By William Tucker
Iran was accused of launching yet another attack today; however a strange confluence of events caused the plan to rapidly fall apart. It appears as if a bomb prematurely detonated in a home rented by four Iranian nationals. This can happen due to poor construction, or mishandling when attempting to place the device. Three of the suspects managed to flee, while the remaining suspect tried to hail a taxi.
By William Tucker
An employee of the Israeli embassy to India, along with three others, was injured in an IED attack in New Delhi today. According to press accounts of the incident, the IED was placed on the target vehicle by a motorcyclist while both vehicles transited a secure area near the Indian PM’s residence. The occupants of the target vehicle were fortunate to have survived.
By William Tucker
This past weekend three more Buddhist monks set themselves ablaze in Seda county of Sichuan province. These most recent self immolations bring the number to 19 since the protests began back in March of 2011. Each immolation prompted an immediate large scale protest resulting in the Chinese People’s Armed Police firing into the crowd. Independent reports are difficult to verify at this time.
By William Tucker
Syrian forces have engaged lightly armed opposition forces in the western city of Homs with heavier weaponry such as artillery and tanks. The Syrian military has been hitting several areas of the city over the last few days. According to what little independent news media is in Syria, the military is continuing to strike areas that opposition forces have withdrawn from.
By William Tucker
Syria will once again be on the agenda for the UN Security Council as the violence between al-Assad loyalists and opposition parties continues. The UN estimates that nearly 5,400 people have been killed since the uprising began a year ago and a frustrated Arab League monitoring mission has left Syria without any accomplishment. There is a growing chorus of nations that want Bashir al-Assad to leave power.
By William Tucker
According to local reports, 11 people were killed in an airstrike near Lawdar, Yemen in Abyan province. One tribal leader speaking to Reuters claimed that four of the deceased were leaders of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The same individual speculated that the airstrike was carried out by an unmanned U.S. aircraft. There is no independent confirmation of the identities of those killed at this time.
By William Tucker
Azerbaijani authorities arrested two of its citizens on Wednesday for plotting to assassinate the Israeli ambassador to the country. One suspect is still at large and is believed to have fled to Iran. Local authorities stated that the three suspects had planned to strike the local Chabad house as well. Although this story didn’t get much international attention it is worthy to note that the Azerbaijani has accused Iran of terrorism in the past.
By William Tucker
It has been quite some time that I have addressed Pakistani politics, but with the current intrigue following “Memogate” it might be time to access the situation. In 2007, I called into question the wisdom behind the U.S., and other Western powers, pushing for then President Musharraf to remove his military uniform and rule as a civilian. Shortly thereafter, Benazir Bhutto, and several other Pakistani politicians returned from exile.
By William Tucker
Yemen is not a failed state, but it is failing. This doesn’t mean that the state is facing an imminent collapse, but it does mean that Yemen is in trouble. Before the massive uprising that gripped the country over the last year, Yemen was in dismal shape and the situation in the country has now deteriorated to the point that the writ of the state doesn’t extend beyond Sana’a.