Somalia
Shabaab forces briefly took control of the town of Belad-Hawo; the military claimed 13 Shabaab fighters were killed in the counterattack. “Gunmen” attacked Kenyan troops in Kismayo.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Taliban, tribal leaders work together in North Waziristan
Hafiz Gul Bahadar could end attacks on Pakistani security forces if he really wanted, but he chooses not to.
Nigeria
The Nigerian military offered rewards for information leading to the arrest of Boko Haram’s top leaders. The military offered $312,500 for the group’s emir, Abubakar Shekau; $156,000 each for four senior leaders; and $62,500 for 14 commanders.
Somalia
Two Somali troops were killed as the soldiers clashed amongst themselves in Mogadishu. “Gunmen” killed a local businessman in Beledweyne; Shabaab is suspected of carrying out the attack.
Al Nusrah Front claims suicide attack at hospital, joint operation with Chechen fighters
The suicide attack targeted a military headquarters at a French hospital in Aleppo. In Handarat, Al Nusrah launched an assault on an air defense brigade base with a “battalion of Chechen emigrants.”
Afghanistan
Security forces killed 12 Taliban fighters, including several Pakistanis, in Zabul, and four more in Faryab. The deputy NDS chief in Herat was gunned down in the streets.
Somalia
One person was killed after Shabaab fighters attacked the home of a senior official in Kismayo. Security forces detained 20 armed Shabaab fighters during sweeps in Mogadishu.
Algeria
The military killed four al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb fighters during a raid in the town of Bordj Menaiel in Boumerdes. The region is a known AQIM hotspot.
Taliban claim attacks against Shia worshipers in Pakistan
A suicide bomber killed 12 people in Rawalpindi, while two more were killed in bombings in Karachi. Shia worshipers were the targets of both attacks.
US adds Pakistani hawala, 2 Taliban financiers to terrorism list
Rahat Ltd., a Pakistan-based hawala, its owner, and the owner of the Quetta branch, were added to the terrorism list for supporting the Taliban, including Mullah Barich, the shadow governor of Helmand province.
Afghanistan
A suicide bomber killed two security guards in an attack outside of Camp Eggers in Kabul. The government executed 14 prisoners in the past two days; the Taliban described them as “prisoners of war.”
Iraq
“Gunmen” killed the chief of the Abu Ghraib local council and two of his sons. Security forces detained a Naqshabandia commander in Mosul. The government allotted $7.7 million to fund the Awakening.
Yemen
A colonel who commanded a tank battalion and several soldiers were killed during fighting with “tribesmen” in Marib after an oil pipeline was bombed. The US Embassy urged Americans in Yemen to leave the country.
Mali
Jules Berto Rodriguez Leal, a French citizen, was kidnapped in Diema in western Mali. Six other Frenchmen have been kidnapped by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and other Islamist groups operating in Mali.
Libya
Colonel Faraj Mohammed Idris Drissi , the director of security for Benghazi, was gunned down in front of his home by masked men. Drissi had issued a directive for security forces to tackle the militias in the city in the wake of Ansar al Sharia’s storming of the US Consulate.
Al Qaeda
‘Intelligence Community’ Deleted Al Qaeda Reference From CIA Benghazi Document
Afghanistan
Freed Taliban prisoners now living with their families: Afghan High Peace Council
Afghanistan
France has ended its combat mission in Afghanistan. The Taliban attempted to assassinate the governor and security chief for Helmand. Two policemen and two Taliban fighters were killed during fighting in Helmand. The Taliban killed a policeman in an IED attack in Farah.
Iraq
Security forces killed a senior al Qaeda in Iraq commander in Wasit and detained 13 al Qaeda fighters near Ramadi. The chief of Kurdish military forces warned that a clash with central government forces could happen after fighting took place near Kirkuk.
Somalia
Somali and African Union forces are advancing on Burhakabo; Shabaab fighters are said to be abandoning the town. The US deported Nuradin Abdi to Somalia. Abdi served a jail sentence for plotting to blow up a mall in Ohio.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Senior religious leaders from Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Nigeria formed the League of the Ulemas of the Sahel to denounce al Qaeda-linked groups and terrorism. The council denounced al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the Movement for Tawhid and Jihad in West Africa, and Boko Haram.
Syrian jihadist groups reject rebel council, call for Islamic state
Two days ago, 14 jihadist groups, including the Al Nusrah Front, said that the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces was “forced on us” by foreign countries and domestic groups.
Afghanistan
President Karzai asked the US to free all Afghan prisoners currently being held at the Bagram detention facility. Security forces arrested a Taliban suicide attack facilitator in Kandahar.
Iraq
Insurgents gunned down an Iraqi journalist in Baghdad. Security forces detained 67 “terror suspects” during the past week. Three al Qaeda in Iraq fighters were captured north of Tikrit.
Yemen
Security forces arrested two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters at a hotel in Aden. The son of a senior military commander loyal to former President Salih was arrested in Hodeida for killing several policemen.
Somalia
Shabaab claimed it killed nine Ethiopian soldiers in Ghaneema in and six Ugandan troops near K50. Djiboutian soldiers arrested a government official in Beledweyne.
Algeria
The Army claimed that it killed senior al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb leader Rabah Makhfi, who is also known as Sheikh Nacer, and two others in Bejaia. Makhfi is thought to be AQIM’s top military commander.
Mali
The Movement for Tawhid and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) claimed it defeated a Tuareg rebel assault near Gao. The Tuaregs from the Movement for the Liberation of Azawad were beaten by MUJAO Osama bin Laden Battalion and more than 300 fighters from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s El Moulethemine Battalion.
Al Nusrah Front claims yet another suicide attack in Syria
The al Qaeda-linked group claimed credit for killing “not less than 60 elements” in an attack near the Turkish border.
Treasury adds Hezbollah leader who was in US custody last year to terrorism list
Musa Ali Daqduq has been added to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists. He was in US custody a mere 11 months ago before being transferred to Iraq and subsequently freed, and his terrorist activities were well known.