site.news_by_theme Islamist
France launches major offensive on Mali Islamists
A French force of 1,000 soldiers in a major offensive has swept a valley thought to be a logistics base for Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists near the Malian city of Gao.
09 April 2013
Mali troops sweep Timbuktu for Islamist rebels after battle
Malian troops swept Timbuktu for remaining Islamist fighters after a weekend battle that left seven dead and forced France to dispatch reinforcements and fighter jets to help Mali's army.
01 April 2013
France says Mali troops to be cut to 1,000 by year-end
The 4,000 French soldiers deployed in Mali to fight Islamist rebels will be reduced to 1,000 by the end of the year.
29 March 2013
Britain, Italy, Greece say hostages killed in Nigeria
Britain, Italy and Greece on Sunday said that a claim by a Nigerian Islamist group that it had killed seven foreign hostages appeared to be true, while London denied it had sought to stage a rescue.
11 March 2013
Chad emerges as regional superpower in Mali conflict
Claiming to have killed two Islamist leaders in the Mali conflict so far, Chad is emerging as a regional superpower whose strong army is brushing up the image of what was once most known as one of the world's poorest nations.
06 March 2013
Witnesses accuse Malian soldiers of torture and murder
In northern Mali, the country's army frequently turns to torture and murder against people suspected of backing armed Islamist groups.
21 February 2013
France bombs Islamist hideout as Mali insurgency deepens
France has bombed an Islamist rebel hideout in northern Mali's largest city, intensifying a security lock-down against guerrilla attacks as the French-led campaign entered its second month.
12 February 2013
Islamists attack north Mali city after suicide bombings
Islamist gunmen attacked the largest city in northern Mali on Sunday following two straight days of suicide bombings, intensifying their insurgency on territory reclaimed by French-led forces.
11 February 2013
UN leader worried by guerrilla fightback in Mali
UN leader Ban Ki-moon said Thursday he is worried by a guerrilla fightback in Mali and that no firm decision has been made to send a peacekeeping force there.
08 February 2013
France bombs Islamist supply routes in Mali
French fighter jets have pounded Islamist supply bases in northern Mali seeking to flush the insurgents out of hiding, as France and the US on Monday called for African troops to quickly take over the operation.
05 February 2013
Timbuktu chose 'passive resistance' to Islamist occupiers
Timbuktu has been part of three empires, survived invasions and had countless rulers, and it met its 10-month occupation by Islamist extremists with the stoicism of a city that has seen centuries of history.
04 February 2013
Mali's president rules out talks with Islamists
Mali's interim president ruled out talks with Islamist groups who ruled the north for nine months, but said he was ready to meet Tuareg activists from the region.
01 February 2013
French troops at gates of last major city in northern Mali
French troops were at the gates of the last major city in northern Mali still outside their control early Wednesday after their forces landed at the airport in Kidal.
31 January 2013
Egyptians to protest on revolution anniversary
Huge crowds were expected to demonstrate in Egypt on Friday for the second anniversary of the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak and brought in an Islamist government, at a time of political tensions and economic woes.
27 January 2013
White House, Pentagon disagree over Mali: report
The White House and the US Defense Department are at odds over the danger posed by radical Islamic groups that have taken control of parts of Mali and are stirring up trouble in other parts of West Africa.
20 January 2013
Anxiety mounts over deadly hostage raid in Algeria
Western governments voiced alarm over the fate of dozens of foreigners seized by Islamists at a gas plant in the Algerian desert after several hostages were killed in a dramatic rescue operation.
19 January 2013
Islamists claim French botch hostage rescue in Somalia
Somali Islamists claimed Saturday that a French commando unit had botched an attempt overnight to free a hostage in southern Somalia, leaving several dead.
12 January 2013
UN sanctions Al-Qaeda linked Mali Islamists
The UN Security Council on Wednesday ordered sanctions against an Al-Qaeda linked Islamist group in a new sign of the tougher line being taken with militants who have taken over much of the Mali.
06 December 2012
Top Mali mediator to meet Islamists, Tuareg rebels
Chief regional mediator Blaise Compaore will meet Mali's Ansar Dine Islamists and Tuareg rebels together for the first time on Friday, amid calls for urgent dialogue to resolve the crisis in northern Mali.
16 November 2012
African Union backs military intervention in Mali
The African Union has endorsed a plan for military intervention to regain control of Mali's desert north from Islamist rebels and restore the authority of the state.
14 November 2012