As Pakistan's Bajaur offensive moves into its fourth month, Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen has praised the operation as having "great significance" in security along the Afghan-Pakistan border in the region. The announcement comes just days after US...
Israel Seals Off Gaza, Expresses Outrage Over UN Remarks
As reported yesterday, the Israeli government allowed 33 trucks of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip. Allowing the international community to send food to the troubled strip is certainly a positive step toward repairing the tenuous ceasefire with Hamas, but...
Islamists Poised to Seize Power in Somalia in Setback to US Policy
It has been over three years since Somalia's self-proclaimed government was booted from its upscale hotels by the neighboring Kenyan government and attempted to actually assert its authority over the long-stateless nation. Propped up by international support and a...
Pakistan Aided in NATO Shelling of South Waziristan
After coming under rocket fire from across the border, NATO troops in Afghanistan's Paktika Province fired 20 artillery rounds into Angoor Adda, South Waziristan. The incident occurred on Sunday, but it is unclear as of yet if anyone was killed in the shelling....
Still Aspirational? US Doesn’t See 2011 Pact “Deadline” as Firm
As the Iraqi parliament debates the final draft of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States one of the key revisions which has quelled some (though not all) discontent with the deal was to remove a clause which explicitly left open the possibility...
Humanitarian Aid May Be First Step Toward Salvaging Gaza Truce
Between eight and 12 Qassam rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip today, causing no injuries and doing minimal damage in the latest incident in a two week spate of attacks on both sides which have threatened to end a five-month long ceasefire between Israel and...
Taliban Rejects Karzai Offer to Protect Mullah Omar for Talks
Reiterating an offer he made in early October, Afghan President Hamid Karzai offered to provide security for Taliban leader Mullah Omar if he agrees to peace talks with the government. Reiterating their response to the previous offer, the Taliban has rejected the...
Iran Open to Turkish Mediation With Obama Administration
After the G20 summit on Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his government would be willing to play the role on mediator between Iran and the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama. With neither the US nor Iran responding at...
Obama’s Gitmo Promise May Lead to Complex New Detainee Rules
President-elect Barack Obama's promise to close the detainee camp at Guantanamo Bay may seem straightforward, and indeed he had been talking about doing just that for much of the campaign. Yet this promise, or rather what to do with the detainees affected by this...
Iranian Official Praises Pact as Parliament Debates
The Iraqi parliament began debating today on whether or not to approve the controversial Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States. The SOFA, which was approved yesterday by the Iraqi cabinet, outlines the terms of the continued US military presence in...