In early September, near Kaka in central Mali, al-Qaeda’s local branch ambushed Malian soldiers and their Russian escorts, then showed off its loot, Russian rifles included. Since April, the jihadists have killed a defence minister, besieged the capital and attacked army camps. Moscow’s men, meanwhile, keep making headlines in human rights reports.
A mosque in east London, registered as a charity that supports mankind by advancing Islam, posted lectures telling husbands to hit disobedient wives "lightly" and explaining that Sharia executes gay men. The Charity Commission is now assessing whether this serves the public benefit.
Since June, Abuja has reportedly been observing a secret truce with Boko Haram, sealed after an alleged five-billion-naira payment that the government denies making. In Adamawa, gunmen described as Boko Haram fighters spent seven hours killing twelve villagers and abducting a ten-year-old girl. Soldiers arrived twenty hours later. Discretion, at least, was assured.
Three Syrian security officers were killed on September 17 in Daraa, cradle of the 2011 uprising, during a raid on an ISIS cell. The forces hunting the jihadists answer to a president who once led Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch and had a $10 million American bounty on his head. Syria's war on terror has an unusual résumé.
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