On June 23, the Turkish Parliament approved a motion that will authorize the government to renew the term of the Turkish peacekeeping force contributing to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), for one more year, effective from September 5. The parliamentary discussions preceding the... MORE

The high-profile assassination of Dagestan's Interior Minister, police Lieutenant-General Adilgerei Magomedtagirov, on June 5 - responsibility for which was claimed personally by the commander of the Gimry Jamaat, Ibragim Gadzhidadaev (EDM, June 12) - has been followed by similarly gripping events in the North Caucasian... MORE

The son of a top Chechen rebel commander was reportedly among six students from Russia who were supposed to be deported from Egypt on June 18. According to Western media reports, two of the six, including Maskhud Abdullaev, son of rebel commander Supyan Abdullaev, did... MORE

After the Swat military offensive, Pakistan’s military has completed preparations for marching into Waziristan to fight a tough but decisive battle against the hardcore Taliban militia in the rugged mountains. The military offensive on this new front, dubbed “Operation Rah-e-Nijat” (Path of Salvation), is the... MORE

With Pakistan carrying out its most concerted offensive yet against an expanding Taliban insurgency, the situation of Pakistani Pashtuns fighting for the Afghan Taliban appears uncertain, despite a clear statement issued by a Taliban spokesman on the responsibilities of these fighters:  “The Pakistani Taliban are... MORE

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has claimed repeatedly over the last several years that the republic's rebels have all but been wiped out. However, since the counter-terrorist operation was officially ended in April, authorities in Chechnya and neighboring Ingushetia have had to launch a number of... MORE

As Pakistan’s military continues to consolidate its control over the Malakand region of the North-West Frontier Province and talks of continuing on into South Waziristan, there is some apprehension in neighboring states that foreign fighters based in northwest Pakistan may begin leaving their now-endangered bases... MORE

Iranian authorities in the southeastern region of Sistan and Baluchistan hung three men in public on May 30 for their role in a mosque bombing that killed 25 and injured over 100 worshippers in the city of Zahedan two days earlier. The men were convicted... MORE

Exploiting ongoing unrest in Southern Yemen, al-Qaeda’s leader in Yemen released an audio statement on May 13 entitled “To Our People in the South,” in support of southern Yemeni efforts to secede from Yemen. The audiotape was released through the jihadi media outlet al-Malahim (shmo5alislam.net,... MORE

On June 4 during his trip to the Middle East President Barack Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University outlining how his administration intends to develop a new relationship with the Muslim world. Obama delineated seven interrelated issues which need to be addressed. Those included... MORE