Two Americans die fighting for “Islamic State” in Syria
Douglas McAuthur McCain.DAMASCUS — On Wednesday, a day after news broke that Douglas McAuthur McCain, a 33-year-old man reared in Minnesota, died fighting for the "Islamic State," a coalition of Syrian opposition groups announced that its forces had killed another American in battle.The second American was identified Abdirahmaan...Egypt queries Morsi over documents “leaked” to Al Jazeera
Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is seen behind bars during his trial at a court in Cairo May 8.CAIRO — Egypt is investigating jailed ex-president Mohamed Morsi in connection with documents that judicial investigators say were leaked to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite news channel, security sources said on...Saudi Arabia, Iran hold “constructive” talks
RIYADH — Iran's deputy foreign minister said he held "positive and constructive" talks with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Tuesday, where Islamist militancy in Iraq was one of the topics discussed.Hossein Amir Abdollahian was in Jeddah for the first high-level bilateral talks between the two countries since Hassan Rouhani was...Clashes erupt between army and militants in east Lebanon
BEIRUT — Gunmen opened fire on a Lebanese army position at the border with Syria on Thursday near a town seized by "Islamic State" insurgents earlier this month, triggering an exchange of fire, a security source said.The fighting, which erupted before dawn, was still raging in late afternoon, with troops shelling the gunmen who had...
Lebanese Army Chief Jean Kahwaji: We defeated terror and changed the course of history
August 22nd, 20140 BEIRUT — The Lebanese town of Arsal was little-known to the outside world prior to the start of the civil war in Syria. But after thousands of Syrian refugees and militants linked to Syrian rebels flooded the town since the end of 2011, Arsal started making regional and international headlines. Two weeks ago, Arsal became the...Four beheaded corpses found in Egypt’s Sinai
CAIRO — Four beheaded corpses were found by residents of a town in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, security sources said, blaming Islamist militants waging an insurgency against Cairo.The security sources in Sinai and Cairo, said residents of Sheikh Zuwaid found the bodies two days after the men were abducted by gunmen while...Kuwait nabs suspected Nusra Front financier
KUWAIT CITY — A Kuwaiti, Hajjaj bin Fahd al-Ajmi, considered a financier of Al-Nusra Front, a Syrian rebel group linked to al-Qaeda, was arrested Wednesday on his return from a visit to Qatar, activists said.They said on Twitter that Ajmi, 26, was arrested at Kuwait Airport.The UN Security Council last Friday placed Ajmi and five...Yemeni Houthis protest against fuel hike, government
SANAA — Tens of thousands of Yemenis converged on the capital Sanaa on Monday in a demonstration organized by the Shi'a Houthi movement, demanding the government rescind a decision to curb fuel subsidies and calling on the administration to resign.The three-hour demonstration was the latest move by the Houthis, whose fighters...
Islamic State beheads American photojournalist in Syria
August 22nd, 20140 James Foley, an American journalist who went missing in Syria more than a year ago, has been killed by the Islamic State, a militant group formerly known as ISIS.A YouTube video and photos purportedly of Foley emerged on Tuesday. The video -- entitled "A Message to #America (from the #IslamicState)" -- identified a man on his knees as...Islamic State video shows conversion of Yazidis to Islam
Islamic State, a militant group that witnesses and officials say has executed hundreds of members of Iraq's Yazidis, has released a video that seeks to show it enlightened hundreds of members of the religious minority by converting them to Islam.The Yazidis, followers of an ancient religion derived from Zoroastrianism, who are part of...Israeli air strike kills three Hamas commanders in Gaza as talks collapse
GAZA — Israel killed three senior Hamas commanders in the Gaza Strip in an air strike on Thursday and said it would continue to target the group's armed leadership after a ceasefire failed.Hamas, which dominates Gaza, named the men as Mohammed Abu Shammala, Raed al-Attar and Mohammed Barhoum, the three highest-ranking casualties it has...Maliki steps down; pledges support to new prime minister Abadi
Haider al-Abadi.BAGHDAD — Nuri al-Maliki finally bowed to pressure within Iraq and beyond on Thursday and stepped down as prime minister, paving the way for a new coalition that world and regional powers hope can quash a Islamist insurgency that threatens Baghdad.Maliki ended eight years of often divisive rule and endorsed fellow...Libya’s parliament calls for U.N. aid to quell militia fighting
TRIPOLI — Libya's parliament on Wednesday voted to disband the country's militia brigades and called on the United Nations to protect civilians in an effort to end the worst fighting between armed factions since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi.Lawmakers appeared to be seeking to strip the groups of former rebel fighters of the...Plot to kill former Yemeni president with bomb in tunnel foiled
SANAA — An aide to Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Thursday his security team had uncovered a plot to kill him with explosives planted in a tunnel running to a mosque inside his residential compound in Sanaa.Yemen's authorities said they were investigating.Saleh, who stepped down in 2012 amid mass protests against...Lebanon charges 43 Syrians with belonging to terrorist groups
GAZA — A new, five-day truce between Israel and Hamas appeared to be holding on Thursday despite a shaky start, after both sides agreed to give Egyptian-brokered peace negotiations in Cairo more time to try to end the Gaza war.The Israeli military said Gaza militants had breached the truce by firing eight rockets at Israel shortly......
