This Week in War. A Friday round-up by Torie Rose DeGhett of what happened and what’s been written in the world of war and military/security affairs this week. It’s a mix of news reports, policy briefs, blog posts and longform journalism. Subscribe here to receive this round-up by email.
- Mohammed Hourani, a Syrian reporter affiliated with Al Jazeera, and Belgian-born French journalist Yves Debay were both killed with sniper fire in separate incidents in Syria.
- Journalist Nir Rosen gave a talk on Syria at LSE.
- From the International Crisis Group: “Syria’s Kurds: A Struggle Within a Struggle.”
- Evidence from Human Rights Watch shows that some Syrian rebels destroyed and looted Shi’ite religious sites.
- Did Syria really use a nerve agent?
- How chemical weapons became taboo.
- The French intervention in Mali puts Germany in a tricky political position.
- Mali’s army has carried out summary executions, according to the International Federation of Human Rights.
- The MNLA, Mali’s rebel Tuareg group, has declared its willingness to assist France against the Islamists.
- A breakaway faction of the Ansar al-Dine (Defenders of the Faith) rebel group in Mali, calling itself the Islamic Movement for Azawad, has rejected extremism and opened up to peace talks.
- The legacy of the Algerian civil war in the contemporary militant fundamentalist movement hitting the news lately.
- Some of the militants who were part of the gas complex siege in Algeria were also part of the Benghazi embassy attack.
- The death toll of foreign hostages after Algeria’s intervention is at 37, with the death toll among the hostage takers themselves standing at 29.
- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared before the House and Senate to testify about Benghazi. There were a few fairly memorable moments.
- Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi appeared in court in Libya. His trial was pushed until May because he had no lawyer to represent him.
- Today is the second anniversary of the uprising against Mubarak. It is being marked in Cairo by clashes and protest.
- A coup attempt failed in Eritrea.
- France has ordered special forces to protect state-owned uranium plants in Niger.
- The final votes were counted in Israel’s election on Thursday, gave right-wing/religious factions a one seat majority and weakened Netanyahu’s coalition.
- The deputy leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Abu Sufyan al-Azdi (aka Saeed al-Shahri), has died (maybe? again?). It is unclear the circumstances behind his death although some reports link it to a December drone strike.
- Iraq has released 888 prisoners over the past two weeks in an attempt to calm Sunni protesters in Anbar.
- Three blasts, including a suicide attack, killed 17 in Baghdad on Tuesday.
- Kuwaiti police used tear gas and stun grenades to put down an anti-government rally.
- A Bahraini princess, Noura Bint Ebrahim al-Khalifa, who serves in the Drugs Control Unit, is facing charges of torture.
- A (US) government report on Iran’s supposed 30,000 strong “terror and assassination force” has a slight problem with information sourcing. (Just because it’s on the Internet, doesn’t mean it’s true.)
- Iran has launched a smear campaign against journalists-in-exile Maziar Bahari, Sadeq Saba and Nafiseh Kouhnavard.
- Border tensions grow between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
- A UN report details the problems of abuse and torture in Afghan prisons.
- An interview with Prince Harry about his service in Afghanistan draws a lot of attention, and ire from the Taliban.
- Pakistan’s attorney general Irfan Qadir disclosed that security agencies are holding more than 700 people indefinitely, with no trial, in connection to the war on terror.
A cease-fire between the government of Myanmar and the Kachin rebels failed to hold.- In a major change-up, women will now be allowed to serve in combat positions in the US military. They have experienced combat for a long time, but this changes their status within the military, the positions and promotions open to them, and potentially the care and support they are able to receive.
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey has linked this move with the potential for decreasing the rate of gendered harassment and sexual assault which has been so rampant.
- There has been, as expected, a backlash, most particularly from conservatives.
- Other discussions, however, have been highly supportive, ranging from conversations about how women have already proven themselves in combat, to an NYT editorial which celebrates the end of this ban and posts debunking myths about women in combat.
- David Coleman Headley of Chicago has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Look at PBS Frontline/ProPublica’s joint investigation into his story.
- Sen. John Kerry’s confirmation hearing included questions about Benghazi and a commitment to fight climate change.
- Northern Ireland’s chief constable says more police are needed to handle the current violence and protesting.
- CJ Chivers takes a quick break from reporting on Syria to shed some light on assault rifles.
- Is maritime crime the next domain to be conquered by the private security industry? Anthony Sharp thinks so.
- Google is now demanding that the government agencies to whom it forwards a great deal of information get a warrant and probable cause for any of Google’s users’ information.
- The UN has launched an inquiry into the civilian impact of drone strikes.
- In The New Yorker, Jill Lepore asks “How much military is enough?”
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Photo: French soldier wearing a skeleton mask stands next to a tank in a street in Niono.
Guerrilla Blog 