Somalia
Shabaab retook control of El Bur after Ethiopian and Somali forces withdrew from the town. Pirates released a Greek owned ship after receiving a $4 million ransom.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Boko Haram suicide bomber, gunmen attack churches in Nigeria
In Jos, a suicide bomber attempted to ram his explosives-laden car into a church, while in Biu, gunmen opened fire inside another church.
Al Qaeda media chief laments deaths of 2 Pakistani clerics
Ustad Ahmand Farooq said the deaths of two clerics associated with radical, jihadist-linked madrassas are “harder for us to bear than the news of the martyrdom of our own brothers.”
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed four French soldiers in a suicide attack in Kapisa, two Afghan soldiers in Helmand, an ISAF soldier in the east, and a tribal leader in Nangarhar. Security forces killed 11 Taliban fighters. General Allen said that ISAF will no longer target homes in airstrikes.
Yemen
Ten al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and three Yemeni soldiers were killed in fighting outside of Jaar in Abyan province. AQAP still controls the town after one month of fighting.
Somalia
The Kenya Defense Force said that it will not negotiate with Shabaab to release two government employees who were kidnapped in Somalia. Prime Minister Mohammed denied that the government cannot account for more than $130 million in foreign aid.
Taliban suicide bomber kills 4 French soldiers
The Taliban claimed credit for the suicide attack. “Foreign fighters” are known to operate in the area.
Afghanistan
Several Taliban fighters and prisoners escaped from a jail in Sar-i-Pul; five people were killed during the jailbreak. Gunmen killed a police commander in Jawzjan. General Allen apologized for the airstrike that accidentally killed civilians in Logar.
Iraq
Insurgents killed four Iraqis in shootings and bombings in Baghdad, Balad Ruz, and Kirkuk. A colonel was killed and his family wounded in Baghdad, while a soldier was killed in Kirkuk.
Yemen
Five tribesmen and three al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters were killed during fighting to control Al Bais, a town north of Jaar. A senior cleric called for AQAP to lay down its weapons and said suicide bombings are not part of jihad.
Somalia
Kenyan helicopters fired on Kismayo while Shabaab cordoned the city. Four people were killed during clashes between Shabaab and Somali forces in Garbaharay. The head of AMISOM said that Balad is the next town to be wrested from Shabaab’s control.
Nigeria
A Boko Haram suicide bomber killed four people, including a policeman, in an attack on a police headquarters in Maiduguri. A suspected Boko Haram fighter died in a premature detonation in Maiduguri.
Pakistani Taliban kill 19 people in Peshawar bombing
Meanwhile the Pakistani government dropped support for an anti-Taliban militia in Peshawar, and confiscated their weapons.
Boko Haram suicide bomber kills 4 policemen
The suicide attack targeted a police station in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, which has been at the center of Boko Haram’s violent terrorist insurgency.
Pakistan
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that the US is “reaching the limits of our patience” with terrorists sheltering in Pakistan and attacking in Afghanistan. Twelve people were killed in a bombing outside of a seminary in Quetta.
Afghanistan
Twenty-six Taliban fighters, four policemen, and a soldier were killed in fighting nationwide. ISAF killed three al Qaeda operatives in an airstrike in Wardak. The Taliban killed an ISAF soldier in the south. President Karzai said an ISAF airstrike that reportedly killed 18 civilians and eight Taliban fighters was “unacceptable.”
Iraq
The government executed Abed Hamoud, Saddam Hussein’s private secretary, for ordering assassinations and detentions of political rivals. “Gunmen” killed two Awakening members in northern Baghdad.
Yemen
Twenty al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and five tribesmen were killed during fighting outside of Jaar. Yemeni helicopter gunships opened fire on AQAP positions in Jaar.
Somalia
The US State Department offered rewards ranging from $3 million to $7 million for seven senior Shabaab leaders. Shabaab emir Sheikh Mukhtar Abu Zubayr’s reward of $7 million puts him at number six on the Rewards for Justice list of wanted terrorists.
Nigeria
Boko Haram claimed credit for murdering a former deputy chief of police in Kano. The US continues to consider placing Boko Haram on its list of designated terrorist entires.
ISAF airstrike kills 3 al Qaeda operatives in Afghan east
The airstrike took place in the same district in Wardak province where 38 US and Afghan troops, including Navy SEALs, were killed when their helicopter was shot down in August 2011.
7 Shabaab leaders added to Rewards for Justice most wanted list
Shabaab emir Sheikh Mukhtar Abu Zubayr’s reward of $7 million puts him at number six on the Rewards for Justice list of wanted terrorists.
Pakistan
US Secretary of Defense Panetta said that the drone strikes will continue in Pakistan. Nine Taliban fighters and two tribesmen were killed during fighting in Khyber. The Taliban has bombed 22 schools in Nowshera.
Afghanistan
Two Taliban suicide bombers killed 21 people in Kandahar; another suicide bomber killed two Afghans in Faryab. An ISAF airstrike killed 18 civilians and eight Taliban fighters in Logar. The NDS arrested 15 people involved in poisonings at girls’ schools in Takhar. ISAF captured an al Qaeda facilitator in Faryab. Two ISAF soldiers were killed […]
Yemen
Thirteen al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and four soldiers were killed during fighting in southern Yemen. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that tens of thousands of Yemeni civilians are trapped in the fighting.
Kenya
A court charged Magd Najjar, a Swiss citizen, with “engaging in organized criminal activities by being a member of Al Shabaab.” Najjar has also been charged with entering Kenya illegally. His trial will begin on July 2.
Nigeria
Nineteen people were killed during fighting between security forces and Boko Haram in Maiduguri and Kano. The heaviest fighting took place in the neighborhood of Lawan Bukar in Maiduguri, where explosions were reported yesterday.
ISAF detains al Qaeda facilitator in Afghan north
The al Qaeda facilitator, who was based in Takhar province, “served as a financier and liaison between al Qaeda leaders,” according to ISAF.
On drones and their ability to defeat al Qaeda
The drones are a tactic, not a strategy, and fail to address the key issues of radical Islamist ideologies, state support of terrorism, and al Qaeda’s ability to exploit ungoverned spaces.
Taliban kill 21 Afghans in double suicide attack
“The agents of Punjab have once again spilled the blood of innocent civilians,” Kandahar’s chief of police said, referring to Pakistan’s influence over the Taliban.