Seventeen people were killed in Iraq on June 15 in clashes between Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants and pro-government forces in a town close to the country’s biggest refinery, a focal point in efforts to counter the ultra-hardline Sunni group.
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2015
Mali troops make first forays in northern region
For Malian troops making their first forays into the country’s north since jihadists took control, French military support provides reassurance at a time when they are strangers in their own back yard. Islamist militias linked to Al-Qaeda — some foreign fighters but most homegrown jihadists — seized the vast expanse …
Read More »AU official: political solution is the only option for Libya
There is “no alternative” to the “quick” implementation of the political solution in Libya, Minister for the Maghreb Affairs, African Union and Arab League, Abdelkader Messahel declared. Questioned on Thursday by APS on the conclusions of the meeting held on Wednesday in Berlin on Libya, Messahel welcomed the fact that …
Read More »Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia to form Supreme Trilateral Council
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Sudanese President Omar Bashir, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn agreed Wednesday to form a supreme council for mutual economic and political issues. The meeting was on the margins of the African economic summit in Sharm al-Sheikh.
Read More »Biden, Yatsenyuk discuss Ukraine situation
US Vice President Joe Biden met at the White House on Wednesday with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to discuss Ukraine’s reform agenda and the implementation of the Minsk agreements, the Office of the Vice President announced. Biden “underscored the resolve of the United States and its G-7 partners to …
Read More »Pakistan security forces kill at least 10 militants in North Waziristan
At least ten militants were killed in the ongoing military operation in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan on Thursday, said the military. A statement by the Pakistani military’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that at least ten militants were killed in North Waziristan’s Datta Khel area as …
Read More »US troops to focus on retaking control of Ramadi
US President Barack Obama is sending 450 additional US troops to help Iraqi forces seize back control of the western city of Ramadi from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists. Of the 450 troops heading to Anbar province within six to eight weeks, less than 100 …
Read More »Somali PM predicts Shabaab to be defeated by end of 2015
Somalia’s prime minister predicted Monday that al-Shabaab extremists will be defeated militarily by the end of the year but he said tackling the root causes that attract young people to the al-Qaeda-linked group will take some time. Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke told reporters after a closed-door meeting of the UN …
Read More »Suspected jihadists kill policeman in southern Mali
Suspected jihadists killed a policeman in a rare attack in southern Mali Wednesday, hoisting their black flag at the local military base, just days before the country’s main Tuareg-led rebel movement is expected to sign a peace deal. The West African nation remains divided among rival armed factions, plagued by …
Read More »US to deploy 450 more military trainers to Iraq
US President Barack Obama on June 10 approved the deployment of 450 more US military trainers to Iraq, a cautious bid to reverse gains by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. The White House said the forces will join an already 3,100-strong mission to “train, advise …
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