LATEST NEWS FROM OFF-SITE

• Syrian regime, Hezbollah assault rebel stronghold - Taipei Times May 20, 2013
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• Syrian Rebels Suffer Setbacks From Fighting in Town Near Lebanon Border May 20, 2013
  Syrian government troops backed by fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement have been in fierce battles in  the rebel-held town of Qusair after weeks of fighting.  Many wounded rebels are being treated across the nearby border in northern Lebanon. Eighteen year-old Obeida Abdel Nabi is recovering from a shrapnel wound to his lower abdomen.  He was hur […]
• Nigerian Military: More Than 200 Boko Haram Captured May 20, 2013
  Nearly a week after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan announced the deployment of thousands of troops to the country’s war-torn north, officials say they now hold more than 200 suspected Boko Haram militants. Nigerian military forces said Monday they have captured 120 Boko Haram militants during the past 24 hours alone, and now are occupying five former m […]
• Which Syrian Rebels, Exactly, Should We Arm? « The Dish May 20, 2013
  The Economist has a helpful graphic on key rebel groups in Syria: Note how may of these groups are described as “Islamists” or “Jihadists.” Matt Steinglass doubts there is much we can do: [W]hat about trying to just end the bloodshed and freeze the current situation? Given that the country’s population has effectively split into irreconcilable warring camps, […]
• Times Of Cental Asia - Afghan president seeks Indian military aid amid Pakistan row May 20, 2013
  KABUL (TCA) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai today opens his three-day trip to India, during which he is expected to seek more Indian assistance for Afghanistan’s armed forces, RFE/RL reported on Sunday. Mr. Karzai is expected to stay in India until May 22. […]
• Drone strike in Abyan kills four alleged Al-Qaeda affiliates | Yemen Times May 20, 2013
  ABYAN, May 19 — Four alleged Al-Qaeda affiliates were killed late Friday night by an American drone strike in the Almahfd district of Abyan governorate, in South Yemen, according to security officials. […]
• Syrian regime battles for key rebel stronghold - FT.com May 20, 2013
  Recent successes reflect not only the help of Hizbollah but also an increased use of local militias, sometimes known as popular committees […]
• Violence surges in strategic Syrian city - CNN.com May 20, 2013
  As Syrian forces pound the strategic town of Qusayr with airstrikes, President al-Assad says he's dealing appropriately with the people he calls "terrorists." […]
• Nigerian forces tout 'massive deployment' against insurgents - CNN.com May 20, 2013
  An ongoing "massive deployment" against insurgent groups in northern Nigeria by the nation's special forces killed at least 14 suspected terrorists and captured 20 others, according to a statement released Sunday by Nigeria's defense ministry. […]
• Karzai seeks Indian military aid amid Pak tensions May 19, 2013
  kabul  - Afghan President Hamid Karzai plans to discuss potential arms deals with Indian officials during a trip to New Delhi this week, officials said, at a time when tensions are running high on Afghanistan’s disputed border with Pakistan. Kabul’s overtures to New Delhi are likely to rile Islamabad where a new government led by two-time prime minister Nawa […]
• UK funds surveys in Fata on US drone strikes May 19, 2013
  LONDON - INP - Britain's Foreign Office admitted that it has been funding public opinion surveys in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which reveal that US drone attacks are causing resentment among the locals, UK newspaper The Guardian reported. Foreign Minister Alistair Burt confirmed that his office had "supported" such surveys […]
• Obama to detail terrorism policy including drone attacks and Guantánamo Bay prison - CSMonitor.com May 19, 2013
  In a national security speech, President Obama will explain his policies dealing with terrorism, the use of drone aircraft, Al Qaeda, and the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. […]
• Syrian Troops Target Key Rebel-Held Town : The Two-Way : NPR May 19, 2013
  Qusair is a strategically important town that lies between Homs, where the Syrian uprising began two years ago, and the Lebanese border. If President Bashar Assad's troops – reportedly backed by Hezbollah fighters — regain the town, they would control an important route from the coast to the capital, Damascus. » E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us […]
• Syrian Army Moves Into Rebel-Held Qusayr - NYTimes.com May 19, 2013
  The battle for Qusayr, in the heavily contested Homs Province, has deepened the involvement of Hezbollah in the Syrian conflict, raising sectarian tensions and fears of a regional war.      […]