INSIDER
Top Pakistan diplomat urges flood aid, patience with Taliban
Read full article: Top Pakistan diplomat urges flood aid, patience with TalibanPakistanโs foreign minister is recommending cooperation with the Taliban even though many U.S. officials say Afghanistanโs ruling faction has proved unworthy of it.
Global war on ransomware? Hurdles hinder the US response
Read full article: Global war on ransomware? Hurdles hinder the US responseForeign keyboard criminals with scant fear of repercussions have paralyzed U.S. schools and hospitals, leaked highly sensitive police files, triggered fuel shortages and, most recently, threatened global food supply chains.
Pompeo hits Iran for al-Qaida support on his way out
Read full article: Pompeo hits Iran for al-Qaida support on his way outWASHINGTON โ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Iran of having secret ties with the al-Qaida network and imposed new sanctions on several senior Iranian officials. In a speech to the National Press Club just, Pompeo attacked Iran for alleged secret ties with al-Qaida, citing newly declassified intelligence suggesting Tehran harbored the groupโs No. Pompeo claimed that ties between al-Qaida and Iran vastly improved in 2015, when the Obama administration, along with France, Germany and Britain, were finalizing the nuclear deal. โIran decided to allow al-Qaida to establish a new operational headquarters, on the condition that al-Qaida operatives inside abide by the regimeโs rules governing al-Qaidaโs stay inside the country.โHe said that since 2015, Iran has given al-Qaida leaders greater freedom of movement inside Iran and have provided safe havens and logistical support to al-Qaida. He said Iran has had โa crystal-clear and defendable recordโ in fighting al-Qaida and IS terrorism.
Pompeo to designate Yemen's Houthi rebels as terrorist group
Read full article: Pompeo to designate Yemen's Houthi rebels as terrorist group(Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP, File)WASHINGTON โ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that he will designate Yemenโs Iran-backed Houthi rebels as a โforeign terrorist organizationโ as time runs down on the Trump administration. In addition to the Houthi designation, Pompeo in coming days is also expected to likely re-designate Cuba as a โstate sponsor of terrorism," according to several admininstration officials. On Saturday Pompeo angered China when he declared restrictions on U.S. diplomatic contacts with Taiwanese officials to be null and void. The administration had been weighing the formal designation of the Houthi rebels as a โforeign terrorist organizationโ for months. On Saturday, Pompeo announced that he was rescinding all restrictions on contacts between U.S. diplomats and Taiwanese officials.
Yemen, China, Cuba top Pompeo to-do list as time runs down
Read full article: Yemen, China, Cuba top Pompeo to-do list as time runs downThe announcement comes as Pompeo and his top aides rush to complete actions they believe will cement their legacy and the presidentโs. In addition to the Houthi designation, Pompeo in coming days is also expected to likely re-designate Cuba as a โstate sponsor of terrorism," according to several admininstration officials. On Saturday Pompeo angered China when he declared restrictions on U.S. diplomatic contacts with Taiwanese officials to be null and void. โThe United States recognizes concerns that these designations will have an impact on the humanitarian situation in Yemen,โ Pompeo said in his statement. On Saturday, Pompeo announced that he was rescinding all restrictions on contacts between U.S. diplomats and Taiwanese officials.
US, Israel worked together to track and kill al-Qaida No. 2
Read full article: US, Israel worked together to track and kill al-Qaida No. 2The United States and Israel worked together to track and kill Abu Mohammed al-Masri, a senior al-Qaida operative in Iran earlier this year, a bold intelligence operation by the two allied nations that came as the Trump administration was ramping up pressure on Tehran. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim, File)WASHINGTON โ The United States and Israel worked together to track and kill a senior al-Qaida operative in Iran earlier this year, a bold intelligence operation by the two allied nations that came as the Trump administration was ramping up pressure on Tehran. The revelations that Iran was harboring an al-Qaida leader could help Israel bolster its case with the new U.S. administration. Iran denied the reports, saying the government is not harboring any al-Qaida leaders and blaming the U.S. and Israel for trying to foment anti-Iranian sentiment. Hezbollah never commented on reports and Lebanese security officials did not report that any citizens were killed in Tehran.
On this day: August 7
Read full article: On this day: August 71998: The United States embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, kill approximately 212 people. The attacks were linked to local members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, brought Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri to the attention of the American public for the first time, and resulted in the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation placing bin Laden on its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Hide Caption