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Pakistan
Fifty-three people were killed after the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and Ansarul Islam clashed in Khyber’s Tirah Valley. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s information minister called for peace talks with the Taliban.
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Afghanistan
The Taliban killed five civilians in a suicide attack on an ISAF convoy in Kapisa and two policemen in Helmand. ISAF killed an al Qaeda-linked Taliban commander in Kunar. More than 1,100 Afghan soldiers have died in combat over the past six months.
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Al Qaeda
Pakistan – ANP asks govt to disclose Abbottabad findings
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Afghanistan
Afghan MOI Downplays Security Forces Joining Insurgents
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North Korea
North Korea threatened to attack South Korea if it joined UN sanctions. China said it would reduce its assistance to North Korea if the country engages in further nuclear tests.
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Iraq
Iraqi soldiers killed four civilians in Fallujah after opening fire on Sunni protesters as they advanced on military vehicles and hurled rocks and water bottles. Some of the protesters raised al Qaeda in Iraq’s black banner, while others raised the flag of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
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Bahrain
Anti-government protesters clashed with riot police after authorities denied a request for an opposition rally. Police blocked roads and used tear gas and stun grenades.
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Egypt
Tens of thousands gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on the second anniversary of the revolt that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. The demonstration grew violent as protesters attacked government buildings and set fire to the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters. Emergency personnel said 110 people were injured.
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Syria
Government forces stepped up an offensive against a rebel-held area in Homs, bringing in ground reinforcements to secure a strategic road junction. Jordan’s King Abdullah II said he did not expect the Assad regime to fall any time soon. A record number of refugees fled to Jordan this month.
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North Korea
What’s the real threat? North Korean rhetoric and reality don’t always jibe
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Taliban suicide bomber kills 5 civilians in attack on ISAF convoy
Today’s suicide attack is the third in Afghanistan in 10 days; all three have taken place in central Afghanistan.
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Somalia
Twitter has banned Shabaab’s account, @HSMPress, after the group released a video threatening to kill Kenyans. The military detained several suspected Shabaab fighters during a raid on the village of Bayahow near Jowhar.
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France
Mali Army, Riding US Hopes, Is Proving No Match for Militants
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North Korea
Google Earth exposes North Korea’s secret prison camps
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Pakistan
Zero Dark Thirty will not be shown in Pakistan cinemas
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Tunisia
Salafists set fire to the Sidi Ahmed Ouerfelli mausoleum in Akouda. Extremists have destroyed 35 Sufi shrines in Tunisia in the past seven months. Ennahdha party co-founder Abdelfattah Mourou was attacked by Salafists in a mosque.
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Mali
French and Malian troops pushed north toward Gao, recapturing the town of Hombori without a fight. Islamist forces destroyed a bridge at Tassiga, near the Niger border. An Islamist munitions cache at Diabaly contained rockets for a Grad launcher. The Islamic Movement of Azawad called for Malian and French authorities to “cease hostilities … in the north-eastern regions of Kidal and Menaka” and engage in “inclusive dialogue.”
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Algeria
Captured Tunisian terrorist Abu Talha Tounsi told investigators that the attack on the Id Amenas gas facility was facilitated with logistical help from Islamists in Mali and Libya, and Egyptian Abu Bakr. Former BP driver ‘Al Mandjal’ guided the attackers to the facility; authorities are looking for him.
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Germany
The government is planning to deploy armed drones in foreign conflicts. So far, Germany has used only unarmed drones in conflict areas such as Afghanistan. Armed drones would give Germany the ability to “confront opposing forces with a permanent and unpredictable threat that would limit their ability to act.”
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Mohammed al Zawahiri threatens West, condemns Mali intervention
The younger brother of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri has called for jihad in Mali and threatened France, as well as other countries. He “organized” last week’s protest at the French Embassy in Cairo. Al Qaeda banners were on display during the protest.
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Al Qaeda-linked Taliban commander targeted in Kunar raid
In 2012 there were 16 reported raids against al Qaeda operatives and affiliates in Kunar province. Yesterday’s raid was the first such operation in the province this year.
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Pakistan
Two policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, and two civilians were killed in a bombing in Karachi. Pakistan admitted to holding more than 700 terrorism suspects without charging them with crimes.
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Shin Bet: Rise in attacks from the Sinai in 2012
A newly released report from Israel’s Shin Bet shows a rise in terror attacks originating in the Sinai in 2012. In addition, the report reveals that five attempted infiltrations by terrorists were thwarted last year.
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Iraq
Security forces detained 19 “wanted terrorists” involved in attacks throughout Iraq in 2012. Police detained four al Qaeda fighters who were attempting to recruit a 16-year-old boy in Mosul.
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Al Nusrah Front
Al Nusrah Front expels foreign correspondents, imposes veil
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Yemen
The government said that Said al Shihri, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s deputy emir, was killed in a counterterrorism operation on Nov. 28. The Houthis killed a member of the Salafist Al Rashad group in Dhamar, and kidnapped a member of the Islamist Islah party in Saada.
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United States
The US added a wanted Saudi al Qaeda leader, Abu Maryam al Zahrani, to its list of designated terrorists. David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-born US citizen who helped the Lashkar-e-Taiba carry out the 2008 Mumbai attacks, was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The Pentagon released a timeline of the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi. At the request of Pakistan, China, and Russia, the UN has launched an investigation into drone warfare and targeted killings.
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Egypt
Egypt: on 25 January, one anniversary but two commemorations
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Egypt
Egypt’s Revolution, Two Years On
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Hamas
Hamas to establish military academy for schoolkids
