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Former top Israeli general says explosions that reportedly hit Iranian nuclear sites were not accidents
Author Archives: Matt Dupee
Iran
A “mysterious” blast damaged parts of a uranium conversion plant near Isfahan earlier this week, despite Iranian claims that the blast occurred during a military maneuver on Monday. New satellite images show the massive destruction of Iran’s long-range missile research base which blew up on Nov. 17 after “technicians performed a volatile procedure involving a […]
Yemen
Fighting between Shia Houthi rebels and Sunni Islamists wounded at least 26 people in north Yemen. Gunmen killed two Yemeni soldiers in the main southern city of Aden as thousands rallied there to call for secession from the north. Forces loyal to Yemeni President Saleh shelled several neighborhoods in the city of Taiz, killing one […]
Philippines
Police and intelligence officers captured Hussein Ahaddin, an al Qaeda-linked bomber, suspected in at least six attacks, including a 2002 karaoke bar explosion that killed an American Green Beret and a hotel blast this week that killed three people. Police officials said Ahaddin was captured in a remote Zamboanga village called Muti after an antiterror […]
Iran
Violent protesters in Tehran broke into the UK embassy during a demonstration against sanctions imposed by Britain. Militant students removed the British flag, burnt it and replaced it with Iran’s flag. In the second British diplomatic compound, in Tehran’s north, between 100 and 300 protesters burst in and occupied the property. The state news agency […]
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US Error Puts Afghanistan’s Counternarcotics Progress at Risk
Lebanon
The Brigades of Abdullah Azzam, a militant group linked to al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for an overnight rocket attack from southern Lebanon against Israel. Two buildings in Israel’s western Galilee area were damaged by the attack.
Mali
A court has sentenced to death a Tunisian man accused of throwing an explosive device at the French embassy in Mali’s capital in January. Mali has stepped up security in Timbuktu and other tourist destinations after three Europeans were kidnapped and another was killed in Mali last week.
Somalia
Ongoing clashes between Shabaab and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a, a Sufi militia, left scores dead in the Galgadud region. Britain will seek to build consensus to tackle instability and piracy in Somalia, when it hosts a major international conference on Feb. 23. Aid groups warned of disaster in Somalia if the Shabaab ban against aid […]
Iraq
A suicide bomber slammed a car packed with explosives into the gate of al-Hout prison north of Baghdad, killing at least 19 people. In central Baghdad, an explosion in a car park at Iraq’s parliament killed at least one person and wounded several others, including a politician.
Somalia
A government vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Mogadishu, killing at least six people and wounding seven others. At least seven people were wounded in an explosion at the Banadir hospital in Mogadishu. Shabaab fighters have closed down several aid agencies working in famine-hit Somalia, including some from the UN.
Yemen
Yemeni forces killed nine al Qaeda fighters, including two Somalis, an Algerian, a Mauritanian, and a Saudi, in Zinjibar. Tribal fighters allied with the Yemeni military ambushed a vehicle between Zinjibar and Jaar, killing four suspected al Qaeda fighters.
Taliban, artillery, and lies in Mohmand Agency
Pakistan’s unprecedented response to the attack in Mohmand is curious, especially given the countless reports over the past six months of Pakistani military forts shelling Afghan territory. US and Afghan officials have claimed the airstrike on Nov. 26 was in self-defense.
Afghanistan
Afghan and NATO officials said Pakistan fired first, prompting the deadly airstrike in Mohmand. The second wave of transition from NATO to Afghan forces will include six provinces, seven cities, and dozens of districts. Germany called for the Taliban to be included in Afghanistan peace talks.
Iran
Iran threatened Israel with “150,000 missiles” if Israel launches any military action against the Islamic Republic. Parliament voted to reduce diplomatic relations with Britain. The military claims to have built and deployed three more submarines to its naval fleet.
Iraq
The US will spend more than $6 billion in Iraq in 2012 even though its forces are to withdraw from Iraq in late 2011, according to the US ambassador. Mahdi Army militiamen are joining the government’s security services under a secret deal between the government and the Sadrist movement.
Somalia
Shabaab warned Ethiopia that any military intervention in Somalia will result in “heavy” losses for its forces. Hundreds of Ethiopian troops with tanks and artillery reportedly reached parts of Hiran region in central Somalia on Saturday. Shabaab fighters beheaded two young boys in the Afmadow district of lower Jubba region.
Iran
The IRGC aerospace commander warned that Tehran will target the NATO missile shield in Turkey if Iran is attacked. The chief of Iran’s Qods Force says he doesn’t fear US threats of assassination and is ready for “martyrdom.” Iran announced it will soon conduct a massive naval war game, code-named Velayat 90.
Afghanistan
At least 13 insurgents were killed and 17 suspects detained by Afghan police in the last 24 hours. US Marines turned over responsibility of a base in Helmand to the Afghan National Army. Separately, US and Afghan forces captured a wanted Taliban leader in Garmsir district.
Afghanistan
A district police chief and a civilian were wounded in an IED attack in northern Sar-i-Pul province. Seventy-two Afghan Local Police graduated from a US-mentored training program in Baghlan province. ISAF is investigating claims Coalition forces killed seven civilians in an airstrike in Zhari district, Kandahar province.
Iraq
Iraq executed 12 al Qaeda members who were convicted for the massacre of 70 people at a wedding. A string of bombings in Basra killed 19 people on Thursday evening and injured dozens more. Militants attacked a security checkpoint in Fallujah, killing one soldier and injuring three others.
Somalia
More than 27 people were injured and three were killed in grenade attacks in Garissa, near the Somali border. An IED killed three government troops and injured nine civilians in the Bakara market. Ethiopia will deploy troops inside Somalia for a “brief period” to help Somali and Kenyan forces battling Islamist militants.
Iran
Iran claimed it arrested 12 CIA spies. Iranian officials say the arrested spies
ISAF recaptures escaped Taliban convict
Afghan and Coalition forces recaptured a dangerous Taliban military commander after he escaped from a prison in Kandahar three years ago.
NDS hails death of Taliban leader in Ghazni
Ongoing Afghan security operations in Ghazni province have resulted in the death of one senior Taliban commander and the arrest of a top Taliban financier, according to Afghan authorities.
Governor: Most of Nuristan under Taliban control
The Taliban are in control of six districts in eastern Nuristan province. The US military relocated forces from the region beginning in October 2009.
Afghan NDS continues crackdown on counterfeit uniforms
Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) has issued new uniforms following concerns over the proliferation of counterfeit uniforms.
Hearts, minds, and revenge: local resistance to the Afghan insurgency
Reports suggest local resistance to Taliban activities in Afghanistan continues, with another insurgent killed and one injured in the latest clash in Ghazni province. This marks the third reported instance of villagers attacking Taliban fighters this month.
NDS dismantles Kabul Attack Network cell
An Afghan intelligence operation led to the arrest of three Taliban facilitators linked to an urban attack against Afghan police in June. Future plots were also disrupted.
Elite Afghan force destroys insurgent explosives cache
Security for the Lashkar Gah district in Helmand was transitioned from NATO to the Afghan government in May.