Suicide assault team kills 19 in Uruzgan
A six-man suicide assault team hit the government center in Tarin Kot as well as the home of a key power broker in the southern Afghan province.
Category Archives: Long War Journal
Taliban suicide bomber assassinates mayor of Kandahar
Mayor Hamidi, the fourth senior official in the south to be assassinated this month, was killed in a hallway near his office. The suicide bomber hid the explosives in his turban.
Taliban shoot down US helicopter in Kunar
The Chinook was shot down just outside an Afghan base. No US soldiers were killed. The Taliban claimed two of its fighters were killed while shooting down the helo with RPGs.
AQAP leader pledges oath of allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri
“I give you allegiance of obedience in good and hard times,” al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Emir Nasir al Wuhayshi said in a audiotape released today. Wuhayshi also said that the groups’ “project is to institute the Shariah of Allah on Earth.”
Internal divisions resolved, claims Caucasus Emirate
Recalcitrant Chechen commanders have retaken their oath of allegiance to Umarov.
Suicide bomber kills 9 Yemeni soldiers in Aden
The suicide bomber rammed a convoy of troops traveling to the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula-held city of Zinjibar.
ISAF targets al Qaeda-linked Taliban operative in Afghan southeast
The Taliban facilitator has “direct ties to senior al Qaeda members and arranges escape routes for them to safe havens in Pakistan.” A senior Afghan official said that five “foreign fighters” were killed during the operation in Ghazni.
80 Haqqani Network, ‘foreign fighters’ killed in raid on Paktika camp
Afghan officials said that foreign fighters were among the Haqqani Network fighters killed during yesterday’s assault on an encampment in Paktika province.
Norwegian police dismiss jihadist role in Oslo attacks
Early reports suggested that Friday’s terrorist attack in Norway was the work of jihadist groups. However, updated accounts suggest that it may be the work of a right-wing extremist.
ISAF, Afghan troops strike Haqqani Network ‘encampment’ in east
ISAF said that more than 50 Haqqani Network fighters were killed during a daylong battle in Paktika province.
Terror attacks in Oslo and Norwegian youth camp kill at least 27
The bombings targeted buildings housing the offices of the prime minister, the justice ministry, a newspaper, and a news agency, killing at least 7 people and wounding many more. In a related attack, a gunman shot at least 20 attendees at a political youth camp.
AQAP confirms deaths of 2 commanders in US airstrike
Ali Abdullah Naji al Harithi fought with Zarqawi in Iraq. Ammar Abadah Nasser al Wa’eli was wanted by the US; his father opened a training camp at the bequest of Osama bin Laden.
Latest issue of Inspire highlights al Qaeda succession
AQAP has released the sixth edition of its Inspire magazine. In it, Osama bin Laden is praised as a martyr. Inspire’s editors also praise the selection of Ayman al Zawahiri as al Qaeda’s new emir. Two other al Qaeda affiliates have already sworn their allegiance to Zawahiri.
Jordanian al Qaeda fighter killed in Afghanistan
Abu al Zubeir al Jabri was killed while attacking a US base on July 15, according to a statement released on a jihadist website.
Video of brutal Taliban execution of Pakistani policemen emerges
The Taliban released graphic footage of a Taliban execution of Pakistani policemen captured in Upper Dir in early June.
Key adviser to Karzai, member of parliament assassinated in suicide assault in Kabul
Jan Mohammad Khan, the former governor of Uruzgan province, and Mohammad Hashim Watanwal, a parliamentarian from Uruzgan, were killed during a suicide assault at Khan’s compound.
AQIM suicide bombers kill 4 in Algeria
The suicide bombers attacked a police station in an area that serves as a stronghold for al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The suicide attack is the first in Algeria this year.
US begins drawdown of forces from Afghanistan
Two units, comprising about 1,000 troops, will leave Afghanistan over the next two weeks.
US airstrike kills 6 al Qaeda fighters in Yemen: report
The nighttime airstrike targeted a police station in Abyan province that had been recently overrun by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters.
Suicide bomber kills 4 in attack at Kandahar mosque
Two senior clerics were killed in a bombing at a service in Kandahar for President Karzai’s brother. The suicide bomber hid the explosives in his turban.
21 killed in Mumbai bombings
The so-called Indian Mujahideen is suspected of carrying out the three bombings in India’s financial capital today.
Suicide bomber kills 5 ISAF troops in Kapisa
The five French soldiers were killed as they left the home of a local police commander in Kapisa province.
Taliban claim assassination of President Karzai’s brother
The controversial Ahmed Wali Karzai, who has been linked to the drug trade and the Taliban, was gunned down in his office in Kandahar City.
Predators kill 8 in South Waziristan strike
The strike hit a compound used by al Qaeda-linked fighters.
US Predators kill 12 ‘militants’ in North Waziristan
The attack took place in an area used by the Taliban to stage attacks across the border in Afghanistan.
Suicide bomber kills 7 in northern Pakistan
The bomber targeted a political rally in Battagram, a district largely insulated from the worst of the Taliban violence.
Senior Shabaab commander rumored to have been killed in recent Predator strike
Ibrahim al Afghani fought in Afghanistan, traveled to Pakistan, is linked to top al Qaeda and Shabaab leaders, and is mentioned in the GITMO documents. The report of Afghani’s death is unconfirmed.
ISAF nations follow US lead, announce early troop drawdowns
The US’s allies will remove thousands of troops from Afghanistan in the next two years.
US intel believes Kashmiri killed in June Predator strike
Ilyas Kashmiri, a top military commander and strategist, was targeted in a June 3 Predator strike in South Waziristan.
Taliban step up cross-border attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan
The latest attacks in Kamdish in Afghanistan and Dir in Pakistan highlight the Taliban’s ability to carry out large attacks in remote areas of both countries.