On the heals of a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, Israel has agreed to release 25 Egyptian prisoners in exchange for one Israeli soldier. Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas is expected to demand prisoner releases to resume peace talks. A Saudi Cleric has offered a reward for kidnapping Israeli soldiers.
Libya’s new rulers declared the country liberated, but seek further help from NATO. Gaddsafi’s son Saif al Islam offers to surrender to International Criminal Court. Qatar admitted it had troops in Libya during the rebellion.
Several Somali members of parliament welcomed Kenya’s invasion of the south. An American and a Dane, both aid workers, were kidnapped in Galkayo; they are thought to be held by pirates.
A Malian security official said that the Italian and the Spaniard who were taken hostage on Oct. 23 were kidnapped by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s “Sahrawi wing.” Hakim Ould Mohamed M’Barek, a member of the Sahrawi wing, is linked to the kidnappings.
Death highlights women’s role in Special Ops teams
Who is “the Foreigner,” al-Qaida’s new aid emissary to Somalia?
Taliban commanders say Pakistan intelligence helps them
Pentagon to Expand Activities in Asia
In a new AQAP periodical released by the recently formed Madad News Agency, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said their emir “is very well.”
Afghanistan sliding into autocracy: Paktia governor
Yemeni women burn veils to protest regime
Tunisia Liberals See a Vote for Change, Not Just for Islamists
Panetta Says North Korea Remains a ‘Serious Threat’
Pakistan ‘still running Taliban training camps’
Boko Haram claimed credit for killing a journalist who worked for the government-owned Nigerian Television Authority. The terror group killed the journalist “because he was an informant of security agencies … He gave information to security agents that led to the arrest of many of our members.”
Afghanistan – Sherzai orders action against warring tribes
Afghan Government Won’t Be Able to Fund Security Forces After 2014: Eikenberry
In Gaza, former prisoners pampered in luxury hotel
Security forces killed and captured several Taliban, HIG, and IMU commanders and fighters in Khost, Paktia, Logar, Wardak, Laghman, and Takhar. The Taliban killed a provincial chief of the National Directorate of Security in a suicide attack.
The Taliban again called for the release of ‘Lady al Qaeda’ Aafia Siddiqui. The hostages may be managed by Moezeddine Garsallaoui, a Swiss citizen who is a senior al Qaeda leader in North Waziristan.
Ansar al Islam claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in Baghdad on Oct. 6, 10, and 13. The terror group said it killed more than 60 Iraqis in attacks on policemen and Shia militias in the Sadr City, Al Washash, and Al Atefiyah neighborhoods.
US envoy: Progress in NKorea talks, but no deal
Insurgents killed three security guards at an oil facility in Baqubah and a traffic policeman in Baghdad. Prime Minister Maliki ordered the closing of the Justice and Accountability Commission.
Security forces killed two protesters in Sana’a. Three Syrian technicians and a Yemeni were killed when a military cargo plane crashed in Lahj. Tribesmen kidnapped a Russian doctor.
Targeting AQAP in Yemen: Analysts argue for riskier approach
Panetta Says Ties With Libya Depend on Allies
Ennahda, Tunisia’s Islamist political party and a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, claimed to have won 40 percent of the vote. The Islamist party said it won 90 of the 217 seats in parliament.
18,000 flee Pakistan tribal region
Muammar Gaddafi ‘buried in desert grave at dawn’
Three people were killed during fighting between Somali and Shabaab forces in the village of Busar. A Somali solider killed a woman at a food distribution point in Mogadishu. “Gunmen” kidnapped an American and a Danish aid worker in northern Somalia.