Afghanistan
A suicide bomber killed 12 people, including three ISAF soldiers, in Faryab. Security forces killed 16 insurgents in Kapisa and have assumed command of security in Takhar.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Iraq
The government postponed a reconciliation conference. Vice President Tariq al Hashemi, who is wanted for terrorism charges, has arrived in Saudi Arabia.
Yemen
The military claimed it ousted al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula from its positions in an areas between Lahj and Abyan provinces. The head of the Republican Guard, who is former President Saleh’s son, reportedly disobeyed orders from President Hadi to stop the fighting north of Sana’a.
Somalia
Shabaab claimed credit for a bombing at the national theater that killed 10 people, including the presidents of Somalia’s Olympic committee and soccer federation. Prime Minister Ali was at the theater. Shabaab denied using a female suicide bomber to execute the attack.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Three senior Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb leaders have been spotted in northern Mali after Tuareg rebels seized control of the area. Abu Zeid, Mukhtar Belmukhtar, and Yahya Abu al Hammam reportedly met with Tuareg leader Iyad Ag Ghaly in Timbuktu.
Shabaab claims bombing at Mogadishu theater
Two top sports official were among 10 people killed. Somalia’s defense minister claimed the attack was carried out by a female suicide bomber, but Shabaab denied the claim.
Suicide bomber kills 12, including 3 ISAF troops, in Afghan northwest
The attack took place in the same province where the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan’s top leader in Afghanistan was killed just over a week ago.
Afghanistan
Three policemen in Helmand poisoned four colleagues and two civilians, then the Taliban executed them. The Taliban killed two ISAF troops in the south and east. NATO’s Secretary General denied the organization is accelerating the drawdown.
Russia
Security forces killed five terrorists, including two suspected suicide bombers, at a checkpoint in Nazran in Ingushetia. Interior Ministry forces killed three Islamist fighters from foreign commander Muhanned’s group in Sergokali in Dagestan.
Yemen
Yemeni aircraft killed 43 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in airstrikes in the Al Milah area in Lahj province. AQAP killed 17 yemeni troops in the town last weekend.
Yemeni aircraft kill 43 AQAP fighters
The strikes took place where al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula recently killed 17 soldiers. A Yemeni newspaper said that US drones provided “support.”
Somalia
Shabaab forces attacked Somali and African Union bases in and around Mogadishu; one child was killed during the fighting. Shabaab fighters ambushed a Red Cross convoy in Gedo, killing one driver.
Mali
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said that Ansar Dine, a faction of the Tuareg rebellion, is closely tied to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and seeks to form a caliphate in Mali. The Tuareg have taken over half of Mali since the junta overthrew the government weeks ago.
ISAF targets IMU’s top bomb maker in Afghanistan
Special operations forces targeted the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan’s “senior bomb maker” in Afghanistan during a raid in Kunduz.
US offers $10 million bounty for capture of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed
Saeed now has one of the highest bounties offered for a global terrorist leader. The US is also offering $2 million for Saeed’s brother-in-law, who is Lashkar-e-Taiba’s deputy emir.
Arab, Uzbek fighters killed in latest drone strike: report
A Turkish jihadist website said that one Arab and four Uzbek fighters were killed in the March 30 strike in Miramshah.
Pakistan
Three of Osama bin Laden’s widows and two of his daughters have been sentenced to 45 days in prison for illegally residing in Pakistan. Four soldiers were killed and five more are missing after a Taliban assault on a military checkpoint in Mohmand. One person was killed in a bombing in Khyber.
Islamist fighters gain in Egyptian Sinai
Armed gunmen surrounded a Multinational Observer Force base in the Sinai for eight days until the government freed five terrorists linked to terror attacks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, and Taba.
Afghanistan
Security forces killed 17 Taliban fighters and detained 10 more during operations in Kabul, Helmand, and Kandahar. The Taliban killed two members of a district council and a policeman in Uruzgan, and a soldier in Kandahar.
Somalia
Two Shabaab fighters and a tax collector were killed in separate clashes in Mogadishu and Baidoa. Shabaab threatened to attack Kenya for sending troops into southern Somalia.
Al Qaeda
Pakistan court sentences bin Laden wives
Mali
Tuareg rebels seized control of Timbuktu, Kidal, and Gao over the past several days, putting them in control of the north. Gao was captured by Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, an al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb faction.
Nigeria
Nine Boko Haram fighters and one soldier were killed after security forces raided a bomb factory in Ihima in Kogi state. Two security personnel were also wounded during the clash.
Afghan forces, families are prime target for Taliban, says commander
Qari Dawat, a Taliban leader in Kunar who has evaded security forces for years, has set his sights on the Afghan security forces as the US continues to pull back troops.
Iraq
Vice President Tareq al Hashemi, who is wanted for terrorism charges, left Kurdistan for Qatar. Prime Minister Maliki chided Qatar and Saudi Arabia for arming Syrian rebels. The government said the March death toll was the lowest since the US invaded in 2003.
Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula killed seven Yemeni troops in Shibam in Hadramout province. Tribesmen north of Sana’a denied AQAP was fighting government forces there.
AQAP kills 7 more Yemeni troops in south
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula continues to take the fight to the Yemeni military in the south, despite US airstrikes.
Somalia
Nineteen people were killed during clashes between local militias and Somaliland forces in Buhodle and Las Anod. Eight people were killed during clashes between Shabaab forces and local tribes in Jowhar.
Kenya
The government accused Shabaab of carrying out yesterday’s grenade attacks in Mombasa that killed one person and wounded 15 more. Kenya’s security minister ordered forces “to beef up security in all public places and increase their patrols.”
Yemen
Seventeen Yemeni soldiers and 13 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters were killed during fighting in Al Milah. AQAP forces overran a checkpoint and seized two tanks and other weapons before withdrawing to Ja’ar.