Security forces killed five Taliban fighters and detained 13 more in Swat, and arrested 46 suspected terrorists in Islamabad. Helicopters and aircraft attacked Taliban positions in South Waziristan. Ansar-ul-Islam accused Lashkar-e-Islam of hiring an assassin to killed the group’s spokesman. The Peshawar High Court released Sufi Mohammed’s sons on bail.
Polish Land Forces Commander Lieutenant General Waldemar Skrzypczak resigned his command after lambasting the government for not providing Polish troops in Afghanistan with needed equipment. Defense Industry Daily reports: “It is shameful that we haven’t given soldiers needed equipment We’ve been fighting for equipment [like UAVs and fully armed helicopters] for over two years, but […]
NATO to enhance cooperation with Pakistan
Police arrested Muhammad Jibril, who is suspected of financing the July bombings in Jakarta. Jibril is a member of Mohammed Noordin Top’s Tandzim al-Qaedat Indonesia. Police also detained Ali Muhammad bin Abdullah, a Saudi national who is also suspected of raising funds for the Jakarta bombings.
The Taliban denied involvement in yesterday’s massive bombing in Kandahar that killed 43 civilians. Afghan troops killed 10 Taliban fighters in Kunduz and Baghlan. ISAF and Afghan troops killed a wanted Taliban IED facilitator in Kandahar. Three Taliban fighters and one Afghan soldier were killed during clashes in Wardak. The Taliban killed three policemen in […]
Interpol has issued Red Corner Notices for Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives Abu Hamza, Zarar Shah, and Abu al-Qama for their involvement in the November 2008 terror assault on Mumbai. Yesterday, Interpol issued notices for Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed and operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Abu Sayyaf kidnapper captured in Cotabato
Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, died of cancer. Insurgents killed three Iraqis in Mosul and a policeman in Kirkuk, and wounded five civilians in Baghdad. Security forces detained eight wanted men in Basrah.
Iraq: Inside al Qaeda underground torture bunkers
Proposed halt in nuclear program by “pragmatists” in Tehran went ignored by Ahmadinejad government. Former President Khatami said the trial confessions of his allies are invalid. Tehran gained support from non-aligned nations for ban on nuclear plant attacks. Anonymous US diplomats revealed that Iran’s uranium enrichment program stagnated as output increased.
Indonesia: Police question Saudi suspect over Jakarta attacks
Even though Waliur Rehman Mehsud and Hakeemullah Mehsud conducted several phone calls to the press and confirmed Baitullah is dead and Hakeemullah is the new chief, Pakistan’s Interior and Foreign Ministers continue to insist the Taliban are fighting over who will be the new leader. From Daily Times: “It is all speculation until Hakeemullah Mehsud […]
Taliban leaders Waliur Rehman Mehsud and Hakeemullah Mehsud gave a joint interview to the press to confirm that Baitullah Mehsud died in a Predator strike. Waliur confirmed Hakeemullah is the new leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan while he would lead the Taliban in South Waziristan. Interior Minister Malik and Foreign minister […]
Security forces killed three Taliban fighters and detained 18 more in Swat. The bodies of 14 suspected Taliban fighters were found in Swat. Security forces detained 39 tribesmen in Bajaur under the Frontier Crimes Regulation, which President Zardari said would no longer be used.
‘Pakistan must exploit Taliban leadership rifts’
Interpol has released a ‘Red Corner Notice’ for Lashkar-e-Taiba / Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed after being pressured by India. The notice does not mean Pakistan is required to arrest Saeed. Police detained a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative carrying explosives in Delhi.
Security forces detained 18 wanted men in Basrah, 17 in Maysan, and two more in Al Kut; 16 insurgents in Mosul and four more in Fallujah; and 10 al Qaeda fighters in Jalawlaa. Insurgents wounded five policemen in Diyala and Baghdad, and two soldiers in Fallujah.
Syria said it is willing to send a team of investigators to look into claims that last week’s truck bombs in Baghdad originated from Ba’athists inside the country. If the Iraqi government does not allow the team in country, Syria “will consider anything the Iraqi media presents as fabricated evidence made for domestic consumptions, or […]
Indonesia widens list of Jakarta bombing suspects
I’ve had several inquiries on this piece, “Behind the Carnage in Baghdad”, by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. According to Mr. Ignatius, Iraq will be a fully-owned Iranian subsidiary in a few years. Iraq expert Nibras Kazimi over at Talisman Gate has a masterful response to Mr. Ignatius’ column. Here is a sample, but read […]
If you want to understand just how the news outlets in Pakistan, particularly the TV news outlets, are manipulated, read “Sensationalism, not journalism” at Dawn, one of Pakistan’s best newspapers. Here is a clip: In unstructured societies like Pakistan, where fixing responsibility and holding accountability is not part of media routines, there is considerable damage. […]
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is believed to have killed two paramilitary personnel and one civilian during a complex ambush on a convoy passing through Ain Defla province, which lies about 120km west of Algiers. Gunmen opened fire after a roadside bomb struck the convoy. The gunmen escaped into the woods.
Taliban confirm commander’s death
A suicide bomber killed four police officers in the Shali region of Chechnya. The Caucasus Emirate has issued a fatwa endorsing the right to kill moderate-separatist Akhmed Zakayev. Zakayev has come under the scrutiny of Islamist separatists for recently holding talks with representatives of Kadyrov’s Moscow-backed government. Despite being critical of Kadyrov’s policies, Zakayev has […]
Hakeemullah and Waliur Rehman Mehsud confirmed that Baitullah died of wounds suffered in the Aug. 5 Predator strike. Waliur said Hakeemullah is the new Taliban leader.
A car bomb hidden inside a Toyota pickup truck exploded outside a restaurant filled with government officials in Narathiwat town, wounding 42 people, including the chief of the district. The bombing was the largest attack carried out by Muslim separatists since last November, when two bombs killed 1 and wounded 70 in Narathiwat.
The latest issue of the Weekly Standard contains my article on Daniel Patrick Boyd, who authorities say was the ringleader of the alleged jihadist cell arrested in the Raleigh, North Carolina area on July 22. My article — the product of several days of research in the Raleigh area — highlights the two faces of […]
The terror group said the goal of the attacks was to destroy the Iraqi people’s faith in the government.
Q A-Is the Pakistani Taliban in transition or disarray?
The Taliban killed 41 civilians in a bombing in Kandahar, four US soldiers in southern Iraq, four civilians in an IED attack in Paktia, and a policeman in Kunduz. Coalition and Afghan forces killed a Taliban commander in Uruzgan and captured an IED maker in Logar.