A faction of the Hizbul Islam based in the town of Beledweyne has merged with Shabaab. “We are hereby declaring our resolve to unite with our fellow jihadists (holy warriors) in this strategic Hiran region,” Sheikh Abdulkadir Haji Ahmed told a crowd.
The defection is the latest blow to one of the two largest Islamist terror groups in Somalia, and will bolster the fortunes of Shabaab.
Germany – Firms fear new Iran sanctions will curb business
Saudi Arabia gives Israel clear skies to attack Iranian nuclear sites
Germany probes Russian shipments to Iran
Putin says freezing missile sale to Iran — France
A resilient Iran shields itself from pressure by building alliances
The IRSIL Mufateh. The New York Times ran a front page story yesterday about the effectiveness of the Revolutionary Guard’s shell corporations created for the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRSIL). The article explains that 73 of the 123 known IRSIL vessels are owned and operated by foreign companies not listed the on […]
Iran to send aid ships to Gaza
UN ‘to adopt’ fourth round of Iran nuclear sanctions
Pakistan – Iran to approve “peace pipeline”
France: Iran nuclear programme source of ‘concern™
Mullah Akhtar had ties to senior al Qaeda leaders and facilitated the training of Taliban fighters in Iran. He also has ties to Iran’s Qods Force.
US Predators killed Osama bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Damjan al Dawsari in the May 28 airstrike in a region run by ‘good Taliban’ leader Mullah Nazir.
In a statement released tonight on a jihadist forum, Al Qaeda announced Yazid’s death. Yazid, who is also known as Sheikh Saeed al Masri, was al Qaeda’s leader in Afghanistan and top financial official.
An Iraqi girl was killed after Iranian forces shelled Kurdish areas in the north. Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained two al Qaeda operatives in Al Qaim. The US military reiterated it is on track to reduce the number of troops in country to 50,000 by the end of August.
Iran supports insurgents: McChrystal
An airstrike killed the deputy governor of Marib province, five of his bodyguards, and two al Qaeda operatives. Two American tourists kidnapped by a tribe have been freed. A Yemeni court upheld the sentence of death for two Iranian “spies.”
The New York Times ran a front page story yesterday with some details of a seven-page directive signed in September 2009 by Central Command’s General David Petraeus sending more clandestine military forces throughout the Middle East. Because the order is classified, only portions were discussed in the Times article. Petraeus’ order expands on similar moves […]
Twenty-six civilians were killed in heavy fighting in Mogadishu. Hizbul Islam ordered aid organizations to shutter operations in Hiran. A German security company will support a Somali warlord.
A suicide bomber killed 23 in an attack in Khalis. Iraq freed two Iranians held for years by the US. Security forces detained 12 wanted men in Basrah and two insurgents in Kirkuk.
As the week comes to a close, it’s time to review some of what leading journalists, pundits, and policy wonks — from the left, right, and murky center — are saying about new UN sanctions on Iran and the Turkey fuel-swap deal: Leslie Gelb in the Daily Beast: The United States will not be able […]
Italian group: Add Iranian Guard to EU™s terror list
Tony Badran from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies reports in NOW Lebanon that Kuwaiti and Saudi officials have unearthed a group of Iranian agents allegedly tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and living on Kuwaiti soil. In light of this recent security breach, the Kuwaiti government is prepared to move forward […]
Two Iraqi soldiers were killed while defusing an IED in Baghdad. Security forces detained 18 wanted men in Basrah, four al Qaeda operatives south of Baghdad, and a suspected Iranian operative in Khanaqin.
Al Qaeda still in Iran
A pair of US airstrikes in North Waziristan killed 21 Taliban fighters. Security forces killed 11 Taliban fighters in Arakzai and a suspect in the murder of an Iranian consular official in Peshawar. The US is considering designating the Pakistani Taliban as a terrorist entity.
Abu Mansour al Amriki, a senior military commander and propagandist for the al Qaeda-linked Shabaab, issues a nasheed calling for global jihad. The tape is aimed at recruiting Westerners.
Attorney General backs Miranda limit for terror suspects
Holder wants new look at Miranda rights