Monthly Archives: May 2010

United States

A US-Moroccan citizen has pleaded guilty in a Kansas City, Missouri, court to providing over $23,000 to Al Qaeda. Khalid Ouazzani raised the money through bank loans and selling his apartment in the UAE. He wired the money to a co-conspirator in the UAE. He faces a maximum of 65 years in prison and $1 […]


Al Qaeda

Ayman al Zawahiri, al Qaeda’s second in command, released a tape praising Abu Ayyub al Masri and Abu Omar al Baghdadi, al Qaeda in Iraq’s top two leaders who were killed near Tikrit on April 18. Osama bin Laden is expected to release a tape soon as well.




United States

US – $200m ‘behaviour detection’ officers fail to spot a single terrorist at airports



Chechens spotted in Taliban’s Nuristan tape

Informed observers have pointed out a few other interesting items from the Taliban’s recently released videotape that showed a “white Taliban” fighter who is very likely a young Nuristani. In the video, you can see Chechens and what appear to be Arab and Pakistani fighters intermixed with the Taliban [LWJ noted from day one that […]


Iran’s ‘chicken’ diplomacy

The Washington Post‘s David Ignatius has decided to inject himself into the recent policy debate over Iran’s new fuel-swap deal with Turkey. Ignatius is noted for having likened Iran’s negotiation style to the way drivers commute in Tehran — it’s aggressive, frantic, and busy. In his recent article titled “A diplomatic game of chicken with […]



Iraq

A suicide bomber killed a policeman in Mosul. Insurgents killed two policemen, a civilian, and an Awakening fighter in Mosul, Kirkuk, and Baqubah. Security forces detained 10 wanted men in Maysan and three al Qaeda fighters in Diyala.


Thailand

Five people, including two Islamist fighters, have been killed in the south. Security forces killed two Islamist fighters in an hour-long gunbattle in Narathiwat province. In Yala province, two Muslim men were killed in a drive-by shootings and a Buddhist woman was murdered in her grocery store.



Pakistan

Security forces killed 19 Taliban fighters in Arakzai, four in Tank, and a commander in Swat. Thirty people have been killed in Karachi. A pro-Taliban politician was killed in Tank. Sweden shut down its embassy as the Pakistani government blocked YouTube. A court ordered the release of four known Taliban fighters.


Pakistan

Pakistan: Khawaja™s son plans to file murder case against TV anchor



Somalia

Puntland forces detained 12 pirates, including a wanted leader on a US watchlist. Two civilians were killed in shelling in Mogadishu. Shabaab claimed it carried out a bombing that targeted African Union forces in the capital.


Philippines

The army has declared its two-month-long operation against the Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan and Sulu a success. The operation concluded with 15 Islamists “neutralized” over the weekend. Two police officers and two attackers were killed in Basilan in the town of Sumisip. The EU has confirmed its willingness to participate in peace talks between […]




Afghanistan

Afghan forces captured the shadow governor of Samangan and a senior Taliban commander in Baghlan. The Taliban killed seven civilians in attacks in Paktika, Khost, and Ghazni. A suicide bomber killed only himself in an attack on a NATO convoy in Kandahar. The US military is launching an investigation of US troops.








Iran

The West’s new sanctions package may include measures to press Iran’s central bank. Tehran said it would back out of the fuel-swap deal if the UN passes new sanctions. A Russian nuclear official said Iran’s first nuclear power plant will be online by August.


Algeria

A roadside bomb killed two soldiers and wounded 18 others traveling in a convoy in the Boumerdes region, a known Islamist stronghold 35 miles east of Algiers. Police are blaming al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb for the attack, which is one of the deadliest this year.