Chile – Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has condemned a bomb attack on a shopping centre in a busy metro station in the capital Santiago on the 8 Sep 14. The attack, in which 14 people were injured, is one of the worst since democracy was restored in 1990. Ms Bachelet called it a "terrorist act, one of the most cowardly we have seen". No-one has so far admitted carrying out this latest bombing at the time of reporting. The explosive device went off at lunchtime at a fast-food restaurant in an underground shopping centre at the Escuela Militar metro station. Police said the explosive device had been planted in a rubbish bin. Metro officials said they would remove bins from key stations as a precautionary measure. Bombs regularly explode outside banks and other targets in the capital, such as police stations, army barracks, and the headquarters of political parties. Most have been timed to go off at night when the streets are largely empty, and only a handful of passers-by have been injured, none seriously. 361 COMMENT: Out of character from the last device that was detonated on the 12 Aug 14. This maybe the group responsible escalating the violence as they feel that they are not been heard in the past and find it necessary to escalate matters. But without knowledge of who is responsible nor what the demands, goals and ideology is it is difficult to assess. It maybe the group has moved on from anarchist incidents and moved on to terrorist confrontational incidents. COMMENT ENDS
On the 5 Sep 14 the Homeland Security announced that The United States has announced it is forming a "core coalition" to fight Islamic State in Iraq, and has given the new group of states two weeks to finalize plans to help the Iraqi government and the Kurds in the north intensify the campaign against the militants. The core group consists of NATO members, but it is expected that Iraqis Sunni neighbours such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Gulf states (except Jihadists-supporting Qatar), and even Arab countries farther afield such as Egypt and Morocco, will cooperate closely with the coalition and lend support to its operations, and that some of these Sunni countries would join it.
United States/Niger – The Washington Post confirmed on the 1 Sep 14 that Nigerien president Mahamadou Issoufou had authorised the establishment of a US surveillance base in the northern region of Agadez. Agadez borders Mali (west), Algeria (northwest), Libya (north), and Chad (south). The region serves as a key transit route for trans-Saharan trafficking. It is also a hotspot for terrorist activity. In May 13, a double suicide attack targeted a Nigerien defence base outside Agadez town and a French-owned uranium mine in Arlit (200 km north of Agadez town). In 2010, four French workers were kidnapped in Arlit and later released following the alleged payment of a EUR20-million (USD26-million) ransom in October 2013.
On the 5 Sep 14 the Homeland Security announced that The United States has announced it is forming a "core coalition" to fight Islamic State in Iraq, and has given the new group of states two weeks to finalize plans to help the Iraqi government and the Kurds in the north intensify the campaign against the militants. The core group consists of NATO members, but it is expected that Iraqis Sunni neighbours such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Gulf states (except Jihadists-supporting Qatar), and even Arab countries farther afield such as Egypt and Morocco, will cooperate closely with the coalition and lend support to its operations, and that some of these Sunni countries would join it.
United States/Niger – The Washington Post confirmed on the 1 Sep 14 that Nigerien president Mahamadou Issoufou had authorised the establishment of a US surveillance base in the northern region of Agadez. Agadez borders Mali (west), Algeria (northwest), Libya (north), and Chad (south). The region serves as a key transit route for trans-Saharan trafficking. It is also a hotspot for terrorist activity. In May 13, a double suicide attack targeted a Nigerien defence base outside Agadez town and a French-owned uranium mine in Arlit (200 km north of Agadez town). In 2010, four French workers were kidnapped in Arlit and later released following the alleged payment of a EUR20-million (USD26-million) ransom in October 2013.
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