Georgetown Security Law Brief

UN welcomes new Libya electoral law

02/10/12: JURIST reports that the UN Support Mission in Libya on Thursday welcomed the new electoral law adopted by the National Transitional Council. The draft of the electoral law was finalized on Wednesday after the earlier version was revised to address criticisms of the public. The new law sets out procedures for the upcoming election to choose a national assembly. After elected, its responsibility will be to draft a new constitution for the country. The finalized law provides that 20 percent of the 200 seats (40 seats) will be reserved for women, double of what was proposed in the earlier version.

Leader says Somalia's al-Shabab joins al-Qaeda

02/10/12: The Miami Herald reports that the Somali militant group al-Shabab has formally joined al-Qaeda, according to a video translation released Thursday of a message from al-Qaeda's leader. Ayman al-Zawahri gave "glad tidings" that al-Shabab had joined al-Qaeda, according to the translation of the 15-minute video by the Site Intelligence group. "Today, I have glad tidings for the Muslim Ummah that will please the believers and disturb the disbelievers, which is the joining of the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia to Qaedat al-Jihad, to support the jihadi unity against the Zio-Crusader campaign and their assistants amongst the treacherous agent rulers," he said.

Saudi King criticizes Syria vetoes in rare blunt speech

02/10/12: The New York Times reports that the king of Saudi Arabia inserted himself directly into the Syria crisis on Friday, castigating Russia and China for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution over the weekend aimed at ending the Syrian government’s deadly repression of a nearly year-old uprising. “We are going through scary days and unfortunately what happened at the United Nations is absolutely regrettable,” King Abdullah said in a short nationally televised address. The Saudi king rarely speaks so publicly and bluntly, and his remarks appeared to reflect new concern in Saudi Arabia about the deepening sectarian parameters of the conflict in Syria.

Israel successfully tests missile defense system

02/10/12: The Denver Post reports that Israel says it has successfully tested an upgraded radar for the Arrow missile defense system, developed with the United States and designed to intercept projectiles that might be fired at the Jewish state from Iran. Defense official Yair Ramati says the test was conducted on Friday in conjunction with the US Missile Defense Agency. He said a Blue Sparrow 2 missile was fired west to east from "deep within the Mediterranean" but he would not say how far from Israel it was fired or what sort of threat it was designed to simulate. A defense ministry statement says the Blue Sparrow was "representative of potential ballistic missile threats facing Israel."

Questions raised in Afghan detainee’s case

02/10/12: The New York Times reports that the case against one of the eighteen remaining Afghans at Guantanamo started gaining new attention after a military defense team began investigating it last year. The team talked to village elders, neighbors and family members who corroborated crucial aspects of the benign explanations offered by Obaydullah, and they concluded that certain intelligence about him had been “mischaracterized.” “With new evidence that brings into question the allegations against him, we hope we will be able to obtain a fair hearing, or that he will be sent home,” said Maj. Derek A. Poteet of the Marines, a military lawyer representing Obaydullah.

Turkey and Iran diverge over Syria

02/10/12: The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Turkey and Iran, regional heavyweights and heirs to imperial pasts, expanded trade in the past decade and papered over their traditional rivalry with diplomacy and rhetoric. Now these neighbors have staked out opposing positions in Syria, where outside players seek to sway an outcome to the bloodshed that could, in turn, alter power balances in the Middle East. Iranian-Turkish tension could grow if regional efforts to end the violence intensify as expected after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution calling for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

First new US nuclear reactors in decades approved

02/10/12: The Los Angeles Times reports that a consortium of utilities in the South won government approval Thursday to construct two new atomic energy reactors at an estimated cost of $14 billion, the strongest signal yet that the three-decade hiatus of nuclear plant construction is finally ending. Several new projects will test whether new technology and streamlined government licensing can help the industry avoid the economic and safety disasters that have tainted its past, nuclear experts say, though critics condemned the action by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Suit challenges new Guantánamo mail rule

02/10/12: The Miami Herald reports that a lawyer for a Guantánamo prisoner charged in the September 11 attack has filed suit against the prison commander, arguing a new rule subjecting legal mail to a security review is unconstitutional and amounts to illegal “intelligence monitoring” of a US citizen. James Connell said Thursday that his suit filed in federal court in Washington DC is broader than a previous legal challenge to the rule brought by the lawyer for a separate defendant in the September 11 case. Connell is a civilian attorney who was appointed by the Pentagon to represent Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar Al-Baluchi.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/09/2633649/suit-challenges-new-guantanamo.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/09/2633649/suit-challenges-new-guantanamo.html#storylink=cpy

