Just last month, Saudi Arabia got its first woman cabinet member, Noura al-Fayez, the deputy minister for women's education.

VOA: special.2009.03.07

But Vice President Joe Biden supports a proposal to narrowly target military efforts at al-Qaida, using unmanned aircraft and special forces.

VOA: special.2009.10.10

The results from last Saturday's elections show Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition won a strong victory over Shi'ite religious parties.

VOA: special.2009.02.07

She has studied the social meaning of American Sign Language as well as the Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language in Israel.

VOA: special.2010.10.01

In Sanaa,fears of an al-Qaida attack led to temporary closures this week of the American, British and French embassies.

VOA: special.2010.01.09

The strategy says the United States aims to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida, but also to support democracy and human rights.

VOA: special.2010.05.29

But the deputy prime minister said al-Qaida first recruited the young man in Britain when he was a student in London.

VOA: special.2010.01.09

For three years, al-Shabab has led militants in battles -- mostly against the peacekeepers -- for control of Mogadishu.

VOA: special.2010.07.17

The group al-Shabab says it organized the attacks because Uganda supplies troops to support the temporary government in Somalia.

VOA: special.2010.07.17

The Taliban has regrouped with support from al-Qaida, which operates from safe refuge along the border with Pakistan.

VOA: special.2009.02.21

In Wasington, America's top diplomat for Africa, Johnnie Carson,has called for talks between Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and southern leader Salva Kiir.

VOA: special.2011.06.04

His al-Qaida group carried out the terrorist attacks on the United States on September eleventh, two thousand one.

VOA: special.2009.10.10

He said the three nations are joined by a common goal to "defeat al-Qaida and its extremist allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan."

VOA: special.2009.05.09

They have also sent thousands of troops to Arhab and other areas to battle the local al-Qaida group.

VOA: special.2010.01.09

Al-Shabab recently ended a ban on airlifts, but a UNICEF spokeswoman, Shantha Bloemen, says there are no guarantees.

VOA: special.2011.07.23

Intelligence officials said the head of al-Qaida's operations in Afghanistan used a middleman to communicate with him.

VOA: special.2009.10.17

"If al-Shabab takes more and more control within Somalia, it is going to be exporting violence the way it just did in Uganda."

VOA: special.2010.07.17

We are going to relentlessly apply pressure on al-Qaida and its leadership, strengthening the ability of both Afghanistan and Pakistan to do the same."

VOA: special.2010.06.26

Mr.Panetta said he believed the killing gave the United States the best chance to defeat al-Qaida since the attacks of September eleventh,two thousand one.

VOA: special.2011.06.11

This September eleventh will be nine years since the al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the United States.

VOA: special.2010.08.05

"So yes, there was dialogue with local authorities, and obviously they include members of al-Shabab.

VOA: special.2011.07.23

The most widely known person currently on the list is al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

VOA: special.2010.05.05