THE MIDDLE EAST, TURKEY & NORTH AFRICA ARCHIVE :

Please note : Most publications move older stories into their archives which may require a fee to view the full story. Some stories listed below may no longer be available online.

See also archives for Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan/Pakistan.

PBS NewsHour, 25 Feb 10, with Margaret Warner
Turkish Military Leaders Released in Coup Probe
Turkey's Islamic leaders met with the chiefs of its secular armed forces Thursday to address Monday's arrest of more than 50 senior military officers on allegations that they planned to overthrow the government.'

Washington Post, 15 Feb 10, by Glenn Kessler
Clinton expected to seek Saudi Arabia's help in confronting Iran
'Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton begins a difficult diplomatic assignment Monday in Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally. By all accounts, President Obama's meeting with King Abdullah last year went poorly over misunderstandings on a variety of issues, and now Clinton seeks to rebuild ties.'

BBC News, 29 Jan 10, by Heather Sharp
Long history of Israel's 'covert killing'
'The Islamic movement Hamas claims that the death of one its senior commanders, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, is the latest in Israel's history of assassinating individuals it believes to have been behind attacks on its citizens.'

Washington Post, 10 Feb 10, by Sudarsan Raghavan
Yemen's alliance with radical Sunnis in internal war poses complication for U.S.
'Even as it fights a U.S.-supported war against al-Qaeda militants here, the Yemeni government is engaging Islamist extremists who share an ideology similar to Osama bin Laden's in its own civil war, adding new complications to efforts to fight terrorism.'

Washington Post, 10 Feb 10, by Sudarsan Raghavan
Yemen security agency prone to inside threats, officials say
'U.S. and some Yemeni officials remain concerned that radical Islamists and corrupt officials who can be bought off by al-Qaeda still pervade the Political Security Organization, the country's largest security and intelligence agency, which is vital to America's counterterrorism initiatives here.'

Christian Science Monitor, 09 Feb 10, by Ilene R. Prusher
US pushes Israelis and Palestinians to 'proximity' peace talks
'With the prospect for direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians bleak, US peace negotiator George Mitchell is pushing for "proximity" talks that would see him or an aide shuttling between the two sides.'

Christian Science Monitor, 02 Feb 10, by Erin Cunningham
Hamas threatens to take fight against Israel beyond Gaza
'After blaming Israeli agents for assassinating a Hamas official in Dubai on Friday, Hamas said it too could broaden the conflict beyond Israel and Gaza. But analysts are doubtful Hamas can pull it off.'

Christian Science Monitor, 01 Feb 10, by Ilene R. Prusher
Israel admission on white phosphorus doesn't settle larger debate
'In its response to the Goldstone report, Israel revealed that two senior military officers have been reprimanded for using white phosphorus in Gaza. But that doesn't settle the larger debate over launching an independent commission.'

Washington Post, 27 Jan 10, by Dana Priest
U.S. military teams, intelligence deeply involved in aiding Yemen on strikes
'The operations, approved by President Obama and begun six weeks ago, involve several dozen troops from the U.S. military's clandestine Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), whose main mission is tracking and killing suspected terrorists. The American advisers do not take part in raids in Yemen, but help plan missions, develop tactics and provide weapons and munitions.'

BBC News, 28 Jan 10, by Jonathan Marcus
Can Friends of Yemen bring about stability?
'Yemen is a failing state that threatens not just to implode but to explode, exporting instability to the wider region and beyond.'

Christian Science Monitor, 27 Jan 10, by Caryle Murphy
View from Mt. Doud: Saudi Arabia says offensive against Yemen rebels over
'Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister Wednesday rejected Yemeni rebel claims that they had voluntarily withdrawn from Saudi territory, saying they had “been forced out” by the Saudi military.'

Christian Science Monitor, 21 Jan 10, by Caryle Murphy
Yemen: Why it’s a bigger problem for Saudi than US
'Like the US, Saudi Arabia is deeply concerned that if the complex web of social, economic, and political problems in this strategically located country are not soon addressed, Yemen could become a redoubt for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) ...'