Intelligence analysts lose valuable resource as al-Qaeda magazine goes quiet

02/10/12: The Washington Post reports that al-Qaeda’s glossy online magazine, Inspire, hasn’t been seen since its creators were killed in a US drone strikes last fall, but the terrorist group’s loyalists aren’t the only ones lamenting its demise. US intelligence analysts miss the publication, too, at least to the extent that it provided a window into the thinking of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the Yemen-based group is known. “It was something that helped us gain insight into the group,” said a US defense official involved in tracking AQAP, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Pakistan's spy agency faces court over disappearances

02/10/12: The Guardian reports that Pakistan's all-powerful military will this week face a rare challenge by the courts over the case of 11 men who were allegedly abducted and tortured by the Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency. The case, due to be heard on Friday, will offer a window into the workings of the ISI and its sister agency, Military Intelligence, and charges that they have made hundreds of Pakistanis disappear. Four of the 11 men kidnapped from the high security Adiala jail in Rawalpindi in May 2010 have turned up dead in recent months. The families of the rest are petitioning the court for their return.

Human rights group calls for Iraq to end executions

02/10/12: CNN reports that a human rights group expressed alarm Thursday at the pace of executions in Iraq and called for Iraqi authorities to abolish the practice. In a statement, Human Rights Watch noted that Iraq has executed at least 65 prisoners since the year began 40 days ago. Fifty-one of the executions occurred in January and 14 so far this month, it said. "The Iraqi government seems to have given state executioners the green light to execute at will," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The government needs to declare an immediate moratorium on all executions and begin an overhaul of its flawed criminal justice system."

Hacked e-mails reveal Syrian spin used to defend crackdown

02/09/12: CNN reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was apparently coached on how to describe his government's brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrators just days before his appearance on an American network, according to purported e-mails of Syrian officials released by the hacking group known as Anonymous. The purported e-mails of dozens of Syrian officials as well as their account passwords were released Sunday by Anonymous hackers, who claim to have attacked the webmail server of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs.

Afghan president postpones handover of US prison

02/09/12: The Miami Herald reports that Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday claimed that an airstrike carried out by the international coalition killed eight children in eastern Afghanistan. The Afghan leader said in a statement that he has assigned a delegation of high-ranking officials and lawmakers to launch a comprehensive probe into the affair. Also Thursday, Karzai's office said it has extended by one month the deadline for the transfer of the main American military prison in the country. It said the United States had until March 9 to transfer authority of the prison to the Afghan government.

US and Israel split on speed of Iran threat

02/09/12: The New York Times reports that amid mounting tensions over whether Israel will carry out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program, the US and Israel remain at odds over a fundamental question: whether Iran's crucial nuclear facilities are about to become impregnable. Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, coined the phrase “zone of immunity” to define the circumstances under which Israel would judge it could no longer hold off from an attack. But judging when that moment will arrive has set off an intense debate with the Obama administration, whose officials counter that there are other ways to make Iran vulnerable.

Pentagon to ease restrictions on women in combat

02/09/12: The Los Angeles Times reports that the Pentagon plans to ease restrictions on women serving in combat, which will open 14,000 new and potentially more dangerous jobs to female troops, mostly in the Army and Marine Corps. The change, scheduled to be announced Thursday, would continue to bar women from serving directly in frontline infantry, armor and special operations forces, according to two senior defense officials. But the proposed regulations would allow women to serve in non-infantry battalion jobs, such as radio operators, intelligence analysts, medics, radar operators and tank mechanics, where they could join combat forces.

Senator seeks opinion used in al-Awlaki killing

02/09/12: The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that a Democratic member of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Wednesday that he, like the public, is being kept in the dark about Justice Department legal advice on when the US may kill American citizens abroad who are suspected terrorists. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon says he's been trying for more than a year to get the legal analysis from the intelligence community without success. He is renewing his request four months after American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and a second American, Samir Khan, were killed by a CIA air strike in Yemen.

Ex-CIA officer may be exploring guilty plea in leak case

02/09/12: POLITICO reports that former CIA officer John Kiriakou, charged last month with leaking the identities of other CIA officers involved in the interrogation of terrorism suspects, may be exploring the possibility of entering a guilty plea in the case, court records suggest. Normally, prosecutors have 30 days to obtain a grand jury indictment after filing a complaint. However, on Tuesday, the government and Kiriakou's defense attorney, Plato Cacheris, filed a joint motion seeking to extend that deadline. The motion contained no mention of plea discussions, but such extensions are often sought to accomodate plea negotiations.

