Friday

March 25, 2016

Armed conflicts and attacks

Aftermath of the 2016 Brussels bombings

Six suspects are arrested in the Brussels Schaerbeek district. (BBC) (CNN)

Belgian officials confirm 24-year-old suicide bomber Najim Laachraoui, who also used the pseudonym Soufiane Kayawas, was suspected of being the bomb-maker who supplied suicide vests for the November 13, 2015, Paris attacks. (NBC News)

Boko Haram insurgency

The Nigerian Army claims to have rescued more than 800 hostages from Boko Haram while performing a "clearance operation" in the Northeastern part of Nigeria with fighting killing 22 insurgents. (Al Jazeera)

Military intervention against ISIL

The Pentagon announces the death of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant finance minister and deputy leader, Abu Ala al-Afri. (CNN)

Syrian Civil War

Palmyra offensive (March 2016)

The Syrian Army and allies make major advances near Palmyra against ISIL as the group start pulling out its equipment from the town. (BBC) (The New York Times)

Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)

Iskandariya suicide bombing

At least 30 people are killed in a suicide attack on a football stadium south of Baghdad, Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for attack. (FOX News)

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)

2016 Aden car bombing

At least 22 people are killed following three suicide bombings in the Yemeni port city of Aden. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for the bombings. (BBC)

War in Donbass

The body of Ukrainian lawyer Yurij Grabovsky, who defended two ex-Russian soldiers charged in Eastern Ukraine with terrorism and waging an aggressive war against the country, is found on the grounds of a former farming collective in Zhashkiv, Ukraine. Grabovsky went missing from Kiev on March 9. Information from one of two men being held in this case led police to the remains. (Reuters) (Jurist)

Disasters and accidents

Twelve Portuguese nationals, who were residents of Fribourg, Switzerland, are killed in a head-on collision between their minibus and a truck, on a highway 300 kilometers (185 miles) south of Paris, France. The only survivor from the bus is the driver; the two Italian occupants of the truck are slightly injured. (Post-Bulletin)

An air ambulance helicopter crashes in Iran's southern Fars Province, killing everyone on board. The official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) put the death toll at 10. (Reuters)

Callaway train crash

The evacuation order for the 200-person town of Callaway, Minnesota, which was emptied after a Canadian Pacific train crashed with a propane truck, is lifted. None of the train cars were carrying hazardous materials. (Valley News Live) (KMSP-TV)