Executive Summary

It's Friday, January 23rd. January 22 witnessed armed conflict and security operations across 11 countries as Ukraine endured one of the deadliest days for civilians in months with Russian bombardment killing 8 and injuring 43, while Somali forces claimed to have killed more than 130 Al-Shabaab militants in a 24-hour operation near Kuday. Pro-Kurdish demonstrations in Marseille erupted into violence leaving 9 police officers injured, and a grenade attack at nightclubs in Bogotá killed 1 person and injured 13 others in gang territorial fighting. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner confirmed first-ever U.S.-Russia-Ukraine trilateral peace talks would begin January 23-24 in Abu Dhabi. Trump launched the Board of Peace international body at Davos with 35 nations signing on but excluding most EU members.

Gaza: Four Palestinians killed in Israeli operations

Israeli forces killed at least 4 Palestinians in Gaza on January 22 in strikes within buffer zone areas. This followed Wednesday's deadliest day since the October ceasefire, when 11 Palestinians including three journalists were killed. Israeli military operations continued despite the ceasefire agreement, with forces maintaining presence in the Netzarim Corridor and conducting drone surveillance across the strip.

At Davos, Jared Kushner unveiled a 25 billion dollar New Gaza reconstruction plan featuring high-rises and data centers. Palestinian official Ali Sha'ath announced the Rafah crossing would open next week in both directions for the first time since the ceasefire.

Syria: ISIS militants escape prison amid ongoing clashes

Dozens of Islamic State fighters escaped from an SDF-run detention facility in Al-Shaddadah, northeastern Syria, after the prison came under attack. Video footage showed militants fleeing the facility that held thousands of IS prisoners. Despite a January 18 ceasefire, clashes between Syrian Democratic Forces and transitional government-aligned forces continued throughout Al-Hasakah Governorate.

The UN confirmed ongoing fighting, with the SDF claiming government forces were shelling positions near Kobani, where water and electricity had been cut. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi to urge confidence-building measures.

Lebanon: Israeli strikes target border crossings

Israel attacked four Syria-Lebanon border crossing points, claiming they were used by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons. No casualties were reported at these locations. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the strikes as systematic aggression violating the ceasefire agreement. This followed Wednesday's strikes in southern Lebanon that killed 2 and injured 19.

Iran: Government reveals protest death toll amid sanctions

Iran's Interior Ministry issued the government's first official death toll from December 2025-January 2026 protests: 3,117 people killed. However, the UN Special Rapporteur stated deaths may surpass 20,000, with some estimates reaching 30,000. Internet was partially restored to some users late on January 22 after a near-total blackout since January 8.

The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on Iranian officials including Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security, targeting architects of the protest crackdown. Trump warned of possible intervention in Iran while the U.S. deployed F-15E Strike Eagles to the Middle East.

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, Al Jazeera, BBC News, NPR, Democracy Now, The Washington Post, Wikipedia

Ukraine suffers deadliest civilian toll from Russian bombardment

January 22, 2026 (Day 1,428 of Russia's full-scale invasion) saw Russian forces conduct 70 aviation strikes using 171 guided bombs plus extensive drone attacks across eight Ukrainian regions. The assault killed 8 civilians and wounded 43, making it one of the more lethal days for non-combatants in recent months.

In Cherkaske, Donetsk Region, a Russian Geran-2 drone attack on a residential area killed 4 people including a 5-year-old child and injured 5 others in the evening hours. In Derhachi, Kharkiv Region, Russian FPV drones struck a vehicle carrying volunteers delivering bread to border communities, killing 2 volunteers and wounding 1.

In Odesa Region, a 17-year-old boy was killed during overnight Russian attacks. Separately, a strike drone hit a residential high-rise. In Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia Region, Russian glide bomb strikes killed 1 person and injured 9.

A combined missile and drone attack in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Region around 11:00 local time injured 12 people including 3 children. In Dnipro City, a Russian drone struck a residential high-rise, injuring 14 people with 3 residents unaccounted for.

