Yemen
Ten “tribesmen” were killed during clashes with Shia Houthis in Hajjah province. Tribesmen and Salafists accused the Houthis of using child soldiers. The government killed 270 civilians during Arab spring protests.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Somalia
A Shabaab suicide bomber killed nine Somalis in Mogadishu. Puntland’s president warned that war with Somaliland is possible due to fighting in Buhodle.
Suicide bomber kills 9 in Mogadishu
The suicide attack took place at a hotel that is frequented by members of the Somali parliament.
Al Qaeda ‘still standing in Khorasan’ despite US drone strikes: jihadist
Al Qaeda operative Abu Zubaydah al Lubnani said that despite US airstrikes in Pakistan, “time is in our favor.”
US drones kill 10 ‘militants’ in North Waziristan strike
The strike took place in a village known to harbor terrorists that is a stronghold of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network.
United States
Ahmed Hussein Mahamud, a Somali-American from Westerville, Ohio, pled guilty to providing material support to Shabaab. Mahamud raised money for Shabaab and recruited Americans to wage jihad in Somalia.
Yemen
More than 55 people were killed during clashes between Shia Houthis rebels and Sunni Salafists in Hajjah province. Three al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives escaped from a prison in Lawdar.
Nigeria
Army troops killed four Boko Haram fighters during a raid in Kano. The Army said a suicide attack on a base in Kaduna was thwarted. Boko Haram denied issuing a video that named four representatives to negotiate with the government.
Somalia
A report stated that Somalia is one of several “training grounds” for British jihadists and that 50 of the estimated 200 foreign fighters in Somalia are British citizens. “[I]t is only a question of time before their commitment to the cause, and their newly-acquired expertise, are likely to be seen on British streets,” the report […]
Afghan intelligence captures 3 members of northern assassination cell
The Taliban cell is led by a commander known as Qari Abdul Rahim, who is based in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. The group is linked to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
Abu Musab al Suri released from Syrian custody: report
A statement at a prominent jihadist forum claimed that al Qaeda strategist, military trainer, and ideologue Abu Musab al Suri has been freed from Syrian custody. The report has not been confirmed.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed a child in an IED attack in Uruzgan. An ISAF helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan; no casualties have been reported.
Iraq
Security forces captured al Qaeda in Iraq’s finance minister in Mosul. A court sentenced two Islamic Army in Iraq members to death for the kidnapping and murder of two French journalists and an Iranian diplomat.
Somalia
The Kenyan military claimed that eight Shabaab commanders and more than 100 fighters were killed during last week’s airstrikes on Shabaab camps in Badhade and Hayo. Shabaab is accused of assassinating a senior Shabelle program director.
Morocco
King Mohammed pardoned several Islamist leaders during the holiday to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Mohammed. Among those freed was Hassan Kettani, the ideological leader of Salafia Jihadia, which has carried out suicide attacks in Morocco.
The Taliban on al Qaeda, 1996-97
In 1996, the Taliban denied that bin Laden was in areas under their control and said he’d never be given safe haven; in 1997, they admitted the “good mujahid” was a guest.
Pakistan
The Taliban killed a Pakistani soldier in an IED attack in Kurram. Police arrested a Taliban commander and three fighters in Karachi, and 18 suspected militants in Khyber.
Afghanistan
A suicide bomber killed three policemen and four civilians in Kandahar. A US soldier killed an Afghan security guard in Sar-i-Pul. Two senior government officials in Khost were arrested for supporting the Taliban.
Yemen
Four al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and a soldier were killed during fighting in the AQAP-held city of Zinjibar. Members of the Yemeni Air Force continue to demand the resignation of its commander, the brother of President Saleh.
Iraq
Security forces killed two teenage boys as they were planting a roadside bomb in Mosul. Insurgents killed a police officer in Baghdad.
Somalia
Security officials blamed Shabaab for an attack outside of a cafe in Garissa that killed three people. Shabaab fighters attacked Ethiopian forces at their bases in Beledweyn.
Nigeria
The head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs denounced Boko Haram’s activities as un-Islamic. A prominent Christian leader called for “holy war” against Boko Haram.
Afghanistan
The Taliban denied that Mullah Omar sent a letter to President Obama. Civilian casualties have risen to more than 3,000 last year; the Taliban are said to be responsible for 77 percent of civilian deaths. French troops have withdrawn from two camps in Kapisa province.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
The US killed al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operative Abdul Mun’im Salim al Fatahani in the Jan. 31 drone strike in Lawdar. He was involved in the suicide attack on the USS Cole in 2000.
Yemen
The government is negotiating with Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to get the terror group to withdraw from Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Abyan. AQAP fighters attacked an Army base in Lawdar; one militant was killed during the assault.
Al Qaeda operative killed during clashes in Kurram identified
Aslanov Zaur, an Azeri national and al Qaeda commander, was killed during Pakistani airstrikes in Kurram last week. He likely entered Pakistan with the aid of al Qaeda’s support network in Iran.
Somalia
Kenyan attack helicopters struck a Shabaab convoy traveling near Dalayat; several Shabaab fighters were killed and wounded. The UN said Somalia’s drought has ended.
Nigeria
Boko Haram denied that their spokesman, Abul Qaqa, is in police custody. Instead, they said that Abu Dardaa, the chief of “public enlightenment,” has been arrested. Police deployed 10 riot police units to Kano to provide security after recent Boko Haram attacks.
Pakistan
Seven Pakistani soldiers and 18 Taliban fighters were killed during clashes in Kurrram; seven soldiers are said to be missing. The Taliban killed three people in a suicide attack on a tribal leader in Peshawar and bombed a girls’ school in Dera Ismail Khan.
Afghanistan
NATO is in disarray after the US announced it would end its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2013, one year early. Security forces captured a dual-hatted Taliban and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan commander in Helmand. The Islamic Jihad Union said it works closely with local Taliban forces.