it would host a Taliban political office in Ankara. The military killed 42 PKK fighters in eastern Turkey.
Denmark – Police admit using Google translation in terror investigation was mistake
Can France and Algeria find common ground on Mali?
After a bag containing pipe bomb elements was found on a platform at Bonn’s central train station on Monday, police arrested two Somali men, Abdirazak B. and Omar D., known extremists already under surveillance. The pair were later released; police are now looking for other suspects.