Monthly Archives: December 2011

Sweden

A court ordered the release of three men suspected of plotting to murder cartoonist Lars Viks in Gothenburg. Abdi Aziz Mahamud, Salar Sami Mahamood, and Abdi Weli Mohamud had been under observation for several months before their arrest in September. The verdict will be announced on Jan. 20.



Syria

With credibility on line, Arabs gambling that observer mission can bring pressure on Syria


Iran

Iran Threatens to Block Oil in Reply to Sanctions




Pakistan

Security forces killed 12 Taliban fighters in Kurram and two “terrorists” in Dera Ismail Khan. The US urged Pakistan to share the locations of its border posts on the Afghan border to prevent another incident like the one that resulted in the deaths of 24 Pakistani troops in Mohmand.


Bosnia

With Launches In Balkans and Beyond, Al-Jazeera Building New Spheres Of Influence



Afghanistan

The US Congress urged Twitter to shut down the official Taliban Twitter accounts. The Afghan government has agreed to the presence of a Taliban office in Qatar. Afghan forces are now responsible for Daikundi and Samangan provinces. Six insurgents were killed and six were arrested during operations in several provinces.


Al Qaeda in Iraq

Al Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the wave of attacks across Baghdad last week that killed 69 people. An al Qaeda group based in the Kurdistan region has threatened attacks against the US, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in revenge for the killing of its fighters in a US drone attack in the Pakistani […]




Lebanon

Lebanon will not send observers to Syria as part of an Arab League mission, in order to avoid “negative repercussions” in Lebanon from the Syrian crisis. The head of the Maronite Catholic Church has called upon all non-government forces, including Hezbollah, to disarm.




Yemen

A request by Yemen’s former president to enter the US for medical treatment is still in flux. Foes and backers of a plan to ease him out of power fought each other with stones and clubs and injured at least 20 people in the capital of Sana’a.


Somalia

Shabaab has aggressively recruited children as young as eight in southern Somalia to fight government and African Union forces. A member of parliament, Hassan Ali Adan, was shot in Mogadishu. The Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a militia has rejected a power-sharing agreement with Somalia’s political leaders.




Nigeria

Nigerian authorities arrested two suspects in connection with the deadly Christmas Day bombings of Catholic churches. Christianin the north said they feared that a spate of deadly bombings by Boko Haram could lead to a religious war in the country.







Afghanistan

Ten tribal elders were among the 20 people killed in yesterday’s suicide attack in Takhar. ISAF killed four Taliban fighters during an airstrike in Nangarhar. The Afghan Army said that commandos are now capable of conducting night raids.


Pakistan

The military killed 15 Taliban fighters in Kurram and Arakzai. Pakistan has kept NATO’s supply lines closed for one month.


Iraq

A suicide bomber killed seven Iraqi policemen during an attack outside the Interior Ministry. The government and the UN signed an agreement to close Camp Ashraf.


Yemen

Protesters in Taiz are calling for the government to expel the US ambassador. The US is considering allowing President Saleh to travel to the US for medical treatment.