Greater Middle East

Yemen: US warplanes strike Qaeda targets

US warplanes and drones struck supposed al-Qaeda targets across three provinces in Yemen, killing at least 12 suspected militants and wounding multiple civilians.

Syria

US bombs post-Nusra militants fighting Assad

A US drone strike killed a supposed al-Qaeda leader in Syria fighting in an ex-Nusra Front cell that had just carried out a deadly suicide attack on a regime intelligence complex.

North Africa

Libya: Obama’s parting air-strikes

US B-2 Stealth bombers and drones carried out a raid against presumed ISIS camps in the Libyan desert—part of a final spate of air-strikes ordered by President Obama.

Watching the Shadows

Obama’s final year: a CounterVortex scorecard

With a Trump despotism looming, CounterVortex offers its final assessment of Barack Obama's record in addressing the oppressive legacy of the Global War on Terrorism.

East Asia

Taiwan Strait in the Trump world order

Did Tsai Ing-wen exploit Trump's anti-China stance to score a point against Beijing? Or was she herself played by Cold Warriors who seek to exploit Taiwan in the Great Game?

Afghanistan

UN condemns US drone strike in Afghanistan

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned an air-strike launched by an unmanned aerial vehicle that struck a civilian home, killing 15 and injuring 13, including a child.

North Africa

US builds regional drone base in Niger

The US is investing at least $50 million in a military air base in Niger that will be capable of deploying drones to police the greater Sahara and Sahel regions.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan: ISIS claims massacre of Hazaras

ISIS claimed responsibility for twin suicide blasts that killed at least 80 and wounded 230 Shi'ite Hazaras who were gathered in Kabul for a protest demonstration.

Afghanistan

What was behind Af-Pak border clashes?

Pakistan and Afghanistan saw deadly border clashes and a tense stand-off over Islamabad's plan to build a barbed-wire separation barrier at its Torkham crossing.

Afghanistan

Mullah Mansour death: blow to Pakistan?

The killing of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansour in a US drone strike actually took place in Pakistan—without consent of Islamabad, signaling a break between the two allies.

Watching the Shadows

Court dismisses request for drone records

A federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of a Freedom of Information Act request for information about the US government's use of drones for "targeted killings."