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Syria denies it has troops in Yemen in wake of military agreement with Saudi Arabia
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al Shaibani denied reports that Syria had deployed troops to Yemen or planned to do so, clarifying that its military agreement with Saudi Arabia focuses on rebuilding Syria’s armed forces. The statement comes amid broader diplomatic efforts by Damascus to strengthen security and political ties with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iraq.
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8 Islamic State suspects arrested or indicted across 5 countries since October
Between October 9 and November 10, authorities in five countries announced the arrests or indictments of eight individuals in Islamic State-related cases. The incidents highlight the terrorist group’s continued ability to radicalize and recruit supporters online despite the loss of its territorial caliphate.
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Hezbollah reportedly rebuilding networks in southern Lebanon pilot zones
Hezbollah is reportedly rebuilding its intelligence networks and restoring its presence in three southern Lebanese villages designated to test the group’s disarmament, despite the Lebanese Army’s claims of operational control. The reports come amid stalled verification efforts and continued reluctance by the army to confront Hezbollah.
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Attack targets Khor Mor gas field in Iraqi Kurdistan
A new “suspected drone attack” on the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region has heightened tensions as Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi confronts Iranian-backed militias over their weapons, economic networks, and influence. The developments come amid growing US pressure on Baghdad to restrict border crossings with Iran, renewed diplomatic contacts between Iraqi…
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Ugandans start withdrawal from Somalia, US leaves key base
After nearly 20 years in Somalia, Uganda has begun withdrawing its troops from the African Union mission, while US forces have also departed the strategic Baledogle Military Airfield in southern Somalia. The departures could create opportunities for Al Qaeda’s Shabaab to expand its influence amid ongoing political instability in Mogadishu.
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IDF finds weapons stockpiles, Hezbollah military site near UN posts in south Lebanon
Israeli forces found weapons stockpiles and a Hezbollah military-use apartment within 100 to 250 meters of United Nations positions in southern Lebanon, adding to a years-long record of Hezbollah military infrastructure near UNIFIL sites.
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Northern Iraq struggles with Kurdish political divisions and security
Northern Iraq faces mounting security and political challenges as Iranian drone attacks continue to target Kurdish Iranian opposition groups, Iraqi forces conduct operations against the Islamic State, and political disputes threaten stability in Sinjar. These developments come amid growing tensions between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, complicating efforts to strengthen…
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Arab parties endorse Eisenkot for Israeli PM, IDF reports 52 ceasefire violations Oct. 16–Nov. 5
Record turnout among Arab voters in Israel’s October 27 parliamentary election nearly doubled the representation of Arab-led parties, potentially making them kingmakers in forming the next government. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces reported 52 ceasefire violations by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups between October 16 and November 5, as Israeli forces continued conducting strikes…
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Syria detains Hezbollah cell accused of Homs plot
On November 3, Syrian security forces arrested members of an alleged Hezbollah-linked cell accused of plotting an attack on a refinery near Homs, the latest in a series of operations targeting Hezbollah networks and arms smuggling since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. The arrests come amid expanding Syrian-Lebanese talks on border…
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Lebanese military prosecutor charges 13 over Hezbollah explosives shipment
Lebanon’s military prosecutor charged 13 people over a shipment of explosives seized at Dahr al Baidar. Reporting on the prosecution identifies the alleged supplier, intended recipient, vehicle owner, and members of an accompanying transport team. The charges came as Lebanon’s government continued debating whether to transfer the case to the Judicial Council.
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Afghan United Front leads October surge in claimed anti-Taliban attacks
Anti-Taliban resistance groups claimed 82 attacks in October, more than double September’s total, with the Afghan United Front leading the surge. Yet the emergence of new factions and the loss of another NRF commander underscore the challenges facing a resistance that remains divided.
All Articles
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Iraq
Iranians ‘up to no good’ in Iraq
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Al Qaeda
In his latest tape called “Set Out and Support Your Brothers in Somalia,” Zawahiri calls for Muslims “in Yemen, the Arab Peninsula, Egypt, North Africa and Sudan” to “use ambushes and mines, and raids and suicidal attacks until you rend and eat your prey as the lion does with his prey.” He specifically encourages Egyptian Islamic Jihad to battle Ethiopia. Full transcript from CENTCOM. Also see January 6 post.
