About: Al Qaeda
US to withdraw 5,000 troops from Afghanistan, close 5 bases
The United States would withdraw almost 5,000 troops from Afghanistan and close five bases within 135 days under a draft peace accord agreed with the Taliban, the chief US negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Monday (2 September).
Russia says US strikes in Syria’s Idlib put ceasefire at risk
Russia's military said the United States had mounted air strikes in Syria's Idlib without forewarning Moscow or Ankara, endangering a ceasefire there, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday (1 September).
Putin, Erdogan agree steps to tackle militants in Syria’s Idlib
President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday (27 August) that Russia and Turkey had agreed steps to tackle militants in northwest Syria and “normalize” the situation there after a Syrian army offensive encircled rebel fighters and a Turkish military post.
Erdogan, Trump consider creating security zone in Syria
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and US counterpart Donald Trump mooted Monday (14 January) the creation of a "security zone" in northern Syria as tensions rose over the fate of Kurdish fighters in the war-torn country.
EU counter-terrorism chief: Europe ‘may see something like Daesh 2.0’
The level of terrorist threat remains "pretty serious" in several EU countries, Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's counter-terrorism coordinator, told EURACTIV.com in an interview hours before the latest attack in Strasbourg on Tuesday night (12 December).
Lithuania says it will not appeal European court ruling over CIA torture jail
Lithuania on Wednesday (22 August) said it would not appeal a European court ruling that the Baltic state had been complicit in a clandestine CIA programme by holding terror suspects at a secret detention site on its territory.
Violence flares up as Malians vote in key election
Malians voted Sunday (29 July) in a crucial presidential election as attacks disrupted polling in areas already beset by deadly ethnic and jihadist violence.
Ambassador: Turkey, EU should cooperate in safely returning Syrian refugees home
At the Varna summit, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his interlocutors that the EU should cooperate in Syria in terms of helping Syrian refugees to go back to their homes, Turkish ambassador to the EU Faruk Kaymakcı told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Africa, Europe hope to rally support for Sahel anti-terror force
French President Emmanuel Macron hosts Germany's Angela Merkel and five African presidents today (13 December), hoping to bolster the fledging G5 Sahel force fighting jihadists in an area the size of Europe.
Researchers: Saudi-led coalition is responsible for Yemen’s health crisis
Severe food and medical shortages caused by two years of devastating war are having a major impact on everyday life in Yemen, where thousands of children starve to death, researchers have warned, pointing out the responsibility of Saudi Arabia.
Hague Court holds Islamist liable for €2.7 million damages after Timbuktu destruction
Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled on Thursday (17 August) that a former Islamist rebel who was jailed for wrecking holy sites in Timbuktu was liable for €2.7 million in damages.
Suspected jihadists kill 17 in attack on Burkina Faso restaurant
Suspected jihadists killed at least 17 people and wounded eight during a raid on a restaurant in Burkina Faso's capital, the communications minister said, as security forces sought to free people still trapped inside today (14 August).
Macron in Mali for diplomatic push on Sahel anti-jihadist force
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday (2 July) threw his weight behind a planned Sahel force to fight jihadists on a lightning visit to Mali but told countries in the region their efforts had to bear fruit.
EU to give €50 million for African force in Sahel
The EU is giving 50 million euros to set up a joint African military force in the Sahel region to fight jihadists, the bloc's foreign affairs chief said yesterday (5 June).
Europol probing IS setting up of social network
European police are probing whether the Islamic State group and other extremists are setting up a social network to spread propaganda, gain funding and avoid security crackdowns, an official said Wednesday (3 May).
EU anti-terror czar: ‘The threat is coming from inside Europe’
A year after the Brussels attacks, Gilles de Kerchove told EURACTIV.com about the fast pace of development of EU security policy, calling for the “systematic use of biometrics” and “batch comparison” of databases in order to boost security in the Schengen area.
Analyst: Most refugees want to work
The majority of refugees do not want to be beggars or dependent on the state, they want to be productive, but right now there are no integration systems in the EU that allow for this, Angeliki Dimitriadi told EURACTIV Slovakia in an exclusive interview.
Syria peace talks near collapse as opposition declares pause
Syrian peace talks came close to collapse yesterday (18 April), with the mainstream opposition announcing a pause in talks at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, although it agreed to keep its negotiating team in the city.
Gunmen attack Mali hotel hosting EU mission
Four gunmen attacked a hotel hosting an EU military training mission in Mali's capital yesterday (21 March), with one shot dead by security guards, according to a source within the mission.
African Union’s Somalia mission hit by EU funding cut
The African Union (AU) has criticised the EU's decision to cut funding for its peace-keeping mission in Somalia by 20% at a time when it is entrenched in a deadly battle with terrorist militants. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Russia confronts the Gulf states on Syria
The recent meetings of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Gulf states officials in Sochi have been much more confrontational than what was reported, writes Stratfor, the Texas-based global intelligence company.
Russian Ambassador: West should stop playing ‘double games’ in Syria
If the West is determined to fight the Islamic State, which is the international community’s common enemy in Syria and Iraq, it should concentrate on that, and stop engaging in “double games”, Russia's Ambassdor to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
EU counter-terrorism czar: Terrorists among asylum seekers? Unlikely
The refugee crisis is a major challenge by itself. If you start mixing it with terrorism, you confuse the logic, EU counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove told EURACTIV Czech Republic in an exclusive interview.