TSA expands pre-check program to 28 airports

02/09/12: The Hill reports that the TSA is expanding its known-traveler program to the "busiest US airports." The program allows passengers to volunteer information in exchange for the possibility of receiving expedited screening. According to TSA Administrator John Pistole, the expansion moves the agency "closer to our goal of delivering the most effective and efficient screening by recognizing that most passengers do not pose a threat to security. “We are pleased to expand this important effort . . . as we move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more intelligence-driven, risk-based transportation security system,” Pistole said.

State Department says Guantánamo lawyers can’t question Yemeni leader

02/09/12: The Miami Herald reports that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is in the United States with full diplomatic immunity, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s legal advisor has written the Pentagon, and should not be compelled to provide sworn testimony for the Guantánamo war court. State Department Legal Advisor Harold Hongju Koh wrote the letter Monday to the Pentagon’s chief war crimes prosecutor, Army Brigadier General Mark Martins, opposing a request for a subpoena by lawyers for an alleged al Qaida bomber facing a tribunal at the US Navy base in southeast Cuba.

UN chief says joint Syria mission and envoy discussed

02/09/12: The Seattle Times reports that the head of the Arab League plans to send observers back into Syria and has raised the possibility of a joint mission with the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday. The UN chief's comments to reporters - after he briefed a closed UN Security Council session - came amid a search for new diplomatic approaches to deal with the protracted violence in Syria. Ban said he spoke Tuesday with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby, who "intends to send the Arab League observer mission back to Syria and ask for UN help."

Ex-Marine sentenced to death in Iran needs US intervention

02/09/12: The Washington Post reports that a former US Marine sentenced to death in Iran for allegedly spying for the CIA could be saved if the Obama administration would consider a prisoner swap, his Iranian attorney said Wednesday. Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, 28, who was sentenced in January to be hanged, could face execution immediately after an appeals court has reviewed his sentence, said lawyer Mohammad Hossein Aghassi. The court’s decision was expected January 25; the reason for the delay is unclear. Aghassi stressed that it was essential for the Obama administration to do anything within its means to reach out to Iran.

Egyptian judges say NGO workers could face 5 years in prison

02/08/12: The Washington Post reports that investigative judges in Egypt said Wednesday that the Americans and Egyptians who have been charged in the government’s crackdown on US-funded pro-democracy groups could face up to five years in prison for working at unlicensed organizations. The remarks — the most extensive description of the government’s case against the pro-democracy workers to date — did not suggest that investigators had determined that the workers were engaged in nefarious or subversive activities. 

July trial set for Iraq refugee in Kentucky terror case

02/08/12: The Miami Herald reports that an Iraqi man charged in Kentucky with trying to funnel weapons and cash to al-Qaeda in his home country is scheduled for trial July 30. US District Judge Thomas B. Russell set the Bowling Green trial date for 24-year-old Mohanad Shareef Hammadi on Wednesday. Hammadi and 30-year-old Waad Ramadan Alwan were charged in federal court in May with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and terrorists organizations and conspiracy to transfer surface-to-air missile launcher systems. They were in Kentucky as refugees.

Signs build that Iran sanctions disrupt food imports

02/08/12: Reuters reports that more evidence emerged on Tuesday of the crippling impact of new sanctions on Iran, with international traders saying Tehran is having trouble buying rice, cooking oil and other staples to feed its 74 million people weeks before an election. New US financial sanctions imposed since the beginning of this year to punish Tehran over its nuclear program are playing havoc with Iran's ability to buy imports and receive payment for its oil exports, commodities traders said. Iran denies that sanctions are causing serious harm to its economy, but Reuters investigations in recent days show serious disruptions to its imports.

Lawmakers question UK's military capabilities

02/08/12: The Miami Herald reports that Britain would struggle to mount another operation on the scale of its intervention in Libya because of massive defense cuts, a report from UK lawmakers said Wednesday. The Defense Committee report said the intervention in Libya, which led to the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi, was successful and justified but has raised "important questions" about the extent of the UK military's capabilities. "The real test is whether the success of this mission was a one-off or whether the lessons it has highlighted mean that future such missions can be successfully undertaken, whilst maintaining the UK's capability to protect its interests elsewhere," said committee Chairman James Arbuthnot.

