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Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed 37 Iraqis in attacks that targeted Christians in Baghdad. More than 900 Awakening fighters in Anbar province volunteered to fight alongside the Iraqi military against the ISIS.
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Egypt
The Muslim Brotherhood was declared to be a terrorist organization by the interim government. Ansar Jerusalem claimed responsibility for the Dec. 24 suicide bombing in Mansoura that killed more than a dozen. The army spokesman said authorities thwarted a plot, allegedly involving a Hamas member, to target a security post in Sinai. Authorities reportedly arrested a doctor tied to the al Furqan Brigades in North Sinai. At least three people were wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus in North Sinai. Hisham Qandil, the country’s former prime minister, was detained as he tried to flee to Sudan.
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Israel
A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel, as authorities deployed an Iron Dome missile defense system near Sderot. Defense Minister Ya’alon said the increase in attacks recently is a response to ongoing peace talks with the Palestinians. Senior Israeli official Yitzhak Molcho recently met with a senior Egyptian official in Europe.
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Ansar Jerusalem
Analysis: As Egypt hardliners gain, scope for conflict grows
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Egypt
Egypt designates Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist group
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Al Qaeda
Kidnapped American asks U.S. to negotiate with al-Qaeda for his release
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Yemen
Yemeni officials deride hypocrisy of al-Qaeda ‘lone wolf’ claim
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Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda records every expense
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Al Nusrah Front
AP Exclusive: Al Qaeda leader targeting UN workers
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Somalia
A government official claimed seven Shabaab fighters and one Somali soldier were killed during clashes in the Garbaharey district in Gedo. Soldiers from Burundi reportedly detained dozens of Somalis during house to house searches in Mogadishu.
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Ansar Jerusalem claims responsibility for Mansoura suicide bombing
The attack in Mansoura came a day after the Sinai-based group had called on Egyptian security forces to stop serving. In its statement, Ansar Jerusalem noted that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, at least the third used by the group in recent months.
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United States
US military officials said 150 Marines and a complement of Ospreys and KC-130s are being moved from Spain to the Horn of Africa in light of increasing tensions in South Sudan, in addition to the 45 members of a military rapid response team deployed to the region last week. The US is backing an urgent UN Security Council resolution calling for an increase in the number of UN peacekeeping troops to 12,000.
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Afghanistan
Security forces killed seven Taliban fighters during operations in Laghman, Wardak, Kandahar, and Farah provinces. The Taliban killed a policeman in an IED attack in Kunar.
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Israel
In response to a sniper attack from Gaza that killed one Israeli civilian, the Israeli Air Force struck a number of terror sites in the Gaza Strip. Defense Minister Ya’alon said that if there is no peace in Israel then there will be no peace in Gaza. Israeli officials said they are working with their Western counterparts to track foreign jihadists in the Syria conflict. US missions instructed employees and their families not to travel in shared-taxis following a recent bus bombing in Tel Aviv.
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Egypt
At least 12 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a bombing at a security building in Mansoura. The Interior Ministry said preliminary investigations suggested the attack was a suicide car bombing. Mansoura residents attacked property linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, while political bodies blamed the Brotherhood for the attack. Overnight a roadside bomb targeted a security vehicle near el Arish.
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Egypt
Egyptian Christians living in fear of kidnap and torture
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South Sudan
As South Sudan Fighting Worsens, UN Reports Mass Graves
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Afghanistan
Pentagon Probes Firm for Violation of Iran Rules
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Afghanistan
Christians feel pressure to keep silent about their faith, Lord Carey warns
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Egypt
Exclusive: Assad’s secret oil lifeline: Iraqi crude from Egypt
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Nigeria
The army claimed it killed at least 50 Boko Haram members fleeing towards Cameroon yesterday and destroyed over 20 of the group’s vehicles; 15 soldiers and five civilians are also said to have been killed in the clash. The army chief of staff testified that eight “squatters” killed by soldiers in Apo three months ago were suspected Boko Haram members who had opened fire on the troops.
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Afghanistan
US Softens Deadline for Deal to Keep Troops in Afghanistan
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Bombing in Mansoura leaves at least 12 dead, 130 injured
The attack comes a day after Ansar Jerusalem said its fighters were prepared to “do jihad against” members of the security forces who do not repent and leave their positions. The number of wounded is the highest in a single attack since the overthrow of Mohammed Morsi in early July.
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Afghanistan
The Taliban killed an ISAF soldier in the south and kidnapped three construction workers in Farah. Security forces captured three would-be suicide bombers in Laghman and defused 65 bombs in Kandahar.
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Syria
Regime barrel bombing continued in Aleppo, killing 13 more civilians; barrel bombs were also dropped in the border city of Azaz, killing 15 people. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, the Al Nusrah Front, and other Islamist forces battled regime troops in Aleppo, and rockets were fired by rebels at the Palace of Justice. President Assad claimed that Syria is facing a major offensive by Islamist extremists. Russia has sent 75 trucks to Syria to help with the removal of chemical weapons.
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Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed five television employees, including an anchorwoman, in a suicide assault on Al Iraqiya State TV in Tikrit. The ISIS also killed five soldiers in a mortar attack in Abu Ghraib and two policemen in an IED attack in Mosul. Security forces killed two ISIS fighters in near Samara and destroyed a camp close to the Syrian border near Anbar.
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Palestinian Territories
A rocket fired by Palestinian militants struck in southern Israel, and an Israeli police officer was stabbed near Ramallah. A senior Hamas official said that it is only a matter of time before the start of the third Intifada. Two people were injured by an explosion at a military site in Gaza.
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Egypt
The army spokesman said operations in North Sinai in recent months had resulted in the death of 184 terrorists, a quarter of whom were said to be foreigners. The spokesman further said that 803 people had been arrested as part of the operations in North Sinai. Ansar Jerusalem called on members of the security forces to leave their positions. Officials announced the formation of a panel to investigate the violence following the overthrow of Mohammed Morsi in early July.
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Islamic Front joins al Qaeda suicide assault to take Syrian hospital
The Al Nusrah Front said it commanded units from the Islamic Front when it launched a suicide assault to take control of a hospital in Aleppo.
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Egypt
Who runs the Brotherhood?
