Iraq
Security forces captured two al Qaeda in Iraq fighters in Suwaira and another in Mosul. A Baghdad court issued death sentences for two men convicted on terrorism-related charges.
Monthly Archives: October 2012
Bahrain
Bahrain king blasts ‘foreign’ links to unrest in swipe at Iran
Hezbollah
Hezbollah’s chief financial officer fled to Israel, taking with him $5 million in embezzled funds as well as classified documents and maps. In September he and four others had been arrested by Iranian intelligence officers for collaborating with Israel.
Syria
Syria despatch: rebel fighters fear the growing influence of their ‘Bin Laden’ faction
Syria
Rebels claimed to have downed a Syrian air force jet. Syria and Turkey banned each others’ civilian flights over their territory. The ban came after Turkey intercepted a Syrian-bound plane that Turkey claimed carried munitions.
Yemen
The US reportedly delivered 106 armored vehicles to the Yemeni Defense Ministry. Tribesmen freed eight truck drivers who were kidnapped last week in Lahj.
Somalia
Four people were killed after Shabaab fighters ambushed Somali troops near Baidoa. A civilian was gunned down in Baidoa. Shabaab reportedly killed and wounded several soldiers in an IED attack in Shalanbod.
Mauritania
President Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz flew to Paris for treatment following a supposedly accidental shooting; two army officers have been detained. Some sources say the president was targeted by a militant group. Security was heightened last week over reports that al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb-linked terrorists were planning an attack in Mauritania, which has opposed […]
Nigeria
“Gunmen” killed more than 20 Muslims after opening fire outside of a mosque in Kaduna. Officials claimed that the gunmen were dressed in police uniforms and were “armed robbers.”
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Algeria caught in quandary over Mali crisis
United Kingdom
A crowd of 10,000 Muslim protesters, organized by some 800 imams from across the UK, gathered outside Google’s offices in London to protest the “Innocence of Muslims” film on YouTube. A million-strong march is also planned for Hyde Park. Five of nine Royal Marines arrested over an incident involving a wounded insurgent in Afghanistan’s Helmand […]
Mujahideen Shura Council is consolidation of Salafi-Jihadist groups in Gaza: sources
Salafi sources have confirmed that the Mujahideen Shura Council is a consolidation of Salafi-Jihadist groups in Gaza, and that Abu al Walid al Maqdisi was one of its leaders. Ashraf al Sabah, the emir of Ansar al Sunnah, was also killed in yesterday’s airstrike.
17 killed in bombing that targeted anti-Taliban militia in northwestern Pakistan
Over the years, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan has ruthlessly targeted anti-Taliban militias in Pakistan’s northwest.
United States
US officials said Iran was behind a series of cyberatttacks against US targets, including financial institutions. The attacks began early in 2012, later shifted to targets in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Israel, and then refocused on US banks over the past month.
Free Syrian Army
Can FSA leadership be relevant again in Syria?
Egypt
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood plays to popular anti-Israel sentiment as political tensions mount
Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri calls for more anti-Islam film protests
Afghanistan
Afghan anti-Taliban leader prefers to go it alone against militants
Israeli Air Force kills leader of the Tawhid and Jihad Group in Gaza airstrike
On Saturday, the Israeli Air Force killed Abu al Walid al Maqdisi, the former emir of the Tawhid and Jihad Group in Jerusalem. Al Maqdisi’s death may provide evidence of the consolidation of Salafi-Jihadist groups in Gaza into the Mujahideen Shura Council.
Afghanistan
A Taliban suicide bomber killed four Afghan intelligence officers and two ISAF personnel in Kandahar. The Taliban killed an ISAF soldier in an IED attack in the south. Police in Kandahar are arresting mullahs who are preaching anti-government messages.
Iran
Iran’s foreign minister said “Iran is ready to show flexibility” in talks over its nuclear program. Iran would halt further uranium enrichment in exchange for a guaranteed supply and acknowledgment of Iran’s right to enrich uranium.
Iran
Western intelligence sees ‘small signs of wavering’ on Iran nuclear policy
Afghanistan
A US platoon awaits the end of Afghan war
Syria
Rebels repelled a government counterattack against a strategic town in northern Syria. The town overlooks the road between Damascus and Aleppo and was captured by rebels earlier this week. Rebel forces captured 250 government soldiers. Government forces increased air and artillery strikes against Homs.
Israel
Israel warned it would take action against a boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists if it tries to break a naval blockade of Gaza. The boat left Italy on Oct. 7 with 20 people from eight countries on board.
Turkey
Prime Minister Erdogan condemned UN Security Council inaction on the Syrian conflict and called for reform of the council. German Foreign Minister Westerwelle said Germany supported Turkey’s interception of a plane suspected of carrying weapons to Syria.
Al Qaeda
The death of Osama bin Laden: how the US finally got its man
Somalia
Four people were killed after Shabaab fighters ambushed Somali troops at an airbase near Afgoye. Police arrested dozens of fighters during raids in Baidoa.
Taliban suicide bomber kills 4 NDS, 2 ISAF personnel in southern Afghanistan
Today’s suicide attack is the second in southern Afghanistan in six days that targeted the National Directorate of Security.
Afghanistan
UK – Defence chiefs draw up plans for faster withdrawal from Afghanistan