Iraq
Two civilians were killed in an IED attack in Dalouiya. Security forces detained a “gang” behind the Jan. 1 murder of a Christian in Baghdad. Iraq hopes to build new power plants and triple its output by 2013.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Somalia
Shabaab fighters are said to be complicit in the rape of a woman in El Bur. Shabaab arrested a doctor in El Bur. Three civilians were wounded in an IED attack that targeted Somali soldiers in Mogadishu.
Yemen
A tribe has put a camp run by Central Security in Al Jawf province under siege and is demanding the release of one of its tribesmen. Three soldiers were wounded in an IED attack in Shabwa province.
Bodyguard assassinates Pakistani governor for opposition to blasphemy law
Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province and a senior politician in the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, was assassinated today by his bodyguard. Reports indicate that Taseer was assassinated for his opposition to Pakistan’s repressive blasphemy laws, which target non-Muslims for perceived slights to Islam. From Dawn: Interior Minister Rahman Malik told reporters that the […]
Pakistan releases top al Qaeda-linked terrorist leader
Qari Saifullah Akhtar, the leader of the Harakat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, was recently freed after being placed into “protective custody” in August.
Egypt
Security forces said the suicide bomber who attacked a Coptic church on New Years Day was “linked to al Qaeda.” A prominent Egyptian cleric claimed the US and Israel were responsible for the suicide attack.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed four people in an armed attack in a mosque in Baghlan. Coalition and Afghan forces killed and captured several Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters in Kandahar, Zabul, Ghazni, Khost, Nimroz, and Kunar. Nineteen Taliban fighters surrendered in Helmand.
Iraq
Insurgents killed two US soldiers in fighting in Baghdad. An assassination team killed six security officials and civilians in Baghdad. Police arrested the commander of Jalawlaa’s Emergency Battalion on corruption charges.
Al Qaeda in Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq, al Qaeda’s front group in the country, claimed credit for two suicide attacks last week that targeted a senior police commander in Mosul and the provincial headquarters in Ramadi. A senior police commander was killed in the Mosul attack.
Somalia
Somali soldiers mutinied after failing to receive pay. Shabaab held a military parade in Lafole, a former Hizbul Islam stronghold. The governor of Mudug in Puntland survived an IED attack.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Nasir al Wuhayshi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, is rumored to have been killed in the Dec. 28, 2010 US Predator strike in North Waziristan. The reports are unconfirmed.
The Taliban
Rumors of the death of Qari Hussain Mehsud, the Taliban’s ‘trainer of suicide bombers,’ have resurfaced after a provincial minister claimed he was killed in an October Predator strike. The Taliban have previously denied reports of his death.
Latest Predator strike rumor: AQAP’s leader killed in North Waziristan
The latest from the Pakistan rumor mill is that Nasir al Wuhayshi, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s top leader, was killed in a Dec. 28, 2010 Predator strike in North Waziristan. From The Associated Press (CNN-IBN is also reporting this): Nasir al Wahishi, a Yemeni national who reportedly served as an aide of al-Qaida […]
Another rumor of Qari Hussain’s death in October Predator strike
Rumors of the death of Qari Hussain Mehsud, the Taliban’s “Ustad-e-Fedayeen” or teacher of suicide bombers, have surfaced again, after a Pakistani provincial minister claimed he was killed in a US Predator airstrike in October. From The Times of India: “Qari Hussain was killed in a drone strike,” Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain […]
Afghanistan
Coalition and Afghan forces killed and captured scores of Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters in Kandahar, Helmand, Ghazni, Khost, Nangarhar, Wardak, Logar, Farah, and Kunduz. The Taliban killed an ISAF soldier in the south.
Iraq
Insurgents killed a soldier, a policeman, and three civilians in separate attacks in Mosul, Baghdad, Balad, and Fallujah. The National Council for Strategic Policies should be formed by February.
ISAF, Afghan forces killed deputy shadow governor in the north
Bahadur had close ties to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an al Qaeda affiliate, and was also linked to Taliban leaders in Pakistan.
Egypt
Security forces arrested 17 people suspected of being involved in the New Years suicide attack at a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria. Seven remain in custody and 10 were released.
Somalia
Shabaab killed three government soldiers in a firefight in Mogadishu and an Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a fighter in an IED attack. Shabaab is recruiting youth in internal refugee camps.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula claimed it conducted 49 attacks in Yemen during the second half of 2010. AQAP said it targeted security forces and political figures, and carried out operations in five of Yemen’s provinces.
Iran
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ air defenses claimed the military shot down two US “highly advanced spy planes” over the Persian Gulf; he said many more have been shot down in the past, but offered no proof.
Thailand
Insurgents killed two policemen in the bomb squad as they attempted to disarm a roadside bomb in Narathiwat. Three Rangers were wounded in an IED attack in Songkhla.
Pakistan
The US killed 19 “militants,” including four “foreigners” in three separate airstrikes in North Waziristan. Prime Minister Gilani said the US would ultimately end the Predator strikes as they are “counterproductive.”
Afghanistan
Coalition and Afghan forces killed and captured several Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters in Kandahar, Ghazni, Khost, Wardak, Logar, and Kunduz. The Taliban killed two ISAF soldiers in the south.
Iraq
Insurgents killed a police colonel and his driver in Baghdad, and a soldier in Fallujah. Police arrested an Education Ministry supervisor who led an al Qaeda assassination squad in Diyala.
Egypt
A suspected suicide bomber killed 21 people in an attack on a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria. Christians clashed with police after the deadly attack.
Uganda
Police arrested three Somalis who are suspected of belonging to Shabaab. The Somalis were arrested while crossing the border in Busia. One of the suspects, a woman, had a Swedish passport.
Somalia
Fifteen people were killed in fighting between Shabaab and government forces in Mogadishu. Ethiopian troops disarmed Somali troops and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a fighters in Gedo.
Iran
A spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps denied a Wikileaks report that said the unit’s commander slapped President Amhedinejad. The government executed eight drug smugglers and four criminals.
Suspected suicide bomber kills 21 in attack on Egyptian church
The Interior Ministry said it believes that “foreign elements undertook planning and execution” of the blast outside a Coptic church in Alexandria.