- A militant group in Mali/the Sahara called Al Murabitoon (loyalty: Al Qaeda) has released a video showing a Romanian hostage.
- Seven militants suspected of attacking the Malian military have been arrested in the Ivory Coast.
- Libya banned Yemenis, Iranians and Pakistanis from entry to the country.
- Boko Haram gunmen on horseback killed 79 people in three attacks in northeastern Nigeria earlier this week.
- A double suicide bombing in northern Cameroon killed 19 and wounded 143.
- Chad executed ten members of Boko Haram after they were found guilty of involvement in a double attack that killed 38 in the capital, N’Djamena.
- Al Shabaab attacked an African Union base in southern Somalia.
- Zimbabwean dissident Itai Dzamara demonstrating against Mugabe’s presidency was seized March 9th and hasn’t been heard from since.
- Egypt, without a parliament since June 2012, has announced a two stage parliamentary election for October and November.
- Egypt sentenced three Al Jazeera journalists to three years in prison.
- Two explosions on the Sinai peninsula on Thursday wounded four US troops and two international peacekeepers.
- Militant attacks across Egypt are growing more brazen.
- Hamas is and has been on the outs with Iran, making it unlikely the group will receive much benefit from the nuclear deal.
- Two local workers for the Red Cross were shot dead as they drove through the northern Yemeni province of Amran.
- An Islamic State suicide bombing and car bombing at a mosque in Sana’a, Yemen killed 20 people.
- The war in Yemen has granted opportunity to militants like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, both growing their presence in Aden.
- The Islamic State blew up three ancient tower tombs in the Syrian city of Palmyra, all dating to between 44 AD and 103 AD.
- The group also announced their own currency – the Gold Dinar.
- Russia may be increasing its involvement with Assad. It is also delaying a UN investigation to assign blame for chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
- Cluster munitions have been used in five countries this year: Libya, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.
- What they carry: here’s what Syrian refugees bring with them on their treacherous journey and why they do it.
- Canada has charged Syrian intelligence officer George Salloum over the torture of Maher Arar, a Canadian engineer rendered to Syria after being mistaken for a terrorist in 2002.
- Civilian deaths have been linked to 71 separate air raids in the coalition bombing of the Islamic State.
- Turkish jets took part in those coalition strikes on Syria for the first time over the weekend.
- The CIA and JSOC have been conducting drone strikes over Syria in their own separate offensive against the Islamic State.
- Turkey released two VICE reporters arrested last week.
- The New Yorker looks at what happens to former jihadists.
- The battle to retake Ramadi moves at a glacial pace.
- 17 Turkish workers and their Iraqi translator were abducted by masked gunmen from their construction site in Baghdad.
- The US reopened a criminal investigation into the deaths of 18 Afghan civilians, reportedly killed by a US Special Forces A-Team over the course of 2012 and 2013.
- The desertion rate is climbing in Afghan security forces.
- Corruption in Pakistan allows jihadists to obtain ID cards.
- Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, has suggested the possibility of a prisoner swap for jailed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.
- Clashes between Indian and Pakistani troops left 11 civilians dead last weekend.
- Malleshappa Madivalappa Kalburgi, an Indian secular scholar, was fatally shotlast weekend. This is third killing of a secular scholar in India since 2013.
- The Islamic State’s “province” in the Caucasus has claimed their first attack against the Russian Army, making their move in southern Dagestan.
- Uzbekistan banned political science from being taught in universities.
- Chinese attorney Zhang Kai, detained in August over his representation of churches battling the government’s push to take down crosses, could be chargedwith spying.
- China seeks to modernize its military, cutting 300,000 soldiers to shift resources from land forces to sea and air capabilities.
- China commemorated the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan in World War II with massive parades (and one company made Hideki Tojo ice creams).
- Protests outside Ukrainian parliament on Monday left one national guard member dead and 100 people injured as nationalists opposing the eastern separatists were enraged by a bill granting more powers to Luhansk and Donetsk.
- NATO opens new command units in Eastern Europe.
- The US sanctioned Russian state arms export agency Rosoboronexport and others.
- Neo-Nazi/right wing extremists and arson attacks on asylum hotels are a growing concern in Germany.
- Germany is also making efforts to welcome refugees – greeting them at the train station in Munich with chocolate.
- Refugees stuck at the Keleti train station in Budapest are vowing to walk to Austria.
- Britain will now take in “thousands” of refugees.
- The rate of former Guantánamo detainees returning to violence has lowered, according to intelligence reports.
- President Obama has secured the votes required to ensure passage of the nuclear deal.
- Is a “Guantánamo North” in the works?
- Army Ranger School is officially open to all soldiers regardless of gender.