Fierce fighting in central Somalia
Fighting continues in Somalia, particularly near the city of Beledweyne. The arrival of Ethiopian troops has not put a damper on Shabaab’s activities.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Analysis: Afghan Taliban say drone strikes are proof US is a ‘paper tiger’
The Taliban claim that the US’ reliance on drones to target their leaders is not only ineffective, but also is evidence of American decline. The group uses Osama bin Laden’s own words to describe the US as a “paper tiger.”
Afghanistan
The Taliban gunned down two policemen in Kandahar and killed a soldier in an IED attack in Badghis. ISAF killed four Taliban fighters in an airstrike in Kunar.
Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed 39 people in a series of bombings and attacks throughout Iraq. Many of the attacks took place in predominantly Shia areas of Baghdad. Iraq’s foreign minister warned that jihadists in Syria and Iraq threaten to establish an “Islamic emirate” in the region.
Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters assassinated a brigadier general in charge of the presidential compound in Taiz and a colonel in Al Baydah. Gunmen fired on the secretary general of the Yemen Socialist Party from a mosque in Sana’a.
Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed 18 people in attacks throughout the country. In Baghdad, nine people were killed in coordinated attacks on several liquor stores. Security forces captured six ISIS fighters in Baghdad. The Interior Ministry released the identity and photographs of 120 ISIS fighters who escaped from Abu Ghraib prison […]
Afghanistan
Four policemen and two Taliban fighters were killed during fighting in Helmand. The Taliban gunned down a female police officer in Nimroz. A Taliban suicide bomber wounded 25 civilians and four US soldiers in an attack in Kandahar.
Yemen
The Yemeni military said that 12 al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters, including Saudis, who were involved in yesterday’s suicide assault on the Ministry of Defense were killed. AQAP said it targeted a US drone operations center during the attack.
AQAP says assault on Yemen’s Defense Ministry targeted US drone operations
On its newly established Twitter account, AQAP also criticized Yemeni soldiers for fighting alongside US forces and said the military is ignoring the fight against Shia Houthi rebels in the north.
Iraq
Last night, the Islamic State of Iraq took 15 people hostage during a suicide assault on a mall in Kirkuk. Two hundred guards at the Badush prison resigned due to threats from the ISIS. Security forces detained five Ansar al Sunnah operatives in Salahaddin and discovered a bomb factory in Fallujah.
Al Qaeda
Pakistani CIA informant: ‘Drone attacks are the right thing to do’
Afghanistan
America in Afghanistan: Filling stations in the sky
Afghanistan
Highway 1 shows the difficulties ahead in Afghanistan
Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters killed 52 people in a suicide assault that targeted and breached the Ministry of Defense in Sana’a. Two German and two Vietnamese doctors, and one Indian and two Filipino nurses were among those killed in the attack.
Shabaab strikes in Puntland
A Shabaab suicide bomber carried out an attack on a security convoy in the coastal city of Bossaso. Two foreigners believed to be working for Saracen International survived the attack.
AQAP launches suicide assault on Yemeni defense ministry complex
A suicide bomber created a breach in the outer wall of the Ministry of Defense, and a team of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters stormed several buildings. A Western doctor and a Filipina nurse are said to have been executed during the assault that resulted in the deaths of at least 20 people.
4 battalions from Qatar-backed Islamist brigade defect to wage ‘armed jihadist struggle’
The four battalions broke from the Ahfad al Rasoul Brigade after one of the group’s top leaders defected to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham.
Afghanistan
Afghan officials claimed security forces killed 27 Taliban fighters in operations throughout the country. The Taliban killed four family members in an IED attack in Kandahar. The US military stopped shipping equipment through the Torkham Gate due to protests over drone strikes in Pakistan.
ISIS continues to launch suicide assaults in Iraq
Al Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham has had no difficulty in deploying suicide bombers individually or in teams against Iraqi military and government targets.
Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed six people in a suicide assault against a police headquarters in Kirkuk, and three soldiers in an IED attack in Ramadi. Security forces killed the ISIS’s governor for Fallujah and his aide; the governor escaped from Abu Ghraib in July.
Yemen
British intelligence officials believe al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula bomb makers continue to develop bombs that can evade airport security measures. Three soldiers and a protester were killed as tribesmen blocked oil trucks in Shabwa province.
Afghanistan
The Taliban killed three policemen in Zabul, two civilians in Helmand, and a deputy police chief in Nangarhar. ISAF killed a Taliban commander and four fighters in an airstrike in Kunar.
Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed 24 people in a series of bombings and attacks. In one attack, a suicide assault team killed 10 people, including six policemen, while targeting the mayor’s compound in Tarmiyah. In Tikrit, two suicide bombers killed five people, including two policemen. Security forces captured the ISIS’s governor […]
Mullah Fazlullah is in Pakistan, spokesman claims
If the Taliban spokesman’s claim is true, Fazlullah likely is operating in Dir or one of the northern districts or tribal areas, far from where the US currently conducts drone strikes.
Afghanistan
More than 20 Afghan soldiers and 57 Taliban fighters are reported to have been killed during fighting in Badghis over the past several days. Gunmen killed a senior tribal leader in Ghazni. ISAF denied that it halted fuel supplies to Afghan forces.
Yemen
Six al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters and three soldiers were killed during a clash in Hadramout. The AQAP fighters attacked a military checkpoint in the city of Sayoun.
Pakistan
Why did Pakistan forget Malala?
Afghanistan
A suicide bomber killed four policemen and wounded 17 more in an attack on a police station in Wardak province. The Taliban killed five people in an IED attack in Helmand. President Karzai accused the US of withholding fuel and logistical support to Afghan military and police units.
Iraq
A suicide bomber from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant killed at least 10 people in an attack at a funeral in Muqdadyah. The Iraqis were mourning a senior Sunni tribal leader who was killed the day prior.
Yemen
Fighting between Houthis and Salafists in Damaj resulted in the deaths of more than 120 people. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula executed a senior military officer and his son in Al Qatan in Hadramout province.