Afghanistan
Afghan Taliban deny holding new talks with US
Afghan Taliban deny holding new talks with US
Bin Laden family not tied to terrorism: Saudi Arabia
Files recovered from Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, show that the al Qaeda leader and his deputy Ayman al Zawahiri were in contact with Afghan Taliban emir Mullah Omar. The terror leaders plotted strategy in Afghanistan up to two weeks before bin Laden was killed.
US drones killed four “militants” in a strike in Miramshah bazaar in North Waziristan. A German jihadist was killed in the March 9 drone strike in South Waziristan. Two people died in a bombing in Khyber.
Afghan forces killed 27 insurgents, including seven Pakistanis and Saudis, in an operation in Helmand. In other incidents, five Taliban fighters and two policemen were killed; and the Taliban freed 14 policemen in Badakhshan.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released the 73 Yemeni soldiers who had been captured in Al Koud when their base was overrun in early March. Ansar al Sharia announced that AQAP leader Nasir al Wuhayshi is its emir.
Lebanon detained a ship that was transporting weapons, some with Libyan markings, for Syrian rebels. In a seaborne assault, Syrian rebels attacked an army unit on the Mediterranean coast. Hundreds of army soldiers defected to the rebels.
Eight people were killed in attacks in and around Mogadishu. Shabaab and government and AMISOM troops clashed in two districts, while Shabaab bombed a theater. Fifteen suspected Shabaab fighters were detained in Hudur.
Christians under attack in Kenya, Nigeria
Many in Egypt Muslim Brotherhood are wary of plunge into politics
Egypt’s conservative Islamist party endorsed a liberal Islamist for president, calling it a reaction against the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate. The Muslim Brotherhood said the ruling generals planned to reshuffle the cabinet.
Border clashes between Sudan and South Sudan killed 21 people. South Sudan said it would pull out of a disputed region. Sudan’s President declared a state of emergency for the area. China offered South Sudan $8 billion in aid.
Analysis: Cease-Fire in Syria Buying Time at a Cost
Think Again: Al Qaeda
Meanwhile, the bin Laden documents show that Taliban emir Mullah Omar plotted Afghan strategy with Osama bin laden and Ayman al Zawahiri.
Bin Laden files show al-Qaida and Taliban leaders in close contact
Weaker Al Qaeda still plots payback for US raid
An attacker threw a grenade inside a church in Nairobi, killing one person and injuring at least 15 more, some critically. The al Qaeda-linked Shabaab is suspected in the attack.
Samir H., a known “Islamist” from Aachen, is said to have been killed in the March 9 strike in Makeen in South Waziristan.
The strike is the first in Pakistan in a month. Foreign fighters, likely Arabs and members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, were reported to have been targeted.
Al-Qaeda is weaker without bin Laden, but its franchise persists
An assault on Christian worshipers at a university campus in Kano killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more. The attackers, who arrived on motorbikes, are suspected to be members of the al Qaeda-linked Boko Haram. A second attack today, at a church in Maiduguri, killed five people, including a pastor.
Qaeda-linked group frees 73 Yemeni soldiers
US missiles kill 2 in NW Pakistan
The Taliban killed 10 members of the Afghan Local police in Wardak and an ISAF soldier in the south. Two policemen and two Taliban fighters were killed during an assassination attempt that targeted Kandahar’s governor. The Taliban rejected a proposed “safe passage” for negotiations.
When Politics Fail, Islamists Take Lead in Yemen
US signals major shift on Iran nuclear program
In Afghanistan, failed assassination try leaves 4 dead
In the east, 10 members of the Afghan Local Police were killed in an IED attack, while in the south, two policemen were killed in a failed assassination attempt against Kandahar’s governor.
Tribesmen allied with the Yemeni military killed seven members of the al Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Sharia near the city of Lawdar in Abyan province. An intelligence officer was shot and killed in Lahej province.