Kenya
A masked gunman killed nine people at a hotel in Garissa, near the Somali border. Security officials said that al Qaeda (Shabaab or al Qaeda in East Africa) was behind the deadly attack.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Somalia
Shabaab claimed to have beheaded 127 “spies” who work for the government over the past four months. Shabaab also claimed that Dahabshiil, a money transfer business, is paying a $500,000 tax every six months. Two Shabaab factions clashed in the town of Bardera.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed 13 members of a pro-government militia in Ghazni, while a suicide bomber killed five policemen and two civilians in Helmand. Security forces killed two Taliban fighters in Laghman and two more in Helmand. Five would-be suicide bombers, including a woman, were detained in Nangarhar.
Iraq
Insurgents killed nine Iraqis in a pair of attacks at two mosques in Kirkuk and Khalis, and an Awakening leader in Taji. Security forces captured six Al Nusrah Front members on the Syrian border and five al Qaeda operatives in Kirkuk.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed four civilians in an attack on a police checkpoint in Helmand. Seventeen girls were hospitalized after being poisoned at school in Takhar. General Dunford said the Taliban continue to benefit from safe havens in Pakistan.
Iraq
A suicide bomber killed 26 Iraqis in an attack at a cafe in Baghdad. Insurgents assassinated the top judge of Fallujah’s criminal court. Two al Qaeda fighters died while planting a bomb in Baghdad. Security forces detained nine al Qaeda fighters in Mosul.
IMU lauds another German killed in US drone strike
German Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leaders Yassin and Mounir Chouka and other top IMU figures praised Samir Hatour, who was killed by the US in a strike in North Waziristan in March 2012.
US drones kill 5 AQAP operatives in Yemen
An al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula recruiter is said to have been killed in one of the attacks, both of which took place in an area in central Yemen. The strikes are the first recorded in Yemen since January.
US drones kill 5 ‘militants’ in South Waziristan strike
The strike in Pakistan’s Taliban-controlled tribal agency of South Waziristan is the first since the beginning of January.
Pakistan
Sixteen people were killed in a bombing at an Awami National Party political rally in Peshawar. The Taliban killed four soldiers in a bombing in Miramshah in North Waziristan. Polio vaccination workers were attacked in Karachi.
Afghanistan
Afghan commandos killed a Taliban commander and 21 of his fighters, and captured 17 more during a raid in the Bati Kot district in Nangarhar. General Dunford said that US forces should remain in Afghanistan after 2014.
Iraq
Insurgents killed 35 Iraqis yesterday in a series of bombings and armed attacks throughout the country. The Interior Ministry announced that it hanged 21 prisoners convicted of terrorism-related charges.
Somalia
Shabaab claimed it killed two Djiboutian soldiers in an attack in Beledweyne and four militia fighters in Mogadishu. Somali officials said that a Canadian was among several foreign fighters who attacked a courthouse in the capital on April 14.
Pakistani Taliban deny responsibility for Boston Marathon bombings
Authorities warned police to be on the lookout for a “darker-skinned or black male” with a foreign accent, while a Saudi student being questioned is said to be a person of interest.
ISAF captures senior Lashkar-e-Taiba leader in Ghazni
Also, an “insurgent leader” who financed foreign fighters and coordinated attacks throughout Afghanistan was killed in Kunar province.
4 ‘militants’ killed in US drone strike in Pakistan
The strike is the first by the US in Pakistan in 23 days. The attack took place in the al Qaeda and Taliban haven of Datta Khel in North Waziristan.
Iraq
Insurgents killed 10 people, including a politician, in attacks in Mosul, Fallujah, and Muqadiyah. Security forces captured 18 al Qaeda commanders and operatives as they were crossing the border into Syria.
Chad to withdraw combat forces from Mali
“The Chadian army does not have the skills to fight a shadowy, guerrilla-style war that is taking place in northern Mali,” President Deby said.
Somalia
A Shabaab assault team dressed in Somali police uniforms attacked a court in Mogadishu after detonating bombs outside of the complex. Shabaab killed 13 people in the attack. Later, Shabaab killed one person in a bombing outside of a security headquarters int he capital.
Somalia
Shabaab claimed to have killed six Kenyan soldiers in Tabta and militia fighters in Jannaale. Somali elders in the south accused the Kenyans of interfering in their internal affairs.
Pakistan
Four Taliban fighters and a policeman were killed during a clash in Peshawar. The US will end counterinsurgency support funding for Pakistani forces starting in 2014. Former President Musharraf admitted that he approved some US drone strikes in Pakistan.
Afghanistan
The Taliban overran an Afghan Army military post in Kunar, killing 13 soldiers and capturing two more; five Taliban fighters were also killed during the assault. A Taliban judge, 11 fighters, and four civilians were killed during clashes in Sar-i-Pul, Helmand, and Nangarhar.
Iraq
Al Qaeda killed 14 people in two bombings outside of a mosque in the town of Kaanan in Diyala. An Awakening leader was assassinated in Kirkuk. Security forces uncovered a bomb factory in Kirkuk.
Taliban overrun Afghan National Army outpost in Kunar
The Afghan unit was from one of a few battalions rated to operate independently and without ISAF advisers. Kunar remains a Taliban and al Qaeda haven.
German IMU fighter killed in drone strike last fall
Wanted Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan spokesman Yassin Chouka announced the death of Ahmed, who was described as “the King of Setterich.” Ahmed was killed in the Oct. 10, 2012 strike in Mir Ali, North Waziristan.
Pakistan
Fifteen “militants” and one security official were killed during fighting in the Tirah Valley in Khyber. Two Pakistanis were killed in a bombing in Khyber. The Taliban assassinated a politician in a drive-by shooting in Hyderabad.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed four Afghans in two bombings in Helmand and Uruzgan, and two children in a mortar attack in Paktika. Special operations forces killed a relative of an advisor to President Karzai during a raid in Uruzgan.
Iraq
Insurgents killed two soldiers in Ninewa and a policeman in Anbar. Security forces detained nine al Qaeda fighters in Hawijah and five “terrorists” in Anbar.
Pakistan
Security forces killed eight Taliban fighters in Arakzai. The Taliban killed a policeman in an attack on polio vaccination teams in Mardan. Five people, including two policemen, were killed in attacks in Karachi.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed four policemen in Nimroz, three civilians in Helmand, and an NDS agent in Kunduz. An Afghan soldier fired an RPG at Lithuanian soldiers in Ghor, wounding two. The governor of Balkh province said the West has failed Afghanistan.