Iraq presses Qaeda offencive, UN warns of more displaced

Last Updated: Tuesday, January 21, 2014, 19:03

Iraqi forces pressed an assault on al Qaeda-linked fighters holding parts of a city west of Baghdad today as the UN warned of an "exponential rise" in displaced or stranded families.

Gunmen kill leading figure in Yemeni Shi`ite Muslim group

Last Updated: Tuesday, January 21, 2014, 13:54

Unknown assailants shot and killed a leader of the Yemeni Shi`ite Muslim Houthi group in Sanaa on Tuesday while he was on his way to attend reconciliation talks in the Yemeni capital, officials at the talks said.

Al Qaeda training Britons, Europeans to carry attacks at home

Last Updated: Tuesday, January 21, 2014, 11:08

Al Qaeda is training and encouraging Britons and Europeans fighting in Syria to return to their countries as "jihadists" and carry out car bombings and suicide attacks on home soil, according to a media report.

Pakistan disappointed with US for linking USD 33 mn aid to Afridi

Last Updated: Monday, January 20, 2014, 23:54

Pakistan on Monday expressed its disappointment over the US plans to withhold USD 33 million assistance on account of the detention of Dr Shakil Afridi.

Turkey searches trucks for weapons near Syria border

Last Updated: Monday, January 20, 2014, 00:33

Turkish security forces today searched seven trucks near the Syrian border suspected to be loaded with weapons and briefly detained three drivers, local media reported.

ISIL `reaching out` to Syria rebels via audio message

Last Updated: Monday, January 20, 2014, 00:32

The al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has reached out to other rebel groups in Syria to head off infighting, in an audio message posted online on Sunday.

Jordan ready to train Iraqi troops on its territory

Last Updated: Sunday, January 19, 2014, 16:28

Jordan is ready to host a US training programme for Iraqi troops to help counter a resurgence of al Qaeda-linked militants in its neighbour, a minister said in remarks published on Sunday.

Assad warns of growing religious radicalism

Last Updated: Sunday, January 19, 2014, 08:22

The country`s long-standing conflict has attracted thousands of foreign jihadists, including European ones, to fight alongside the rebels in Syria to topple the Assad administration.

Clashes, bombings kill 6 people in Iraq

Last Updated: Sunday, January 19, 2014, 00:31

Iraqi authorities say clashes between militants and government troops as well as two bombings at marketplaces have killed six people.

Gunmen wound Iran diplomat in Yemen capital: Police

Last Updated: Saturday, January 18, 2014, 21:42

Unknown assailants wounded an Iranian diplomat in a drive-by shooting outside the ambassador`s residence in the Yemeni capital on Saturday, police and a medic said.

Islamist militants strengthen grip on Iraq``s Falluja

Last Updated: Saturday, January 18, 2014, 17:30

Al Qaeda and other insurgent groups have tightened their grip on Falluja, defying the Shi`ite-led Iraqi government`s efforts to persuade local tribesmen to expel them from the Sunni Muslim city, residents and officials say.

US man charged with al-Qaeda tie faces trial

Last Updated: Saturday, January 18, 2014, 06:39

US man linked with al-Qaeda militant group in Syria should face trial in July, a federal judge said even though prosecutors said they needed time to provide man`s attorneys with intelligence data.