Syrian army recaptures major town in Damascus countryside, encircles Aleppo
DAMASCUS — Syrian government forces backed by Lebanon's Hizbullah took control of a town just outside Damascus from Islamist fighters on Thursday, a blow to the rebels who had held it for more than a year.Syrian state television broadcast showed government soldiers in the streets of Mleiha, which lies on the edge of the eastern...
Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri: I’d rather deal with Hariri .. not his deputies
August 15th, 20140 Berry.BEIRUT — Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri is known for his skills in finding solutions and settlements during tough political times, which made his post a focal point in Lebanese politics.Berri keeps the communication lines open with his opponents without compromising his convictions, creating a balance between his......
Egyptians protest on anniversary of bloody day, five dead
CAIRO — Four protesters and a policeman were killed in Cairo on Thursday, the government said, one year after government forces killed hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators in the worst bloodshed in Egypt's recent history.The health ministry said four protesters were killed and 13 others wounded during clashes with security...Lebanon charges 43 Syrians with belonging to terrorist groups
BEIRUT – Lebanon on Thursday charged 43 Syrians, including an Islamist commander whose arrest sparked five days of fighting between Islamists and the Lebanese army, with belonging to armed terrorist groups and seeking to establish an Islamic emirate.A judiciary source said 10 of those charged were in custody, among them 30-year-old...
Rashida Tlaib loses bid for senate despite “proud” campaign, Stephanie Chang to succeed her in State House
August 8th, 20140 DETROIT — When State Representative Steve Tobocman was term-limited in 2008, he encouraged his staffer Rashida Tlaib to run for his 6th District seat. This year, a term-limited Tlaib encouraged community organizer Stephanie Chang to run for her seat in Tuesday’s primary. Tlaib herself sought the 4th District State Senate...Israel flagged as top spy threat to U.S. in new Snowden/NSA dtocument
WASHINGTON – Israel was singled out in 2007 as a top espionage threat against the U.S. government, including its intelligence services, in a newly published National Security Agency (NSA) document obtained by fugitive leaker Edward Snowden.The document also identified Israel, along with North Korea, Cuba and India, as a “leading......
Mediators race against the clock to extend Gaza truce
August 8th, 20140 TEL AVIV – Mediators worked against the clock on Thursday to extend a truce between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, as the three-day ceasefire entered its final hours.Israel said it was ready to agree to an extension as Egyptian go-betweens pursued talks with Israeli and Palestinian delegates in Cairo on ending a...Islamic State militants advance in northern Iraq; U.S., France mull intervention
BAGHDAD — Islamist militants surged across northern Iraq towards the capital of the Kurdish region on Thursday, sending tens of thousands of Christians fleeing for their lives, in an offensive that sparked talk of Western military action.Photographs showed what appeared to be Islamic State fighters controlling a checkpoint at the......
Lebanese army surrounds border town, evacuates refugees
LEBANON — Lebanon's army surrounded a border town occupied by Islamist militants on Wednesday as mediators reported progress in negotiations to end to the most serious spillover of Syria's civil war yet onto Lebanese soil.Soldiers arrested men and evacuated refugees from the hill town of Arsal on the border with Syria. One Syrian...Clashes rage in western Libya
TRIPOLI — Clashes in Libya spread from Tripoli to the western town of Zawiya near Tunisia's border, where a large oil port is located, killing four people over the last two days, local town council officials said on Thursday.Foreign governments have mostly closed their embassies and evacuated staff after three weeks of clashes turned......