Afghan soldiers kill 2 ISAF troops, civilian in latest insider attack
Afghan soldiers “turned his weapon” on US troops in Paktika, killing two soldiers and a civilian adviser. The attack is the seventh of its kind so far this year.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Iraq
A suicide bomber killed five Iranian pilgrims in Baquba. An Iraqi soldier was killed in an IED attack in Mosul. The leaders of 26 tribes in Anbar and Ninewa provinces denounced al Qaeda, and said its tribal militias would assist security forces in tracking terrorists.
US drones kill 6 in North Waziristan
The strike is the first in the Shawal Valley, a known terrorist haven, since late 2012. An unidentified “high value target” is reported to have been killed.
Al Nusrah Front raises al Qaeda’s flag in Aleppo
And Ayman al Zawahiri calls for Muslims to “deploy to the Levant.”
Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is holding two South African hostages who were kidnapped on May 27. The military captured 10 AQAP fighters near Mukallah. AQAP is stealing government cars in Taiz.
Nigeria
“Gunmen” killed 15 people in an attack on a village in Lafia. The Joint Task Force claimed that Abubakar Adam Kamba was killed in March 2012. The US added Kamba to the list of global terrorists in June 2012 for ties to Boko Haram and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Afghanistan
The Taliban claimed credit for a suicide attack on a base in Helmand that killed six Georgian soldiers and wounded nine more. Kandahar’s police chief accused Iran of arming the Taliban. The governor of Kunar claimed a US drone strike killed four civilians, including three children.
Iraq
A suicide bomber killed seven policemen in Taji; seven Iraqi civilians were killed in other bombings in Iraq. Three more policemen were killed in an IED attack in Fallujah. Security forces arrested two al Qaeda supsects in Salman Pak.
Yemen
The Yemeni military killed two local al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leaders and detained a fighter in Marib; the two AQAP leaders were identified as Anwar al Sanaani and Moamer al Nasheri. The former leader of the Houthis, who was killed nine years ago, was finally buried in Saada after the government returned his […]
Somalia
Shabaab claimed it executed two “apostate” spies in Barawe; the men were identified as Ali Hussain Wiilow and Fuad Nuur Alasow. Gunmen executed a senior military commander in Hobyo.
US adds al Qaeda explosives expert to list of global terrorists
Abd al Hamid al Masli, a Libyan, is a “key improvised explosive device (IED) facilitator” who operates in Waziristan. He temporarily served as the head of al Qaeda’s military committee, likely after Abdullah Said al Libi, the former head of the Lashkar al Zil, was killed in a drone strike.
Taliban suicide bomber kills 7 Georgian troops at base in Helmand
The Taliban claimed one of their suicide bombers detonated the bomb inside a base in the Now Zad district. The suicide attack is the sixth of its kind by the Taliban and their allies in less than two weeks.
Pakistan
Nawaz Sharif, the head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, has been sworn in as prime minister. Sharif immediately called for the US to end drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal area. In the past he has called for negotiations with the Taliban.
Afghanistan
Eight Taliban fighters were killed in a premature detonation in Zabul. The Taliban killed six civilians in IED attacks in Helmand. Six Taliban fighters and two children were killed in clashes in Kunduz. The Red Cross has withdrawn some of its personnel after last week’s suicide assault on its office in Jalalabad.
Iraq
Insurgents killed three Awakening members in an IED attack in Madeen. Security forces arrested seven “terrorists” in Maysan, an al Qaeda commander and two fighters in Fallujah, and another al Qaeda fighter in Al Zubair.
Yemen
Government forces launched an offensive against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in the town of Ghayl Bawazir, near Mukallah in Hawdramout province. Seven AQAP fighters, two civlians, and an Army officer are reported to have been killed. The town is one of several in the area under AQAP control.
Somalia
Shabaab killed five civilians in Johwar; the group claimed it killed seven “apostates” in the town. Shabaab also claimed it killed 10 Sierra Leon troops near Dhobley. Security forces captured Shabaab commander Abdikafi Mohamed Ali in Puntland; one soldier was killed during the raid..
US offers rewards for Boko Haram, African al Qaeda leaders
The $7 million reward for Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s emir, puts him in the top echelon of wanted terrorist leaders. Rewards of $5 million are also offered for Mokhtar Belmokhtar and Yahya Abu Hammam.
Afghanistan
A suicide bomber killed 11 students, two US soldiers, and a member of the Afghan Local Police in an attack in Paktia. The Taliban killed eight civilians in an IED attack in Laghman.
Iraq
Al Qaeda killed two Iraqi soldiers and wounded three more in an IED attack in Husaybah on the Syrian border. Security forces detained 12 al Qaeda members and freed a hostage during a raid on a hideout in Hawijah.
Somalia
Shabaab claimed it overran a Ugandan military base outside of Mogadishu and killed 14 soldiers and captured the base commander. Shabaab also displayed two Kenyan hostages in the town of Idlib.
Suicide bomber kills 10 Afghan students, 2 US soldiers
The suicide bomber targeted a US and Afghan Local Police patrol as it passed by a high school in Paktia province. The US has stepped up raids against the Haqqani Network in Paktia.
Afghanistan
Thirteen Taliban fighters and four policemen were killed during clashes at police outposts in Nuristan. Afghan officials claimed that 33 Taliban fighters were killed in Badakhshan. ISAF helicopters gunned down six Haqqani Network fighters in Paktia.
Iraq
Insurgents killed three Syrian truck drivers and kidnapped four Iraqis in Rutbah near the Syrian border. Al Qaeda killed a senior counterterrorism official in Bayji. Security forces arrested four al Qaeda operatives who were transporting nearly two tons of explosives in Anbar.
Taliban denies involvement in suicide assault on Red Cross office
The Taliban’s claim “that it had no hand in the attack” is dubious at best.
Iraq breaks up al Qaeda chemical weapons cell
The al Qaeda cell is said to have been plotting to use sarin and mustard gas against a religious procession in Iraq, and was planning to move the chemical weapons to the US, Canada, and Europe.
Afghanistan
The governor of Paktika claimed that 61 Taliban fighters were killed during operations near the Pakistani border. The Taliban killed two ISAF soldiers and an ISAF civilian, and four Afghans in Uruzgan.
Iraq
The Defense Ministry said that it arrested five members of a cell that was manufacturing sarin, mustard gas, and nerve gases. Insurgents killed two soldiers in a bombing in Babil. Iraqi troops arrested al Qaeda’s leader for Fallujah.
Yemen
US drones killed eight al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters in the Al Mahfad area in Abyan. AQAP fighters gunned down a Yemeni Air Force officer in charge of operations in Hawdramout.
Somalia
Ten people are thought to have been killed during clashes between Shabaab and African Union forces in Lower Shabelle. Security forces imposed a curfew and rounded up Shabaab suspects in Jowhar. Troops from Sierra Leone arrived in Mogadishu.