Monthly Archives: May 2013

Afghanistan

| May 10, 2013

A suicide bomber killed three people in Kapisa. Fifteen Taliban fighters and a police commander were killed in fighting in Laghman. Police killed four Taliban fighters in Ghazni. The Taliban kidnapped 11 deminers in Nangarhar.

Iraq

| May 10, 2013

Three people were killed in a bombing at a Sunni mosque in Mahaweel. Security forces captured two al Qaeda operatives involved in the assassination of Member of Parliament Aifan al Issawi. The government executed three al Qaeda operatives who were convicted on terrorism charges.

Somalia

| May 10, 2013

More than 3,000 African Union soldiers have been killed while fighting Shabaab since deploying in 2009; Uganda and Burundi have made up the bulk of AU forces over the years. Shabaab and a pro-government militia battled in Kismayo.

Pakistan

| May 10, 2013

Pakistan – KP government confirms that women vote blocked by political parties

Egypt

| May 10, 2013

The Muslim Brotherhood organized a demonstration in Cairo against Israel. During the protest, demonstrators chanted, “The people want destruction of Israel.” Salafists called on President Morsi to wage “a holy war in Palestine, Syria, Mali, and Afghanistan.” Following a trip to the US, an April 6 Youth Movement member was detained by Egyptian authorities.

Palestinian Territories

| May 10, 2013

The Palestinian Authority increased diplomatic relations with Honduras and El Salvador. The Palestinian Authority is planning to apply for full membership in INTERPOL. During a sermon at a mosque in Gaza City, influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al Qaradawi called on Palestinians to continue “the resistance” against Israel.

Turkey

| May 10, 2013

Authorities are investigating an alleged plot to assassinate Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, in Istanbul on May 29, the anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453. One suspect has been detained and two others are being sought. PKK militants have begun withdrawing from Turkish soil to […]

Tunisia

| May 10, 2013

A Libyan man who was trying to smuggle 150 kilos of TNT into the country was arrested in the harbor town of Al Khetif in Ben Guerdane governorate. The explosives were found in the rigid inflatable boat he was using.

Libya

| May 10, 2013

Scores of armed militiamen attacked anti-militia protesters in Tripoli, beating and kicking them and seizing a number of men including a Foreign Ministry official. Two police stations in Benghazi were bombed in coordinated attacks this morning; one person was injured. Britain evacuated some of its staff from the embassy in Tripoli due to ongoing security […]

Senegal

| May 10, 2013

President Sall warned that the threat of Islamism remains in the Sahel even though it has been “seriously contained” in Mali. He praised France and the “synergy” that has arisen between France and north African countries battling the Islamist threat. Senegal currently has 815 soldiers deployed with the AFISMA mission in Mali.

Libya

| May 10, 2013

Benghazi Talking Points Underwent 12 Revisions, Scrubbed of Terror Reference

Denmark

| May 10, 2013

After being tipped off by Scotland Yard, Danish police arrested a man in Copenhagen linked to extremist cleric Abu Qatada, and are examining evidence seized during the arrest to see if it is banned extremist material. Last year jihadist material in Qatada’s name was published online by Al Nur Islamic Information, a Copenhagen company with […]

United Kingdom

| May 10, 2013

Counsel for extremist cleric Abu Qatada said his client would voluntarily return to Jordan if it signs a recent treaty with the UK guaranteeing Qatada a fair trial. Qatada is currently in a UK jail for violation of bail conditions; a search of his home on March 7 found suspected extremist literature and 17 mobile […]

United States

| May 9, 2013

Tunisian national Ahmed Abassi was indicted on visa fraud charges related to an alleged al Qaeda plot to bomb a passenger train traveling between Canada and the US. Three State Deptartment officials with firsthand knowledge of the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi testified that the administration should have done more to prevent the […]

Afghanistan

| May 9, 2013

President Karzai said the US wants to maintain nine military bases in Afghanistan following the end of NATO combat operations in 2014. He said the US is requesting bases in Kabul, Bagram, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Gardez, Kandahar, Helmand, Shindand, and Herat, but Afghanistan must first be granted security guarantees.

Iraq

| May 9, 2013

Insurgents killed three university students in Baghdad and two soldiers in Diyala. Security forces killed a suicide bomber before he could attack a police station in Mosul and detained seven wanted men in Wasit.

Yemen

| May 9, 2013

Al Qaeda gunned down a police officer in the provincial capital of Lahj. A Finnish couple and an Austrian were freed after an undisclosed ransom was paid. President Hadi warned that al Qaeda is “recuperating.”

Lebanon

| May 9, 2013

Army intelligence forces arrested four members of an al Qaeda cell in Ain el-Rummaneh and seized “a quantity of explosives and detonators in their possession.” The four are described as Lebanese and Syrian nationals; a search is on for the remaining cell members.

Syria

| May 9, 2013

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah said Syria will provide the terror group with “game-changing weapons” as a strategic response to Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah weaponry in Syria. US Secretary of State Kerry warned that Russia’s plan to supply Syria would destabilize Israel’s security; he also said President Assad would not be part of any transitional Syrian government. […]