Monthly Archives: December 2006

Afghanistan

| December 24, 2006

NATO has has confirmed Mullah Akhtar Usmani was killed in an airstrike in Helmand. A NATO airstrike killed 5 Taliban in Helmand, including a mid-level Taliban commander, while two more were killed when a bomb they built exploded prematurely. More signs point to Pakistan’s support for the Taliban.

Palestinian Territories

| December 24, 2006

Members of Hamas are considering attacking United States if the US continues to support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ call for new elections. The Israeli Cabinet supports the release of Palestinian prisoners as a gesture of goodwill towards Abbas, without calling for the releaseof its own captured soldier. An IDF platoon commander was dismissed over killing […]

Iraq

| December 24, 2006

Islamists arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iraq

| December 24, 2006

Suicide bomber kills 7 police in Iraq

Iran

| December 24, 2006

Iran ordered to pay US terror victims™ families, must pay $254 million for 1996 attack in Saudi Arabia, judge rules

Iran

| December 24, 2006

Iran Condemns UN Sanctions, Vows to Install 3000 Centrifuges

The Battle of Somalia

| December 24, 2006

Islamic Courts controlled cities and towns marked in red. Click map to view. The ICU attacks in Puntland and claims to have advanced to 7 miles from Baidoa, the Ethiopians strike in Beletweyn The Battle for town Baidoa, the seat of government of the beleaguered Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, and greater Somalia has entered […]

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| December 24, 2006

(Russia) Security forces cleared over Beslan school siege inquiry

Sudan

| December 23, 2006

Sudan: Rebels claim they shot down helicopters

Iran

| December 23, 2006

The UNSC has placed sanctions on Iran, ordering “all countries to stop supplying Iran with materials and technology that could contribute to its nuclear and missile programs,” as well as freezing assets. Iran has vowed to defy the sanctions, saying it “has not delegated its destiny to the invalid decisions of the U.N. Security Council.”

Pakistan

| December 23, 2006

The Taliban attacked a government official in North Waziristan, yet again violating the “peace deal.” A policeman was killed and five wounded. Dawn asks if it’s time to review the Waziristan Accord. The trial of Rashid Rauf, the London airlines bombing plotter, has been delayed; and the terrorism charges dropped.

Washington Post Radio, and Merry Christmas

| December 23, 2006

I’m scheduled to be on Washington Post Radio to discuss the situation in Iraq and my embed. The time is 12:30 Eastern on Christmas Eve, December 24th. You can listen online by going to the Washington Post Radio website. I am back in the States from Iraq, and am happy to be with my family. […]

Iraq

| December 23, 2006

Sistani backs off of supporting a coalition without Sadr, citing Shia unity as the deciding factor. A deal to get Sadr to return to the government is still being negotiated. The ISF and Sadr’s forces battled in Samawa, leaving 5 dead and 17 wounded. Coalition and the ISF detained 48 terrorists over the past two […]

Somalia

| December 23, 2006

The ICU claims to have captured Idale and to have killed dozens of Ethiopians. Independent journalists are supporting the claim. Artillery and mortar fire is still being reported near Idale, as ICU leader Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys joins the call for foreign fighters. The ICU is also complaining the Ethiopians are using “excessive force,” indicating […]

Taliban Commander Mullah Akhtar Usmani Killed in Airstrike

| December 23, 2006

Mullah Akhtar Usmani. Click image to view. Usami was a member of the Taliban Shura Majlis, Omar’s former deputy, former foreign minister, and operational commander in Uruzgan, Nimroz, Kandahar, Farah, Herat and Helmand; Taliban “boxed in” near Kandahar City Coalition forces have killed a senior Taliban military and political leader in southern Afghanistan. Mullah Akhtar […]

Palestinian Territories

| December 23, 2006

Fatah security forces opened fire on “about 200 Hamas activists and armed men” in Nablus. A gunfight broke out near the home of Hamas’ Foreign Minister. Two rockets were fired from Gaza into Sderot and the western Negev. The Quartet is reviewing aide to Palestinians, and will again bypass Hamas. President Bush signed a law […]

The Battle of Baidoa

| December 23, 2006

The final showdown is taking place in Somalia between the Islamic Courts Union, backed by al Qaeda, and the Transitional Federal Government, backed by Ethiopia Islamic Courts controlled cities and towns marked in red. Click map to view. For months, the al Qaeda backed Islamic Courts Union has been preparing the battlefield for the final […]

Iraq

| December 23, 2006

Iraqi Army still has a long road ahead, but troops are taking more responsibility for missions

Saudi Arabia

| December 23, 2006

Lawyer works to expose Saudi legal system, takes on powerful enforcers of sharia law