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Tunisia
A Tunisian rights group warned that extremists, as well as Gulf and Levant sheiks, are luring young women and men from Tunisia into jihad in Syria. The Al Nusrah Front is accused of abducting a Tunisian girl. In Tunis, Salafists and students clashed, and students distributing leaflets about International Women’s Day were attacked with clubs and bars. Security forces arrested three Salafists after finding weapons and Molotov cocktails in a Bizerte mosque.
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Hezbollah
Rare recording of Hezbollah’s Mughniyeh airs
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France
A pro-Assad hacker group called The Syrian Electronic Army claimed responsibility for the hacking of two France24 Twitter accounts. The hackers posted false reports of the deaths of Syrian opposition figures Riad al-Asaad and Manaf Tlass.
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Pakistani Taliban execute, behead soldiers in South Waziristan
The deaths of the six soldiers had not been reported. Taliban emir Hakeemullah Mehsud also threatened to attack the US and Britain.
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48 Syrian, 9 Iraqi soldiers killed in western Iraq ambush
The Iraqi government appears to point the finger at the Al Nusrah Front, which is al Qaeda in Iraq’s affiliate in Syria.
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Afghanistan
Senior NATO and Afghan officials condemned the statement by the head Pakistani cleric that suicide attacks in Afghanistan are justifiable. Five Taliban fighters were killed in an uprising in Faryab. The Taliban killed a US soldier in the south on March 3.
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Bangladesh
Protesters from Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir vandalized a patriotic monument in Rangpur, continuing their violent campaign across the country; over 50 people have been killed since Feb. 28. An intelligence official warned of Islamist terror threats in Dhaka. The opposition BNP party, a Jamaat ally, plans to set up countrywide “committees for public safety” to protect the opposition movement.
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Malaysia
Borneo violence spirals into crisis for Malaysia, Philippines
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Iraq
Forty-two Syrian soldiers and seven Iraqi troops were killed in an ambush in Anbar province. The Iraqi soldiers were escorting the Syrian troops, who left their country, to Baghdad.
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Iran
US, Saudis paper over differences on Syria, Iran during Kerry visit
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Yemen
A suicide bomber killed 12 people and wounded 17 more in an attack on a pro-government militia’s headquarters in Lawder. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said it rejected the government’s efforts to negotiate a peace agreement.
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Turkey
The Turkish military denied claims that German troops manning a Patriot missile battery are being treated badly and that a female German soldier had been pushed and bruised by a Turkish general. A Bundeswehr field report described Turkish cooperation with the German troops as “mostly problematic.”
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Hamas terror cell in Hebron exposed
Israeli authorities announced the exposure of another Hamas terror cell in Hebron. The cell was in contact with a Hamas terrorist released in the Gilad Shalit exchange, who had been deported to the Gaza Strip.
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Iraq
Iraq accuses Qatar of financing jihadi groups in Syria
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Syria
After weeks of battle, fighters from the al Qaeda-linked Al Nusrah Front and others took control of the provincial capital of Reqqa in northern Syria, the first time an entire city has fallen. Government forces launched a major assault to recapture rebel-held areas in Homs. Rebels elected a civilian affairs council in Aleppo.
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Iran
Second trading firm says it supplied Iranian firm linked to atomic work
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European Union
Western Aid: EU May Provide Training to Syrian Rebels
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Afghanistan
Watchdog Says Afghan Government Must Act To Protect Media Gains
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Afghanistan
NATO expects decision on post-2014 Afghan force by mid-year
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Head Pakistani cleric backpedals on suicide attacks
Two days after announcing that suicide attacks are permissible in “occupied” Muslim countries where jihadists do not possess an atomic bomb, Pakistan’s chief cleric tried to backtrack. NATO and Afghan officials are not convinced.
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Afghanistan
Zabul Peace Chief Resigns Over Governor Inaction
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China
Norway security officials warn of dramatic cyber espionage increase
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Israel
Israel’s attempt to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing, closed last week after rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, was prevented by Hamas. A Hamas terror cell, led by a terrorist released in the Shalit exchange, was exposed by Israeli authorities. Prime Minister Netanyahu said he will discuss the release of Jonathan Pollard with President Obama.
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Palestinian Territories
Hamas announced plans to launch a new initiative to target collaborators with Israel. President Abbas met with Secretary of State Kerry to discuss the stalled peace process in Riyadh. Foreign Minister Al-Maliki said the Palestinian leadership is prepared to sign the Rome Statute in order to gain access to the ICC and other international bodies.
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Somalia
Shabaab emir Sheikh Abu Zubayr threatened to attack Kenya if it did not withdraw its forces from Somalia. “If you want peace, remove your military from the Muslim lands … you will not sleep safely in Nairobi and Mombasa as long as your military remains in the Islamic Administrations of Somalia,” he said.
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Mali
A prominent al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb jihadist said AQIM leader Abu Zeid had been killed in a French bombing raid in the Ifoghas mountains but that Mokhtar Belmokhtar was still alive and “in the Gao region, waging the fight.” The UN reported that 40,000 Malians, mainly Tuaregs, have fled to refugee camps in Burkina Faso. The UK Foreign Secretary visited Bamako; the UK is donating 40 personnel to the EU training mission.
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Tunisia
The Tunisian media watchdog group Center for Press Freedom said attacks on journalists in Tunisia surged to over 50 in February, more than twice the number for January. On Feb. 28, Salafists threatened to kill a reporter in Sidi Bouzid; the Center called it “an unprecedented threat against a journalist outside the Capital.”
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France
The families of four French workers kidnapped in 2010 in Niger appealed to the French government to negotiate with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb for the release of the hostages. The families are concerned about consequences from French military operations in Mali.
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Afghanistan
Facilitating Afghan peace: Pakistan mulls Taliban transfer to Qatar
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Pakistan
War-weariness?: Taliban may launch political party
