Category: Middle East

Israeli Firm Unveils Armed Robot to Patrol Volatile Borders

LOD, Israel—An Israeli defense contractor on Monday unveiled a remote-controlled armed robot it says can patrol battle zones, track infiltrators, and open fire. The unmanned vehicle is the latest addition to the world of drone technology, which is rapidly reshaping the modern battlefield. Proponents say such semi-autonomous machines allow armies to protect their soldiers, while…


Israel Strikes 4 Hamas Military Compounds After Rockets Fired From Gaza

The Israeli military announced in the early hours of Monday morning that it carried out strikes against four military compounds occupied by Hamas in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the Islamist terrorist group. “Terrorists in Gaza fired rockets at Israel for the 3rd night in a row, endangering lives in Gaza…


Biden Says Al Qaeda Could ‘Come Back,’ Defends Troop Withdrawal

President Joe Biden, on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan but acknowledged that the terrorist group al-Qaeda may attempt to reconstruct itself in the country following the Taliban takeover. The president, who marked the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks by visiting…


Al-Qaeda Chief Appears in Video Marking 9/11 Anniversary

BEIRUT—Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri appeared in a video marking the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, attacks, months after rumors spread that he was dead. The SITE Intelligence Group that monitors jihadist websites said the video was released on Saturday. In it, al-Zawahri said that “Jerusalem Will Never be Judaized,” and praised the al-Qaeda terrorist…


Iran Pledges to Cooperate With UN on Monitoring Nuclear Program

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reached an agreement on Sunday allowing the U.N. watchdog group to update cameras at Iran’s nuclear sites, according to a joint statement. The statement from the IAEA said that the two sides “decided to maintain their mutual interactions and meetings at relevant levels,” and U.N. officials will now “visit…


Taliban: Women Can Study in Gender-Segregated Universities

KABUL, Afghanistan—Women in Afghanistan can continue to study in universities, including at post-graduate levels, but classrooms will be gender-segregated and Islamic dress is compulsory, the higher education minister for the ruling Taliban terrorist group said Sunday. The minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, laid out the new policies at a news conference, several days after Afghanistan’s new…


Ex-UK Marine Who Airlifted Animals out of Kabul Ecstatic as His Staff Escape Afghanistan

A former British marine who evacuated 163 cats and dogs out of Kabul two weeks ago is exultant after his staff and their families made it across the Afghan land border on Saturday. Paul Farthing, an ex-Marine who goes by the name Pen Farthing, arrived in London from Afghanistan on Aug. 29 with 94 dogs and…


FBI Releases First Declassified 9/11 Document 20 Years After Attacks

The FBI over the weekend released the first previously declassified document about the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack hijackers, responding to an order handed down by President Joe Biden days earlier. On Saturday night, a 16-page heavily redacted document (pdf) that was written in 2016 sheds light on the logistical support that was given to…


Brother of Afghanistan’s Constitutional ‘Caretaker President’ Executed by Taliban, Family Says

The Taliban have executed the brother of Amrullah Saleh, the former Afghan vice president who challenged the Taliban’s claims to government, his nephew said on Friday. Saleh said in the days following former President Ashraf Ghani’s fleeing that led to the fall of Kabul to the Taliban that, according to the country’s 2004 constitution, he is the “legitimate caretaker president.” He made…


France Refuses to Recognise Taliban: Foreign Minister

PARIS—The Taliban are lying and France will not have any relationship with its newly-formed government, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said late on Saturday before heading for talks in Qatar on Sunday to discuss future evacuations from Afghanistan. “They said they would let some foreigners and Afghans leave freely and (talked) of an inclusive and…