Boko Haram
Global terror attack deaths rose sharply in 2013, says report
Monthly Archives: November 2014
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb video features French, Dutch hostages
In a newly-released video, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb shows French hostage Serge Lazaervic and Dutch captive Sjaak Rijke. The two men claim to be in poor health, appeal to their governments and family for their release, and mention the prisoner exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Somalia
Six men were sentenced to death over links to Shabaab by a military court in Puntland. Aid workers claim corruption and worries about being prosecuted for terrorism have undermined humanitarian efforts as a crisis looms. Somalia has been ranked 7th on the Global Terrorism Index.
Egypt
The Egyptian military announced plans to double the size of its buffer zone in the Sinai to 1 km after discovering unexpectedly long tunnels from Gaza. The Interior Ministry stated that “foreign intelligence” was behind recent terrorist attacks in Sinai, promising to identify the entities after current counterterrorism operations. Egypt has been ranked 13th on […]
Libya
Four people were reported killed and 10 wounded in fighting between Libya Dawn and pro-government forces near Mitiga Airport in Tripoli. Omar al-Hassi, the head of the Islamist regime based in Tripoli, has rejected negotiations with pro-government forces. Libya was ranked 15th on the most recent Global Terrorism Index.
Mali
A video of two hostages, Frenchman Serge Lazarevic and Dutchman Sjaak Rijke, was released by AQIM. Both men were kidnapped in Mali by the jihadist group in Nov. 2011. Lazarevic, the only French captive in the world, stated that his “life is in danger since France intervened in Iraq.”
Nigeria
President Goodluck Jonathan will request an extension of a state of emergency in three northern states grappling with Boko Haram. Nigeria has been ranked fourth in the Global Terrorism Index due to the activity of the jihadist group.
Germany
The Defense Ministry said Germany will keep 850 troops in Afghanistan next year, slightly more than anticipated, and noted that German forces will continue responsibility for the Coalition mission in northern Afghanistan. Development Minister Müller pledged to continue Germany’s development support to Afghanistan so long as the Afghan government carries out needed reforms. Cem Özdemir, […]
United States
CENTCOM reported that since Nov. 14, US forces have conducted 11 airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, and US and partner forces have carried out 20 airstrikes in Iraq against the group. A US intelligence official indicated that US targeting in Syria and Iraq is hampered by insufficient intelligence on the ground. The American […]
Houthis
Yemeni tribes say they will resist Houthi takeover of oil facilities
United Nations
Global Number of Youths Is Highest Ever, UN Reports
United Arab Emirates
The UAE Cabinet has listed 83 entities as terrorist organizations, including groups in Europe and the United States. The Arab League said it supported the designations in light of increasing terrorism in the region.
Afghanistan
Insurgents in Afghanistan’s Laghman province may win by not losing
Afghanistan
Well-known Afghan lawmaker and women’s rights activist survives car attack
Afghanistan
Long-troubled Afghan government undergoes overhaul
United Kingdom
Jihadist rapper filmed ranting at police on first night of London riots in Tottenham in 2011
Analysis: Islamic State snuff videos help to attract more followers
Brutal beheading videos attract young militants to the Islamic State. But the group’s leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi has struggled to recruit established jihadists.
United States
US State Department’s unclassified email system hacked
Al Nusrah Front
IS executes nearly 1,500 people in Syria in 5 months: monitor
Somalia
One person was killed and another injured when a bomb that was attached to a car exploded in Mogadishu. Mortar rounds were fired at the presidential palace in the Somali capital, but authorities claim none landed in the compound. Shabaab claimed responsibility for both attacks.
Egypt
Five students tied to the Muslim Brotherhood were transferred to a military court for trial on rioting charges; Egypt’s expansion of the reach of military courts is seen to have broad implications for political dissent, terrorism, and civil liberties. Egypt’s foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the execution of American Peter Kassig by the Islamic […]
Libya
Mitiga Airport closed down after fighting between unknown factions broke out in Tripoli. “Medical sources” claim 356 people – over 200 of them pro-government fighters – have been killed in the past month of fighting in Benghazi; the Libyan parliament has declared the city “a disaster area.”
Algeria
The Algerian Army killed seven “militants” and arrested two other suspects in a pair of operations near the borders with Mali and Libya. “A load of arms and missiles” was captured from the group attempting to enter the country from Mali.
Sweden
After a recent defector from the Islamic State claimed that the group has sleeper cells waiting for instruction in European countries, including Sweden, the state security service Säpo said it is concerned and is exchanging information on the group with other countries. Three Swedish fighters with the Islamic State, all of Somali origin, were killed […]
Norway
Among the 83 terrorist groups listed by the United Arab Emirates is the Islamic Association of Norway (Det Islamske Forbundet i Norge). Officials with the state security service refused to comment on the possible existence of Islamic State sleeper cells in Norway.
France
One of the jihadists shown in the Islamic State’s video on the beheading of US citizen Peter Kassig is reported to be French citizen Maxime Hauchard a.k.a. Abou Abdallah Al-Faransi, a Muslim convert who traveled to Syria in 2013. Another Frenchman also appeared in the video. Interior Minister Cazeneuve said authorities are investigating Hauchard, among […]
United Kingdom
In a largely secret trial, Erol Incedal, a law student from London, was convicted of possessing a manual on how to make bombs. Incedal is thought to have been planning a Mumbai-type attack as well as targeting former prime minister Tony Blair, and faces retrial on those charges in 2015. Incedal’s co-defendant, Mounir Rarmoul-Bouhadjar, also […]
Australia
Immigration Minister Morrison reached out to the family of four brothers from Sydney said to have gone to Turkey to join the Islamic State in Syria; he also urged citizens to call a hotline to report any suspected terrorist activities. Over 60 Australians are known to be currently fighting abroad.
Al Nusrah Front
Lebanese support ISIS airstrikes: survey
Afghanistan
Pakistan backs Afghan move to bring in Taliban