Both the government and Shabaab claimed victory during the fighting in the Daynile district in Mogadishu. Ten African Union soldiers were killed and two more are missing after fighting in the district. Shabaab leaders in Baidoa called for Somalis to wage jihad against the Kenyan military.
Four Frenchmen kidnapped by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb are still thought to be alive, according to negotiators. AQIM has demanded that French troops withdraw from Afghanistan and a 90 million euro ransom.
The Mauritanian military attacked an al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb base inside Mali in the Wagadou forest. “Our armed forces carried out pre-emptive air strikes against this enemy to destroy it,” an official military statement said.
The Kenyan Army is advancing on the southern port city from the south, and has taken control of Ras Kamboni.
Thirty-four Lashkar-e-Islam fighters and four Pakistani troops were killed during fighting in Khyber. US Secretary of State Clinton said Pakistan must move against the Haqqani Network safe havens in North Waziristan.
US and Afghan soldiers killed 115 Taliban fighters during fighting in Kunar over the past 10 days. Security forces captured several Taliban commanders and fighters in Helmand, Ghazni, and Logar.
Insurgents killed an Iraqi Army colonel in Baghdad. Security forces broke up an al Qaeda cell in Karbala. The presidency approved the execution of 53 people, including “five foreigners.”
Tribesmen said they would attack US citizens and kill French hostages in retaliation for the drone strike that killed Anwar al Awlaki, his son, and other al Qaeda leaders. Tribesmen in Shabwa province claimed that drones are hovering over the area.
Kenyan troops seized control of Ras Kamboni from Shabaab. A Kenyan military spokesman said his forces would take the port city of Kismayo.
General Kayani said a US incursion into North Waziristan is unlikely, and suggested that the US focus on problems in Afghanistan and not Pakistan. The military killed six Taliban fighters in Kurram.
The Taliban killed three civilians and two soldiers in a suicide attack in Badghis and five Afghan soldiers in an IED attack in Herat. Security forces killed and captured several Taliban commanders and fighters in Helmand, Zabul, Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Nangarhar, and Baghlan.
The Taliban released a statement congratulating Hamas for obtaining the release of more than 1,000 prisoners in exchange for a captive Israeli soldier. The Taliban said the trade “can be considered as one of the heaviest blows to the Zionists.”
President Saleh demanded guarantees from foreign governments if he is to transfer power. The UNSC is preparing to vote on a resolution dealing with the escalating violence in Yemen. Tribesmen blew up an oil pipeline in Marib.
An Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan commander said the assault team included “Turks, Tajiks, Arabs, Pashtuns, and Afghans.” IMU emir Abu Usman Adil said the group is dedicated to creating a global caliphate.
Kenyan and Somali forces claimed to have killed 75 Shabaab fighters and captured a base near Afmadow. Somali officials claimed that Shabaab has moved two captive Spanish aid workers to Kismayo.
Initial US drawdown to pull from restive Afghan east
US attack in North Waziristan unlikely: General Kayani
General Kayani said he is open to conducting peace talks with the Taliban. Prime Minister Gilani said the Taliban can keep their weapons but Interior Minister Malik said they must lay down their arms first.
Security forces killed and captured several Taliban commanders and fighters in Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul, Paktika, Logar, and Kunduz. US and Afghan forces launched an operation against the Haqqani Network in Khost and Paktika.
Taliban showing weakness in south Afghanistan
Seven Iraqis were killed in a bombing near a liquor store in Baghdad; a police patrol may have been the target. The chairman of the Parliamentary Tribal Commission called for the release of a tribal leader who was detained by US and Iraqi forces last week.
A Shabaab suicide bomber killed 15 people in Mogadishu. One of the kidnappers of two French intelligence officials was reportedly captured in Hargeysa in Somalia.
Awlaki family releases teen’s birth certificate
Today’s attack takes place as Kenyan forces are advancing on Shabaab strongholds in the south.
The IMU released photos of four of the suicide bombers that struck a US PRT in Panjshir last weekend.
Nine Pakistani troops and 14 militants were killed in fighting in Peshawar and Khyber. The Army wants Afghanistan to move against Mullah Fazlullah. Al Qaeda is plotting to kidnap Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
The Taliban killed seven Afghan troops in an ambush in Farah and two civilians in a suicide attack in Faryab. Security forces killed and captured several Taliban commanders and fighters in Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Ghazni, Khost, Paktia, Logar, Kunduz, and Faryab.
The government claimed 18 people were killed during clashes between pro-government forces and a tribal leader in Sana’a and Taiz. Security forces arrested three “terrorists” in Aden.
Anwar al Awlaki’s family condemned the US’s killing of his son, Abdulrahman, in an airstrike last week. The family said Abdulrahman was a 16-year-old American citizen and was searching his father, not to wage jihad. The family also denied Anwar was a terrorist and said he was not a member of al Qaeda.
US troops seal Afghan border with Pakistani North Waziristan