Somalia
A Kenyan military officer said that more than 50 Shabaab fighters were killed during clashes in Jana Cabdalla, a town just 25 miles from Kismayo. The town is now under the control of Somali and Kenyan forces.
A Kenyan military officer said that more than 50 Shabaab fighters were killed during clashes in Jana Cabdalla, a town just 25 miles from Kismayo. The town is now under the control of Somali and Kenyan forces.
Two suicide bombers detained in Nairobi on Sept. 14 were ordered to conduct their attack by Jafra Hussein, a Shabaab leader from Kismayo. Abdimajid Yassin and Ali Hussein, the Somali suicide bombers, met up with Musa Shukri, a Shabaab logistics officer in Kenya, and Ahmed Abdurahman.
Security forces killed seven “militants,” including two women, during a raid in Nalchick in Kabardino-Balkaria. Police killed four more militants during a sweep in Vedensky in Chechnya.
Police detained an 18-year-old in the southern city of Toulon suspected of planning a revenge attack on the French magazine that recently published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. The suspect had said on Facebook that he would cut the throat of anyone he could find at the magazine.
Sufyan ben Qumu was transferred from Guantanamo to Libya in 2007, and then freed in 2010. He leads a brigade in Ansar al Sharia and is a key al Qaeda operative in Libya, according to a Congressional report.
Afghan officials and civilians said that “Pakistanis, Chechens, and Arabs” continue to operate in the southeastern Afghan province, just days after al Qaeda released a video of operations in the province.
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The State Department is shipping armored vehicles and other equipment to Somalia and Tunisia to bolster security at its missions there. Nonessential staff were recently pulled from the US embassies in Somalia and Tunisia following attacks on the facilities.
Matthew Olsen, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said that a “number of different elements,” including some linked to al Qaeda, were involved.
The Taliban killed nine people in a bombing in Peshawar. The military claimed it killed 29 Taliban fighters during fighting in Bajaur.
Italian Supreme Court upholds guilty verdict against 23 Americans
German foundation cancels plan to show anti-Islam film excerpts
Pakistan – Protester dies after inhaling fumes from burning American flag
Sudan refugees flee intensified bombing runs
A suicide bomber killed two policemen in Herat. More than 1,000 Taliban fighters attacked police in Nuristan; a Taliban commander and eight fighters, as well as a policeman, were reportedly killed. Security forces captured the IMU’s leader for Kunduz and four fighters. Twenty-four Taliban fighters reconciled with the government in Nangarhar.
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Security forces killed five “militants” after a gunfight ensued at a checkpoint in Ingushetia. Three of the men were wanted on terrorism charges. Explosive belts were found in their car.
Insurgents killed two soldiers and a civilian in separate attacks in Mosul. Senator John Kerry threatened to dial back US aid to Iraq if the government does not restrict Iran’s use of Iraqi airspace to support the Syrian regime.
Rebels seized a third border crossing into Turkey. Heavy fighting in Damascus left 117 dead. Government aircraft fired missiles at rebels in Lebanese territory.
Shabaab has sent hundreds of fighters to reinforce positions in Kismayo in anticipation of the combined African Union and Somali assault. AMISOM urged Shabaab fighters in Kismayo to lay down their weapons. A police force from Nigeria has deployed in Mogadishu.
Afghanistan – Some governors reshuffled, others sacked
Afghanistan – Disbelief at Hezb-e-Islami Using Female Bomber
Vatican: Pope lauds ‘respect’ from Muslims during Lebanon trip
Italy: Embassies ‘secure from protests over anti-Islam film’
German leaders are concerned that a right-wing German group plans to screen an anti-Islam film that has already sparked violence targeting German interests. Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “We are checking if a public screening might disturb the peace and should therefore be prohibited.”
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The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader directed the group’s operations in the northern Afghan province, and provided training and direction for IED attacks against Coalition and Afghan forces.