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United States officials are not entirely confident they know who is behind the airstrikes being reported against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria forces in western Iraq. From ABC News: According to the U.S. official, the United States has “pretty good information that the Syrians are behind the fighter aircraft bombing in western Al Anbar,” a province in Iraq that includes the Syrian border. The official said the United States is still trying to gather more information that Syria was behind the strikes...A U.S. official also said it was not clear whether the Iraqi government requested or authorized Syrian air...

The U.S. military conducted an airstrike in southern Somalia on Sunday against a suspected militant leader, a U.S. military official told CNN. The target was described by the official as a "senior leader" affiliated with al Qaeda and Al-Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia. The United States has not yet been able to determine whether the target was killed, the official said.

President Obama is considering a strike on Syrian military targets involving sea-launched cruise missiles or possibly long-range bombers that would last no more than two days, according to senior administration officials and reported by Karen DeYoung and Anne Gearan of The Washington Post. Reuters reports that the West has told the opposition to expect a strike "within days." The limited strike would seemingly be a response to allegations that the Syrian government used chemical weapons on its own people before dawn on August 21. Hundreds were killed and thousands suffered "neurotoxic symptoms." The design of the potential attack implies sending...

Several Egyptian terrorists were killed in an air strike in Sinai on Friday, which some claimed Israel had carried out. Security sources and witnesses said the terrorists were struck as they prepared to launch a rocket into Israel, reported AFP. The source of the strike was not immediately clear. Some sources spoke of an Israeli air strike conducted from Israeli air space and others credited the Egyptian military. Witnesses said at least five members of a cell led by local Islamist militants were killed in the raid. Egypt's army said two explosions were heard at around 4:15 p.m. local time...

US opposition to an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear program may be softening, a former head of IDF intelligence said Wednesday. “The American stance on an Israeli strike against Iran has changed dramatically recently,” said Amos Yadlin, who served as chief of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate from 2006 to 2010. “In 2012 the [Americans'] red light was as red as it can get, the brightest red,” Yadlin said in an interview with Army Radio Wednesday morning. “But the music I’m hearing lately from Washington says, ‘If this is truly an overriding Israeli security interest, and you think you want to...

Israeli officials on Saturday reportedly confirmed the Israeli Air Force carried out a strike against Syria and say it targeted a shipment of advanced missiles. The officials said the shipment was not of chemical arms, but of “game changing” weapons bound for the terror group Hezbollah. One official said the target was a shipment of advanced, long-range ground-to-ground missiles.

The Syrian announcement of an Israeli air strike on a military site near Damascus Wednesday, Jan. 30, drew strong condemnation from Moscow the next day: "Such action if confirmed would amount to unacceptable military interference in the war-ravaged country," said the statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry Thursday. "If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked attacks on targets on the territory of a sovereign country, which blatantly violate the UN Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motives to justify it." Israel has made no comment on the Damascus statement which described in detail an...

An Israeli strike on a Gaza City high-rise today has killed one of the top militant leaders of Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian militant group said. The second strike in two days on the downtown Gaza City building that houses the Hamas TV station, Al Aqsa, has killed Ramez Harb, who is a leading figure in Al Quds Brigades militant wing, according to a text message Islamic Jihad sent to reporters. Witnesses told the AP that the Israeli airstrike, part of a widening effort to suppress Hamas rocket fire into Israel, struck the building Monday afternoon,

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) terror group vowed to retaliate against Israel on Sunday after announcing that two men killed earlier in an IAF air strike were members of the group, the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported. The group confirmed that Izz Addin Abu Nuseira, 23, and Ahmad Abu Fatayir, 22, were affiliated with its Nasser Saladin Brigades. Both were killed when the IAF struck targets in the terrorist haven of Gaza for the fourth time in 24 hours Sunday afternoon. The IAF said the targets were part of a terror squad that had fired a rocket at Israel a...

President Barack Obama on Sunday expressed condolences to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari for the deaths last month of 24 Pakistani troops, saying the NATO airstrikes that killed them were not a "deliberate attack." A White House statement said Obama placed a call early Sunday to Zardari expressing his regrets over the "tragic loss" and promising a "full investigation" into the incident, which has plunged the two uneasy allies into a diplomatic crisis. Obama "made clear that this regrettable incident was not a deliberate attack on Pakistan and reiterated the United States' strong commitment to a full investigation," the statement...

Nato's number two insurgent target 'killed in air strike' A senior al-Qaeda figure and Nato's second-highest priority insurgent in Afghanistan has been killed in an air strike, following a four-year manhunt. By Jeremy Kelly in Kabul 4:38 PM BST 26 Apr 2011 The death of Saudi Arabian national Abdul Ghani, also known as Abu Hafs al-Najdi, from a coalition air strike on April 13 ends a four-year hunt. Nato said Ghani directed al-Qaeda operations in the eastern border province of Kunar, where he was killed, including the recruiting and training of fighters as well as planning attacks against Afghan and...

