Special to WorldTribune.com By Brian M Downing Carter Malkasian, War Comes to Garmser: Thirty Years of Conflict on the Afghan Frontier. (London: C Hurst & Co Publishers; New York: Oxford University Press, 2013). A government that is losing to an insurgency isn’t being out-fought, it’s being out-governed. – Bernard Fall In 1972, late in the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — Egypt has been struggling with a spate of abductions, including those of security officers, in the Sinai Peninsula. Security sources identified the abductors as members of the Al Qaida-aligned Tawhid W’al Jihad, which also maintains a presence in the neighboring Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. “They [insurgents] are monitoring army and police patrols […]
Special to WorldTribune.com GAZA CITY — Hamas has expanded military training of youngsters. Palestinian sources said the Izzedin Kassam military wing has been mobilizing thousands of teenagers in the Gaza Strip for military training. They said Kassam introduced the Futuwa program in 2013 to train 37,000 Palestinians ages 15 to 17. “The youth can join […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan has undergone satellite topography mapping in the search for energy. Canada’s WesternZagros Resources has overseen the completion of satellite topography mapping of an energy block in Kurdistan. The target was the Garmian block, which encompasses 1,780 square kilometers. and also includes Russia’s Gazprom. WesternZagros, which […]
Special to WorldTribune.com RAMALLAH — The Palestinian Authority has maintained pressure on a Gulf-supported Islamist movement. Officials said PA security forces have been ordered to quell protests or rallies by the Hizb Al Tahrir movement. They said Hizb, estimated to have more than 50,000 supporters, sought to expand activities with funding from Gulf Cooperation Council […]
Special to WorldTribune.com JERUSALEM — Israel has determined that the Hamas regime was establishing an infrastructure for missile and rocket production in the West Bank. The Israel Security Agency determined that Hamas ordered cells in the West Bank to manufacture missiles and rockets. ISA said Hamas operatives were led by a Palestinian attorney and based […]
Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — Yemen continues to be plagued by fighter-jet accidents. On May 13, a Yemen Air Force fighter-jet exploded in mid-air over Sanaa. The Defense Ministry said the Russian-origin Su-22 combat plane then crashed into a residential district of the capital. “The Defense Ministry established a panel to investigate the incident,” the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — The European Union has been mulling a withdrawal from the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Western diplomatic sources said several EU states have been negotiating with Lebanon to bolster security for their contingents in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. The sources said the European contingents have been alarmed […]
Special to WorldTribune.com MOSCOW — Russia has been examining the expansion of its new task force in the Mediterranean Sea. The Russian Navy said its Mediterranean task force could reach six warships in 2013. The Navy said it could contribute one or more nuclear submarines in operations near Syria. “Depending on the scope of assignments […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — The Palestinian long deemed Israel’s chief security partner has called for the use of nuclear weapons against the Jewish state. Former Palestinian Authority security chief Jibril Rajoub said the Arab League must help the Palestinians fight Israel, particularly the capture of Jerusalem. Rajoub said he supported nuclear attacks on Israel. […]