As part of the new strategy against al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the army chiefs of staff of Sahel-Saharan nations have agreed to triple their joint troop levels to 75,000 security officers and soldiers at a joint military headquarters in Tamanrasset, Algeria, by 2012. They will also look to strengthen the air forces of […]
Suicide car bomber kills four policemen in Peshawar
What have Pakistan offensives achieved?
Iraq slaying victims’ families wait for word about the accused
Egypt – School curricula inciting extremism to be changed
India to get direct access to Headley
The US and Israel’s defense secretaries accused Syria of arming Hezbollah with advanced missiles that can strike deep into Israel. But Israel’s defense minister said his country does not “intend to provoke any kind of major collision in Lebanon, or vis-a-vis Syria….”
American-born al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki said he is “proud” to have taught Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan and failed Christmas Day airline bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Awlaki also accused the US of establishing Awakenings, and of killing tribal members and blaming the attacks on al Qaeda.
The suicide bomber who attacked the British Ambassador was an al Qaeda operative who spent two years in prison. Security forces detained “dozens” of al Qaeda operatives, including seven men who were associated with the suicide bomber and also spent time in jail.
Anwar al Awlaki said he was “proud” to have taught Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan and failed Christmas Day airline bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
Unpaid Somali soldiers desert to insurgency
Battle for Kandahar may be tougher than expected
Pentagon to comply with only part of Fort Hood probe
Security forces killed 13 Taliban fighters in Arakzai and eight more, including a “key commander,” in Swat and Kohat. Twenty-five Lashkar-e-Islam fighters were detained in Khyber. The Taliban killed one tribal leader and abducted five more in Bajaur. The government imposed an indefinite curfew in Tank and suspended anti-polio vaccinations in North Waziristan.
A suicide bomber reportedly attacked a new African Union base in Mogadishu; no casualties have been reported. Shabaab fighters have advanced on the pirate stronghold of Harardhere. A senior Shabaab leader was wounded in an explosion in Dinsoor.
The Independent High Electoral Commission invalidated the votes of 52 candidates, including six who won seats, for links to Baathists; Iraqiya will contest the ruling. Security forces detained 101 suspected insurgents in Salahadin, Diyala, Mosul, and Basrah, and an al Qaeda leader and an operative west of Baghdad. Insurgents killed four civilians in Baghdad and […]
President Karzai’s brother said the UN should not withdraw from Kandahar. The Taliban killed three civilians in Kunduz and an ISAF soldier in eastern Afghanistan. Coalition and Afghan forces detained eight suspected Taliban fighters in Helmand, Khost, and Zabul.
Election ruling in Iraq favors prime minister
Afghan crunch time: Obama must decide whether to talk to the Taliban
Italy: Foreign ministry denies paying hostage ransom
US President Obama hosts Muslim business summit
Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki is hopeful for a nuclear fuel-swap deal with the West. Iranian Defense Minister Vahidi said the “Great Prophet 5” war games conducted in the Strait of Hormuz last weekend were a success.
US training Afghan villagers to fight the Taliban
Pakistanis living on brink, and too often in the dark
Nigeria: 3 journalists killed in weekend violence
The Washington Post has a good read on the covert US air campaign in Pakistan. According to the Post’s CIA sources, the strikes have been much more effective in killing enemy fighters and commanders, and have killed far fewer civilians, since smaller warheads and increased surveillance have been employed. According to an internal CIA accounting […]
Underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab: New video of training, martyrdom statements
Christmas Day Bombing suspect Farouk Abulmutallab has surfaced in an al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula propaganda video undergoing weapons training. The video then shows the young Nigerian national reading a martyrdom statement in Arabic.
A video has surfaced showing Farouk Abdulmutallab, the suspect in the “Christmas Day Bombing” terror plot, undergoing weapons training with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen. The propaganda film, obtained by a Yemeni journalist, shows the young Nigerian national among a group of other trainees with weapons ranging from small arms to RPGs […]
My life as an Iraqi insurgent