Yemen
The leader of a pro-government militia in Abyan escaped an assassination attempt. Security forces detained seven al Qaeda operatives, including a Somali, in Jaar, and seized more than 20 suicide vests in a shop in Sana’a.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Taliban suicide bombers kill 3 ISAF troops in Kunar
The pair of suicide bombers hit Western soldiers as they were going to a meeting of the provincial council.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed eight civilians in an IED attack in Kabul, three civilians in a suicide attack in Logar, and two ISAF soldiers in attacks in the south and east. Two Afghan troops gunned down an ISAF soldier in the east. Defense Minister Wardak has resigned.
Yemen
The US killed an al Qaeda bomb maker and nine fighters in a pair of drone strikes in Baydah and Hadramout provinces. The government is sending four Egyptian AQAP fighters back to Egypt. Security forces detained six AQAP fighters in Jaar.
US kills AQAP bombmaker, 9 fighters in pair of strikes in Yemen
Two Egyptians, a Tunisian, a Saudi, and a Bahraini were among the seven AQAP fighters killed in one of the strikes. Abdullah Awad al Masri, a senior al Qaeda bombmaker, was also killed.
Somalia
Shabaab claimed it killed 60 Ethiopian troops, took control of the town of Hudur, and torched the Ethiopian bases before withdrawing; Shabaab said seven of its fighters were killed. The Somali government is sending 220 police officers to Beledweyne.
Afghan troops kill ISAF soldier in latest green-on-blue attack
Afghan security forces have now killed 28 ISAF soldiers this year, and 90 total since May 2007.
US adds Saudi al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan to terror list
Mansur al Harbi runs an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, and helps foreign fighters enter the country. He has close ties to top al Qaeda leaders, including Saif al Adel.
Mujahideen Shura Council denies involvement in Sinai assault
The jihadist group noted it avoided targeting Egyptian troops in its last attack and said their “main goal is to fight the usurping Jews.”
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed six Afghan soldiers in Musa Qala in Helmand; 11 policemen defected to the Taliban in Musa Qala. The Taliban killed a district police chief in Ghor and an ISAF soldier in the south. Police killed six Taliban fighters in Logar, Ghazni, and Herat.
Iraq
Eleven members of al Qaeda in Iraq were caught while attempting to escape from the Abu Ghraib prison. Iraq’s oil pipeline through Turkey was shut down after a blast in Turkey.
Yemen
Yemeni officials said that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula still has a strong presence in much of Abyan province, and security forces are spread too thin. The Aden petroleum refinery has reopened after a nine-month shutdown due to terror attacks in the south.
Somalia
The Somali government claimed its forces killed 20 Shabaab fighters during a clash in Afgoye. Two people were killed in an IED attack in Mogadishu. The manager of Mogadishu’s airport was gunned down.
‘Global jihadists’ overrun Egyptian Army outpost on Israeli border
More than 10 Egyptian soldiers were killed as an al Qaeda-linked terror group overran an outpost, seized two armored personnel carriers, and crossed into Israel. Israeli troops destroyed one of the APCs, and killed six terrorists. In a separate operation, the Israeli Air Force targeted a Mujahideen Shura Council “terrorist squad” that was plotting future attacks.
Afghanistan
ISAF killed al Qaeda’s emir and deputy emir for Kunar, and a facilitator in an airstrike on Aug. 3. Three Taliban commanders were killed during infighting in Balkh. President Karzai accepted parliament’s dismissal of the defense and interior ministers over cross-border attacks from pakistan.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Eyeing the Exits
Iraq
Insurgents killed three policemen in Mosul and another in Baghdad, and a police commander in Rutbah. Three gunmen and two security personnel were killed in a clash Bayji.
Yemen
The death toll of yesterday’s suicide attack at a funeral in Jaar has been revised upward to 45. The suicide bomber targeted Abdul Latif Al Sayed, the leader of an anti-al Qaeda tribal militia. Two of Sayed’s brothers were among those killed in the attack.
Nigeria
A suicide bomber killed five soldiers in an attack in Damaturu. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau labeled US President Obama a “global terrorist” and called on Nigerian President Goodluck to “repent.”
Al Qaeda emir for Kunar, deputy, and facilitator killed in airstrikes
Mufti Assad, the emir for Kunar, and his deputy, Yusuf, were killed in the Aug. 3 airstrike in the Watahpur district. Both al Qaeda leaders were Pakistani citizens. Fatah Gul, an al Qaeda facilitator who ran training camps, was killed in a separate strike.
Pakistan
Security forces detained five Taliban fighters who were planning sectarian attacks in Multan and three “terrorists” in Lakki Marwat. Pakistan has reopened the Khyber crossing to NATO supplies.
Afghanistan
Eight Taliban fighters and six civilians were killed in clashes throughout the country. The Taliban killed two New Zealand soldiers and two Afghan security personnel in Bamyan. Two officers at the Mazar-i-Sharif training center were detained for links to “armed opposition groups.”
Al Nusrah Front conducts joint operation with Free Syrian Army
Al Qaeda has penetrated the Free Syrian Army and provides the expertise to effectively strike at the Syrian military.
US drone strike kills 5 AQAP fighters in eastern Yemen
The strike is the first recorded in Yemen in more than a month, and took place as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula killed more than 20 people at a funeral in southern Yemen.
Yemen
US drones killed five Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in a strike in Hadramout. A suicide homer killed 20 people and wounded 20 more in an attack at a funeral in Jaar in Abyan province.
Somalia
Eighteen people were killed as Somali troops and Shabaab forces clashed in the Qansah-dhere district in Bay. Somalis in Mogadishu protested against robberies by government forces.
Nigeria
Security forces arrested a Boko Haram fighter during a raid on an IED factory in Kaduna. Explosions were heard in Maiduguri as the Joint Task Force conducted raids against Boko Haram.
Algeria
Algerian Government Investigates Movement of Jihadists Into Syria
IMU announces death of emir, names new leader
The al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan has announced the death of its emir, Abu Usman Adil, in a drone strike in Pakistan in April, and named Usman Ghazi to replace him. Adil was responsible for ramping up the IMU’s activities in Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda-linked fighters killed in airstrike in Kunar
Several “al Qaeda associated insurgents” were killed in the airstrike in the Watahpur district in Kunar, where two al Qaeda and two Lashkar-eTaiba leaders have been killed since the end of May.