• Moscow bus station bombing


    When ISIS Sinai down a Russian passenger jet over in Egypt early last month it became abundantly clear that Russian civilians are now squarely in Islamic State’s crosshairs following Moscow’s intervention in Syria and aggressive aerial campaign to wipe out anti-Assad elements operating in the country. Subsequent ISIS videos contained a series of threats promising attacks on Russian targets and late last week, footage surfaced of a Russian hostage being beheaded by an Islamic State operative. – Zero Hedge

  • YPG publishing November war statistics for their war against ISIS

    Combined forces of the People’s Defense Units (YPG) and the Women’s Defense Units (YPJ) conducted 11 operations and attacks against gang groups, as a result of which 44 gang members were killed, 2 were captured alive and corpses of 7 were seized. During the course of the last month, Turkish military targeted YPG positions 13 times. The balance sheet by YPG, which doesn’t include the operation by Syrian Democratic Forces (QSD), is as follows;… – Kurdish Info

  • France to deploy 300 SOF personnel to the Congo

    France is set to send a contingent of 300 Special Forces to Congo, French ambassador Alain Remy revealed on Wednesday. The troops will train Democratic Republic of Congo soldiers fighting the eastern rebels. According to Remy, France will intervene and help Congo army hunt down the Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces rebels causing security instability in the eastern region of DRC. – Intelligence Briefs

  • Five myths about China in Africa

    JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Santa Claus arrived early in South Africa — on a Chinese jet. This week, Chinese President Xi Jinping signed multiple business deals and brought offers of billions in new grants, loans, export credits, and investment funds as African leaders met for the sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, a triennial extravaganza that showcases development and security issues of concern to Chinese and African leaders. Not surprisingly, Xi’s second presidential visit to Africa, which also included a stop in Zimbabwe, has refocused attention on China’s expanded role on the continent. The story has dominated the airwaves and has been splashed across broadsheets around the world. – The Foreign Policy

  • How closely intertwined is the drug trade and international terrorism?

    In December, 2009, Harouna Touré and Idriss Abdelrahman, smugglers from northern Mali, walked through the doors of the Golden Tulip, a hotel in Accra, Ghana. They were there to meet with two men who had offered them an opportunity to make millions of dollars, transporting cocaine across the Sahara. Touré wore a dashiki, and Abdelrahman had on tattered clothes and a turban that hid much of his face. – The New Yorker

[Featured image: Twitter User @unkn0wnerror]