Shabaab looks to the Somali North
The al Qaeda-linked group has initiated a terror campaign in Puntland and has threatened to take over the semi-autonomous region and the breakaway republic of Somaliland.
Category Archives: Long War Journal
Wanted Abu Sayyaf operative reported killed in North Waziristan
The US has a $1 million bounty on Abdul Basit Usman for conducting attacks that murdered civilians. He is thought to have been killed in a strike on Jan. 14.
No new offensives against the Taliban this year: Pakistani Army
“We are not going to conduct any major new operations against the militants over the next 12 months” as the military is “overstretched,” the top Pakistani military spokesman said. The government has also agreed to a peace deal with the Mehsud tribes in South Waziristan.
Airstrikes target home of Yemeni al Qaeda leader
Yemeni air force fighters targeted the home of al Qaeda’s leader in Marib province multiple times. No casualties have been reported.
Yemen retracts report of Al Qaeda deputy’s capture
The reports of the capture of Said Ali al Shihri were incorrect. Yemeni sources are now saying a different man, Yusuf al Shihri, was captured, even though he was reported killed during a clash last fall.
US airstrike in North Waziristan kills 6
The strike hit a compound in the Datta Khel region, a region that hosts a headquarters for al Qaeda’s Shadow Army.
Yemen captures Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s deputy leader
The Interior Ministry reported that Said Ali al Shihri and another al Qaeda operative were captured today after a car crash in Shabwa province. The report was not confirmed by US officials.
Taliban launch terror assault on Kabul
Suicide assault teams struck at government and civilian centers in the heart of the city. Security forces restored control after hours-long battles.
Yemen confirms al Qaeda’s military commander killed in strike
The government confirmed that Abu Hurayrah Qasim al Raymi and five other al Qaeda leaders, including an Egyptian, were killed in the Jan. 15 airstrike.
Latest US airstrike in Pakistan kills 20
The US again targeted Hakeemullah in a region in North Waziristan that borders South Waziristan.
‘I am alive’ – Hakeemullah Mehsud
The Taliban chief released another audiotape to reporters; this time he provided a date to prove he is alive.
Wanted Palestinian reported killed in US airstrike in North Waziristan
Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, of the Abu Nidal Organization who participated in killing 22 hostages during the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am flight 73, is thought to have been killed in the Jan. 9 airstrike.
US strikes kill 11 in North Waziristan
Eight Taliban and three “foreigners” were reported killed in the most recent strikes in North Waziristan. The US has carried out nine strikes in Pakistan over the past 16 days.
Al Qaeda’s military commander in Yemen reported killed
Qasim al Raymi, the military commander of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was among six reported killed in an airstrike.
Pakistani Taliban chief survived US airstrike
Hakeemullah Mehsud dodged yesterday’s airstrike, according to US intelligence officials. He may have been wounded in the attack.
Hakeemullah Mehsud targeted in latest US airstrike in Pakistan
The leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan was reported killed in the early morning strike in North Waziristan. His spokesman denied he was killed.
Tracking the US air campaign in Pakistan
The data on the US airstrikes against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Pakistan’s lawless tribal agencies, updated in real time.
US airstrike hits Taliban camp in North Waziristan
The latest attack targeted a compound formerly used as a seminary. Ten Taliban fighters are thought to have been killed.
Jordanian al Qaeda operative killed in US airstrike in Pakistan
Mansur al Shami was an al Qaeda ideologue and a bodyguard for al Qaeda’s leader in Afghanistan. His death was reported on jihadist forums.
Most Wanted: Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
A look at Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s top leaders, ideologues, and operatives.
US airstrike kills 4 Taliban fighters in North Waziristan
The strike targeted a training center in a region run by Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadar. Today’s strike is the fifth this year and the sixth in 10 days.
CIA suicide bomber appears on tape with leader of Pakistani Taliban
The Jordanian who attacked a CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan, Humam Khalil Muhammed Abu Mulal al Balawi, is seen on a martyrdom tape with Hakeemullah Mehsud, the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan.
US strike kills 5 in North Waziristan
The latest strike is the fifth in nine days. A safe house run by Hafiz Gul Bahadar was hit.
Al Qaeda Shadow Army commander thought killed in Dec. 17 strike
Abdullah Said al Libi may have been killed in the swarm attack in Datta Khel in North Waziristan that also killed Zuhaib al Zahibi.
US killed al Qaeda’s Lashkar al Zil commander in airstrike
Mustafa Abu Yazid, al Qaeda’s leader in Afghanistan, confirmed that Abdullah Said al Libi was killed in a US airstrike. Yazid confirmed this in a tape praising the suicide attack on the CIA base in Khost.
US, Afghan forces target insurgent leaders in the East
ISAF said 23 “key insurgent leaders” were killed in eastern Afghanistan between mid-November and December 2009.
US kills 17 in latest North Waziristan strike
Aircraft twice hit a Taliban training camp in Datta Khel. Two “foreigners” are reported to have been killed in the third strike this year.
Suicide bomber targets Pakistani Army in Kashmir
Three security personnel were killed in an attack on an Army barracks. It was the fourth suicide attack in Pakistan-held Kashmir since June 2009.
Taliban torch village in Arakzai
The Taliban and the government continue to battle for control of the tribal area. Anti-Taliban tribal militias have been hit hard.
Analysis: US air campaign in Pakistan heats up
The US conducted 47 percent more strikes in 2009 than in 2008, and there is no sign the intensity of the campaign will abate in 2010.