Situation Report – Headlines

• The United States is looking to increase the number of trainers working with Iraqi military and police forces, U.S. Secretary of Defense told reporters during a trip to Europe; the increase in trainers would include U.S. troops, but the United States is also talking to coalition countries about increasing their training commitments. • Information obtained by Stratfor reveals that Saudi Arabia has no plans to purchase military hardware from Russia, including the Iskander-E, a tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. • The Russian ruble dropped to a near-historic low, falling past 80 rubles to the U.S. dollar. • Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on condemned the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran earlier this month. • Iraq's parliament suspended its meeting after Sunni lawmakers and government ministers elected to boycott parliamentary and government meetings because of violence against Sunnis in the eastern part of the country. • North Korea’s Jan. 6 nuclear test did not expand its technical capability, the head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said. • China has moved an offshore oil rig back into South China Sea waters disputed with Vietnam, the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said. • Militants attacked a university in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing at least 21 people. • Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) mounted a counterattack against Somali jihadist group al Shabaab in Somalia. • Tunisian police fired tear gas on hundreds of protesters gathered near the government headquarters in the central city of Kasserine. • The Southern African Development Community halted its activities in Lesotho over a disagreement over the death of former Gen. Maaparankoe Mahao. • The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) asked the United Nations for a 12-month observer mission to oversee a cease-fire between the two sides. • The Turkish government is targeting mayors and local representatives belonging to the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party for prosecution; 18 mayors and nearly 50 local representatives are currently facing charges brought in recent weeks. • During a visit to Saudi Arabia, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a joint statement with Saudi Arabia stating his support for the “unity, independence and sovereignty of Yemen” and the Hadi government; Xi is expected to also visit Egypt and Iran during his trip to the Middle East. • The head of Iran’s central bank said yesterday that it has begun accessing some of the frozen assets made available after the implementation of the nuclear agreement and that $32 billion assets will be freed under the deal. • Oman has closed two border crossings with Yemen because of security concerns; the closures happened earlier this year but were only confirmed by Omani officials today.