Ukrainian officials reported 196-222 combat clashes across the front lines. Russian forces made advances in the Zaporizhzhia direction, Kupyansk direction, and captured portions of Grafskoye village. Ukraine claimed 1,070 Russian personnel casualties in the preceding 24 hours.

Major diplomatic activity surrounding Ukraine conflict

At Davos, President Trump and President Zelenskyy confirmed that first-ever U.S.-Russia-Ukraine trilateral talks would begin January 23-24 in Abu Dhabi. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held overnight talks with Putin in Moscow before proceeding to the UAE for military to military working groups. Witkoff stated negotiations were down to one issue.

NATO's 194th Military Committee concluded in Brussels with Ukrainian participation, while France announced its Navy had detained a sanctioned Russian oil tanker. At Davos, Trump launched the Board of Peace international body with 35 nations signing on including Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Egypt, Indonesia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and UAE, though most EU members declined. EU-27 leaders held an extraordinary summit in Brussels responding to Trump's threats regarding Greenland and NATO framework announcements.

Marseille: Pro-Kurdish protests turn violent

Demonstrators supporting the YPG/SDF engaged in violent clashes with police in Marseille, France on January 22, resulting in injuries to 9 police officers. The violence caused major disruptions in central Marseille with the town hall closed as a precaution, 13 stations on a major tram line shut down, and several bus routes diverted or suspended.

The protests in France were directly linked to rapidly unfolding events in Syria, where the Syrian Arab Army launched operations in northeastern regions after accusing the SDF of failing to comply with a recent ceasefire agreement. Clashes also spread to other parts of the city and the nearby town of Marignane.

Sources: Ukrainian General Staff, Ukrinform, Global Security, Al Jazeera, NATO, Yeni Safak, World News

Bogotá grenade attack leaves one dead amid gang war

At approximately 9:08 PM on January 22, two men on a motorcycle threw a fragmentation grenade at nightlife establishments in Bogotá's Santa Fe red-light district, killing 1 person and injuring 13 others. The attack struck in front of nightclubs Adonis and Trópico on Calle 23 con Carrera 16 in Los Mártires locality.

Authorities attribute the attack to the violent territorial dispute between Los Venecos (a Venezuelan gang) and Los Costeños (a Colombian gang) fighting for control of micro-trafficking and extortion operations in central Bogotá. The victim died later at a medical facility. Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán condemned the attack.

General Giovanni Cristancho, Commander of Bogotá Metropolitan Police, confirmed the casualty toll. The National Army assisted in cordoning off the area while investigators reviewed security footage.

Regional security context

In Washington, the U.S. House of Representatives held a 215-215 tie vote on a war powers resolution regarding Venezuela, related to the January 3 U.S. military operation that captured President Nicolás Maduro. A UN briefing warned Haiti is at breaking point with gangs expanding control, though no specific violent incidents were confirmed on January 22.

Sources: The Rio Times, The City Paper Bogotá, NPR, JURIST

Somalia: Government claims 130 Al-Shabaab militants killed

The Somali National Army, backed by local security forces, conducted an operation in the Lower Juba region that the Defence Ministry claims killed more than 130 Al-Shabaab militants and wounded several others. The security operation, lasting more than 24 hours, thwarted an attack launched by the group on the town of Kuday.

The joint operation inflicted what the ministry described as a decisive defeat on the enemy, with significant losses following direct combat in which national forces countered the assault. Military vehicles and weapons abandoned by fleeing militants were seized during the operation. Security in Kuday and surrounding areas is now under the control of the Somali National Army, particularly the Danab Special Forces and the Jubaland Darwish Forces.

The casualty figures could not be independently verified. Al-Shabaab had launched a heavy attack early Wednesday on a Jubaland security forces base in Kuday, a strategic coastal area about 60 kilometers south of the port city of Kismayo. Residents reported the assault began with explosions, followed by direct clashes between government troops and attackers.

