Bungled raid in Diyala threatens political developments, military operations

Algeria suffers second straight day of bombings

August 20, 2008 10:00 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Eleven killed, 31 wounded in dual bombings in the town of Bouira one day after 43 Algerians were killed in a suicide attack outside a police academy.
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New Special Groups splinter emerges on Iraqi scene

Taliban suicide bomber strikes at Pakistani hospital, kills 29

FOB Salerno withstands 2-day Taliban onslaught

August 19, 2008 1:46 PM ET
By Matt Dupee

US and Afghan forces thwart a major attempt by the Taliban to breach the biggest Coalition bases in southeastern Afghanistan.
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Taliban kill 10 French troops in Kabul province ambush

August 19, 2008 12:16 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

Twenty-one French troops are wounded. Italian and Afghan troops battle Taliban fighters in separate engagement in the same region.
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Al Qaeda suicide attack hits police center in Algeria

Sons of Iraq patrol recon – building relationships one night at a time

August 19, 2008 7:14 AM ET
By Nathan Webster

US troops accompany Tarmiyah's local security forces during patrols in the city.
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Pakistan's President Musharraf resigns office

August 18, 2008 10:12 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Musharraf has led an uneven fight against al Qaeda. The future of Pakistan's fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda remains in doubt as the political parties will now vie for control of the government.
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US Army creates non-lethal platoon to handle reconstruction as violence subsides

Fighting in Uruzgan kills Taliban commander

Tarmiyah’s Sons of Iraq: security for the short term

August 16, 2008 12:23 PM ET
By Nathan Webster

Tarmiyah's Sons of Iraq provide a crucial component to securing the one-time al Qaeda in Iraq stronghold.
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Iran continues to train Shia terror groups for attacks in Iraq

August 15, 2008 8:26 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

US military intelligence identifies the location of Qods Force camps inside Iran. Hezbollah is involved in the training of Shia terror groups.
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Iraqi Army beefs up armored forces

August 15, 2008 6:46 PM ET
By DJ Elliott

Iraq's arms purchases provides insight on the potential distribution of armor in the Iraqi Army.
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Taliban leader in Bajaur rumored killed in Pakistani strikes

August 15, 2008 12:57 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Taliban emir Faqir Mohammed rumor killed in fighting, but the reports are unconfirmed. Thirty-two Taliban killed in helicopter strikes.
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Diyala governor survives potential coup d’état, suicide bomber

August 14, 2008 3:46 PM ET
By Bill Murray

Governor Ra’ad Rashid al Tamini may have one of the toughest jobs in the world trying to bring order in Iraq's turbulent Diyala province. Tamini fired the provincial chief of police after he failed to take orders from the provincial government.
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Sons of Iraq payday – The ‘$100 Bill Strategy’ in action

August 14, 2008 9:15 AM ET
By Nathan Webster

The US administers the payment of the local security forces in Tarmiyah. The strategy is paying dividends.
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Suicide attack kills 9 in Lahore

August 13, 2008 6:36 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

A suicide bomber targets policemen during Pakistan’s Independence Day celebration. The Taliban has warned Pakistanis to stay away from the event.
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Cross-border strike targets one of the Taliban's 157 training camps in Pakistan's northwest

August 13, 2008 8:50 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

The US hits another Taliban camp in South Waziristan. Senior US intelligence officials tell The Long War Journal there are 157 training camps and more than 400 support locations in the Northwest Frontier Province and the tribal areas.
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Bombing on Pakistani Air Force bus kills 13 in Peshawar

Al Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan rumored killed in Pakistan

August 12, 2008 9:01 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Unconfirmed reports indicates Mustafa Abu Yazid was killed during the fighting in the Bajaur tribal agency. US intelligence officials and al Qaeda have yet to confirm his death.
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Coalition forces capture 9 Hezbollah Brigades operatives in Baghdad

August 12, 2008 6:28 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

The suspects were detained in Adhamiyah, which borders Sadr City to the northwest. A cell leader and weapons smuggler, a propaganda expert, and an IRAM facilitator were among those captured.
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The Chai count

August 11, 2008 4:53 PM ET
By Bill Murray

The US Army discovers a new way to measure the effectiveness of counterinsurgency efforts in Diyala province.
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Pakistani troops retreat after Taliban onslaught in Bajaur

