American Security Council Foundation (ASCF)

FEATURED NEWS POST

US Says Syria's Assad Turns to Iran to Keep Power

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF February 3, 2012 @ 8:19am

U.S. officials say Iran is increasingly active in backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's campaign of violence against his own people.

As opposition attacks against the Syrian government grow, U.S. officials say Damascus increasingly seeks help from Iran to hold onto power.

 

Britain Vows to Step Up Fight Against Somali Terrorism, Piracy

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF February 3, 2012 @ 8:17am

In a visit to Somalia's capital of Mogadishu Thursday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague promised to step up the fight against terrorism and piracy. Hague is the first British foreign secretary to visit the war-ravaged city in two decades. 

Secretary Hague's visit comes during a time of relative peace and security in Mogadishu, since African Union (AMISOM) troops and forces of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) pushed al-Shabab out of the capital last month.

 

Militants Kill 7 Pakistani Soldiers in Northwest

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF February 3, 2012 @ 8:11am

Security officials say militants have stormed a military checkpoint in northwest Pakistan, killing seven soldiers and wounding three.

Officials say 18 militants were killed when Pakistani forces retaliated during Friday's attack in the Kurram tribal agency.

Iran Threatens Retaliation for Sanctions or Attack

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF February 3, 2012 @ 7:44am

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that his country will retaliate against Western-backed oil sanctions and any threat of attack, after U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was cited in media reports as saying he fears Israel could attack Iran in the next few months.

A report Thursday in the Washington Post, later backed by other news outlets, said Secretary Panetta fears Israel could attack Iran as early as April, to stop Tehran's progress on a possible nuclear bomb. Panetta was not directly quoted in the report and has not commented on it.

Taliban deny they are ready for Afghan peace talks

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF February 2, 2012 @ 9:31am

The Taliban dismissed reports they are preparing to talk peace with the Afghan government, and a NATO report leaked Wednesday shows captured insurgents full of confidence they will seize power after international troops leave.

While both were setbacks to President Hamid Karzai's quest to broker peace with the Taliban, his government got a big boost from Pakistan's top diplomat who declared her nation's support for an Afghan-led reconciliation process.