Afghanistan
America’s go-to man in Afghanistan’s Oruzgan province
Monthly Archives: January 2013
Afghanistan
Taliban Targets Tourists, but Some Still Visit Afghanistan
Hakeemullah Mehsud orders Taliban to end attacks on Pakistani military in North Waziristan: report
The emir of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan also said his forces would focus on fighting NATO in Afghanistan.
Iraq
Insurgents killed two soccer players in an IED attack on the team bus in Kirkuk. Iraq closed all border crossings with Syria until further notice.
Somalia
French commandos attempted to free Denis Allex, a French intelligence operative captured by Shabaab in 2009. A French soldier was killed and another was captured during the failed raid. Seventeen Shabaab fighters were killed.
Sudan
Al Qaeda in the Land of the Two Niles has formed a students’ group at the University of Khartoum. The students said that the Sudanese government is not pursuing al Qaeda in Sudan.
Mali
The French military has intervened in Mali. French aircraft and attack helicopters beat back a jihadist advance on the town of Mopti, while soldiers are being deployed to Sevare. More than a hundred Islamists are said to have been killed.
French troops intervene in Mali
French aircraft and attack helicopters beat back a jihadist advance on the town of Mopti.
Al Qaeda in Sudan launches ‘student wing’ at University of Khartoum
Students at the university who formed the group also said that the Sudanese government is not pursuing al Qaeda.
Shabaab kills, captures French soldiers during failed rescue mission in Somalia
French commandos from the General Directorate for External Security attempted to rescue Denis Allex, one of their operatives captured in 2009. The French said they believe Allex was killed in the raid; Shabaab denied the claim.
Myanmar
Myanmar denies using chemical weapons on rebels
United States
After meeting with Afghan president Karzai, President Obama said the pace of the US withdrawal in Afghanistan would accelerate as the US mission shifted to training Afghan forces this the spring. The number of US troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014 remains undecided. Obama pledged that US troops would leave Afghan villages by spring […]
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
West Scrambles to Counter Islamist Offensive
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
France launches air strike on al-Qaeda in Mali
Al Nusrah, jihadist allies overrun Syrian airbase
A jihadist alliance made up of the Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, and the Islamic Vanguard seized control of the Taftanaz air base in Idlib.
Afghanistan
President Obama said US forces would switch to a support role this spring and that the goals in Afghanistan have largely been met. The Taliban killed four policemen in Badghis and an ISAF soldier in the west.
Iraq
“Gunmen” killed a member of the Awakening and his seven-year-old son in Mosul. Security forces detained three insurgents with a car bomb in Mosul and three suspected assassins in Diyala.
Syria
Syria may hold uranium stash, Western and Israeli experts say
Syria
Pentagon weighs how to secure Syria’s chemical weapons
Syria
After months of fighting, rebels captured Taftanaz military airport, the largest in northern Syria. The attackers consisted mostly of jihadist fighters from the Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar Al-Sham, and Islamic Vanguard groups.
Benghazi suspect’s brother is al Qaeda facilitator
The Daily Beast reported that the brother of a key suspect in the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi is an al Qaeda in Iraq facilitator.
Kuwait
Kuwait’s Prime Minister said more than 60 Islamists held by the UAE for plotting to overthrow the government were financed by Kuwaiti nationals. The plotters belong to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Islamist militants suspected in attack on Egyptian police in Sinai
Several policemen were wounded in the attack. In what appears to be a separate incident, one policeman was killed by a sniper reportedly tied to extremist groups in the area.
Mullah Omar warns against attending conference on suicide attacks
The latest Taliban statement on a forthcoming Islamic conference in Kabul warns clerics not to participate, and makes clear once again that the Taliban have no intention of reconciling with the Afghan government.
Mali
International aid organizations began evacuating the central part of the country as Islamist forces advance south toward the strategic city of Mopti. France vowed to assist the Malian army repel the Islamists, within the framework of the UN resolution. Government forces backed by military assistance from European countries, including aircraft, launched a counterattack.
Afghanistan
Taliban welcome complete withdrawal of US troops
Afghanistan
Civil War threatens Afghanistan as NATO prepares to leave
Afghanistan
Afghan Containers Still Stranded in Pakistan, Iran
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Formidable power of Pakistan’s anti-Shia militants
France
French forces launched an airstrike in central Mali to assist the Malian army repel the advance of al Qaeda-linked fighters. European soldiers landed by transport airplane in Sevare, near the city of Mopti. French citizens have been advised to leave Mali.