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Iraq
Six Iraqis were killed in bombings in Hillah. Iraqi security forces killed five al Qaeda fighters and detained 19 wanted men in Diyala. Security forces also reportedly detained al Qaeda’s finance minister.
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Pakistan
Sixty Taliban fighters and four Frontier troops were killed in a Taliban assault on a base in Arakzai. The Taliban threatened to kill “American spies” in North Waziristan. A Pakistani Army major has been detained in connection with the failed Times Square bombing.
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Pakistan
Gitmo shutdown means more drone strikes, officials claim
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Turkey and Brazil played by Iran
The New York Times ran an interesting editorial today titled “Iran, the Deal and the Council.” After laying out the details of the recent nuclear fuel swap deal negotiated by Iran with Brazil and Turkey, the anonymous author offers some pointed commentary on the actual significance of the deal (if it comes to fruition) [emphasis mine]: The 11th-hour agreement announced this week with the leaders of Brazil and Turkey was much like one reached with the big powers last fall. Iran would transfer about 2,640 pounds of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey within one month and receive – within one…
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Pakistani troops beat back latest Taliban assault in the northwest
The military claimed 60 enemy fighters and four soldiers were killed in the latest Taliban assault on an outpost in Arakzai.
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Somalia
Two Somali soldiers were killed in Mogadishu. Hizbul Islam killed a drug addict in Afgoi. Hizbul Islam warned businessmen not to use the new Somali currency. A Somali official criticized the US for prosecuting a captive pirate.
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Mystery of the ‘White Taliban’ in Nuristan solved?
The May 17 post here at Threat Matrix on the so-called “white Taliban” who was seen in a Taliban video taken in Nuristan generated some interesting emails from a couple of knowledgeable observers. The images of the Western-looking man with short hair and Western-looking clothes have caused many to speculate that there are Westerners operating openly in Nuristan. But a closer look indicates the young man is very likely a young Nuristani. Below are excerpts from two of several emails I’ve received. The authors of these two emails, who wish to remain anonymous, have spent time in the eastern Afghanistan…
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Al Qaeda
Arrest of ‘Easter bombers’ led to international al-Qaeda network
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Afghanistan
Taliban try to undo US gains in Marja
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Thailand
The chief of the public works office of Tha Kam Sam tambon was shot to death on his way to work in Pattani province. In Pattani, the village chief of Moo 7 tambon Phitain of Tung Yangdaeng was also killed.
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Mauritania
An admitted member of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb who is on trial in Nouakchott has been sentenced to 10 years hard labor for being a member of the terrorist organization. Brahim Ould Ely Daoud, aka Abderrahmane Sahraoui, did not submit a plea of innocence, unlike his counterparts, and refused to recognize the court.
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Pakistani officer arrested in connection with Times Square plot
Just one day after Faisal Shahzad’s first appearance in a US court, a big development is coming out of Pakistan, where the failed Times Square attack originated. A major in the Pakistani army has been arrested by investigators for ties to the failed terror plot in New York. From the LA Times: The major’s involvement with suspect Faisal Shahzad, who was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to fly to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, remains unclear. Law enforcement sources said the major had met Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent, in Islamabad, the capital,…
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US troops repel complex Taliban assault on Bagram Airfield
Nearly a dozen Taliban fighters, including four suicide bombers, were killed in the attack.
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Afghanistan
US troops killed 12 Taliban fighters, including four suicide bombers, who assaulted the main base in Bagram; one US contractor was also killed. The Taliban killed an ISAF soldier in the south. A Canadian colonel and five US soldiers were among 18 people killed in the May 18 suicide attack in Kabul.
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Italy
Italian group: Add Iranian Guard to EU™s terror list
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France
French cabinet approves burqa ban law
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Iran
Major powers reached an agreement on the fourth round of sanctions against Iran. Tehran dismissed the new UN sanctions regimen, saying the sanctions will be “discredited.”
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North Korea
S. Korea briefs diplomats on torpedo attack
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France
Security forces arrested 14 “militants” accused of plotting a jailbreak. The men were attempting to free Smain Ait Ali Belkacem, an Algerian convicted of plotting to bomb the Paris metro. Police also detained 12 men involved in sending jihadists to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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United Kingdom
An immigration court granted the appeal of Abid Naseer, who is fighting his extradition to his home country of Pakistan. Naseer is an al Qaeda operative who was plotting attacks in England. The court said Naseer’s human rights could be violated if he is returned to Pakistan.
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Iran
Big powers agree on Iran sanctions draft
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Russia
Suicide bomber spotlights Russia’s Islamist battle
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Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Militant splits span AfPak border
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Pakistan
Pakistan – Campus battlegrounds
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United States
Gates, Clinton urge Senate to ratify nuke treaty
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United States
Congress: US repeated 9/11 slips in Christmas plot
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Pakistan
A suicide bomber killed nine civilians and three policemen in Dera Ismail Khan. The US sent National Security Advisor Jones and CIA Director Panetta to Pakistan to discuss intelligence related to the failed Times Square bombing. The Punjab Home Department claimed the Taliban issued a death threat to Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed.
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Iraq
Iraqi officials are concerned that freed prisoners are becoming al Qaeda leaders. Security forces detained 12 wanted men in Amarah and two al Qaeda leaders involved in recent bombings. Insurgents killed a civilian in Mosul and bombed the home of an Awakening fighter in Tikrit.
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Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia wants to verify identity of World Cup terrorist
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Pakistan
Pakistani site: Drones only killed one terrorist in 2010 (if you don™t count Taliban)
