-
Iraq
[UPDATE 2] The U.S. is debating ending the reconciliation negotiations with Sunni insurgents. U.S. helicopters supported an Iraqi operation against death squads in the the Fadhil area of Baghdad. The Iraqi Army also conducted an operation in Rusafa. A terrorist killed 4 and wounded 29 in Mosul after police stopped an attack on a police station. U.S. forces killed 2 al Qaeda and captured 27 in multiple raids throughout Iraq.
-
Philippines
Abu Sayyaf back in Basilan, says governor
-
Bangladesh
UN envoy terms political situation in Bangladesh ‘worrying’
-
Rich Saudis Fund Qaeda in Sudan, Chad Charges
-
Sudan
Sudan president rejects U.N. troops in Darfur
-
Central African Republic: Hundreds flee Birao as French jets strike
-
Chad
Deby government accepts UN proposal for deployment of peacekeeping contingent on Chad-Sudan border. Khartoum, however, refuses to support the plan. Meanwhile, the mess in Darfur spills over into the Central African Republic, where the UN warns is “sliding into chaos.” Among the exports from Darfur to Chad and CAF, courtesy of Khartoum, are Islamists and Arab janjaweed militias.
-
Thailand
Schools remain closed since Monday in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani provinces to protest attacks on school buildings and teachers. Human Rights Watch blames BRN-C youth wing, Pemuda, and RKK. Zach Abuza has previously noted that both groups are Islamist in nature and include in their leadership JI and Afghan trained fighters.
-
Somalia
Thursday’s death toll in the suicide attack on Baidoa hits 8 and the UIC distanced itself from the operation. TFG claims that 350 militia defected earlier this week, marking the first time that militamen have left the UIC.
-
Lebanon
Beirut on edge as rumors of a planned Hezbollah-backed coup against PM Siniora sweeps the city and Hezbollah rallies thousands in front of the PM’s office demanding his resignation. Downtown businesses brace for extended closures as the rallies develop into a prolonged sit-in.
-
Palestinian Territories
A Qassam rocket was fired into Israel despite the truce. A Palestinian was killed after throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Hebron checkpoint. Palestinians are still smuggling weapons across the Gaza border.
-
Iraq
Leaks indicate the Iraq Survey Group will recommend pulling back troops soon. PM Maliki is receiving criticism from Sunnis in the government for failing to resolve the violence. The remainder of the Stryker Brigade in Mosul is moving to Baghdad.
-
Hunting the Takfiris in Iraq
Ansar al-Sunnah leaders captured, raid on al Qaeda in Iraq cell Ansar al-Sunnah. DUBAI, UAE: Task Force 145, the Coalition hunter-killer teams that focus on al Qaeda in Iraq, have been busy over the past week. Multinational Forces Iraq reports Ansar al-Sunnah leadership has taken a hit in central, western and northern Iraq, while a raid nabbed 8 al Qaeda. During raids in mid-November, Coaliton forces “captured the terrorist emirs [of Ansar al Sunnah in] Ramadi, Baqubah Tikrit, al Qa’im, Bayji and Baghdad. They also captured two terrorist facilitators, a courier, an explosives expert and a financier.” The capture and…
