Pakistani military helicopters, troops and artillery attacked several militant hideouts in the Khyber Agency today, killing at least 52 militants. The attack also destroyed an ammunition dump and eight vehicles. The strike came hours after an attack on a Khyber checkpoint injured six people. The attack was also aimed at restoring some level of control [...]
Only five days remain until Israel goes to the polls, and while the surging popularity of Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party has begun to siphon votes from the frontrunning Likud Party, Likud head Benjamin Netanyahu remains hopeful that he can form the next government. But while previously the talk was of a Right-Far-Right Coalition with [...]
Its been a month since Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared that the Pakistani government “must have” offered some support to the Mumbai attackers… increasing tensions between the two nations and sparking fears of a war. Now the government is taking the rhetoric to another level, as Indian Foreign Minister Shivshankar Menon declared that the [...]
An opinion poll taken in the Palestinian territories has shown that the Hamas faction would beat Fatah by a narrow margin if elections were held this week: a significant improvement over past polls, which regularly show Fatah ahead (in spite of Hamas’ victory in the 2006 parliamentary elections). Incredibly, the poll showed Hamas enjoys considerably [...]
The Israeli Navy captured an aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip today, arresting those on board and towing the ship to the Israeli port of Ashdod for inspection. Early reports indicated that the ship was fired upon before its capture, though the military insists they were only “warning shots.” The ship, called Brotherhood by [...]
In spite of heavy military shelling, the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) very much retains the upper hand in the Swat Valley. And while the national government and the military continue to look for the formula through which its oft-tried seldom successful tactic of shelling will eventually return them to control over the region. The local [...]
Results are beginning to pour in from last weekend’s Iraqi provincial elections, and the Dawlat al-Qanoon coalition of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is gaining enormously across the country, though its victory is somewhat obscured by growing accusations of electoral fraud. Nevertheless, the vote will stand and Maliki’s coalition will hope to consolidate its gains in [...]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier today, and said that while “President Obama has signaled his intention to support tough and direct diplomacy with Iran,” the US intends to punish the Iranian government if it continues to decline cooperation with the assorted demands made by the United Nations Security [...]
Updated 2/5/09 11:30 AM EST While Kadima has managed to somewhat narrow the gap between them and the Likud Party of Benjamin Netanyahu, the smart money continues to be on the later forming the government after next week’s election, particularly with the gains of likely coalition partner Yisrael Beiteinu. Led by Avigdor Lieberman, the Yisrael [...]
The Pakistani military continues to shell the Swat Valley in hopes to wresting the region from the control of the rival Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), but as the TTP’s control grows, police are increasingly the ones finding themselves on the front lines, and deciding it just isn’t worth it. Today, the TTP released 30 captured [...]
