Ethiopia began pulling its military forces out of Somalia at the beginning of the year, having pledged to withdraw from the country by the end of 2008. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's office said the withdrawal would take several days. A convoy of about 30 Ethiopian vehicles loaded with troops and equipment left the Somali capital, Mogadishu, as some 3,400 Ugandan and Burundian peacekeepers from the African Union began taking up positions the positions vacated by the Ethiopian forces. Hours before the withdrawal began, a roadside bomb killed two Ethiopian soldiers and a number of civilians died when troops opened fire. (WP, Jan. 3; BBC News, Jan. 2)

A group of tribesmen in Amran governate of north Yemen assaulted and threatened a reporter from NewsYemen service last week over his coverage of the trial for the murder of a leader of the country's Jewish community, Moshe Yaish Nahari, who was apparently killed by an Islamist militant. The reporter, Mahmoud Taha, said that tribesmen accosted him outside the Amran Criminal Court Dec. 31. In a press release, the chief editor of NewsYemen, Nabil al-Sufi, condemned the harassment of Taha, who he said was carrying out his duty as a journalist with neutrality. He held the security authorities responsible for Taha's life. (NewsYemen, Dec. 31)

We are one-fourth of the way to our necessary winter fund-drive goal of $2,000. Unfortunately, the carnage in Gaza is making all too clear that our mission continues even as it seems likely that the incoming Obama administration will (at least) drop the nomenclature of the "Global War on Terrorism." So too, despite the lack of media coverage, do the ongoing US air-strikes on Pakistan's tribal territories.

Israeli warplanes carried out some 20 strikes in the Gaza Strip overnight, destroying a mosque in the northern town of Jabaliya that the military said was a "terror hub." As the air offensive entered its seventh day, Hamas ordered a "day of wrath" against Israel over the killing of a senior commander. Israeli security personnel are on alert following Hamas' call for "massive marches" following Friday's Muslim prayers throughout the Occupied Territoires. The army is also enforcing a 48-hour lock-down of the West Bank, with movement in and out of the territory prohibited except for emergencies. At least 422 Palestinians have now been killed in the air campaign, and some 1,850 injured.

A suspected US drone fired two missiles in Pakistan's South Waziristan region Jan. 2, killing four fighters, Pakistani intelligence sources said. The strike targeted an area believed as a stronghold of militant leader Baitullah Mehsud. It was the second missile attack in South Waziristan in as many days. Two missiles fired on Jan. 1 from a suspected US drone killed three alleged foreign fighters.

As Israel continued its bombing of the Gaza Strip targets for a sixth day, targets included the offices of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, and a Gaza City mosque where Hamas activists were reportedly hiding. Rockets had also been fired at Israel from the mosque, Israel asserted. Among those killed in the New Years Eve air-strikes were a Palestinian doctor and medic. (Ha'aretz, Jan. 1) The death toll from "Operation Cast Lead" reached 400 with nearly 2,000 wounded, the head of Gaza emergency services Moawiya Hassanein said. Some 25% of the dead are civilians, the UN says. (Middle East Online, Jan. 1)

President-elect Barack Obama's tilt to the right became obvious immediately after his historic victory, with the appointment of Rahm Israel Emanuel, a pro-Israel hardliner, as chief of staff. Our December Exit Poll was: "Barack Obama: ruling class pawn or avatar of freedom?" We received the following responses:

The Israeli cabinet rejected calls from France and other nations for an immediate 48-hour pause in the devastating air offensive against Gaza, continuing the assault into a fifth day Dec. 31 despite mounting international pressure. A foreign ministry spokesman said that Israel would only consider a "permanent" halt to its operation, and only under "certain conditions." The spokesman said "Hamas must stop its rocket fire and acquiring arms" before Israel would "consider" a truce. By a UN count, the offensive has now killed at least 390 people, including 42 children, and wounded more than 1,900 others. (Middle East Online, Dec. 31)