The UN Security Council on Wednesday decided to strengthen peacekeeping operations in Mali following a spate of attacks targeting blue helmets serving in the UN’s deadliest mission. The council unanimously backed a French-drafted resolution that provides for 2 500 extra troops and police to be deployed in the mission known …

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who came to power after a bloody crackdown on political Islamists, called on Wednesday for religious reforms to counter extremists in a speech to Muslim clerics. Sisi has often warned that Islamist extremism presents a vital threat to the region, which he suggested lags in …

Egypt’s military said six soldiers were killed in clashes with armed smugglers near the country’s western border with Libya on Thursday. The soldiers were patrolling the border when they “came under surprise fire” from the smugglers, a military statement said, adding that a number of smugglers were killed in the …