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Pakistan
The Taliban have taken over the “Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Kohat districts” in the NWFP. During PM Aziz’s visit to Afghanistan, Karzai accused Pakistan of helping the Taliban. Syed Saleem Shahzad said the mining of the border will fail as long as the Taliban have safe haven and can operate openly inside Pakistan.
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Talibanistan Expands further into the NWFP
Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas The Waziristan Accord gives the Taliban the power to influence territory within Pakistan The Pakistani government’s decision to negotiate with the Taliban and al Qaeda in North and South Waziristan during 2006 has serious consequences for the internal security of Pakistan as well as the international community. Not only do the Taliban use North and South Waziristan to train and launch attacks into Afghanistan, but these bases are used to extend the Taliban’s influence in Western Pakistan. In May, we noted the Taliban extended their influence and established safe havens in…
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Somalia
(Somalia) By dawn the Islamists were gone
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Do Bloggers Owe the AP an Apology?
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Algeria
Tunisian security forces killed 12 Algerians terrorists and captured 15 after a battle north of Tunis. The terrorists, likely GSPC / al Qaeda in North Africa, “were part of a larger group of militants who had crossed the border from Algeria.”
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Morocco
Morocco broke up a recruiting cell for al Qaeda in Iraq. Sixty-two Islamists were arrested. Those detained include “al Qaeda, the Algeria-based Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) and other international terrorist organisations…”
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Engaging the Islamic Courts at Ras Kamboni
Satelitte view (clouded) of the southeast corner of the Kenyan-Somali border. Click image to view. Ethiopian and Somali forces battling Islamic Courts remnants on the Kenyan border The Ethiopian armored column and Somali forces pushing southward since the fall of Mogadishu last week appear to have finally reached Ras Kamboni and are engaging a significant element of the remnants of the Islamic Courts. “Government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers were fighting about 600 Islamic militiamen in the southern tip of Somalia,” reports The Associated Press. “The Somali forces have surrounded the Islamic militiamen ‘from every direction’ in the [sic] southwestern…
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Afghanistan
Mullah Omar, in an email to Reuters, said he has not seen Osama bin Laden since late 2001. A Taliban roadside bomb in Uruzgan killed 5 Afghan soldiers. Some US politicians suggest legalizing poppy growth in Afghanistan for medicinal use.
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Iraq
The government has postponed the executions of Saddam’s half-brother and the head of the Baath Revolutionary Court. The Anbar Salvation Council announced 5 al Qaeda were killed, including a Yemeni leader, by tribal militias. Iraqi soldiers detain three bomb makers and find IED materials in Albu Farris.
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Palestinian Territories
An Israeli armored force raided Ramallah in Gaza. Four Palestinians have been reported killed and 30 wounded. Five were killed and 9 wounded in clashes between Fatah and Hamas. A smuggling tunnel between Gaza and Egypt collapsed.
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The Rise & Fall of Somalia’s Islamic Courts: An Online History
The Somalia Battlefield December 25, 2006 to January 3, 2007. Light blue – Ethiopian & TFG advances. Green – ICU territory. Orange – recent clashes. Click image to view. Click the map for an animated view of the TFG and Ethiopian operations against the Islamic Courts from December 25 to January 3 The Islamic Courts Courts rise to power mirrored that of Afghanistan’s Taliban in the 1990s, as was their fall. Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is wanted by the U.S. government for involvement of al Qaeda, and his allies shrewdly co-opted indigenous Islamist movements under the guise of restoring order…
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Second US carrier group to deploy to Persian Gulf
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Pakistan
Taliban walk right in, sit right down …
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Russian military officer warns of US missile defense plans
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Palestinian Territories
Gaza infighting leaves five dead
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North Korea
How Kim Jong Il controls a nation
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Iraq
Pentagon Prepares For Iraq Troop Surge
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Pakistan
Pushtunwali – Honour among them