Special Ops commander pledges to fulfill commitments

02/08/12: The Washington Times reports that American Green Berets, SEALS and other commandos will continue to meet their commitments around the world, as the Pentagon imposes budget cuts, the commander of US Special Operations said Tuesday. One of the top priorities will be helping regular combat forces withdraw from Afghanistan, where the US will draw down its conventional troop numbers down to 68,000 by October, Admiral Bill McRaven told a Washington audience. The Pentagon will rely more heavily on its special operation forces there to stabilize the region before the total US withdrawal by 2014, he said.

Congress passes FAA bill allowing drones in US

02/08/12: The Chicago Tribune reports that after five years of legislative struggling, 23 stopgap measures and a two-week shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration, Congress finally has passed a bill aimed at prodding the nation's aviation system into a new high-tech era in which satellites are central to air traffic control and piloted planes share the skies with unmanned drones. The bill, which passed the Senate 75-20 Monday, speeds the nation's switch from radar to an air traffic control system based on GPS technology. It also requires the FAA to open US skies to drone flights within four years. 

Study says radical US Muslims little threat

02/08/12: The New York Times reports that a feared wave of homegrown terrorism by radicalized Muslim Americans has not materialized, with plots and arrests dropping sharply over the two years since an unusual peak in 2009, according to a new study by a North Carolina research group. The study, to be released on Wednesday, found that 20 Muslim Americans were charged in violent plots or attacks in 2011, down from 26 in 2010 and a spike of 47 in 2009. Charles Kurzman, the author of the report for the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, called terrorism by Muslim Americans “a minuscule threat to public safety.”

Top US military official heads to Egypt with relations on line

02/08/12: The Charlotte Observer reports that with $1.3 billion in annual US military aid and a three-decade relationship hanging in the balance, US officials said Tuesday that Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would travel to Egypt to press for the criminal charges against at least 16 American nonprofit workers to be dropped. The visit later this week by the top US military official likely represents the strongest leverage the United States has in its effort to get Egypt's ruling generals to end a crackdown on American and Egyptian nonprofit groups. 

CIA digs in as Americans withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan

02/08/12: The Washington Post reports that the CIA is expected to maintain a large clandestine presence in Iraq and Afghanistan long after the departure of conventional US troops as part of a plan by the Obama administration to rely on a combination of spies and Special Operations forces to protect US interests in the two longtime war zones, US officials said. US officials said that the CIA’s stations in Kabul and Baghdad will probably remain the agency’s largest overseas outposts for years, even if they shrink from record staffing levels set at the height of American efforts in those nations to fend off insurgencies and install capable governments.

Cuban migrants at Guantanamo base face restrictions

02/08/12: The Sacramento Bee reports that nearly three dozen Cuban asylum seekers were confined to the Leeward side of the US Navy base at Guantanamo Tuesday, no longer able to send packages to family across the minefield in a security crackdown at the US migrant center at the base in southeast Cuba. Officials wouldn't say precisely how the Cubans lost privileges of wider access on the base. But "several of the migrants repeatedly broke Naval Station rules in place to ensure base security," said Deborah Sisbarro at the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. The infractions occurred "in the last several weeks," she said.

US not considering arming Syrian opposition

02/08/12: ABC News reports that the White House said on Tuesday that the US is not considering arming opposition groups in Syria, deflecting calls from some lawmakers to explore such a possibility as one way to quell the violence in Syria. However, US officials said no option would be completely ruled out as the Obama administration grapples for a way to end the bloodshed and facilitate a political transition. "We are not considering that step right now," White House spokesman Jay Carney said of the prospect of arming the rebels.

Russia says Assad still wants dialogue as shelling continues

02/07/12: The Washington Post reports that Russia’s top diplomat said Tuesday that a Syrian commission has prepared a new constitution, to be voted on in a referendum, and added that President Bashar al-Assad is ready for a “dialogue” with opposition groups after months of a harsh and bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov made the statements following discussions with Assad in the Syrian capital, even as France and Italy recalled their ambassadors for consultations over the worsening crisis and shelling continued for a fifth day in the restive city of Homs.

