Iraq
The US launched two airstrikes against Islamic State forces in Irbil. Thirteen Iraqis were killed in two separate bombings in Baghdad. The military claimed it killed 13 Islamic State fighters in an airstrike north of Tikrit.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar forms in northwestern Pakistan
The new group includes Taliban factions from the tribal agencies of Mohmand, Bajaur, Khyber, and Arakzai, and the districts of Charsadda, Peshawar, and Swat.
Islamic State goes from ‘junior varsity’ to all pro in 8 months, Admiral Kirby says
Administration and military officials shouldn’t bristle when asked why they failed to properly assess the danger of the Islamic State.
Iraq
The Iraqi military claimed it killed 10 Islamic State fighters in an airstrike in northern Babil, and “many” more near the Bayji refinery. The US destroyed an Islamic State vehicle in an airstrike near the Mosul Dam. Iraqi officials claimed that US airstrikes killed eight Islamic State fighters north of Mosul.
Islamic State fighters assault last Syrian stronghold in Raqqah
Islamic State fighters are reported to be in control of large areas of the Tabqa military airport, the last major stronghold for the Syrian military in Raqqah province.
Afghanistan
The military claimed that 37 Taliban fighters were killed during operations in Kunduz, Zabul, Logar, Ghazni, Paktika, and Ghor. The Taliban killed five policemen in Helmand. A suicide bomber wounded 16 people in Helmand.
Iraq
The Islamic State killed 42 Iraqis in bombings in Baghdad and Kirkuk. In Baghdad, a suicide bomber targeted an intelligence headquarters; in Kirkuk three bombs were detonated at a market. The Iraqi military claimed it killed several “key” islamic State leaders in airstrikes in Mashada and 12 more fighters near Tikrit. The US launched an […]
Yemen
A general was killed in a bombing that targeted his car in Aden. Three soldiers were killed in an IED attack on their convoy in Hadramout. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is accused of having executed both attacks.
Taliban ‘condemns’ US rewards for Haqqani Network leaders
“This act has proved that the Americans are now trying to hide their defeat through such propaganda wiles,” the Taliban said.
Iraq
Shiite militiamen stormed a mosque in a village near Baqubah and killed 65 people and wounded 17 more. Sunni politicians have suspended talks to form a new government after the attack. The US launched three airstrikes against hte Islamic State in northern Iraq; all three were conducted near the Mosul Dam.
General Dempsey: ‘It is possible to contain’ the Islamic State
While top US officials have described the Islamic State as “a cancer,” “evil,” and an “imminent threat” that must be “defeated,” the nation’s top military leader floats the idea of containment.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed five policemen and a civilian in Herat. The Taliban’s offensive in Kunduz is led by a commander who was freed from prison by the Afghan government. The government expelled a New York Times reporter. The US doubled Siraj Haqqani’s bounty, raising it to $10 million, and offered $5 million rewards for four […]
Iraq
The US launched six airstrikes against the Islamic State near the Mosul Dam. The Iraqi military claimed it killed 19 Islamic State fighters in Jurf al Sakhar, six in Fallujah, and an Islamic State governor and two bodyguards in Baqubah. The Anbar tribes killed four Islamic State fighters near Fallujah. The bodies of 12 people, […]
US launches 6 more airstrikes against Islamic State
Despite claims to the contrary, the US military is now acting as Iraq’s air force.
US posts rewards for 5 Haqqani Network leaders
Siraj Haqqani’s reward is raised to $10 million, putting it in the top tier of wanted terrorist leaders. Rewards of $5 million were posted for four other Haqqani leaders.
US adds Taliban hawala, owner, and commander to terrorist list
The Treasury designation added the Pakistan-based Basir Zarjmil Hawala and its owner Haji Abdul Basir, along with a Taliban commander known as Qari Rahmat to the US government’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
Iraq
The US launched 14 airstrikes against the Islamic State in northern Iraq today. The Iraqi military claimed it killed 21 Islamic State fighters in airstrikes in Barwana. Three civilians were killed in three separate bombings in Baghdad. The US may send up to 300 additional military personnel to Iraq.
US launched raid in Syria to rescue American hostages held by Islamic State
The raid failed to rescue “a number of American hostages held in Syria” by the Islamic State, the Department of Defense’s spokesman said today.
US confirms Islamic State executed American journalist
US Secretary of State John Kerry described the Islamic State as “evil.”
Afghanistan
More than 700 Taliban fighters massed to attack government forces in Logar province. The Taliban executed a former commander in Kandahar who reconciled with the government in 2012. The Taliban are openly recruiting in Helmand province.
Iraq
The Islamic State beheaded a US journalist who was captured in Syria in 2012. The group said it would behead another American in captivity if the US did not end airstrikes in Iraq. The Islamic State repelled an Iraqi military assault on Tikrit. The Iraqi military claimed it killed 33 Islamic State fighters in Babil […]
Taliban launch offensive in province outside of Kabul
The Taliban are launching massed attacks against Afghan forces in several provinces throughout the country.
Islamic State beheads American reporter
James Wright Foley, a journalist who was captured in Syria by the Islamic State in November 2012, was executed on camera. The Islamic State threatened to kill another captive American reporter if the US military does not halt its air campaign against the jihadist group in northern Iraq.
Yemen
The Yemeni military deployed armored vehicles and troops in the capital of Sana’a after thousands of Houthis launched a protest to force the resignation of the government. The Yemeni government paid out more than $1 million to compensate innocent victims of US drone strikes.
Islamic State repels Iraqi military’s 3rd attempt to retake Tikrit
Iraqi forces broke off their advance on Tikrit after taking heavy fire from Islamic State fighters based in and around the capital of Salahaddin province.
Iraq
The Iraqi military and the Peshmerga claimed to have retaken control of Mosul Dam. The US launched 15 airstrikes to aid the Iraqi forces near the Mosul Dam. The Iraqi military claimed it killed 17 Islamic State fighters in an airstrike in Mosul.
US airpower supports Peshmerga, Iraqi forces to retake Mosul Dam
President Obama expanded the US military mission in Iraq to include protecting “critical infrastructure” and supporting Iraqi Army and Peshmerga offensive military operations in northern Iraq.
Iraq
The US launched airstrikes against the Islamic State near the Mosul Dam in support of Kurdish offensive operations to retake the dam. The chief of Iraq’s military objected to US airstrikes and the arming of Kurdish forces as violations of Iraq’s sovereignty. The Peshmerga retook control of the towns of Batmay and Telskef north of […]
Yemen
Six al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and three Yemeni soldiers were killed during raids and clashes in Qatn in Hadramout province. The US killed three AQAP fighters in a drone strike along the border with Saudi Arabia in Hadramout.
Iraq
Kurds push to drive militants from Mosul Dam with US air support