Long War Journal

This site is absolutely fantastic. It has up to date information on militants and militant groups from across the globe. Check it out if you have a moment. 

http://www.longwarjournal.org/

red24 on Soundcloud

Access podcasts and other interesting audio from red24's Soundcloud page, available here https://soundcloud.com/red24assistance

Winter Storm Alexa - Levant hit by a cold snap

Snow fall in Cairo and Jerusalem and flooding in Gaza.

red24's 2014 Threat Forecast AVAILABLE

Now available FREE, that's right no registration, no entering of details. To access the document, just go to www.red24threatforecast.com

Egypt referendum date

The Constitutional referendum in Egypt has been set for 14 and 15 January. The draft was created by a 50-member committee, excluding the former regime, which was ousted by the military in July. The former regime, now opposition, and a range of other groups are expected to boycott the poll.

red24 Security Briefing - Islamist militancy in Yemen

I recently wrote a briefing on the state of Jihad in Yemen. Here is an excerpt and a link through to the article.

"...Given current political, economic and social conditions in Yemen, AQAP will continue to find unstable areas within which to conduct its operations against the state. Only a full negotiated settlement between Yemen's differing warring or competing regional and political groups will offer the state adequate time and space to confront the Islamists in a meaningful manner. Even if a political solution was found it would still take years for the government to fully eradicate the militant threat given the increasing interconnectivity between militants and local tribes. AQAP is, therefore, expected to continue to grow and increase its presence in the state."

For more - https://www.red24.com/members/intelligence/newsletters_security_briefings/rising_islamist_militancy_yemen_11122013.php

A deadly attack in Sanaa

On 5 December 2013, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) launched a bold attack against the Ministry of Defence complex in central Sanaa, the Yemeni capital. The attack began when a suicide car bomber rammed the entrance to the facility and detonated his explosives creating a breach through which a number of well-armed militants dressed in military attire entered the facility. Following a gun battle with local guards and the elimination of all of the militants, at least 52 people had been killed, including seven foreign nationals and a relative of the Yemeni president, and over 160 wounded. The target of the attack was a hospital located on the grounds; AQAP's media wing, al-Mallahem, stated via a Twitter post on 6 December that the attack was conducted because the building "accommodates drone control rooms and American experts" – a reference to US military personnel who currently operate in Yemen with the local security forces and who have coordinated a highly successful and deadly drone strike war against Islamist militants in the country since 2011.