Iraq
Al Qaeda in Iraq claimed credit for a series of bombings and attacks across the country on March 19 that killed 46 Iraqis. AQI said the target was the “fool government preparing” for next week’s Arab League summit in Baghdad.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Somalia
Shabaab claimed it killed a Somali intelligence official in Mogadishu and warned civilians to stay away from government buildings and AMISOM bases. Ethiopian forces and Shabaab fighters clashed in Baidoa.
Nigeria
Boko Haram said it would not participate in further talks with the government and that it would continue to wage jihad to establish sharia law in the country. “We have closed all possible doors for negotiation,” said spokesman Abu Qaqa.
Taliban confirm recent drone strike killed 3 of Nazir’s deputies
A third Taliban commander, who was not previously named, was among those killed in the March 13 airstrike.
Al Nusrah Front takes credit for Damascus bombings
The jihadist group claimed it executed two bombings at an Air Force and intelligence headquarters in the capital that killed 27 people.
US may make concessions on night raids in Afghanistan
US officials are considering allowing Afghan judges to review and approve proposed raids.
Iraq
Forty-six Iraqis were killed in a series of suicide attacks and car bombings in Karbala, Kirkuk, Baghdad, and other cities. Security forces detained a senior al Qaeda in Iraq leader in Baqubah.
Yemen
Security forces said they captured six Somalis in Abyan who were working with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The Red Cross visited 72 Yemeni soldiers who are currently in AQAP custody after being captured in Al Koud two weeks ago.
Somalia
Shabaab and Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a battled in Dhuso Mareb; Shabaab claimed it killed 15 ASWJ fighters; AWSJ claimed it killed more than 100 Shabaab fighters. Somali forces took control of the town of Dif on the Kenyan border.
Taliban commander wants Pakistan’s nukes, global Islamic caliphate
Omar Khalid also wants to secure the release of al Qaeda prisoners in Pakistan and impose sharia in the country.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed two policemen in an IED attack in Herat. Afghan officials claimed that ISAF forces killed three women and children in a night raid in Faryab; ISAF said the civilians were used by the IMU as human shields.
Pakistan
Police claimed that Lashkar-e-Islam leader Mangal Bagh was killed in Khyber; Bagh’s spokesman denied the report. A tribal lashkar executed three Lashkar-e-Islam fighters in Khyber.
Pakistani Islamist warlord Mangal Bagh rumored killed in Khyber
Pakistani police claim Bagh was killed during an operation in the contested tribal agency. Bagh’s spokesman denied the report.
Egypt
A court freed Ayman al Zawahiri’s brother, Mohammed, and five others from prison. Mohammed, a member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, has been convicted of involvement in the assassination of President Sadat and plotting against the state.
Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has moved a female Swiss hostage from Hudiyah to their stronghold in Abyan province. AQAP is demanding a $1.2 million ransom to secure her release.
Somalia
Shabaab killed six people in a mortar attack on the presidential palace in Mogadishu. Shabaab also claimed it killed several Kenyan troops in an ambush in the south. Shabaab is rumored to have arrested Omar Hammami.
Nigeria
Talks between the government and Boko Haram have stalled after details of the negotiations were leaked to the press. The head of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, who served as the mediator between the two, has resigned and blamed the government for talking to the press.
Indonesia
Detachment 88 killed five “Islamic extremist terrorists” who were plotting to bomb a bar, a bank, and a jeweler’s shop in Bali. The five terrorists were gunned down at a hotel; police found weapons but did not discover explosives.
‘Missiles from the sea’ kill 16 AQAP fighters in Zinjibar
The Yemeni Navy does not have the capacity to launch such a strike.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Sixteen al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in Zinjibar were killed in a possible US airstrike. AQAP killed an American teacher in Taiz.
Nigeria
Boko Haram killed 10 people, including a priest, in an attack on a church in the Kufara area of Kaduna state. Archbishop Kaigama of Jos urged the government not to negotiate with Boko Haram.
Pakistan
The air force killed 38 Taliban fighters in strikes in Arakzai and Kurram. The Lashkar-e-Islam killed three people in a bombing in Khyber. The Taliban bombed a school in Swabi.
Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is said to have kidnapped a Swiss woman and reportedly is demanding the release of two AQAP prisoners in exchange for her release.
Somalia
Shabaab denied that it had plans to kill Omar Hammami and said it was surprised that the American terrorist released a video in which he said he felt his life was in danger. Kenyan warplanes struck targets in Jilib.
Omar Hammami ‘not endangered by the Mujahideen,’ Shabaab claims
“HSM is surprised by the video of Abu Mansoor #AlAmriki that surfaced on the internet,” Shabaab said on its Twitter page.
Afghan parliament delegation claims 15 US troops were involved in Kandahar massacre
The parliament members claimed that the murder of 16 civilians in Panjwai was carried out by 15 to 20 soldiers who were supported by helicopters.
ISAF targets IMU leader in Afghan northwest
Four “insurgents” were killed after one of them, who was hiding behind women and children, opened fire on special operations forces.
Afghanistan
President Karzai lashed out against the US for the investigation into the murder of 16 civilians and said that more than one soldier was involved in the attack. The Taliban killed five policemen and captured many more in Kunar. Twelve Turkish soldiers and two Afghan civilians were killed in a helicopter crash in Kabul.
Iraq
AQI claimed the recent attacks on Haditha and Barwana that killed 27 policemen. AQI’s Islamic State of Iraq said the terror operation was called the “Invasion of Commander Jarrah al Shami.”
Yemen
Iran is providing weapons, including EFPs, to Houthi rebels in the north. The White House continues to support the detention of a Yemeni journalist who was convicted of working with al Qaeda.