At war with each other in the Middle East, groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are working together to take control of territory across a vast stretch of West Africa, U.S. and local officials say, sparking fears the regional threat could grow into a global crisis… Hits: 0

UN Reports More Than 10,000 Civilian Casualties In Afghanistan Last Year Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has reported that 3,404 civilians were killed and 6,989 were injured in violence there in 2019. According to the report issued on February 22 by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

Idlib’s Displaced Head East in Massive Syrian Exodus Nisan Ahmado – Voice of America Umm Omar and her family were among thousands of displaced Syrians fleeing Idlib last week as the Syrian regime, backed by Russian air power, pushed deeper into the last rebel stronghold, in the northwest part of the country. The 50-year-old woman, along

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Impeding UN Aid Flow, Demand Cut – Associated Press SANAA, YEMEN – Yemen’s Houthi rebels have blocked half of the United Nations’ aid delivery programs in the war-torn country, a strong-arm tactic to force the agency to give them greater control over the massive humanitarian campaign, along with a cut of billions

U.S. Leads Training Exercises in Africa Amid Focus on Sahel by Carley Petesch – Associated Press Crouching in the sparse brush, maneuvering into formations through a divide, and then shooting at a target, about 10 soldiers from Burkina Faso are among a select group of African soldiers being trained to battle West Africa’s fast-growing extremist

Libya Asks U.S. to Set Up Military Base Against Russia by Samer Khalil Al-Atrush – Bloomberg News Libya’s security chief called on the U.S. to set up a base in the North African country to counter Russia’s expanding influence in Africa. Fathi Bashagha, the interior minister for the Tripoli-based administration, said his government proposed hosting

U.S., Taliban Start Weeklong Partial Truce in Effort to End Afghan War by Ehsanullah Amiri – Wall Street Journal KABUL—As the U.S. and the Afghan Taliban started Saturday a seven-day partial truce ahead of a possible peace deal to end more than 18 years of war, the United Nations provided evidence of the conflict’s massive

‘Best Shot At Peace’: Explaining The Finer Points Of The U.S.-Taliban Deal Frud Bezhan – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty The United States and the Taliban are on the verge of signing a historic deal that could pave the way to ending America’s longest-ever war. The deal due to be signed on February 29

As Peace Deal Looms, Taliban Tells Fighters to Avoid Enemy Areas, Calls for Self-Defense by Shawn Snow and Diana Stancy Correll – Military Times As a peace deal looms between the Taliban and the U.S. warring parties in the 18-year long conflict are calling on their forces to be prepared to use self-defense, signaling a

Anti-Terror Agency Keeps Pakistan on ‘Gray List’ Ayaz Gul – Voice of America ISLAMABAD – A global agency leading the fight against the financing of terrorism and money laundering has kept Pakistan on its “gray list” of nations with inadequate mechanisms to curb funding sources to terrorist groups.    The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) met