Islamism | GlobalPost

Militant attack on Afghan Red Cross office kills one

Agence France-PresseMay 29, 2013 17:45

Militants on Wednesday launched a two-hour suicide and gun attack on a Red Cross office in Jalalabad city, east Afghanistan, killing at least one guard, officials said. The assault was the latest in a series of high profile, co-ordinated attacks as insurgents pile pressure on the US-backed government ahead of the withdrawal of 100,000 NATO combat troops by the end of next year. "A suicide attacker first detonated himself at the gate of the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) compound," Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the interior ministry, told AFP.

Attack on French soldier had Islamist motivation: prosecutor

Thomson ReutersMay 29, 2013 11:54

By Alexandria Sage PARIS (Reuters) - A Muslim convert arrested on suspicion of stabbing a French soldier in a Paris suburb was motivated by religion, prosecutors said on Wednesday. The attack took place on May 25, three days after attackers chanting Islamist slogans killed a British soldier in London. France has been on a security alert since January, when its troops began fighting al Qaeda-linked Islamists in Mali.

French stabbing 'religiously motivated': prosecutor

Thomson ReutersMay 29, 2013 11:51

PARIS (Reuters) - Evidence gathered by French authorities suggests the Muslim convert suspected of stabbing a soldier near Paris was acting in accordance with his religious beliefs, a state prosecutor said after the suspect's arrest on Wednesday. Prosecutor Francois Molins told a news conference the suspect was seen on video surveillance camera "saying a Muslim prayer" minutes before an attack which came three days after the May 22 murder of a British soldier on the streets of London.

Gunmen kill polio worker in Pakistan

Agence France-PresseMay 28, 2013 13:46

Gunmen killed a female health worker taking part in a WHO-supported anti-polio drive in northwest Pakistan Tuesday, police said, the latest in a series of deadly attacks on vaccination teams. Two attackers on a motorcycle opened fire on the team on the edge of the city of Peshawar, near the restive Khyber tribal region where the military has been battling homegrown insurgents with links to the Taliban.

Gunmen kill polio worker in Pakistan

Agence France-PresseMay 28, 2013 09:19

Afghan police defectors return to fold, kill seven colleagues

Thomson ReutersMay 28, 2013 08:45

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Two Afghan police officers who had recently rejoined the force after defecting to the Taliban, shot dead seven of their sleeping colleagues on Tuesday, a police chief said. The killings came during a particularly bloody 24 hours for Afghan forces, with another 16 soldiers, police and bodyguards killed in different attacks, underscoring concern about government forces as foreign troops prepare to leave.

Islamists attack Turkey 'kissing protest'

Agence France-PresseMay 26, 2013 07:15

Islamists attacked a group of kissing couples who locked lips in a Turkish metro station to protest a morality campaign by the authorities in Ankara, the local press reported on Sunday. One person was stabbed when about 20 Islamists chanting "Allah Akhbar" (God is Greatest) and some carrying knives attacked the demonstrators on Saturday, the Milliyet and Hurriyet newspapers reported.

Taliban launch major attack on Kabul

Agence France-PresseMay 24, 2013 18:00

Explosions and gunfire rocked central Kabul Friday as the Taliban launched a major attack close to buildings occupied by the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The exact target of the assault was unclear, with intelligence agency facilities and the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) headquarters also caught up in the firefight that was still going on after four hours of violence.

Taliban attack U.N. compound in Afghan capital: police

Thomson ReutersMay 24, 2013 08:47

By Amie Ferris-Rotman and Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban militants launched a coordinated attack on a U.N. compound in the center of the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday setting off explosions and battling the security forces. A plume of smoke hung over the city center after the attack was launched, eight days after six Americans, soldiers and civilians, and nine Afghans were killed in a suicide car bombing in Kabul.

Pakistan remains opposed to drones after Obama speech

Agence France-PresseMay 24, 2013 08:02

The Pakistan government Friday repeated its view that US drone strikes in its territory were illegal, after President Barack Obama laid out new guidelines for their use. The US president mounted a firm defence of his covert drone war as legal and just in a major speech on counterterrorism policy on Thursday but warned that undisciplined use of the tactic would invite abuses of power.