Al Qaeda
West Africa – US prosecution links drugs to terrorism
Monthly Archives: December 2009
Italy
Italy: Thousands of suspected people traffickers arrested in 2009
Al Qaeda
Insurgents forced out of Pakistan’s tribal havens form smaller cells in heart of nation
United States
Drone breach stirs calls to fill cyber post
Iran
The doctor who defied Tehran
Iraq
Iraqi security forces detained two Promised Day Brigade leaders and three fighters in Baghdad, an al Qaeda explosives cell member near Kirkuk, and a Jaish al Rashideen member near Kirkuk. Insurgents killed a policeman in Mosul. A police brigadier in Diwaniyah resigned after his son was kidnapped.
Afghanistan
Afghan and Coalition forces killed 10 Taliban fighters in Helmand and several Haqqani Network fighters in Paktika, and detained several Taliban fighters in Kandahar. The Taliban killed a policeman in Logar and a British soldier in Helmand.
Mauritania
An Italian has apparently been kidnapped from his 4×4 vehicle in Mauritania near the Mali border. The Italian man and his wife, originally from Burkina Faso, are suspected of being abducted by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The abductions of the Italian nationals comes just weeks after the kidnapping of three Spanish nationals in […]
US launches cruise missile strikes against al Qaeda in Yemen
Three al Qaeda commanders were among 34 terrorists reported killed in the attack.
Al Qaeda
US aided Yemeni raids on Al Qaeda, officials say
Al Qaeda
Amid the carols and decorations, Iraq Christians fear extinction
Afghanistan
Karzai drafts cabinet lineup to satisfy US, Afghan backers
Iran
Twitter hacked by ‘Iranian Cyber Army’
Pakistan
A US airstrike killed eight Punjabi Taliban in North Waziristan. Pakistani troops killed 16 Taliban fighters in Arakzai. The Taliban killed 12 people in a suicide attack at a mosque in Lower Dir and destroyed a college in Khyber.
Somalia
A group of pirates detained on a Dutch warship has been released because no country has agreed to prosecute them. At least two civilians were killed by a mortar shell in Mogadishu. A blast targeted two lawmakers near the presidential palace in Mogadishu. Shabaab claimed to have fought the Ethiopian rebel group ONLF in the […]
Al Qaeda
Omayma Hassan Ahmed Mohammed Hassan, the wife of Ayman al Zawahiri, called on Muslim women to support their husbands in waging jihad and said women must raise their children to be fighters for al Qaeda. The statement was released via As Sahab and is titled “A Message to the Muslim Sisters.”
Pakistan moves forward with Taliban negotiations
The News provides further evidence that the Pakistani government is seeking a negotiated settlement with the Taliban in South Waziristan. The full article is reproduced below: The Mehsud tribal elders from South Waziristan are in a fix as they are wondering how they would be able to get hold of the 378 militants wanted by […]
Iraq
Three Iranian soldiers who took control of an oil well in Maysan have abandoned the site. Security forces detained seven wanted men in Basrah, two al Qaeda IED cell members in Baghdad, and two Naqshabandiya fighters in Ninewa. The government has prohibited the families of members of the security forces to live in Syria.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Three accused Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb members who were arrested in Ghana this week have been extradited to New York, the first extradition of its kind from west Africa. They are accused of supporting the cocaine trade into western Africa that has seen a substantial increase in drug activity over the last year. […]
Afghanistan
French, US, and Afghan forces launched an offensive in the the Uzbeen Valley. ISAF is assessing claims that an airstrike killed three civilians in Kandahar. Afghan and Coalition forces detained several Taliban and Haqqani Network leaders and fighters during raids in Wardak, Khost, and Kandahar. Spain will send 511 additional troops to Afghanistan.
Algeria
Algerian security forces killed four Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb members. The fighters were caught driving towards Msila, 250 km southeast of Algeria, when they were ambushed. Security forces have conducted a number of operations in the past weeks, killing over 20 Islamists and capturing numerous others.
US airstrike kills 8 Punjabi Taliban in North Waziristan
The attack is the third two days in the Datta Khel region in Pakistan’s Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan.
Iran
The Iraqi Oil Ministry announced that Iran seized an oil well along the Iraq-Iran border. Iran announced a new model of centrifuges for its nuclear program. President Ahmadinejad criticized the US at the Copenhagen climate talks.
Taliban kill 12 in suicide attack at mosque in Pakistan’s northwest
The attack took place at a mosque frequented by police in Lower Dir. Two children were among those killed.
Pakistan
The US killed an al Qaeda Shadow Army commander, six al Qaeda operatives, and 11 Haqqani Network fighters during two airstrikes in North Waziristan. Three soldiers and three Lashkar-e-Islam fighters were killed during clashes in Khyber. A suicide bomber killed only himself in a failed attack in Bannu. Police detained a Taliban leader in Karachi. […]
Iran
Iran helping the Taliban, US ambassador claims
Al Qaeda
LeT, HuJI still have free run in Pak
Understanding Indian press rumors about Headley
I previously analyzed the rumors, centered around the Indian press, that David Headley had penetrated Lashkar-e-Taiba as a CIA asset. These rumors generally hold that Headley then “went rogue” and become committed to LeT’s mission before his involvement in the Mumbai attacks. Although I argued that these rumors should not be regarded as credible, the […]
Iraq
Not just drones: Militants can snoop on most US warplanes
Afghanistan
One US battalion™s trials in Afghanistan