Tunisia
The Tunisian National Army launched air strikes on “areas where terrorists would be entrenched in Mount Ouergha, Kef.” The government operation follows a militant attack on a local merchant on Nov. 16.
Author Archives: Bill Ardolino
Nigeria
A mob beat a suspected suicide bomber to death at a bus stop in Gombe City before the man could carry out an attack. Some politicians have declared the country’s state of emergency in the volatile northeast a failure, as the legislature is set to vote on a bid to extend the measure.
Syria
A regime airstrike killed at least 13 people and wounded 20 in Aleppo, according to SOHR. Kurdish forces captured six buildings used by the Islamic State and significant weapons and ammunition near Kobane; the US-led coalition conducted seven airstrikes overnight near the embattled city. Jihadists and US-backed rebels have reportedly aligned in the battle for […]
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.
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.
Kenya
Kenyan police announced the arrest of 10 suspected Shabaab operatives at the Somali border on Nov. 12. Two of the suspects are women who authorities claim intended to conduct suicide attacks.
Somalia
Somali security forces searched vehicles in Mogadishu on Nov. 13 in response to a series of attacks on government workers in the city. Shabaab kidnapped 20 people and beheaded two women after briefly taking over Kuhda Island in southern Somalia.
Nigeria
Boko Haram has reportedly retaken Chibok, site of the infamous kidnapping of more than 200 school girls in April. A Nigerian Air Force helicopter crashed in Yolo, Adamawa State, killing all three crew members. A coalition of Nigerian Army, “local hunters, and civilian vigilantes” are reported to have recaptured the towns of Mubi and Maiha […]
Egypt
Jihadists killed five off-duty soldiers and policemen after setting up ad hoc checkpoints in the Sinai. Five sailors were injured and eight remain missing after an Egyptian naval vessel was attacked in the Mediterranean by an unidentified group on Nov 12.
Libya
A pair of car bombs detonated near the closed Egyptian and UAE embassies in Tripoli, causing no injuries but some damage. The UAE blamed Libya Dawn and Ansar al Sharia for the attack. Ansar al Sharia released a video showing the beheading of a Libyan soldier who was fighting among General Khalifa Hiftar’s pro-government forces […]
Syria
Rebel sources are claiming that leaders from the Islamic State and the Al Nusrah Front have agreed to a truce in light of Western intervention. The US launched another round of airstrikes against Al Nusrah, targeting “at least one top operative” of the Khorasan Group. Western airstrikes on the Islamic State in Raqqa have reportedly […]
Tunisia
Two presidential candidates were notified by security forces of assassination threats; one of the candidates specified Ansar al Sharia was the source of the threat against him. Government agencies are preparing for a wave of Libyan refugees from the neighboring conflict, despite public resentment about the potential impact on resources and the economy.
Syria
US and allied forces conducted 16 airstrikes in Syria since Nov. 10; 10 of them near Kobane. US President Barack Obama has requested a review of policy towards Syria and may be open to the deposition of the Assad regime, according to senior officials interviewed by CNN. The Kurdish YPG is angling for self-rule in […]
Syria
A UN envoy to Syria claims that regime officials gave him “positive signals” regarding a proposal for a ceasefire in Aleppo. The SOHR has stated that more than 860 have been killed since the start of US and allied airstrikes in Syria, including 746 Islamic State fighters, 68 members of Nusrah and at least 50 […]
Egypt
A car bomb exploded outside of a restaurant on the Sinai on Nov. 11, wounding 10 people. An Egyptian court sentenced 25 individuals to 25 years, three people to 10 years, and seven more to three years over support of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Libya
Two car bombs exploded in the pro-government strongholds of Tobruk and Labraq in eastern Libya, killing at least 13 people and injuring over 15. A third car bomb exploded in Benghazi, causing “damage” but no casualties. The Libyan Army reportedly conducted airstrikes against Islamists in Derna who are aligned with the Islamic State; four people […]
Algeria
Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal declared that “Algeria is safe from IS [The Islamic State], the Maghreb and North Africa cannot become acquainted with IS.” The deputy defense minister and army chief of staff pledged the army’s “determination” to “eradicate” terrorism.
Tunisia
Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou said his country “is facing ‘serious security threats along the border with Algeria, that is in the governorates of Kef, Jendouba and Kasserine’” due to “movements by terrorists” in these areas. An expert on political Islam at the Tunisian Institute for Strategic Studies to the Presidency stated that Salafism and […]
Nigeria
A female suicide bomber detonated explosives near a government college in northern Nigeria, injuring at least three people. The US State Department responded to criticism by the Nigerian ambassador about a lack of military assistance in the fight against terrorism, stating there had been “a great deal” of aid, while acknowledging that attack helicopters had […]
Egypt
The Egyptian military announced the arrest of 14 suspected terrorists and the “destruction of 30 ‘terrorist hideouts’” in the Sinai. Egypt has relieved over 200 school teachers and transferred them to “administrative posts in the ministry,” and it has banned Libyan schools in Egypt due to links to the Muslim Brotherhood. The interior ministry has […]
Nigeria
The Nigerian ambassador to the US blasted the US for refusing to sell arms to support his country’s fight against Boko Haram. The jihadist group is urging residents of Mubi to return after its takeover of the eastern town; 13,000 residents are reported to have fled into Cameroon.
Libya
Three human rights activists were beheaded in Islamist-controlled Derna, where factions recently swore allegiance to the Islamic State. A UN envoy met with the speaker of the Libyan General National Congress to discuss stabilization of the country. The jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia may soon be added to the UN terror list.
Tunisia
The French interior minister visited Tunisia and stated that both countries pledged to increase cooperation in preventing citizens from joining the jihad in Iraq and Syria. The US donated $2 million in night vision equipment to the Tunisian military.