Taliban “shadow” governor for Uruzgan province arrested

Fighting escalates in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal agency

On the offensive in northern Diyala

August 8, 2008 3:28 PM ET
By Bill Murray

Iraq’s Quick Reaction Forces moves through upper Diyala province in the largest Iraqi offensive in five years.
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Former Guantanamo detainee tied to Hamdan and al Qaeda

Pakistani forces clash with Taliban in Bajaur

Pakistan: A Dangerous Neighbor

August 6, 2008 6:31 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross & Bill Roggio look at how Pakistan's deteriorating security situation harms Afghanistan.
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The Long War Journal is cited in The Strait Times' report on the situation in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province.

August 17: US Army creates non-lethal platoon to handle reconstruction as violence subsides

August 14: Diyala governor survives potential coup d’état, suicide bomber

Pakistan

Eight al Qaeda and Taliban fighters were killed in an airstrike in Wana, South Waziristan. Nine Taliban were killed in fighting in Bajaur. Tribesmen in Khyber killed four Taliban while the Frontier Corps killed 15 Taliban in Kurram. The Taliban executed two "prostitutes" on the streets of Peshawar.

Iraq

Iraqi forces detained 46 insurgents in Baghdad. Coalition forces detained 13 al Qaeda operatives in central Iraq. US troops captured a Special Groups leader in Baghdad. Police captured five Mahdi Army fighters in Maysan and a key leader in Wasit. Two policemen were killed and one wounded in an IED attack in Baghdad.

Philippines

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front warned that fighting in Mindanao could escalate into a full-blown war. The Philippine Defense Secretary said the offensive would not end any time soon. One of the two senior MILF commanders in Mindanao is believed to have been wounded during clashes.

Yemen

Security forces detained five suspected al Qaeda fighters in southeastern Yemen. Al Qaeda in Yemen threatened to avenge the death of five of its operatives during clashes with security forces in Tarim. The US Embassy in Sana’a has allowed its nonessential staff to return, citing an improved security situation.

Afghanistan

Coalition airstrikes killed nine Taliban fighters in Khost province. French President Nicolas Sarkozy reassured Afghanistan of his country's commitment after 10 soldiers were killed in an ambush in Kabul province. The Afghan and Pakistan Army Chiefs of Staff and the ISAF commander met in Kabul to discuss regional security.

Pakistan

A Taliban suicide bomber killed 29 Pakistanis and wounded 35 in an attack at a hospital in Dera Ishmail Khan. Twenty-five Taliabn fighters, five soldiers, and three civilians were killed during fighting in Bajaur. Twenty-one Pakistanis were killed in fighting in Kurram. The Taliban took over a coal mine in Darra Adam Khel and ordered UNICEF workers to leave Paksitan.

Iraq

US troops detained two Special Groups leaders in Baghdad and an Asaib al Haq operative in Diyala. Iraqi troops captured two Special Groups operatives in central Iraq, three Mahdi fighters in Maysan, four more in Basrah, and four al Qaeda operatives in Miqdadiyah. Iraqi and US forces captured 12 al Qaeda suspects in raids nationwide. A US soldier was killed in a rocket attack near Amarah.

Afghanistan

Ten French soldiers were killed and 21 were wounded in a Taliban ambush east of Kabul; 13 Taliban were killed and 21 French soldiers were wounded in the incident. US and Afghan forces thwarted multiple Taliban suicide attacks on Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province. An Afghan child and an interpreter were killed in a suicide bombing in Kandahar.

Al Qaeda

A terror cell appears to have been plotting attacks against the British royal family. A suspect was detained with photos, maps, and information about Britain's royal family, as well as details on landmarks in London and the US. "They had details of explosives and poisons along with information about London landmarks and a computer folder on Royal residences," an official said.

Pakistan

Pervez Musharraf resigned as president of Pakistan. The government is seeking to restore the judges sacked by Musharraf. The Taliban offered talks with the government after Musharraf's resignation. Fifty Pakistanis were killed in the latest round of fighting in Kurram. The Northwest Frontier Province assembly passed a resolution calling for sharia law in Malakand.

Iran

US military sources said Iran's test to launch a satellite into space failed. The second stage of the rocket launch "was erratic and out of control" and the rocket "did not perform as designed." Iran claimed its warplanes now have the range to reach Israel.

