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United States
The FBI arrested Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian, after he attempted to detonate an inert bomb outside a skyscraper in Dallas. Smadi was in the US illegally with the aim of waging “violent jihad” for Osama bin Laden.
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Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb leader Abdelmalek Droukdel has sent a letter to Abu Mohammad Maqdissi, the prominent Islamist cleric and former mentor to Abu Musab al Zarqawi who declared the usage of suicide bombings in Iraq to be illegal. Droukdel appealed to Maqdissi to open a dialogue whereupon Droukdel can ask “clarification” on a number of religious inquires. Analysts feel that the letter signifies that Droukdel is lacking religious justification for his war in the Maghreb and is seeking reinforcement of al Qaeda’s ideology.
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Shabaab claims American was one of last week’s suicide bombers
A website affiliated with Shabaab celebrated a Somali-American from Seattle as one of the suicide bombers who conducted a complex assault against the African Union peacekeeper base in Mogadishu last week. The suicide bombers easily entered the AMISOM military compound while driving two white vehicles with United Nations markings. “We thought they were real UN cars carrying white people,” a witness told Reuters. The drivers of the car “spoke English and identified themselves as being from the United Nations,” Somalia’s information minister said. Shabaab cannot rely on its usual, illiterate cannon fodder to target well protected objectives in Somalia, so…
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United States
US -Terror suspect is charged with plot to use bombs
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US airstrike targets Haqqani Network in North Waziristan
Eight people have been reported killed in the latest US strike in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The attack targeted a compound run by Ahmad Haqqani, one of Jalaluddin Haqqani’s sons.
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Iraq
Sixteen al Qaeda in Iraq fighters escaped from a prison in Tikrit; one was recaptured. Three policemen were killed in separate attacks in Mosul. Security forces detained eight wanted men in Basrah, four in Diyala, and two more near Makhmour.
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Jihad in Pakistan’s South Punjab
Newsline has a must-read article on the critical role the southern half of Pakistan’s Punjab province plays in the jihadi network. Read the whole thing; I’ve excerpted some interesting portions below: Four major militant outfits, the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), are all comfortably ensconced in South Punjab (see article “Brothers in Arms”). Sources claim that there are about 5,000 to 9,000 youth from South Punjab fighting in Afghanistan and Waziristan. A renowned Pakistani researcher, Hassan Abbas cites a figure of 2,000 youth engaged in Waziristan. The area has become critical to planning, recruitment and…
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Taliban kill pro-government tribal leaders in Pakistan’s northwest
The attack took place in Jani Khel, a region known to have hosted al Qaeda’s executive council as well as an al Qaeda bank in the past.
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Afghanistan
Security worsens as Taliban move into northern Afghanistan
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Afghanistan
Five Taliban fighters were killed and 15 more were wounded in an airstrike in Kandahar. Afghan and Coalition forces detained “several” Taliban fighters during operations in Helmand, Kandahar, Kunduz, and Wardak provinces. A pro-government former mujahedeen leader was killed in Baghlan. Farah province’s intelligence chief escaped an assassination attempt. Hundreds of Taliban fighters have moved into Kunduz, Baghlan, and Faryab provinces from Pakistan’s tribal areas.
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Somalia
A Shabaab website celebrated an American from Seattle as one of the suicide bombers who killed 21 peacekeepers in Mogadishu last week. Hizbul Islam rejected Shabaab’s administration over Kismayo. “There should be mediation before there is bloodshed,” said Sheikh Hassan Turki, Hizbul’s deputy leader and the commander of the Ras Kamboni Brigade. Both sides are amassing troops in the town. Ethiopian troops are conducting security operations in the central Hiran region.
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Pakistan
Pak seeks more time to probe Saeed’s role in 26/11 attacks
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Iraq
Iraqi city under curfew after prison break
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Iran
President Ahmadinejad defended his legacy during his speech to the UN assembly. The UN said it would draft a nuclear safeguard plan before US-Iranian bilateral talks. Iran’s Assembly of Experts reiterated their support for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
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The Taliban’s shadow government
One of the more striking aspects of the McChrystal report on Afghanistan is the US military’s assessment of the Taliban’s shadow government: The [Quetta Shura Taliban: QST] has a governing structure in Afghanistan under the rubric of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They appoint shadow governors for most provinces, review their performance, and replace them periodically. They established a body to receive complaints against their own “officials” and to act on them. They install ‘shari’a’ courts to deliver swift and enforced justice in contested and controlled areas. They levy taxes and conscript fighters and laborers. They claim to provide security…
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Afghanistan
Taliban widen Afghan attacks from base in Pakistan
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Afghanistan
Gaddafi compares Taliban state to Vatican
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Afghanistan
McChrystal to hand in troop request, but Gates will hold on to it
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Iran
Russia ‘rethinks’ Iran sanctions
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Iraq
Empowered by the US, imprisoned by Iraqis
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Pakistani General dined with Hafiz Saeed
Just days before Lashkar-e-Taiba / Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader Hafiz Saeed was charged by Faisalbad police with preaching jihad and raising money for terrorist activities, he was the guest of a senior Pakistani military commander in Rawalpindi. The Times of India reports: Two FIRs [first information requests] against Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and “restrictions” on his movements may not be more than eyewash. The 26/11 [Mumbai attack] mastermind remains a valuable “asset” for Pakistan’s military establishment and was an esteemed guest at an iftar hosted by the army’s 10th corps. ( Watch Video ) The JuD boss, who is also the head…
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Counterterrorism at the expense of counterinsurgency will doom Afghanistan and Pakistan: US officials
Shifting to a counterterrorism-heavy strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan will have disastrous consequences, according to US military and intelligence officials familiar with the region.
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Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda external operations op tempo
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Pakistan
Pakistan’s Punjab: Terror™s training ground
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Afghanistan
General McChrystal denies rift with Obama on Afghan war
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Philippines
The military is planning to send more troops to Jolo island to combat Abu Sayyaf terrorists due to an increase in violence in recent days. The military also announced that three school teachers who were kidnapped in Zamboanga Sibugay province and held hostage for six months were released.
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Indonesia
Changing the militant mindset: Few signs of success
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United States
US: How using imam in terror inquiry backfired on police
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Kashmir
4 Indian soldiers, 4 militants killed in Kashmir clashes
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Iran! Iran! Iran! (in Iraq)
So goes the refrain from a host of pundits who posit a maliciously empowered Iran as a consequence of the US invasion of Iraq. Subscribers to the possibility include David Ignatius, Brookings, and Thomas Ricks, who has authored grim appraisals of Iran being the “biggest winner” after the invasion. This popular narrative has various appeals. For one thing, there is a great deal of Iranian power in Iraq. From politically motivated release of Iranian operatives, to support of Iraqi militants, to graft-enabled economic ties, to influence with major political parties, there’s plenty of evidence that Iran is a major player,…
