Almost a year after the ouster of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) from Mogadishu, sea pirates have continued to haunt ships along the 2,050-mile Somali coastline. In recent months—with the escalation of fighting in Mogadishu—piracy has actually increased along the sea coast. Sources say some... MORE

The December 11 suicide bombings in Algiers perpetrated by members of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) were a profound statement by the group that it remains a persistent threat despite significant setbacks in recent months. The twin bombings—targeting the UN and the Algerian Constitutional... MORE

TALIBAN’S MULLAH UMAR CALLS FOR INTENSIFIED WINTER CAMPAIGN In a message delivered to the Afghan people on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha festival, Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Umar called for the intensification of Taliban military efforts to expel foreign occupation forces this winter (Afghan... MORE

Bitter fighting continues in Ethiopia's troubled southeast as a humanitarian crisis looms, with government troops battling separatist rebels of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). The Ogaden, Ethiopia's “Region Five,” is a poor desert land about the size of Britain with some 4.5 million people,... MORE

An agreement reached on December 2 in Kirkuk between Kurdish and Arab councilmen will end a year-long political boycott by Sunni Arabs in favor of greater power-sharing in the governorate. The Sunnis have long been unable to find political footing in Iraq since the fall... MORE

TURKISH ARMED FORCES MOVE MISSILES UP TO IRAQI BORDER Following limited cross-border attacks using artillery, helicopter gunships and Special Forces detachments, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) appear to be preparing for a new phase in their battle against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) guerrillas based... MORE

MOROCCAN-GERMAN TERRORISM SUSPECT EXPLAINS ISLAMIST INTERNET CODE A man holding dual Moroccan and German citizenship has discussed the code used by Islamist militants on the internet chat rooms during his trial on terrorism charges in Schleswig, Germany. Identified only as Redouane al-H., the suspect was... MORE

If government claims are to be believed, the Pakistan army has restored the state’s writ in parts of the volatile Swat valley, located in the picturesque North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Militants loyal to a local radical cleric, Maulana Fazlullah, are reported to be on... MORE

TURKISH ARMY ORDERS SNIPER RIFLES FOR USE ON PKK LEADERS The Turkish daily Hürriyet reports that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have purchased 350 Finnish “Lapua” sniper rifles at a cost of $15,000 each (November 24). The weapons are intended for use against the PKK... MORE

On the evening of November 13, a remote control bomb attached to a motorcycle was detonated at one of the entrances of the Philippine Congress in Manila, killing Congressman Wahab Akbar and three other staffers. A Philippine National Police spokesman said: “It looks like Congressman... MORE