• US carries out airstrikes against militants in Iraq, outlines need to tackle IS in Syria

    Aug 21
    US fighter jets carried out six air raids on Islamic State (IS) positions around the Mosul dam, destroying four vehicles and multiple homemade bomb placements, a spokesperson for the US central command was quoted as saying.

    The airstrikes come as the US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said that the IS militants were the biggest threat America had faced in years, reports the BBC.

    Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Hagel said,

    “They are beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic and tactical military prowess, they are tremendously well-funded. This is beyond anything that we have seen.”

  • Coup leader appointed Prime Minister in Thailand
    The leader of Thailand's military coup in May was appointed prime minister on Thursday.

    General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in a bloodless coup, was appointed by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and pledged to form an interim government to supervise reforms as well as three phase path towards reconciliation. However, power is widely considered to stay with the military junta.
  • 3 senior commanders killed by Israel says Hamas
    The Israeli military has killed three senior Hamas military commanders in air strikes on Thursday, said Hamas.

    Raed al-Attar, Mohammed Abu Shamala and Mohammed Barhoum, described by Hamas as the "founding generation" of Hamas' military wing, Qassam Brigade, were killed in the southern Gazan town of Rafah.

    Raed al-Attar and Mohammed Abu Shamala were considered to be two of the most senior commanders.

    A security source told the Jerusalem Post on Thursday "this strike represents a very significant intelligence achievement, and an intelligence infiltration."

  • Philippines government agrees to review MILF self-rule proposal
    The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a separatist militant group in the Philippines submitted a final proposal for self-rule which was agreed upon by the government, reports Reuters.
  • Britain to send fighter jets to combat Boko Haram amidst Nigerian army mutiny
    The British government announced today that it would be sending three RAF warplanes to help locate Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the Boko Haram militants.

    The fighter bombers will help Nigerian authorities track the movement of militants, a government source told The Times.
  • UN shelter camps in South Sudan deemed inhumane, China calls for immediate ceasefire
    The conditions faced by over 40,000 people sheltering in a UN camp in South Sudan are in humane warned Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF).

    “People are living in conditions that are barely compatible with life and are incompatible with human dignity. What we have now is a 1.5 sq km camp in the middle of the largest grass swamp in the world, so it’s not a place you would chose. It’s not fit for human habitation – at least not for 40,000 people,” the Guardian quotes an emergency coordinator for MSF as saying.


    China presses South Sudan for immediate ceasefire

    China’s foreign minister demanded an immediate ceasefire and political dialogue in South Sudan, reports Reuters.

  • We will not forget what happened' US warns Islamic State as air strikes continue
    The United States has warned that the killers of American journalist James Foley will be brought to justice, as they continued to carry out air strikes against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq on Thursday.

    US Attorney General Eric Holder, stated that the Department of Justice had opened a “criminal investigation” into the killing, adding,
    “Those who would perpetrate such acts need to understand something. This Justice Department, this Department of Defence, this nation – we have long memories and our reach is very wide. We will not forget what happened, and people will be held accountable, one way or the other.”
  • Clashes at Liberia Ebola protests

    Protests have hit the Liberian capital Monrovia, after a quarantine was imposed to halt the spread of Ebola.

    Police opened fire on the protestors, leaving four people injured. Liberia is the worst affected country in the current crisis, with at least 576 deaths.

  • Switzerland sends peacekeepers to UN mission in Western Sahara
    Swiss authorities have announced that six more unarmed military personnel are to join a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, as Sahrawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz called for greater access to international observers.
  • US condemns journalist's killing by ISIL, pledges justice
    The United States condemned the killing of an American journalist, James Foley, by Islamic State militants, after a video was released showing Foley being beheaded.

    "The United States of America will continue to do what we must do to protect our people. We will be vigilant and we will be relentless. When people harm Americans anywhere, we do what’s necessary to see that justice is done and we act against ISIL, standing alongside others," President Barack Obama said at a press conference on Wedcnesday.

    "The people of Iraq, who with our support are taking the fight to ISIL must continue coming together to expel these terrorists from their community," he added.

    The video which was sent as "A message to the US", included an audio message by an ISIL militant, speaking in English with a distinctly British accent, which warned the US that more Americans would be killed if air strikes in Northern Iraq did not cease.

    Condemning the killing as "barbaric and brutal", the British Prime Minister David Cameron told the BBC it was "deeply shocking" that a British citizen may be responsible.

  • Germany to arm Kurdish military
    Germany is prepared to arm Kurdish fighters battling Sunni insurgents in northern Iraq, said the German Defence Minister on Wednesday.

    “We are prepared, in principle, to provide weapons and ammunition within our means,” said Ursulla von der Leyen, reports the Associated Press.
  • UN to deploy full CAR peacekeeping force in September
    The United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Central African Republic will reach full deployment in the region by the 15th of September 2014,  the UN Security Council heard today.
  • Israel Gaza ceasefire extended for 24 hours as talks continue
    Israel and Palestinian leaders agreed to extend the Gaza truce for another 24 hours minutes before the ceasefire was due to end on Monday night, reports Aljazeera.

    Both Palestinian and Israeli officials have welcomed the ceasefire extension as a positive way to bolster the talks in Cairo.
  • India calls off Pakistan talks over Kashmir controversy

    The Indian government has called off talks with Pakistan, after its High Commissioner in Delhi consulted Kashmiri separatist leaders.

    Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh was due to meet her Pakistani counterpart in Islamabad, when High Commissioner Abdul Basit announced his plan to meet the Kashmiris last week.

    India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said Delhi told the High Commissioner "that Pakistan's continued efforts to interfere in India's internal affairs were unacceptable".

  • Kurdish protestor killed in clashes as Turkey removes PKK statue

    Turkish security forces have killed a Kurdish protestor, after demonstrations against the removal of a statue of Mahsum Korkmaz, the founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

    The statue was unveiled in a PKK cemetery last week, in the Kurdish city of Lice, to mark the 30th anniversary of the first attack by the group, which is banned as a terrorist organisation in the country.

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