Author Archives: Bill Ardolino

Egypt

Three jihadists attacked the Karnak Temple in Luxor with small arms and explosives; two of the attackers died and one was wounded, while four others were injured. President al Sisi has ordered security strengthened at famous historical sites. An Egyptian appeals court canceled a previous ruling to list Hamas as a terrorist organization on June […]


Mali

Dozens of jihadists attacked a police base in Misseni in southern Mali; one policeman was killed and the base was burned to the ground. The Malian army is moving to establish a presence in the northern desert.


Syria

Fighting between the Islamic State and other rebel factions, including Al Nusrah, remains ongoing in northern Aleppo province. The US has accused the Assad regime of enabling the Islamic State’s advance in the area with airstrikes. The Turkish president has said an opposition journalist who leaked video purporting to show Turkey supplying arms to Syrian rebels […]


Libya

Government forces are facing an ammunition shortage as they continue to battle Islamist militias in Benghazi, according to a spokesman. As oil output plummets and its currency devalues, “”Libya is on the verge of economic and financial collapse,” according to a UN envoy. The Islamic State has “effectively taken over” Sirte.


Mali

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed two recent terrorist attacks against UN forces in Mali. According to the 2015 Small Arms Survey report, jihadist groups in Mali are increasingly armed and equipped, and could rival the firepower of the Malian military.


Nigeria

Boko Haram conducted a string of terrorist attacks between May 29 – 31; a series of bombings and rocket attacks killed at least 42 people in northeast Nigeria. A “flood of refugees” estimated at “more than 18,000” has fled to Chad in the face of the jihadist group’s campaign.


Syria

According to SOHR, an Assyrian fighter captured and beheaded an Islamic State jihadist in an act of revenge in Hasakeh province. A newly released video purports to show Turkish intelligence operatives arming Syrian rebels. Jaysh al-Fatah took the city of Ariha, giving the group almost complete control over Idlib province. The US-led coalition conducted four airstrikes in Syria […]


Nigeria

Members of Boko Haram raided the village of Pambula-Kwamda in Adamawa state and “hacked 10 people to death.” Unidentified gunmen attacked Iorza village in Benue state, killing at least 30.


Syria

The Islamic State has released media after its conquest of the city of Palmyra. The jihadist group also seized Syria’s last border crossing with Iraq and is estimated to control half the country by SOHR. At least 65 civilians were executed by the Islamic State in northern Syria; 56 of them were Kurds. Al Nusrah and its […]


Egypt

Leaked audio seems to reveal that Egypt and the UAE have transferred weapons to pro-government forces in Libya. Islamic State affiliates in the Sinai have pledged to murder judges and security personnel after the execution of six jihadists ordered by a military court.


Tunisia

The Tunisian jihadist group Mujahidin of Kairouan has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. The Tunisian government has taken a number of recent steps to fight radicalization.


Algeria

The defense ministry announced that the army ambushed and killed 22 jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State in Bouira province. Algeria and the US held security talks regarding Libya and North Africa.


Nigeria

A suicide bomber killed at least eight people at a market in Garkida village in Adamawa state. Boko Haram killed three and abducted seven women in the Madagali district of Adamawa. Former female captives of Boko Haram testified to mass rape by the jihadist group.


Mali

Malian government officials will sign a proposed peace deal without the cooperation of the main Tuareg-led rebel alliance. Pro-rebel demonstrators marched against the proposed peace deal in Kidal; fighting between the military, pro-governmet militias, and rebels has killed about 55 people in the past two weeks. The jihadist Al Mourabitoune group has pledged allegiance to […]


Nigeria

More than 60 people were killed during clashes between Boko Haram and the Nigerian military around Kayamula village, near Maiduguri. Maiduguri was placed under curfew after the city came under attack on May 12. A female suicide bomber detonated near a military base in the city; 11 are feared dead.


Syria

US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi to discuss Syria and other issues. The Assad regime arrested its intelligence chief over suspicions of a coup attempt. “At least 40 rebels and 32 government troops” were killed as regime forces pushed to reinforce 250 government troops besieged near Jisr […]


Egypt

Four people were wounded when “suspected militants” targeted a judge who had sentenced radicals to death with three bombs placed outside his home in Cairo. Tribes in the Sinai have pledged to work with the government against extremist groups.


Somalia

Government forces arrested 10 people during a security sweep in Mogadishu. A soldier was injured by a grenade attack in Marka town in southern Somalia. Two soldiers were killed by unidentified gunmen in Kismayo, also in the southern portion of the country.


Tunisia

The Interior Ministry announced that a special counter-terrorism unit arrested six individuals in possession of weapons and ammunition in Monastir. The Tunisian Foreign Minister “stressed … the importance of bolstering cooperation with Turkey, particularly with regards to military and security.” Tunisian forces increased security for an annual Jewish pilgrimage in Djerba in the wake of the terrorist attack in Bardo; […]


Mali

The special envoy of the President declared the Malian government “optimistic” about the recent agreement of a peace deal with Tuareg rebels. Despite the agreement, insurgents continued their attack, leading to “30 dead in recent days.”


Somalia

US Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Mogadishu on May 5. The Somali government has “banned” the use of Shabaab’s name by the country’s media, though no punishment was outlined for outlets that continue to use the term.


Egypt

Egypt proposed blocking extremist media during an anti-Islamic State conference in Cairo. One policeman was killed and five injured in clashes with Morsi supporters in Nile Delta city.


Syria

A new round of UN-backed peace talks has started in Geneva. The French president admitted to supplying Syrian rebels with weapons in 2012. At least two civilians were killed and dozens wounded when mortar rounds were fired into a neighborhood by “foreign-sponsored militants” in Aleppo. The Islamic State assaulted Kurdish forces in Hasakeh, killing at least […]


Libya

The Islamic State crucified three brothers in Derna after accusing them of supporting the Libyan government. Three people were killed when a rocket hit a medical center in Benghazi.


Algeria

The National Defense Ministry announced that three terrorists were killed by troops in Ain Defla and Bouira in the past 24 hours. The Algerian Premier froze a document “liberaliz[ing] alcoholic beverages” after protests from salafists.


Mali

Tuareg rebels attacked the Malian army in the town of Dire in northern Mali. The President of the High Islamic Council of Mali called on rebels to lay down their arms and sign a peace agreement. A French ex-pat captured in Mali went on trial in Paris for collaborating with al Qaeda.


Nigeria

Some of the women and girls recently rescued from Boko Haram by the Nigerian military say the jihadist group began brutally murdering captives as rescue forces neared. Local leaders in Plateau state accused the Nigerian military of murdering civilians and torching homes in revenge for the deaths of six soldiers killed by tribesmen. The military arrested […]


Libya

The Tripoli-based Islamist faction rejected the UN’s peace proposal that included recognizing the rival internationally-recognized parliament as “the only legislative authority in the country.” The bodies of five Libyan journalists kidnapped eight months ago have been found near the city of Al Bayda, close to the site of their disappearance.


Algeria

The Defense Ministry announced that the Army killed six armed jihadists belonging to the Katibat Ennour group in the Hendu area 120 km east of the capital. Separately, “ten smugglers and four drug traffickers were arrested” on Apr. 27.


Tunisia

Islamic State propoaganda infers that Tunisia is a new target for the expansion of the group’s ‘Caliphate.’ Tunisia will soon be taking delivery of 12 US Blackhawk helicopters to assist in counterterrorism operations.