US planning to slash Iraq embassy staff by up to half

02/07/12: The New York Times reports that less than two months after American troops left, the State Department is preparing to slash by as much as half the enormous diplomatic presence it had planned for Iraq, a sharp sign of declining American influence in the country. Officials in Baghdad and Washington said that Ambassador James F. Jeffrey and other senior State Department officials are reconsidering the size and scope of the embassy, where the staff has swelled to nearly 16,000 people, mostly contractors. The expansive diplomatic operation and the $750 million embassy building, the largest of its kind in the world, were billed as necessary to nurture a postwar Iraq on its shaky path to democracy and establish normal relations between two countries linked by blood and mutual suspicion.

US and Japan mull sending 4,700 Marines to Guam

02/07/12: The Miami Herald reports that the US and Japan, hoping to break a stalemate over the US military presence on Okinawa, are discussing a plan to transfer nearly 5,000 troops to Guam despite their failure to replace a major Marine base on the southern Japan island. The transfer, a key to US troop restructuring in the Pacific, has been in limbo for years because it was linked to the closure and replacement of the strategically important base, which has been fiercely opposed by local residents. "We are not at a point where we can discuss the details, but we are looking into ways to reduce the burden on Okinawa as soon as possible," Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told Parliament on Tuesday.

US sending Commander to repair ties with Pakistan

02/07/12: The New York Times reports that a senior American military commander is expected to travel to Pakistan this month in what Obama administration officials say is the first step toward thawing a strategic relationship that has been in effect frozen for more than two months. General James N. Mattis, the head of the military’s Central Command, will meet General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Pakistani Army chief of staff, to discuss the investigations of an exchange of fire at the Afghan border that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, as well as new border coordination procedures to prevent a recurrence of the episode.

The Pentagon’s new view of warfare

02/07/12: The Washington Post reports that when Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta introduced the Obama administration’s new strategic guidance he made his first point that the military will be smaller and leaner, but it will be agile, flexible, rapidly deployable and technologically advanced. The Obama administration has moved into the era of satellites and drones for intelligence and stand-off air attacks (Libya). If ground forces are needed, local, allied or United Nations troops can be used, some with the help of US Special Forces teams for training or direction (Central African Republic). To go it alone, drones (Pakistan, Yemen), and again those Special Forces (Pakistan for Osama bin Laden, January’s Somalia rescue). 

Chicago man pleads guilty in material support case

02/07/12: The Boston Globe reports that a Pakistani-born Chicago taxi driver who prosecutors say could be heard on FBI wiretaps discussing a plan to bomb a stadium pleaded guilty Monday to attempting to send money to a Pakistani-based terrorist with alleged ties to al-Qaida. Standing before a federal judge in an orange jumpsuit and his ankles shackled, Raja Lahrasib Khan, 58, said he was pleading guilty to one count of two counts of attempting to provide material support terrorism. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the other count.

Obama tightens Iran sanctions over bank deception

02/07/12: The Chicago Tribune reports that President Obama tightened sanctions on Iran another notch, the White House said on Monday, targeting its central bank and giving US banks new powers to freeze assets linked to the government. Obama's move, in an executive order he signed on Sunday, was the latest action in an escalating campaign to target the Central Bank of Iran, and was intended to close loopholes in existing sanctions Tehran has exploited. In a letter to Congress, Obama said Iranian banks were hiding transactions to undercut the financial sanctions the US and other powers have imposed in response to Iran's nuclear program.

Egyptian military delegation said to cancel meetings with US lawmakers

02/07/12: Bloomberg News reports that an Egyptian military delegation visiting Washington canceled talks with US Senators because the group was called home amid a dispute over charges against American pro-democracy workers, according to Senate aides. The generals were scheduled to meet as soon as yesterday with Senators including Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, and John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican on the panel, according to two Senate aides familiar with the cancellation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment publicly.

FBI cuts back on GPS surveillance after Supreme Court ruling

02/07/12: USA Today reports that the FBI has begun cutting back GPS surveillance in an array of criminal and intelligence investigations following the Supreme Court ruling in US v. Jones, which restricted its use. The bureau began implementing the change the day after the January 23 ruling in which the court found that attaching such a device to a car amounted to a search covered by the Fourth Amendment, requiring police to seek warrants in many cases. An official, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter, said the GPS directive was issued until further legal guidance is provided on the use of the technology.

Pentagon opens Tweet offensive in cyberspace

02/07/12: The Washington Times reports that the Pentagon on Monday launched a new campaign. The Defense Department (@DeptofDefense) held its first Twitter town hall, and the nearly hour-long session addressed questions from “don’t ask, don’t tell” to the Middle East to cyber security. “. . . important to discuss national security matters with American public, service members . . .” Pentagon press secretary George Little, or @PentagonPresSec, tweeted. On Syria, Mr. Little first tweeted: “@13monsters asks about Libya v. Syria. Each difficult situation, but approaches to dealing with crises must be case-by-case.”