Iraq

More than 460 wanted persons have been detained since the latest operation began in Diyala and 1,323 others surrendered as part of the amnesty program. Iraqi security forces detained 20 insurgents in Baghdad, eight in Basrah, and three in Wasit. Iraqi forces detained 14 al Qaeda-linked insurgents in raids nationwide. Coalition forces detained 11 al Qaeda operatives during raids in central and northern Iraq. A suicide car bomber killed five policemen in Ramadi.

Afghanistan

A suicide bomber killed nine Afghans and wounded 13 others in an attack outside a base in Khost. A British soldier was killed in an IED attack in Helmand province. Canada's defense minister dismissed Taliban threats to attack civilians unless the government withdraws from Afghanistan as propaganda.

Philippines

More than 200 Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters attacked the town of Kolambugan in the southern province of Lanao del Norte and took control of the town center. Two civilians have been confirmed killed as heavy fighting has been reported and MILF has taken hostages. MILF also attacked two other towns in the province.

Pakistan

Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud created a new parallel judicial systems in South Waziristan. The Taliban beheaded a "US spy" in North Waziristan. Forty-seven Pakistanis were killed in fighting in Kurram as six large tribes vowed to join the government to fight the Taliban. Nine Taliban fighters, a policeman, and a civilian were killed in fighting in Swat.

Iraq

A female suicide bomber killed 12 Sons of Iraq fighters and wounded 24 in Baghdad. Iraqi forces captured 99 insurgents in Karbala and 29 in Baghdad. US troops captured four Special Groups fighters in Baghdad. Coalition forces detained eight al Qaeda fighters in central and northern Iraq.

Afghanistan

Afghan troops killed 30 Taliban fighters during separate clashes in southern and eastern Afghanistan. Ten policemen were killed in an IED attack in Kandahar province. Seven thousand additional police have been deployed in Kabul.

Somalia

More than 50 Somalis and Ethiopian troops were killed and 80 were wounded in a series of clashes from Aug. 15-16. Ethiopian troops killed more than 40 Somali civilians in a bus after being ambushed. Thirteen Somalis and Ethiopians were killed after Shabab forces ambushed Ethiopian troops in Beletwein. Shabab forces ambushed President Yusuf's convoy in Mogadishu.

Iraq

Nine Iraqis were killed and 40 wounded in a car bombing in Balad; 17 Iraqis were wounded in a car bombing in Baghdad. Iraqi forces detained a Special Groups weapons supplier in Hillah, 15 Shia terrorists in Karbala, and two in possession of SA-7 Strella anti-aircraft missiles in Baghdad. Coalition forces captured a Special Groups operatives in Al Kut. Iraqi forces detained 27 insurgents in Baghdad, five al Qaeda fighters in Makhmour, and four in Mosul. Coalition forces captured 13 al Qaeda operatives in central and northern Iraq.

Pakistan

The Pakistani government claimed 462 Taliban and 22 soldiers have been killed in Bajaur. Faqir Mohammed appeared on Pakistani television to deny rumors of his death. Two rockets exploded outside the ISI offices in Kohat while the Taliban bombed a government center, 46 shops, and a school in Swat. The government asked the Taliban to resume talks in Swat.

India

Indian police detained 10 suspects thought to be behind the Ahmedabad bombings last month. Abu Bashir, who is believed to be the cell leader, was also captured. All the suspects were active members from the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India.

Afghanistan

ISAF killed Mullah Akhtar Mohammed, a Taliban commander that was "directly involved in the planning of attacks against district centres and the coordination of suicide bombers" in Uruzgan province. More than 90 Taliban fighters have been reported killed during fighting over the past several days in the South.

Afghanistan

President Karzai replaced the governor of Kandahar province with a former corps commander. The Taliban overran the Nawah district in Ghazni province. Coalition and Afghan forces killed 36 Taliban fighters during clashes in southern Afghanistan. Two Coalition soldiers were killed in an attack in eastern Afghanistan.

Iraq

Iran and Hezbollah continue to support Shia terror groups in Iraq. US Marines killed three insurgents in southwestern Anbar province. Coalition forces detained eight al Qaeda fighters during raids in central and northern Iraq. US soldiers detained a Special Groups operative in the Rashid district of Baghdad.