Coalition and Afghan forces killed and captured dozens of Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters in Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar, Zabul, Paktia, Logar, and Takhar. Two Taliban fighters died from a premature detonation in Logar. The Taliban killed two ISAF soldiers in the south.
Iraq’s Parliament approved Nouri al Maliki as Prime Minister, and also approved three deputy prime ministers and 29 cabinet positions. Security forces killed an al Qaeda leader in Mosul. Insurgents killed an intelligence officer in Baghdad.
Fighters formerly loyal to Hizbul Islam have poured into Mogadishu to swell the ranks of Shabaab. The African Union downplayed Hizbul Islam’s union with Shabaab. Shabaab arrested farmers who refused to sell their land to pro-Shabaab businessmen.
US Attorney General Eric Holder said Anwar al Awlaki is one of the most wanted terrorists, on par with Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters killed a soldier during an attack on a checkpoint in Abyan province.
As noted last night, the likelihood of US special operations forces expanding ground operations into Pakistan is slim. Today, ISAF repudiated last night’s report by The New York Times, which claimed that the US was on the cusp of green-lighting expanded operations in Pakistan’s tribal areas. Today, ISAF’s spokesman forcefully denied the NYT report. From […]
Three people were killed and 37 more were wounded after a man detonated a grenade on a bus in Nairobi. Police suspect Shabaab may be involved in the attack. The bus was destined for Kampala, Uganda.
According to The New York Times, US military leaders are pushing for the expansion of US ground operations against the Taliban based in Pakistan: The proposal, described by American officials in Washington and Afghanistan, would escalate military activities inside Pakistan, where the movement of American forces has been largely prohibited because of fears of provoking […]
Ibn Amin, a senior Taliban and al Qaeda commander, was killed in the Dec. 17 Predator strike in Khyber. The Peshawar High Court released hundreds of Taliban fighters. The Taliban ambushed a NATO fuel convoy in Khyber and destroyed two tankers. Four terrorists were detained in Khyber.
Abu Kandahar al Zarqawi was an administrator at the jihadist Al Hesbah forum and an associate of Abu Dujanah al Khurasani, the suicide bomber who carried out the suicide attack against the CIA at Combat Outpost Chapman in Khost province.
Coalition and Afghan forces killed and captured scores of Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters in Kandahar, Zabul, Khost, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Kunduz. Two of seven Bangladeshi workers kidnapped in Balkh have been freed.
Police arrested 12 Islamists suspected of plotting to carry out bombings during the Christmas season. The early morning raids took place in Birmingham, Cardiff, London and Stoke-on-Trent. Several of the men are from Bangladesh.
A Hizbul Islam spokesman confirmed that his group has merged with Shabaab; an announcement may be made this week. Four soldiers and a civilian were killed in an IED attack in Mogadishu.
The US was concerned about the safety of Yemeni nuclear materials after the government left a facility unguarded for more than a week. Security forces sent reinforcements to Lahj after clashes with the Southern Movement.
Ibn Amin, the leader of the Tora Bora Brigade in Swat, was killed in one of three Predator strikes in Khyber on Dec. 17.
US Vice President Joe Biden said the US would be out of Afghanistan in 2014 “come hell or high water.” Taliban suicide assault teams killed 13 soldiers and policemen in attacks on military recruitment centers in Kabul and Kunduz. The Taliban also killed an ISAF soldier in the south. Coalition and Afghan forces killed and […]
Hizbul Islam surrendered to Shabaab and merged with the terror group after losing its last strongholds south of Mogadishu. It is unclear if Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys will take a leadership position in Shabaab.
Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys merged with al Qaeda-linked Shabaab after suffering a string of defeats south of Mogadishu.
Members of the Southern Movement kidnapped an army officer in Lahj. India is sending 100 commandos to protect its missions in Yemen. President Saleh’s political adviser said Yemen can fight terrorism alone.
A parliamentary commission voted to cut off diplomatic relations with Britain. The US suspected Indian companies were aiding Iran’s missile program and Syria’s chemical and biological programs. Police deployed in Tehran as food and fuel subsidy cuts began.
The Taliban claimed the two attacks, which targeted army recruitment centers. Thirteen soldiers and policemen were killed in the assaults.
Abu Sayyaf leader gets 23 years in US prison
The Iraqiya party, led by Iyad Allawi, will join a government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki. Iraqiya agreed to join after a ban on three members of its party was lifted. The government is expected to be formed on Monday.
Map of Afghanistan’s provinces. Click map to view larger image. Special operations forces took out a senior Taliban “inspector” in an airstrike in northern Afghan province of Badghis. From the ISAF press release: Coalition forces conducted a precision air strike in Bala Murghab district in Badghis province, killing a senior Taliban leader Dec. 17. Mullah […]
ISAF mentioned the Lashkar-e-Islam for the first time, just one day after US Predators pounded the group’s strongholds across the border in Pakistan’s Khyber agency.
Coalition and Afghan forces killed and captured scores of Taliban and Haqqani Network commanders and fighters during raids in Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar, Kapisa, and Badghis. The Taliban killed two civilians in a suicide attack in Kandahar and an ISAF soldier in the south.
A Shabaab commander criticized overall leader Sheikh Muktar Abdirahman Abu Zubeyr for fighting against the rival Hizbul Islam, and said “the fighting in Burhakaba was not jihad.” Shabaab seized control of Burhakaba from Hizbul Islam after weeks of heavy fighting.
The four Americans who escaped an attack at a cafe in Sana’a worked for the CIA. US counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said al Qaeda in Yemen poses a larger threat to the West than the Pakistan branch.
The Chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mullen said Iran is still pursuing nuclear weapons, and said the US is prepared to deal with Iranian aggression. Pakistan said it would cooperate with Iraq in investigating the Chabahar suicide attack.
US Predators killed 54 Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam fighters in three airstrikes in Khyber. The ISI is believed to have outed the CIA station chief in Islamabad. The Taliban bombed a girl’s school in Peshawar.