Syria
Syria’s Shiites offer different picture of war
Monthly Archives: March 2013
Afghanistan
Stalemate to continue: Taliban rule out talks with Karzai during Qatar visit
Pakistan
Lal Masjid’s former chief cleric wants Musharraf’s name on ECL
Pakistan
50,000 families have fled Tirrah Valley
Pakistani Taliban threaten former President Musharraf with ‘death squad’
Adnan Rasheed, who escaped from a Pakistani prison during a Taliban jailbreak one year ago, is shown with his “death squad,” which is split up in groups of “fedayeen, sniper team, special assault team, and close combat team.”
United States
The Justice Department unsealed a guilty plea today by Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, a Shabaab leader and coordinator between Shabaab and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. He pled guilty in December 2011 to nine US terrorism charges after being arrested in April 2011 and interrogated.
Turkey
Turkish fighter jets began flying over Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in northern Iraq for “observation,” and will bomb the camps if an armed attack occurs against Turkey, officials said. The leader of the PKK for northern Iraq called a halt to militant actions. Turkey’s head of religious affairs said that “Islamophobia has become an […]
France
French fight in Mali’s hostile desert
Social Media Jihad: Tunisian ‘martyrs’ in Syria
The role of Tunisians in the Syrian war has become a hot topic in recent weeks. Ansar al Sharia Tunisia continues to lionize Tunisian “martyrs” and recently devoted a chant to them on its Facebook and YouTube pages.
Syria
Backing up Obama’s warnings to Syria creates tough challenges on two fronts
Afghanistan
US Cedes Control, Almost, on Afghan Prisoners
Egypt
The top prosecutor issued arrest warrants for five leading rights activists for allegedly inciting violence against the Muslim Brotherhood. President Morsi warned that “whoever sticks his finger inside Egypt, I will cut it off.” The port and airport in el Arish were closed after police went on strike. Antiaircraft rounds were discovered in the Sinai. […]
Israel
Israel renewed monthly tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority. Israeli air activity over Lebanon has increased in recent weeks. Israel extended its closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing, which began after rocket fire from Gaza last week.
Palestinian Territories
A court in Gaza sentenced a man to death for allegedly collaborating with Israel. The Palestinian leadership is working to have Palestine admitted as a member of INTERPOL. Hamas said it is ready to cooperate with Egyptian authorities in their probe into the Rafah attack last August that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers. Eight Hamas members […]
Somalia
Ethiopian and Somali forces claimed to have retaken Hudur, the provincial capital of Bakool, from Shabaab. A female journalist was gunned down in Mogadishu. Two large blasts were heard at the Presidential Palace in Kismayo.
Mali
French forces in the Tegharghar mountains near the Algerian border are finding caches of food and weapons, including explosive belts and IED materials, along with vegetable gardens, passports, medical supplies, and freshly cut hair left behind by Islamist militants. A French commander said: “We broke al-Qaeda’s neck,” but the French military wants to cordon off […]
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
AQIM told a Mauritanian news agency that French hostage Philippe Verdon was killed on March 10 in revenge for the French intervention in Mali, and warned that the remaining French hostages would also be killed unless French President Hollande withdraws all French forces from Mali. The terror group said it had “followed with great interest” […]
Iran
Pakistan as a global leader in Islamic banking and finance
Jamaat-e-Islami
Pakistan – Rise of the Right: JI, JUI-F ‘warm up’ in search of common ground
CIA
Arms Airlift to Syria Rebels Expands, With CIA Aid
Hezbollah
IDF turns attention to Lebanon as Syrian army falls apart
Hezbollah
How life of spy Ben Zygier unravelled
Al Nusrah Front, allies seize border area across the Golan Heights
Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria teamed up with several rebel groups to overrun an air force base and several checkpoints in Dara’a province. The operation put Al Nusrah and its allies in effective control of an area that borders both Israel and Jordan.
Iraq
Insurgents killed five soldiers in two separate attacks in Mosul and a politician in Baghdad. US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Iraq of aiding the Syrian government by permitting weapons to pass through its border.
Yemen
Six al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and three militia men were killed in fighting in Jaar in Abyan province; 11 AQAP fighters were also captured. AQAP captured a military intelligence brigadier general at his home in Mudiyah in Abyan.
Lebanon
Lebanon Premier’s Resignation Exposes Lebanon to Instability
Lebanon
Three days of fighting in Tripoli left 12 people dead. The fighting occurred between a Sunni neighborhood that supports Syrian rebels and an Alawite community that supports the Assad regime. The Lebanese army deployed to stop the fighting.
Russia
I flew secret missions carrying cash and weapons into Syria for Assad, pilot reveals
Syria
The leader of the opposition Syrian National Coalition tried to resign, saying the SNC was too heavily influenced by Islamists and foreign powers, but the SNC rejected the resignation. Rebels continued their offensive near the Jordanian border. The Arab League transferred Syria’s seat in the organization to the opposition. The EU failed to reach an […]
Egypt
Criminal gangs fill void left by Egypt’s broken security apparatus