Tunisia
The country’s recent election results of a victory for secularists have been hailed as a “possible model for the region,” yet are also described as fragile.
Author Archives: Bill Ardolino
Algeria
Algerian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdelaziz Benali Cherif condemned last Thursday’s terrorist attacks on forces in neighboring Niger on Friday.
Nigeria
Boko Haraam leader Abubakar Shekau has denied the government’s previous announcement of a ceasefire or any pending agreement to release girls kidnapped by the group in April. He also said the girls have been converted to Islam and “married … off” and threatened to kill a German hostage. A car bomb killed at least 23 […]
Syria
Iraqi Peshmerga forces have begun to arrive in Kobane to reinforce Syrian Kurds; about 50 free Syrian Fighters have also joined the fight against the Islamic State. Ten of 12 US airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday were dropped near Kobane. Twenty to 30 former Guantanamo Bay detainees are suspected to have joined jihadist groups in […]
Egypt
The Egyptian Army began demolishing homes to create a buffer zone against militants in the Sinai; the Army is also preparing for an operation to target “Sinai extremists.” The Egyptian government banned a pro-Morsi political group. The US embassy has warned Americans in Egypt of potential attacks by al Qaeda-affiliated groups after a recent threat […]
Libya
Ten people were killed when rockets struck a residential neighborhood in Benghazi as fighting continued between Islamist militias and the pro-government forces. Amnesty International states that rival factions have committed war crimes via indiscriminate shelling. A car bomb exploded in front of the security headquarters in Tobruk on Tuesday, killing one person.
Somalia
Somali government forces killed four members of Shabaab in the Hiran region in south-central Somalia. A Shabaab leader killed in a US airstrike on Sept. 1 reportedly “had established new ties with” the Islamic State. The first wave of 2,700 additional Ugandan troops deployed to the country has arrived at Mogadishu International Airport.
Tunisia
The final tally in Tunisia’s election shows a total of 85 (of 217) seats for the secular Nidaa Tunis party vs. 69 for the Islamist Ennhahda party.
Mali
French forces and an AQIM-affiliated group clashed in the Tigharghar valley near the Algerian border. One French paratrooper and about 20 of an estimated 30 militants were killed, according to the French defense minister.
Nigeria
Boko Haram attacked the town of Mubi, again violating the recent ceasefire with the government as negotiations are ongoing in Chad. The group ransacked the local emir’s palace, freed jailed militants, burned houses, and killed “several people.” The Nigerian air force launched airstrikes in retaliation.
Syria
150 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga departed for Syria (via Turkey) to join the fight in Kobane. The US conducted four airstrikes near Kobane, “destroying a small Islamic State unit and four fighting positions.” Turkey has named conditions for assisting the West in the battle for Kobane, insisting on Free Syrian Army leadership instead of “Kurdish ‘terrorists.’” […]
Egypt
Egypt has placed civilian infrastructure under the jurisdiction of the military in the wake of the Oct. 24 terrorist attack in the Sinai that killed 33 Egyptian security personnel. The army has intensified operations in the Sinai, killing four “suspected terrorists,” capturing 10, and deploying Apache attack helicopters to destroy 33 “terrorist hideouts,” according to […]
Libya
Egypt’s foreign minister warned that Islamist militias are close to seizing Libya’s oil fields. Heavily-armed militias have surrounded Niger’s embassy in Tripoli. Pro-government forces have called for residents to evacuate the Sabri district as heavy fighting continues in Benghazi. Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani has accepted a Sudanese proposal for peace talks. A UN special envoy […]
Somalia
Uganda has started sending 2,700 additional troops to Somalia, three weeks after capturing the strategic port of Barawe from Shabaab. African peacekeeping forces said the terrorist group has been pushed from eight towns since major operations began in September. Despite recent gains, an International Crisis Group report predicts that “it will be a long war.”
Tunisia
Multiple reports have confirmed that the secular party Nidaa Tounes has defeated the Islamist party Ennahda (83 seats vs. 68) in Tunisia’s historic elections.
