Today's Headlines and Commentary

The Paris attacks continue to lead the news. France24 has live updates.  In the meantime, here's what we know: Simultaneously-staged operations by French security personnel have left the two Charlie Hebdo gunmen dead, along with a man who took several hostages in a kosher grocery store this morning. Per the Associated Press, the grocery store hostage-taker also appears to have been connected to two brothers who killed 12 people Wednesday at the newspaper’s office. The facts are still trickling out, but, based on this New York Times piece, it seems three hostages were killed during the raid on the grocery store. Details regarding the Charlie Hebdo gunmen continue to emerge. The Times reports that one was trained by Al Qaeda in Yemen, and Reuters has revealed that while there he met Anwar al Awlaki. Across Europe, officials are tightening security measures in response to the attacks; Reuters quotes Britain’s MI5 chief Andrew Parker as saying Al Qaeda is planning “mass casualty attacks against the West.” Bloomberg notes that the Charlie Hebdo attacks have the potential to intensify already growing anti-Islam sentiment in Europe. Foreign Policy makes a similar point in reporting that several French mosques have already been attacked. The folks over at Stratfor suggest that this generalized reaction against Muslims was the original intent of the attacks. The Associated Press addresses the current threat environment in Europe, explaining that this environment now includes “an Internet-driven, generalized rage against Western society felt by radicalized Muslims that can burst into the open at any time — with a slaughter in Paris, an attack on a Jewish Museum in Belgium, or the slaying of a soldier in the streets of London.” The AP revealed that, according to two anonymous officials, the U.S. was not responsible for the attack on North Korea that shut down the entire country’s internet last month. But, the Wall Street Journal writes, NSA director Mike Rogers said yesterday that the U.S. should be more aggressive in retaliating against countries that commit cyberattacks. To that point, a House democrat has revived a major cyber bill, The Hill reports. In an interview with PBS, however, Edward Snowden claimed that other countries’ capabilities were built largely in response to the U.S.’s own cyber-agression. Regarding Syria, Reuters tells us that the Nusra Front battled pro-Assad militias yesterday over two Shi’ite villages in northern Syria. The Washington Post describes U.S. efforts to train the Iraqi army, saying the American approach is different than its previous efforts, both in terms of the tools available and pedagogical techniques. And, over at DefenseOne, Kedar Pavgi has compiled five months of U.S. airstrikes---both in Iraq and in Syria---and displayed them in four cool charts. The Taliban has rejected new Aghan president Ashraf Ghani's offer of government posts. President Ghani put forth the proposal in an attempt to quell the Taliban’s insurgency; the rebel group cited the new deal allowing foreign troops to remain in Afghanistan in rejecting the idea, according to the BBC. The ongoing conflict will cost more U.S. lives, top NATO commander Gen. Phillip Breedlove warned in an interview. Across the border in Karachi, Pakistan, Dawn.com reports that several militants, including a member of Al Qaeda, were killed by law enforcement officials. Military.com posted that 450 U.S. troops are returning from West Africa, where they were part of the U.S. military’s ongoing effort to halt the spread of Ebola. On the Egyptian border with Gaza, Egyptian authorities began operations to demolish the town of Rafah. The Times catches us up. The move is part of a broader Egyptian effort to create a security zone along the border. Al Jazeera reports that the Palestinian Authority’s move to join the ICC may soon bear fruit, as the court’s chief prosecutor may be near opening an investigation into last summer’s war in Gaza. Boko Haram mounted an attack on Baga town in northeastern Nigeria, burning almost the entire town before continuing their assault beyond the settlement. From Bloomberg News: In an attempt to speed the process of closing GITMO, the Pentagon has directed military judges to stay on base until their assigned cases there have ended. Virginia senator Tim Kaine released a statement yesterday exhorting Congress to pass an AUMF regarding the U.S. campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, The Hill writes. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Bob Corker told Reuters that the White House may soon provide Congress with an AUMF proposal. Eight days after it expired, the Senate reauthorized federal terrorism insurance by an overwhelming margin. According to Reuters, radical imam Abu Hamza al-Masri was sentenced to life in prison, following his conviction in New York on multiple terrorism counts.

ICYMI: Yesterday, on Lawfare

Clara Spera discussed the Charlie Hebdo attack, pointing out that the paper’s journalists were fully aware of the risks they faced. As the U.S. promised FBI assistance for France, Ben noted that perhaps the FBI isn’t the only U.S. agency providing intelligence assistance. Ben began our coverage of FBI director James Comey’s Wednesday remarks by linking to Fortune’s account of the speech. Cody followed with a link to an official transcript from the FBI, and Ben left us with an audio recording of Comey’s address. In response to remarks by Adm. James Stavridis on cyberspace doctrine, Michael Schmitt explained that Adm. Stavridis’s characterization of the Tallinn Manual was incorrect. Jodie Liu and R. Taj Moore gave us an overview of the NSA oversight reports published in December. Episode #48 of the Steptoe Cyberlaw Podcast featured an interview with Jim Lewis, director of the Strategic Technologies Program at CSIS. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.