Washington Post, 20 Jan 10, by Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe
U.S. increases efforts to boost security in Yemen amid increasing terror threat
'Experienced fighters returning to Yemen from the Iraq war and radicalized U.S. citizens who have taken up residence in that country have broadened assessments of the threat posed by the al-Qaeda affiliate there, according to administration and congressional officials.'

Christian Science Monitor, 19 Jan 10, by Scott Peterson
Why Al Qaeda finds sympathy in Yemen
'The adage that “all politics is local” applies to each branch of Al Qaeda, as it does in Yemen, where Islamist militants can work with relative ease inside a tribal structure; and where weak government and a heavy hand in two other conflicts provides ready-made talking points.'

Christian Science Monitor, 19 Jan 10, by Ilene R. Prusher
Gaza war: Palestinians battle bitterly over Palestinian forces' conduct
'One year after the Gaza war, 11 Palestinian rights groups came together to ask leaders of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to investigate the conduct of Palestinian forces during the war.'

BBC News, 21 Jan 10
Netanyahu demands future Israeli presence in West Bank
'Israel's prime minister has said it must maintain a presence along the eastern border of a future Palestinian state to stop the smuggling of weapons.'

Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jan 10, by Scott Peterson
Yemen intensifies fight against Al Qaeda
'Yemen forces killed an Al Qaeda cell leader in a firefight Tuesday night and pursued two dozen other militants in Shabwa Province. For the moment, the calculation of the Yemen government is to proactively challenge Al Qaeda – militarily and with aid.'

Christian Science Monitor, 11 Jan 10, by Scott Peterson
US walking a tightrope with its Yemen policy
'The US is ramping up military aid to Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, in an effort to go after Al Qaeda linked militants. But too heavy a footprint, analysts warn, could prove a recruiting boon for militants.'

Washington Post, 08 Jan 10, by Sudarsan Raghavan
Yemen's internal divide complicates U.S. efforts against al-Qaeda, analysts say
'A hatred of the government in southern Yemen is complicating U.S.-backed efforts to stem al-Qaeda's ambitions across the region, according to Western and Yemeni officials, analysts and human rights activists.'

Washington Post, 08 Jan 10, by Sudarsan Raghavan
Yemen says there are limits to its military cooperation with United States
'In its strongest language yet, Yemen's government declared Thursday that there are limits to its military cooperation with the United States, warning that any direct U.S. action in this impoverished Middle Eastern nation could bolster the popularity of Islamist militants.'

Christian Science Monitor, 04 Jan 10, by Michael Horton
In Yemen, locals worry about Obama policy on Al Qaeda
'From smoky halls to the rugged mountains of Yemen, locals are worried that their country – threatened more by poverty and water shortages than terrorism, they say – could turn into another Afghanistan.'

New York Times, 04 Jan 10, by Steven Erlanger
In Yemen, U.S. Faces Leader Who Puts Family First
'President Ali Abdullah Saleh is amenable to U.S. support, but the reach of his bureaucracy is limited and his willingness to battle Al Qaeda is questionable.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 Dec 09, by Dan Murphy
What other Al Qaeda-linked attacks have involved Yemen?
With mounting evidence that alleged airplane bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab received his explosives and guidance in Yemen, eyes are turning to the Arab country that has been the source of Al Qaeda-linked attacks in the past.

Christian Science Monitor, 04 Jan 10, by Jonathan Adams
New US plan sees Palestinian state in 2012 but Israel wary
'The latest US proposal for peace between Israel and Palestinians envisions a Palestinian state in two years, according to Egyptian officials. US Middle East envoy George Mitchell is expected to visit in the coming weeks.'

2009 Middle East and North Africa stories
2008 Middle East and North Africa stories
2007 Middle East and North Africa stories

"Hunt for the Somali Pirates" airs soon on the National Geographic Channel.
When Somali pirates hijack the Maersk Alabama -- and international headlines -- Navy SEALs launch a sneak attack to rescue the ship's American captain. Pirate Hunters recounts the harrowing five days from hijack to final fatal shots, and reveals sophisticated Navy SEAL training methods that prepare the world's most elite reconnaissance teams for daring missions with no second chances.