Algeria
Algerian officials have pledged a strong response to terrorism after a local group has declared allegiance to the Islamic State. Yesterday, the defense ministry announced that Algerian troops killed two militants and seized “two Kalashnikov rifles, a pair of binoculars, three grenades, cell phones and other items” in Jijel province on Oct. 26.
Mali
France has criticized the “slow deployment of UN peacekeepers,” citing an increase in attacks by Islamist groups, and plans to redeploy troops from neighboring countries to reinforce its operations in northern Mali.
Nigeria
A government spokesman and Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs have stated that negotiations with Boko Haram to release more than 200 school girls kidnapped in April are still underway, despite the terrorist group’s violation of a ceasefire. The group kidnapped 60 additional women and girls on Oct. 22, after the agreement was announced.
Syria
The death toll in Kobane has surpassed 800 after 40 days of fighting; the tally includes 481 Islamic State fighters, 302 Kurdish YPG, and 21 civilians. The US carried out five airstrikes near Kobane over the weekend, as Kurdish forces repelled four consecutive days of jihadist assaults on the Turkish border crossing near the town. […]
Somalia
A Mogadishu military court executed two members of Shabaab by firing squad on Sunday after the pair were convicted of killing a journalist.
Egypt
The Egyptian military conducted airstrikes on suspected terrorists in north Sinai, killing six, wounding 11, and destroying “ammunition storehouses and several vehicles.” The operation was conducted in response to attacks that killed 33 Egyptian soldiers on Oct. 24. A senior Egyptian official has blamed the violence on Palestinian militants, and the country’s foreign minister is […]
Tunisia
There was high voter turnout for the first general election under Tunisia’s new constitution. The secular party Nidaa Tounes has taken the lead in parliament, winning 80 seats versus 67 seats for the Islamist party Ennahda, according to a preliminary ballot count from a “party source.”
Libya
The death toll rose to at least 130 amidst heavy fighting in the Libyan Army’s offensive to retake Benghazi from Islamist militias. Three jihadist leaders, including two Ansar al Sharia commanders and the head of the Brega Martyrs Brigade, are reported to have been captured by government forces. Southern Libya has become a haven for […]
Nigeria
Boko Haram kidnapped 30 more boys and girls from the town of Mafa, casting further doubt on a recently announced ceasefire with the government. A Human Rights Watch report detailed the torture, forced conversion, and other abuse of previously held captives at the hands of the terrorist group.
Syria
King’s College in London estimates that one British jihadi is killed in Syria or Iraq every three weeks. US officials stated that the town of Kobane is less likely to fall to the Islamic State and the “battle line has kind of stabilized” since Kurdish forces received US air support. Smugglers are selling passage into […]
Somalia
Kenyan Defense Forces and Somalia National Army soldiers claimed to have killed over 80 “Shabaab militants in an offensive in Jamaame and Magambo areas near Kismayu in Somalia.” Shabaab fighters attacked government forces near Afgoye district in the southeastern portion of the country. Somalia’s ambassador to Ethiopia has stated that the terrorist group is greatly […]
Egypt
An attack on an Egyptian Army post on the Sinai Peninsula has killed 25 and wounded 20. Multiple reports assert that it was the result of a suicide bombing, though one “top official” claimed that the location was hit with “a mortar round and rocket-propelled grenades,” causing a secondary explosion. Meanwhile, “at least four” masked […]
Tunisia
Tunisian forces stormed a home held by armed militants in Tunis and killed six people, ending a day-long stand-off that began with an antiterrorism raid and gunfight that killed one policeman.
Libya
The Libyan military and the secular militia forces of Major General Khalifa Hafter conducted raids on the homes of Islamist militia leaders in Benghazi on Oct. 23, resulting in 29 deaths. An estimated 149 have died during fighting in the last week. According to one report, the Libyan Army met little resistance when it first […]
Nigeria
Despite yesterday’s bombing and the kidnapping of 60 additional women and girls by Boko Haram on Oct. 22, an official with Chad’s foreign ministry has asserted that the deal between the terrorist group and the government of Nigeria to free the 219 girls kidnapped in April will go forward.