Pakistani military kills local Taliban leader, captures al Qaeda bomb expert
The military said the Taliban commander is known as “Commander Umer” but did not name the al Qaeda explosives expert.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Iraqi troops air assault into Tikrit
At least one helicopter was shot down after commandos landed at Tikrit University. The outcome of the operation is uncertain.
Afghanistan
Nearly 1,000 Taliban fighters launched a coordinated attack on police checkpoints in the Sangin district in Helmand province. At least 35 civilians and 35 Afghan soldiers, as well as scores of Taliban fighters were killed. The fighting has spread to Kajaki, Musa Qala, and Now Zad. A US Marine was also killed in fighting in […]
Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham took control of the town of Mansouriyat al-Jabal and a nearby oil field. A suicide bomber killed 19 people in Baghdad. The military claimed it killed 32 ISIS fighters in airstrikes in Tikrit and in Anbar.
Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took control of the airport in Seiyun in Hadramout province before being repelled by security forces. Three soldiers and six gunmen were killed in the fighting. A suicide bomber also killed six soldiers and three civilians in a separate attack. Thirteen civilians were killed as soldiers clashed with Houthi […]
ISIS advances on oil fields in Salahaddin, Diyala
The Mansuriyah and Ajeel oil fields in Iraq, and the Al Omar facility in Syria, are said to be in ISIS hands. ISIS will want the infrastructure for the operations of its Islamic state.
LeT designation notes group’s recent attack in western Afghanistan
Lashkar-e-Taiba attacked the Indian Consulate in Herat in May 2014, according to the US State Department.
US adds 2 Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders, several aliases to terrorism list
The Pakistan-based terror group continues to use aliases in an attempt to hide its operations in South Asia. The US also said LeT conducted a suicide assault in Afghanistan as recently as May 2014.
ISIS holds military parade in Mosul
Hundreds of ISIS fighters parade Humvees, artillery pieces, military trucks, and police vehicles that were captured during the battle of Mosul.
Iraq
The military claimed it killed an al Qaeda leader and 19 fighters during clashes at the Bayji refinery, and 30 more fighters in airstrikes north of Fallujah. Iraqi officials claimed to have retaken the Tarbil and Al Walid border crossings in Anbar, but the report is unconfirmed. The ISIS took control of Nukhaib in Anbar. […]
Iraq
Obama’s disastrous Iraq policy: an autopsy
Pakistani Army continues to boast of zero civilian casualties in North Waziristan operation
The military’s claim that 302 “terrorists” and zero civilians have been killed in North Waziristan deserves further scrutiny.
Iraq
Iraqi military facing ‘psychological collapse’ after losses, desertions
Iran
Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al Sadr retakes stage amid Iraq turmoil
ISIS photos show control of command center, execution of prisoners
The Ninewa Division of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham shows its fighters taking control of “The Second Operations Command Center” as well as executing three Iraqi soldiers.
AQAP eulogizes slain emir of Islamic Caucasus Emirate
Doku Umarov has now been praised by AQAP, AQIM, GIMF, TIP, Shabaab, and ISIS.
Al Qaeda
The man who broke the Middle East
Abu Sayyaf operative thought killed in US drone strike spotted in Philippines
Abdul Basit Usman was rumored to have been killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan, Pakistan in 2010. He has since been spotted in the Philippines.
ISIS takes control of border crossings in southwestern Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham seized the Tarbil border crossing to Jordan, the Al Walid crossing to Syria, and the town of Rutbah in southwestern Anbar.
Pakistani military claims 257 ‘terrorists,’ no civilians killed in North Waziristan offensive
The Pakistani military claims it has conducted extensive airstrikes without killing a single civilian.
ISIS seizes border crossing in western Anbar
The town of Al Qaim and its border crossing have fallen under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham after Iraqi troops fled their posts.
Iraq
Top Shiite cleric calls for new government in Iraq
Afghanistan
The military claimed it killed 55 Taliban fighters in operations throughout the country. A Taliban suicide bomber killed two policemen in Zabul. Two women were burned to death in a Taliban IED attack that targeted a fuel tanker in Laghman.
Iraq
Iraq has asked for air power, says top US military official
Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham took control of the Bayji oil refinery. The Iraqi government has requested US air support to help fight ISIS. US officials are indicating that Prime Minister Maliki must step down to resolve the crisis.
Yemen
The Counter-Terrorism Unit captured an al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula commander in Hodeida province. Yemeni security forces clashed with Shia Houthi rebels in Amran province just north of Sana’a. Seven soldiers are reported to have been killed.
Iraq
US signals Iraq’s Maliki should go
US drones strike in North Waziristan, kill 6 ‘militants’
The strike is the second in the village of Darga Mandi in the past week, and just the third in Pakistan this year.
US adds AQAP leader involved in embassy plot to terrorist list
Shawki Ali Ahmed al Badani was involved in the 2013 plot to attack US diplomatic facilities throughout the world, as well as the US embassy in Sana’a and a suicide attack that killed more than 100 Yemeni soldiers. The US targeted Badani in a drone strike late last year.
ISIS, Iraqi forces battle for capital of Diyala
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham is pressing its offensive into Diyala province to the northeast of Baghdad in order to cut off the road from Baghdad to Samarra.