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Afghanistan
US to Continue Afghan Operations During Winter
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Iraq
US commander offers warning on Sunnis, those who fight al Qaeda in Iraq must be rewarded
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Afghanistan
Captain finds leading a PRT in Afghanistan far from routine
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Iraq
Suicide bombings in Baiji and Baqubah killed over 30 and wounded 105. Coalition forces killed 13 al Qaeda operatives and detained 27 during operations in central and northern Iraq. Police arrested 11 insurgents northwest of Kirkuk and a senior al Qaeda leader in Balad Ruz. Over 200 volunteers from the Al Saydiya Awakening in Baghdad joined the Iraqi Army. The governor of Mosul survived an assassination attempt.
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Turkey
The Turkish military claims to have destroyed more than 200 PKK targets in the mountains of northern Iraq and killed hundreds of PKK fighters. A Kurdish official said the claims are inflated. A percussion bomb exploded in Istanbul; no one was injured.
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Kashmir
Mosque siege ends in Kashmir
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Pakistan
President Musharraf said the Taliban has been defeated in Swat. A Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl leader blamed the MMA political party for the rise of the Taliban in Swat and the tribal areas. Maulana Sirajuddin said the Sunday suicide bombing in Swat was in retaliation for the destruction of a cleric’s home. The military attacked Taliban positions in Swat with helicopter gunfire and artillery while two civilians were shot for violating the curfew in Mingora.
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Afghanistan
Afghan officials have officially declared the Taliban responsible for the November 6 suicide bombing in Baghlan province that killed over 59 school children and six visiting Parliamentarians. Four Taliban operatives were arrested in connection with the attack. Two British nationals have been ordered to leave the country after officials accused them of aiding the Taliban with money and guns. President Karzai is set to visit Pakistan tomorrow to discuss the ongoing cooperation against the Taliban and al Qaeda as well as security issues along the border.
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Al Qaeda continues attacks on Awakening security forces
Dual Christmas day attacks in Baiji and Baqubah highlight al Qaeda’s attempt to destroy the growing Awakening movement. Coalition Special Forces kill 13 al Qaeda operatives and capture 27 in raids.
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Iraq
Coalition forces killed two Special Groups operatives and captured two during a raid in Al Kut. Coalition forces detained 10 al Qaeda operatives during raids in central and northern Iraq. Iraqi Security Forces detained eight al Qaeda fighters and defused five roadside bombs in Diyala. Fourteen Iraqis were kidnapped at a fake checkpoint in Khalis.
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Turkey
Security forces stopped a suspected bomber with seven pounds of explosives in his backpack outside a subway station in Istanbul. Police later raided his safe house and found more explosives and bomb-making materials. Leaders from the US, Turkey, and Iraq discussed the PKK and the situation in northern Iraq via phone.
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Somalia
Insurgents bombed the home of Baidoa’s police chief; one soldier was killed. Heavy fighting between Shabaab and Somali and Ethiopian forces was reported in Mogadishu. An insurgent group called the Jabhada Islamiga Somaliyeed freed two Somali soldiers. A second group of 100 Burundi peacekeepers arrived in Mogadishu.
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Pakistan
MMA leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed blamed the recent suicide attacks on government policies. Four Special Services Group soldiers were among the 12 killed in yesterday’s suicide attack in Swat. The military has advanced as far as Bahrain in central Swat. Three suicide bombers were captured in Dara Tang. Nine were killed in sectarian fighting in Kurram agency.
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Thailand
Fatalities in southern Thailand insurgency over 400 in nine months
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Pakistan
Pakistan’s Islamic Parties Struggle for Support
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Iran
Hezbollah’s Scout Brigade
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Philippines
Philippines ‘bomb plotter’ Islamic envoy: Egypt cleric
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Iran
Top Iranian Conservative Slams Ahmadinejad
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Turkey
Turkish fighter-bombers attacked PKK positions in northern Iraq for the second time in three days. The attack, which lasted for over one hour, hit PKK positions in a mountainous area north of Irbil. The US ambassador to Iraq asked Turkey not to endanger Iraq’s stability.
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Somalia
Shabaab named Sheikh Mukhtar Abdirahman Abu Zubey the new leader of the Islamist movement; Zubey trained in Afghan camps prior to 2001. At least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded during fighting in Mogadishu. A judge was assassinated in Baidoa. About 100 Burundian soldiers arrived in Mogadishu as part of the African peacekeeping force.
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Algeria
Algerian soldiers foiled an al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb plot to attack a security center at Ekern; soldiers are now searching for the 10-man cell. The Minister of the Interior said security forces have lapsed in their duty to prevent terror attacks, which resulted in the deadly Algiers bombings in early December.
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Iraq
Coalition forces detained 12 al Qaeda operatives during raids in the Diyala River Valley region and northern Iraq. Coalition forces captured a suspected Special Groups leader and seven other during operations in the Al Kut and As Suwyarah areas. Iraqi police captured 10 al Qaeda in Mandali in Diyala province. Iraqi Security Forces arrested 20 insurgents and defused 14 improvised explosive devices in Baghdad. A Sadrist leader was killed in Basrah.
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Taliban suicide bombing in Swat kills nine soldiers
The Taliban continues to target military and police forces in the Northwest Frontier Province. An additional 15 soldiers were wounded after an explosive-laden car is rammed into a military convoy. This is the third suicide attack in a week.
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Afghanistan
The Taliban executed seven captives, most of them security personnel and truck drivers, after the group made an attempt to escape from their “jail” in Ghazni province. The Afghan Defense Ministry said 10 Taliban were killed and four Afghan soldiers were injured following a weekend skirmish in Kandahar. Three Canadian soldiers suffered injuries after their vehicle struck an IED in Kandahar™s Arghandab district. Spain announced it will continue its ISAF commitment with over 700 soldiers stationed throughout the west and northwest without setting a time-line.
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Iraq
Petraeus: Violence Down in Iraq; Al Qaeda Still a Threat
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Saudi Arabia
Security forces arrested 28 al Qaeda operatives for plotting to attack sites related to the annual hajj pilgrimage. The suspects were arrested in Mecca, Medina, and Riyadh and in an area near the country’s northern borders. Twenty-seven of the 28 suspects were Saudi citizens.
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Al Qaeda
US: Suspect is kin to 9/11 hijacker
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Iraq
Iraq Qaeda group confirms top figure killed
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Al Qaeda
Iraqi villagers battle to hold off Al Qaeda
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Turkey
Turkish fighter-bombers struck PKK positions in northern Iraq for the second time this week. An artillery barrage followed shortly after the airstrikes. An Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga spokesman said the raids were in the Amadiyah area of northern Iraq.