The Israeli military said on Saturday a top militant killed in a predawn raid was “directly and physically involved” in the 2006 capture of Gilad Shalit, a soldier Israel believes is still being held in the Gaza Strip. Tayser Abu Snima, who Palestinian medics said was killed in an air strike on a vehicle along the Gaza-Egyptian border, was a key figure in the Hamas Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip. The Israeli statement called Abu Snima a senior Hamas operative in Gaza and said he was “directly and physically involved in the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit,”...

Ajdabiya, Libya - An apparent NATO airstrike slammed into a rebel combat convoy Thursday, killing at least five fighters and sharply boosting anger among anti-government forces after the second bungled mission in a week blamed on the military alliance. (Snip) In a sign of the hair-trigger tensions along the front, thousands of civilians and fighters raced out of the rebel-held city of Ajdabiya in eastern Libya after reports that Moammar Gadhafi's forces gained ground in the chaos after the bombing. Some militiamen shouted insults against NATO as they retreated. "We don't want NATO anymore!" cried fighter Basit bin Nasser. Another

Colonel Gaddafi appeals to 'our son' Barack Obama to tell Nato to lay off by Reporter, Daily Mirror 7/04/2011 COLONEL Gaddafi yesterday made a direct appeal to Barack Obama to halt “an unjust war” against Libya. He also wished the US President good luck in the next election. In a rambling, three-page letter littered with errors, Gaddafi implored Obama to stop the Nato-led air campaign “against a small people of a developing country”. And he told him: “You are in a position to keep Nato off the Libyan affair for good.” Gaddafi said democracy could not be built by bombing,...

Two people were killed in an attack on a car near Port Sudan on Tuesday, which police suggested was a missile fired from the sea, while state media and a regional government official blamed a foreign aircraft. Witnesses at the scene near the airport at Sudan's main port city said the small car was destroyed and the two charred bodies of its passengers could be seen.

Initial assessment of French air strikes in Libya The expansion of war aims, beyond those recommended by the UN resolution, is becoming acute. Operations against Libya are in their sixteenth day without them showing clearly the French targets. Initially, Saturday, March 19, the war aims were well defined by Nicolas Sarkozy during his speech after the summit at the Elysee, "In the absence of a cease-fire and to withdrawal of armed forces, summit participants agreed to implement all necessary means, including military means, to oppose any aggression. " Thus expressed, the French concept of the implementation of resolution 1973 the...

KABUL, Afghanistan (Mar. 23, 2011) – Coalition forces conducted a precision airstrike targeting a Haqqani network leader, killing two insurgents and wounding one in Terayzai district, Khost province today. The Haqqani leader is involved in the supply of weapons, ammunition, and vehicles to HQN operatives and participates in direct attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. Coalition forces called in a precision air strike and the targeted vehicle was destroyed. Just prior to the weapon impact, an unassociated civilian vehicle and two pedestrians walking in a wadi appeared, next to the target vehicle. Immediately following the strike, the civilian vehicle came...

KABUL, Afghanistan (Jan. 25, 2011) – Coalition forces conducted a precision air strike targeting a group of armed insurgents in Gelan district, Ghazni province, killing two insurgents yesterday. A senior Taliban leader for the district was reportedly in the group of armed insurgents. He is responsible for improvised explosive device and direct fire attacks on coalition forces and the provincial reconstruction team. The Taliban leader is closely associated with other senior leaders in the area. Recent reporting indicates he led a rocket propelled grenade attack on coalition forces. Following intelligence tips, the precision air strike was conducted after ensuring no...

KABUL, Afghanistan (Jan. 22, 2011) — Coalition forces targeted the Taliban shadow district governor for Hisarak, Laghman province, killing more than 10 insurgents with two precision air strikes in the province yesterday. The targeted Taliban shadow district leader conducted attacks against Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officials and coalition forces. He poses a threat to the security of Afghan officials and coalition forces in Hisarak and Sherzad districts. According to recent reporting he has acquired improvised explosive device material, machine guns and rockets for future attacks. Multiple armed insurgents, including the targeted Taliban leader, were identified in a...

KABUL, Afghanistan (Jan. 8) – Coalition forces targeted an al-Qaida-associated Taliban leader with a precision air strike in Kunar province yesterday, killing several suspected insurgents. The targeted leader is an active attack planner who leads at least 25 fighters. Additionally, he maintains close contact with al-Qaida leaders and facilitators. The targeted leader used Taliban compounds from which to launch attacks on the Pech Valley Road in Kunar and emplaced a heavy machine gun on the eastern ridge line of a nearby village to provide over watch for his sub-leaders. The Taliban leader also used light machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades...