Monthly Archives: November 2007


Al Qaeda

European attacks ‘inevitable’ as al Qaeda influence spreads, say experts


Iraq

Al Qaeda attacked the Awakening movement in Hawr Rajab and Diyala. The Iraqi Army and police killed 19 al Qaeda fighters in an operation in Diyala. Coalition forces killed one al Qaeda operative and detained 10 during operations in central and northern Iraq. Iraqi police detained eight insurgents in Baghdad. The secretary of the Interior […]


Pakistan

Up to 30 Taliban and 13 civilians were reported killed during fighting in Swat and Shangla while the government has blockaded food and fuel to Taliban held areas. Two Frontier Corps soldiers were freed while eight Pakistani Army soldiers, including a major, are being held. Sectarian fighting has resumed in Kurram agency. Eight music shops […]


Iraq

US defends AP photographer™s detention in Iraq


Afghanistan

President Karzai said contact from Taliban leaders has increased over the past year. NATO’s logistics have not been affected by Pakistan’s state of emergency. The Senlis Council calls for the doubling of NATO troops, the removal of caveats, and NATO operations in Pakistan’s NWFP.



Iran

Over 300,000 southern Iraqi Shiites signed a petition condemning Iran for fomenting violence in Iraq. The commander of Multinational Division Central still sees Iranian influence in central Iraq. The US and European Union urge further sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program.


Iran

US general sees Iran influence in Iraq


Iraq

Saudi, Libya top sources of Iraq foreign fighters: report


Iran

300,000 Iraqis sign petition condemning Iran




Iraq

Talisman Gate – Fact-Checking the New Yorker



Iraq

SAS men killed in Iraq as fourth Puma crashes


Air Force clears entire F-15 fleet to resume flights


Iran

Conservative Iranian Newspaper Criticizes Ahmadinejad


Iran

Iran: Ahmadinejad’s Threat To ‘Traitors’ Points To Widening Rift



Iraq

US commander gives part credit to Syria for military gains in Iraq


Iraq

Coalition forces killed six al Qaeda operatives and detained 10 during operations in central and northern Iraq. Iraqi Special Operations Forces captured six “extremists” during raids in the south and another seven during raids in the north. Iraqi police arrested an al Qaeda leader in Anbar province. Two British soldiers were killed in a helicopter […]


Pakistan

Sixteen Taliban, 15 soldiers, and nine civilians were reported killed during fighting in Swat and Shangla. A soldier and five civilians were killed in sectarian clashes in Kurram. A policeman was killed in a bomb blast near Mardan. Schoolgirls in Manshera are wearing burkas after Taliban threats.


Somalia

Roadblock militias attack governor’s convoy in central Somalia


Afghanistan

NATO and Afghan forces killed over 50 Taliban in fighting in the Charchino and Dihrawud districts in Uruzgan province. The Senlis Council warned that the security situation has reached “crisis proportions” and the Taliban’s resurgence across the state has been “proven beyond doubt.”


Thailand

Muslim insurgents killed four civilians in attacks in Pattani and Yala provinces. An explosion at a restaurant in Yala’s provincial seat wounded six people. The bomb was detonated by remote control.


Iraq

Suicide bomb kills 6 in western Iraq


Israel

Two Al-Aqsa Brigades fighters killed during raid inside Israeli territory



The Pakistan problem, and the wrong solution

The recently proposed counterinsurgency plan falls short of what is needed to fight al Qaeda and the Taliban in the tribal regions. The Northwest Frontier Province is not Anbar, and arming the tribes without properly protecting them would destroy any remaining allies in the region.