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Russia
Year 2013 proves Russia, US able to work together: Kremlin
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Afghanistan
Afghans’ Planned Prisoner Releases Anger US
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Lebanon
US sources said reports that Lebanese security forces captured Abdullah Azzam Brigades leader Majid bin Muhammad al-Majids are credible. The leader of the al Qaeda-linked group was reportedly arrested in Lebanon on Dec. 29; one report also alleged he had recently pledged allegiance to the Al Nusrah Front in Syria. The FBI is assisting with the investigation into the killing of former Minister Mohammad Shatah.
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Syria
An opposition activist group claimed to have documented the deaths of over 130,000 people in the Syrian conflict so far. A member of the Syrian National Coalition alleged that President Assad had told Russia he aimed to take control of 80 percent of Syria prior to the Geneva II talks. The Vatican plans to host a workshop on Jan. 13 aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Syria.
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Gas pipeline targeted in last Sinai attack of 2013
It is the first such attack since early July. In July 2012, Ansar Jerusalem claimed responsibility for more than a dozen such attacks since February 2011.
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Iraq
Twenty-three Iraqis were killed in violence throughout Iraq over the past 24 hours. Forty Sunni members of parliament resigned in protest after a senior lawmaker was detained in Ramadi. Prime Minister Maliki said he would turn security in Anbar over to the police.
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Saudi Arabia
The Interior Minister said authorities will deport expatriates who engage in illegal fundraising, but praised legitimate channels such as the National Campaign to Support the Brothers in Syria. The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice warned against celebrating the New Year.
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Yemen
An al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula suicide assault team attacked a headquarters in Aden; three soldiers were killed while repelling the attack. An AQAP terrorist involved in a 2011 suicide assault in Yemen was given the death sentence.
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Egypt
Interior Minister Ibrahim said 90% of those behind the Mansoura attack have been arrested. North Sinai security forces defused a roadside bomb. Authorities increased security around churches in Cairo and Giza in preparation for the New Year. A former Muslim Brotherhood official said Ansar Jerusalem and the al Furqan Brigades are branches of the Brotherhood. The Justice Ministry asked Qatar to arrest al Gamaa al Islamiya leader Assem Abdel-Maged; authorities also ordered an asset freeze on some 500 Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist figures. Militants were believed to have attacked a gas pipeline in Sinai.
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Israel
The Defense Ministry designated a Belgium-based NGO as a Hamas front organization. A court convicted a Palestinian in the murder of two Israelis, including an infant, in a 2011 rock-throwing incident. Prime Minister Netanyahu said Palestinian celebrations following the recent prisoner release show that the Palestinian Authority has failed to educate for peace.
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Russia
President Putin said Russia would continue its fight against terrorists “until their complete annihilation.” After two recent suicide bombings in Volgograd, some 5,200 police officers have begun conducting an antiterrorism operation in the city, and have detained 87 people after examining 1,500 buildings and searching over 1,000 people. In Dagestan, a homemade bomb killed a prosecutor’s aide, and a bomb attack on a police patrol yesterday killed two people and injured five more, four of whom were policemen.
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Cameroon
A French Catholic priest kidnapped by Boko Haram has been released. In a statement, French President Francois Hollande highlighted the “personal involvement” of his Cameroonian counterpart, President Paul Biya.
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Somalia
Lower Shabelle has experienced a wave of violence as Shabaab targets AMISOM and Somali troops with IEDs. The mayor of Galkayo in the Mudug region has accused Shabaab of carrying out an attack that wounded his deputy.
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South Sudan
Although President Kiir has said he will not enter into a power-sharing agreement, he and rebel leader Riek Machar will meet for peace talks in Ethiopia. The African Union has said it will impose “targeted sanctions” in response to violence.
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Syria
Behind Assad’s Comeback, a Mismatch in Commitments
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AQAP suicide assault team targets security HQ in Aden
An al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula suicide assault team was repelled by security forces. AQAP continues to launch suicide attacks and assaults in Aden and throughout Yemen.
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Caucasus Emirate
Russia terror analysis: Volgograd and an Olympics under threat
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Azerbaijan
Muslims In Daghestan, Azerbaijan Call For Boycott Of New Year Celebrations
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Egypt
Egyptian presidential advisor: Brotherhood ideology a crime against society
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Afghanistan
Al Qaeda documents show obsession with keeping receipts, down to a $0.60 cake
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Egypt
Hamas rejects terror label of Egypt Islamists
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Caucasus Emirate
Bomb Attacks in Russia Echo Threats by Chechen Insurgent
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Nigeria
Maiduguri airport is to be closed until March 2014 after Boko Haram insurgents destroyed crucial equipment. The Nigerian military is issuing letters of retirement to senior officers, including 40 generals, to take effect in January 2014.
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Belgium
Terrorist threats were made against targets in Brussels and Antwerp, including Antwerp’s Central Station and the Atomium monument in Brussels, warning Muslims to avoid revelers on New Year’s Eve. The threats were reportedly issued on the Facebook account of a Vilvoorde member of the banned Sharia4Belgium organization who is thought to have died in Syria.
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United Kingdom
Michael Adebowale, an Islamist convicted of murdering British soldier in Woolwich, said he was inspired to convert to Islam by US-born hate preacher Sheikh Khalid Yasin, who resides in the UK. Yasin has advocated the killing of homosexuals and is linked to jihadist circles in the country.
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United States
Three Uighur men, Yusef Abbas, Saidullah Khalik, and Hajiakbar Abdul Ghuper, were transferred from Guantanamo to Slovakia; they are the last of the Uighur detainees. Sinh Vinh Ngo Nguyen, 24, of Garden Grove, Calif., pled guilty on Dec. 27 to attempting to provide weapons training to al Qaeda forces while he was in Syria.
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Canada
The government added both the Caucasus Emirate and Boko Haram to its list of terrorist organizations. Other groups added to Canada’s list this year include the Al Nusrah Front and Mokhtar Belmokhtar’s al-Muwaqi’un Bil Dima, as well as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network.
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Bahrain
Authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle arms and weapons into the country by boat, including anti-personnel and armor-piercing explosives, “50 Iranian-made hand bombs,” and 295 apparently Syrian-made commercial detonators. They also arrested 13 people trying to flee by boat, and dismantled a car bomb in Al-Houra. Five men were sentenced to 15 years in prison for bomb attacks. The Interior Minister said security would be beefed up after the recent discovery of four terrorist plots.
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Lebanon
Lebanon – In neglected Tripoli, street fighters quietly take control
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Lebanon
In its first action against Syrian aircraft since the start of the Syrian war, the Lebanese army fired antiaircraft missiles at two Syrian helicopters that bombed Khirbet Dawud near Arsal. President Sleiman said yesterday that Saudi Arabia has given Lebanon $3 billion to buy military equipment from France for the army; a March 14 official hailed it as a move to end Hezbollah’s arms dominance. President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister-designate Salam agreed to try to form a 14-member neutral Cabinet before Jan. 25.