Italy frees former Guantanamo detainee

02/07/12: The San Jose Mercury News reports that an Italian appeals court has overturned the terrorism conviction of a Tunisian man who had spent nearly eight years in the US military prison in Guantanamo, Cuba. Mohamed Ben Riadh Nasri, who had been convicted of terrorism association by a lower Italian court, was one of three Tunisian prisoners from Guantanamo that Italy accepted more than two years ago. Nasri's lawyer, Roberto Novellino, said the appeals court in Milan on Monday threw out the guilty verdict and its six-year sentence, meaning his client is a free man. The court's reasoning will be released in 30 days.

Tensions rise as US Syrian embassy closes

02/06/12: The Washington Post reports that the State Department closed its embassy in Syria on Monday and pulled the remaining staff. The decision came after the Syrian government refused to address US security concerns amid the 10-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, State Department officials said. Ambassador Robert Ford and 16 other employees have left the country. The United States has shuttered embassies before, often under similarly dramatic circumstances. While some embassies later reopened, several countries remain without an US embassy today.

Libyan military court tries Gadhafi loyalists

02/06/12: The Miami Herald reports that a Libyan prosecutor says 40 suspects have appeared before a military tribunal in the country's first trial of Moammar Gadhafi loyalists since the dictator's overthrow. The proceedings that opened Sunday in a Benghazi military base have been adjourned until February 14. Benghazi-based prosecutor Mohammed Mathi said Monday that this is the first trial of Gadhafi loyalists. During Libya's uprising and eight-month civil war last year, Gadhafi's forces launched deadly attacks on cities, leaving thousands of people killed and injured.

Iran navy rescues tanker from pirates

02/06/12: The Boston Globe reports that Iran's state TV reports that the country's navy has opened fire on pirates to foil an attack on an Iranian oil tanker near the Gulf of Aden. The late Sunday report says the Iranian navy rushed to the site earlier in the day after it received a distress signal from the tanker, which was under attack from some 35 pirate boats. The report says the pirate boats fled after the Iranian forces opened fire. It did not report any casualties. Iranian vessels are part of an international flotilla of warships that patrols the Gulf of Aden near the entrance to the Red Sea, to protect shipping from Somalia-based pirates.

Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah reach unity deal

02/06/12: CNN reports that rival Palestinian political factions Fatah and Hamas named President Mahmoud Abbas the head of an interim unity government during a televised signing ceremony Monday. The deal was signed in Doha, Qatar, by Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who said last month he plans to step down from his post. "The Palestinian reconciliation is no longer a Palestinian interest but also an Arab interest," Abbas said. "Both parties are serious in moving forward to fold the page of strife between both parties and to strengthen the Palestinian national unity government," according to Meshaal.

Iraqi lawmaker says immunity lift sought

02/06/12: The Miami Herald reports that a lawmaker in Iraq's Sunni-backed bloc says the Shiite-led government is seeking to lift his parliamentary immunity, a step which may extend the country's political crisis. Iraqi deputy Haider al-Mulla says he has received notice from the parliament that authorities are requesting a vote to strip him of immunity to prosecute him on charges he insulted the country's judiciary. Iraqiya accuses Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of sectarian bias and of trying to push Sunnis out of the government to consolidate his power. 

Obama administration’s Afghanistan endgame gets off to bumpy start

02/06/12: The Washington Post reports that with war fatigue growing and an election looming, the Obama administration has bumpily embarked on its endgame in Afghanistan. In recent weeks, closed-door strategizing over Taliban peace talks, the pace of NATO’s combat handover and withdrawal, and the future of US relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan have suddenly become part of the public and political debate. But revelations about plans already in motion have emerged sooner than the administration has been prepared to explain them, complicating efforts to turn them into a coherent whole and build support.

US said to target rescuers at drone strike sites

02/06/12: The New York Times reports that British and Pakistani journalists said Sunday that the CIA's drone strikes on suspected militants in Pakistan have repeatedly targeted rescuers who responded to the scene of a strike, as well as mourners at subsequent funerals. The report, by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, found that at least 50 civilians had been killed in follow-up strikes after they rushed to help those hit by a drone-fired missile. The bureau counted more than 20 other civilians killed in strikes on funerals. The findings were published on the bureau’s Web site and in The Sunday Times of London.