Abu Sayyaf recruiting Christians:

• Abu Sayyaf recruiting Christians--military | Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants have recruited about 100 mostly Christian men from two Mindanao provinces since July, offering them money to help stage attacks, according to a military report. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Abu Sayyaf now recruiting Christians for future attacks | Christians are being recruited by the Abu Sayyaf for future attacks in key areas in Mindanao, a military intelligence office revealed Wednesday. (The Manila Times)

Northern Ireland:

• Feud sparks worst N.Irish violence in years-report | A feud between rival Protestant paramilitary groups has sparked the worst violence ever investigated by Northern Ireland's cease-fire watchdog, according to a report published on Thursday. (Reuters)
• A Catholic town watches quietly as Protestant rancor grows | As the farmer starts to speak, the sudden roar of an aircraft engine cuts him off. A British Army helicopter bursts through the clouds and skims the rooftops of this Catholic town in County Armagh six miles from the border with Ireland. (The Christian Science Monitor)
• IRA 'moving towards decommission' | The IRA is beginning to make moves related to decommissioning, Northern Ireland's new political development minister has said. (BBC)

War & terrorism:

• Recent poll shows church-goers supportive of war | As insurgents continue to attack military and civilian targets, the number of American casualties rise and a consensus on a constitution remains elusive, support for the war in Iraq wanes. The president, however, can depend on one group for support: regular churchgoers. (Jeff Adair, Marlborough Enterprise, Mass.)
• God-fearing Spartans | A look at America's "imperial grunts." … One of the more surprising of Mr. Kaplan's findings is that evangelical Christianity helped to transform the military in the 1980s, rescuing the Vietnam-era Army from drugs, alcohol and alienation. (The Wall Street Journal)