Regional security activity

In Nigeria, the first meeting of the U.S.-Nigeria Working Group convened in Abuja following Nigeria's Country of Particular Concern designation. Under Secretary Allison Hooker led discussions with Nigerian National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu on counter-terrorism and reducing violence against vulnerable groups.

The U.S. Treasury and Terrorist Financing Targeting Center announced joint designations of 15 Al-Shabaab leaders, operatives, and financial facilitators involved in fundraising and IED proliferation. Former Burkina Faso President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was extradited from Togo following accusations of orchestrating a coup and assassination plot against President Ibrahim Traoré.

Sudan's Sovereign Council and cabinet approved the 2026 emergency budget in Khartoum—the first joint meeting since the April 2023 conflict began—marking the government's operational return to the capital. SAF-RSF fighting continued in Kordofan and Darfur regions.

Sources: Sarawak Tribune, Garowe Online, U.S. Department of the Treasury, MarketScreener, Geeska

Myanmar junta intensifies Chin State airstrikes

Myanmar's military junta intensified airstrikes on Falam, Chin State on January 22 as its ground offensive to retake the town from resistance forces stalled. Unable to break Chin Brotherhood alliance defense lines on the ground, junta forces turned to heavy airpower.

In northern Shan State, the junta targeted civilians suspected of ties to the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, with lengthy prison sentences imposed for alleged militant connections. Anti-junta forces allied with the Arakan Army claimed destruction of opium fields along the Rakhine-Magway border in Ngape Township.

Taiwan detects Chinese military activity

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected Chinese military activity including 2 PLA aircraft sorties, 5 PLAN naval vessels, and 5 surveillance balloons operating around the island until 6:00 AM local time. No hostile engagement occurred.

Philippines pushes South China Sea code of conduct

Philippine Foreign Minister Ma. Theresa Lazaro announced that Manila, as ASEAN chair, would insist the South China Sea Code of Conduct explicitly reference UNCLOS (international law), continuing the push for a legally binding framework amid ongoing maritime tensions with China.

Sources: Myanmar Now, The Tribune, KFGO

India-Kashmir counter-terrorism operation continues

A fresh encounter broke out between Indian security forces and militants in Singhpura village, Kishtwar District, Jammu & Kashmir. Security forces (Indian Army, J&K Police, CRPF) re-established contact with holed-up militants on the morning of January 22, triggering intense exchanges of fire.

The operation (Operation Trashi-I) began January 18-19, initially resulting in 1 paratrooper killed and 7 soldiers injured from a grenade attack. The suspects are believed affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad. No new casualties were reported specifically on January 22.

Intelligence agencies issued an alert warning that Pakistan-backed militants and Khalistani groups were planning attacks targeting Delhi ahead of Republic Day (January 26).

Sources: Greater Kashmir, IBTimes India

Multiple critical vulnerabilities under active exploitation

January 22, 2026 saw heightened cyber threat activity with six distinct exploitation campaigns identified. Fortinet FortiGate Firewalls faced a critical authentication bypass vulnerability (CVE-2025-59718) actively exploited globally, with attackers gaining unauthorized access despite previous patches.

A Cisco Unified Communications zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-20045) was actively exploited, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected devices. Threat actors were breaching Fortune 500 cloud environments via misconfigured security testing applications.

PurpleBravo, a North Korean threat group, actively targeted IT software supply chain in cryptocurrency and software development sectors. CISA added four new vulnerabilities under active exploitation: Vite Vitejs improper access control, Versa Concerto improper authentication, Prettier eslint-config-prettier embedded malicious code, and Synacor Zimbra PHP remote file inclusion.

At Pwn2Own Automotive 2026 in Tokyo (a legitimate security competition), researchers collected 439,250 dollars after exploiting 29 zero-day vulnerabilities in automotive systems.

Sources: CISA, Cybersecurity news outlets, Pwn2Own, PBS News Hour