Iraq
Insurgents killed 32 Iraqis, including eight policemen, and wounded 181 more in a series of bombings and attacks in Kirkuk, Tuz, and Baghdad. Security forces captured a local al Qaeda leader in Baqubah.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Yemen
“Gunmen” assassinated the deputy chief of police in a shooting from a motorcycle in Damar. Iran’s ambassador to Yemen denied the US ambassador’s accusation that Iran is supporting insurgent and terrorist groups.
Somalia
Shabaab said it would execute French hostage and intelligence agent Denis Allex. Police officials claimed to have detained 1,700 suspected Shabaab members in Mogadishu. Puntland security forces launched an operation in Galgala against Shabaab.
Taliban suicide assault team attacks Afghan intelligence headquarters in Kabul
National Directorate of Security personnel repelled the suicide assault team after it detonated a bomb at the main gate and entered the compound.
Shabaab executes French hostage Denis Allex
“With the rescue attempt, France has voluntarily signed Allex’s death warrant,” the terror group said in an official statement. Shabaab later announced he was executed. The French intelligence agent has been held by Shabaab since July 2009.
Afghanistan
Al Qaeda is back in business
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed four members of a family in an IED attack in Kandahar. Security forces killed and captured several Taliban commanders and fighters during raids in Nangarhar, Logar, Wardak, and Kandahar.
Iraq
A suicide bomber killed Sheikh Aifan Sadoun Aifan al-Issawi, a member of Parliament and prominent Awakening leader in Fallujah. Aifan formed the Awakening in Fallujah in 2006 and battled al Qaeda in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia
The government is prosecuting 17 men for terrorism activities. The men are accused of sheltering al Qaeda operatives, plotting attacks against Aramco and oil tankers, fighting in Iraq, and financing terrorism.
Yemen
A Yemeni official said that tribesmen sold a Finnish couple and an Austrian man who were kidnapped last month to al Qaeda in Baydah province. Security forces detained two AQAP fighters near Sana’a. Nine AQAP fighters are being tried for last year’s suicide attack in Sana’a that killed 86 troops.
Tunisia
Ansar al Sharia in Tunisia released a video showing Ali Ani al Harzi, one of the key suspects in the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. The Tunisian government freed al Harzi despite US interest in him. Ansar al Sharia in Libya carried out the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi.
Shabaab releases photos of French commando captured in failed rescue mission
Shabaab displayed the body and equipment of a French commando who was wounded and captured late last week following a failed hostage rescue in Somalia, and later died. The terror group also said the “fate” of hostage Denis Allex will be announced soon.
Pakistan
The Mujahideen Ansar, an Uzbek group, took credit for the IED attack in North Waziristan that killed 14 Pakistani soldiers. The Taliban killed three more soldiers in an IED attack in Charsadda.
Afghanistan
Afghan officials claimed ISAF killed seven civilians and four Taliban fighters during airstrikes in Wardak; ISAF denied it launched airstrikes or killed civilians but said it conducted a ground raid with Afghan forces. The Taliban executed a female activist in Wardak.
Iraq
Insurgents killed three Iraqi soldiers in a hand grenade attack at a checkpoint in Samarra. The finance minister, who has been in a dispute with the prime minister, survived an assassination attempt near Abu Ghraib; two bodyguards were wounded.
Somalia
The government condemned France’s attempt to free Denis Allex, who is being held by Shabaab. Witnesses in Daaydoog claimed the French troops killed civilians before attempting the rescue, which led Somalis to warn Shabaab of the raid. Shabaab executed two civilians in Jilib.
Uzbek terror group kills 14 Pakistani soldiers in North Waziristan
The Mujahideen Ansar took credit for the IED attack in Razmak. The attack took place just one day after Hakeemullah Mehsud called for jihadists in North Waziristan to stop attacking the Pakistani military and focus efforts on NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Hakeemullah Mehsud orders Taliban to end attacks on Pakistani military in North Waziristan: report
The emir of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan also said his forces would focus on fighting NATO in Afghanistan.
Iraq
Insurgents killed two soccer players in an IED attack on the team bus in Kirkuk. Iraq closed all border crossings with Syria until further notice.
Somalia
French commandos attempted to free Denis Allex, a French intelligence operative captured by Shabaab in 2009. A French soldier was killed and another was captured during the failed raid. Seventeen Shabaab fighters were killed.
Sudan
Al Qaeda in the Land of the Two Niles has formed a students’ group at the University of Khartoum. The students said that the Sudanese government is not pursuing al Qaeda in Sudan.
Mali
The French military has intervened in Mali. French aircraft and attack helicopters beat back a jihadist advance on the town of Mopti, while soldiers are being deployed to Sevare. More than a hundred Islamists are said to have been killed.
French troops intervene in Mali
French aircraft and attack helicopters beat back a jihadist advance on the town of Mopti.
Al Qaeda in Sudan launches ‘student wing’ at University of Khartoum
Students at the university who formed the group also said that the Sudanese government is not pursuing al Qaeda.
Shabaab kills, captures French soldiers during failed rescue mission in Somalia
French commandos from the General Directorate for External Security attempted to rescue Denis Allex, one of their operatives captured in 2009. The French said they believe Allex was killed in the raid; Shabaab denied the claim.
Al Nusrah, jihadist allies overrun Syrian airbase
A jihadist alliance made up of the Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, and the Islamic Vanguard seized control of the Taftanaz air base in Idlib.
Afghanistan
President Obama said US forces would switch to a support role this spring and that the goals in Afghanistan have largely been met. The Taliban killed four policemen in Badghis and an ISAF soldier in the west.
Iraq
“Gunmen” killed a member of the Awakening and his seven-year-old son in Mosul. Security forces detained three insurgents with a car bomb in Mosul and three suspected assassins in Diyala.
Pakistan
The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi killed 92 people in suicide and IED attacks in Quetta. Twenty-two more Pakistanis were killed in a blast in Swat; it is unclear if the blast was caused by a bomb. US drones killed six “militants” in North Waziristan.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed a US soldier in an attack in the east. Special operations forces killed an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan facilitator and captured several Taliban commanders.