Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander General Joseph Dunford speaks during an interview in Kabul August 13, 2013. (REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail)

Afghanistan’s future depends on foreign soldiers: U.S. commander

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Aug 14, 2013 | World

Kabul, AP—Afghanistan’s future security will remain dependent on international troops for many years after most foreign combat forces leave by the end of 2014, the U.S. commander of the NATO-led force in the South Asian country said. With the formal security...

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This photo taken March 1, 2013 and released on Tuesday March 5, 2013, by the French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) shows Chadian soldiers patrolling in the desert in Northern Mali. (AP Photo/Ghislain Mariette)

Mali Conflict in Bloodiest Phase Yet

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Mar 5, 2013 | World

Paris, AFP—France said Tuesday that dozens of Islamist militants have been killed in the bloodiest phase of the Mali conflict to date, but it remained unclear if key commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar was among them. Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno on Monday reiterated...

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Mokhtar Belmokhtar, identified by the Algerian interior ministry as the leader of a militant Islamic group, is pictured in a screen capture from an undated video distributed by the Belmokhtar Brigade obtained by Reuters January 16, 2013. (REUTERS/Belmokhtar Brigade/Handout)

Chad Says Islamist Leader Belmokhtar Killed in Mali

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Mar 3, 2013 | World

N’Djamena, AFP—Chad says its troops in northern Mali have killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the one-eyed Islamist leader who masterminded an assault on an Algerian gas plant in January that left 37 foreign hostages dead. The announcement came amid continued fighting in...

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Algerian soldiers stand at the entrance of the gas plant in Ain Amenas. (AP Photo)

We Will Not Join the War in Mali – Algerian Official

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Jan 23, 2013 | Middle East

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat – An Algerian official has implied that his country does not intend on participating in the current war in Mali against what he called “terrorist groups”. The official—who asked to remain anonymous—added that his country would not engage...

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French soldiers take up positions near Independence Plaza, formerly Sharia Square, during fighting with Islamists in Gao. (REUTERS/Joe Penney)

We Want to Give Terrorism a “Knockout” Blow-French Official

by Michel Abu Najm | Jan 22, 2013 | Middle East

Paris/London, Asharq Al-Awsat-A high-level French official, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, revealed that France’s major objective in Mali is to “strike a knockout blow against the terrorists” present on Malian territory, adding this...