US and Afghan troops killed five suicide bombers in a failed attack on FOB Gardez in Paktia. A Taliban suicide bomber killed a child in Balkh. Security forces killed and several Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters in Kabul, Khost, Paktia, Helmand, Kandahar, and Uruzgan. ISAF released three journalists detained earlier in the week.
“Militants” have invited terrorists from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to join their ranks and help establish an Islamic Emirate in Indonesia. Indonesian and Australian forces will hold join exercises in Bali.
The Malaysian government repatriated Mas Selamat Kastari, the leader of Jemaah Islamiyah’s network in Singapore. Kastari escaped from Singaporean custody in 2009 and was arrested in Malaysia in 2009.
Five terrorists were killed during a raid in Dagestan; a suicide vest was found during the raid. Chechen President Kadyrov is leading an operation against the Caucasus Emirate in a remote mountainous region; one soldier has been killed.
More than 40 people have been reported killed in clashes between a government-backed tribe and Houthi rebels in Sa’ada. The military claimed the town of Huta in Shabwa province has been cleared of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters.
UN Sec Gen Ban hits radicals for fostering tension
A global computer virus is targeting Iranian computers used to manage nuclear facilities. President Ahmadinejad criticized the West over a “double standard” on capital punishment. The Iranian foreign minister said that Tehran is ready for “fair” nuclear talks.
Italy – Muslims appeal to president over ‘discrimination’ in north
US troops fight on despite end to combat in Iraq
Five suicide bombers were killed as they attempted to storm Forward Operating Base Gardez in Paktia province.
Qari Mansur, a Haqqani Network commander, was “one of the most prolific attack planners for the Kabul insurgent network” who organized suicide and IED attacks in the capital.
Kabul launches controversial plan to empower militia fighters as police
Ahmadinejad UN speech sparks walk-outs
The Taliban killed two people in attacks on NATO fuel trucks in Khyber and bombed two girls’ schools in Peshawar. Security forces detained 30 “militants” in Khyber. Five people were killed in ethnic violence in Karachi.
Pakistan hikes defence budget by Rs 110bn
Where did Pakistan’s ISI spend Rs 5.55 billion?
British cuts to military concern US officials
Yemen intensifies fight against al Qaeda
Insurgents killed five Iraqis in two bombings in Baghdad, and a relative of a senior intelligence officer in Al Kut. Iraqi forces detained 14 wanted men in Basrah and five more in Wasit, and detained three men who attempted to assassinate the Thi Qhar police chief.
Two policemen were killed by suspected al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb fighters in a bombing in the Boumerdes region. The remotely detonated bomb targeting a police patrol in the town of Bordj injured 10 civilians.
US – Cyberwar chief calls for secure computer network
Security forces captured several Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters in Khost, Zabul, and Helmand. The Taliban killed an ISAF soldier in the south. The Czechs will boost their forces in Afghanistan by an estimated 200 soldiers.
Nineteen people were killed and 71 more were wounded in the latest round of fighting in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Shabaab announced a new offensive “to eliminate the invading Christians and their apostate government.”
The US sentenced Aafia Siddiqui to 86 years in prison for attempting to murder US federal agents while in custody in Afghanistan. Siddiqui is an MIT-trained Pakistani neuroscientist linked to al Qaeda. She was carrying instructions to make deadly chemicals when she was captured.
NCTC director Michael Leiter testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Leiter’s testimony highlights al Qaeda’s close ties to other jihadist organizations.
Al Jazeera has a fascinating documentary on Afghan soldiers at Combat Outpost Spera, the base that was attacked by the Haqqani Network just two days ago (the attack failed miserably, see LWJ report, US troops defeat Haqqani Network assault on base in Khost for more details). At 44 minutes, it’s long, but well worth it. […]
Security forces arrested 28 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in the town of Huta in Shabwa province. The government denied the US was aiding the Huta operation as reinforcements have been sent to the town.
An Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan spokesman took credit for the Sept. 19 ambush that killed 25 Tajik troops, and threatened to carry out further attacks in the Central Asian country. Security forces killed five men thought to be sheltering IMU commander Mullo Abdullo.
An Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan spokesman named Abdufattoh Ahmadi claimed the attack that killed 25 Tajik soldiers on Sept. 19.
US official: CIA runs elite Afghan fighting force