March, 2015

• 11 March

  Spain neutralised Islamic cell in Ceuta, its North African enclave

  Spain said on Tuesday it has dismantled a militant Islamic cell in its North African enclave of Ceuta that it claims was ready to attack either Spain or other targets in Europe. Police arrested two suspected militants as part of a wider security operation that began in January, the Interior …

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• 11 March

  Egyptian checkpoint attacked by Islamic militants in north Sinai

  Islamic militants attacked an army checkpoint in northern Sinai near the border with Gaza early on Wednesday, killing an officer, officials said. The attack came as Egypt’s Islamic State affiliate, which is based in the restive peninsula, claimed responsibility for two attacks the previous day.

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• 11 March

  NATO calls for total OSCE access in eastern Ukraine

  NATO demanded March 11 that the OSCE be given full access to verify the withdrawal of heavy weapons in eastern Ukraine and called again on Russia to end support for the separatists. The condition that both Ukraine and pro-Russian rebel forces pull back heavy weapons is a key element in a February 12 Minsk ceasefire accord …

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• 11 March

  Kerry calls for updated US war powers to fight IS

  Secretary of State John Kerry urged lawmakers Wednesday to give President Barack Obama updated war powers to go after Islamic jihadists at “a pivotal hour” in the battle against the militants. “Our nation is strongest when we act together — and we simply cannot allow this collection of murderers and …

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• 11 March

  France vows to continue support to rebuild Afghanistan

  In a meeting with Nasir Ahmad Durrani, the Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister, Jean-Michel Marlaud, the French ambassador to Afghanistan said that his country has a long standing relationship with Afghanistan and will continue to help the Afghans by fully cooperating with the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation (MRRD) in their …

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• 10 March

  NATO kicks off naval drills in the Black Sea

  NATO’s Black Sea members Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey joined four other alliance states in a multinational naval exercise on March 10 just across the water from the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia last year. The naval rapid reaction force in the Black Sea drills consists of a United States flagship, the guided missile cruiser  USS Vicksburg, …

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• 9 March

  Chad, Niger soldiers succed to drive Boko Haram out of some Nigerian cities

  About 15 soldiers from Chad and Niger died in fighting to take control of two towns in northern Nigeria from Boko Haram, the first gains against the militants in a joint offensive launched at the weekend, military sources said on Monday. About 30 Nigerien and Chadian soldiers were wounded in …

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• 9 March

  Kurdish forces push IS out of Kirkuk

  Kurdish forces drove Islamic State militants back from the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq on Monday, in an advance backed by heavy air strikes from a US-led coalition. Speaking to a local television channel near the frontline, Kirkuk governor Najmaldin Karim, who was wearing a helmet, said the …

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• 9 March

  30 militants killed in airstrikes in Syria

  The US-led anti-terror coalition on Sunday evening struck an oil refinery under the control of the Islamic State (IS) militants in a border Syrian town near Turkey, killing 30 militants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

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• 9 March

  French FM visits Morocco

  French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius begins a two day visit to Morocco on Monday. He is to meet Moroccan leaders and discuss bi-lateral issues, trade and terrorism. According to the French foreign ministry, Fabius hopes to stress the issue of cooperation.

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