FDD's Long War Journal

Al Nusrah Front

Hezbollah fighters find Nusra’s tactics in Qusair ‘irritatingly familiar’

Insurgents killed 33 Iraqis in a series of attacks in Baghdad, Mosul, and Tal Afar. Three attacks were executed by suicide bombers; the governor of Anbar escaped one of those attacks. The tribes in Anbar said al Qaeda is “a malicious attempt to undermine national unity between Sunni and Shia Iraqis.”

Egypt

Authorities arrested two people in connection with the kidnapping of seven security personnel in the Sinai. The Armed Forces said that “manhunt operations against criminal elements” in the Sinai will continue. Al Azhar plans to start a TV channel to counter extremist channels.

Nigeria

Security forces arrested three Lebanese Hezbollah members over the past two weeks. The Hezbollah operatives stored weapons and planned attacks against Western and Israeli targets. The military claimed Boko Haram is in “disarray.”

Mali

Sweden eyes Mali peacekeeping mission

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

Sahel ulema launch prison campaign

‘Arab, Pakistani, Chechen, and Uzbek fighters’ spotted in Logar

Foreign jihadists are being spotted on multiple battlefields throughout Afghanistan, far beyond Kunar and Nuristan.

Nigeria arrests 3 alleged Hezbollah members

Nigerian authorities announced the arrest of three men believed to be tied to Hezbollah. Authorities believe the cell was going to target Israeli and Western interests.

Israel

When Assad shells rebels, Israel goes on alert and learns

Russia

The Assad regime in Syria claimed to have received a first shipment of S-300 Russian missiles. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said officials from Russia, the US, and the UN would meet on June 5 to try to pave the way for a Syrian peace conference. Special forces surrounded a militant hideout in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, and killed […]

Pakistani Taliban confirm death of deputy emir in drone strike

Spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan said that Waliur Rehman was indeed killed yesterday in a drone strike in North Waziristan. Rehman was wanted by the US for involvement in terror plots, including the failed Times Square bombing.

Hezbollah

Israel could swoop on S-300 missiles in Syria, but with risks

Tunisia

A Tunisian judge gave suspended two-year sentences to 20 Tunisians convicted of attacking the US Embassy in Tunis on Sept. 14, 2012; at the time of the attack, 73 persons were arrested. The verdict came after an unusually brief trial. Although the government has accused Tunisian Ansar al Sharia leader Abu Iyadh of orchestrating the […]

Norway

The Police Security Service said “several” Norwegians have died fighting with rebels in Syria and that 30 to 40 Norwegians have traveled to Syria to fight. Authorities remain concerned that Syrian jihadists will return to Norway as members of a terrorist network.

Argentine prosecutor accuses Iran of establishing terror network in Latin America

Alberto Nisman, the Argentine prosecutor who investigated the 1994 AMIA bombing, issued a 500-page document that accused Iran of establishing terror networks throughout Latin America since the 1980s.

Al Qaeda

After vowing transparency, US mum on drone killing

Pakistan

Pakistan – Study reflects school textbooks need to be free of religious discrimination

Argentina

The Argentinian prosecutor investigating the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires issued a 502-page indictment blaming Iran’s leadership for the deadly attack. The indictment also alleged that Iran conducted terrorist activities in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname, and that Iranian embassies throughout South America […]

Pakistan

US drones killed seven people in the first strike in Pakistan in six weeks. Waliur Rehman, the emir of Taliban forces in South Waziristan, is rumored to have been killed but the reports are unconfirmed. Polio vaccination aid workers were pelted with stones in Hangu.

Afghanistan

The Taliban claimed credit for a suicide assault on the governor’s compound in Panjshir; six memebrs of the assault team and a guard were killed. Three members of a suicide assault team and a guard were killed during an attack on a Red Cross office in Jalalabad.

Iraq

Insurgents killed 26 Iraqis in a series of attacks and bombings in Baghdad, Baqubah, and in Anbar near the border with Syria. Security forces arrested 16 “terrorists” in Salahaddin. The central government announced near security measures to deal with al Qaeda and other armed groups.

Russia

Russia sends arms to Syria as it tries to reassert its role in region

Taliban launch second suicide assault in Jalalabad

The target of the attack was the International Committee of the Red Cross; one security guard was killed.

Argentina

Argentinian prosecutor alleges extensive Iranian terror activity in South America

Palestinian Territories

PA security forces arrested four Hamas members in the West Bank. A senior Hamas official said kidnapping Israelis was at the heart of Palestinian culture. President Abbas lamented that he is under intense pressure to resume talks with Israel without requiring preconditions for negotiations.