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Al Qaeda
Maine man says NY bomber was partyer
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Taliban
Birthplace of the Taliban: the next battleground
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Afghanistan
20 million acres of land seized in Afghanistan
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Kyrgyzstan
In Central Asia, a new headache for US policy
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Libya
Libya freed 37 Islamist prisoners as part of “national reconciliation and social peace.” One of those released, Sofiane Ibrahim Gammu, spent six years at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility for serving as Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard.
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19 Taliban fighters killed in raid in Kunar
A combined US and Afghan force air assaulted into a Taliban stronghold in the Pech district, a known haven for al Qaeda.
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Pakistan
Eight “militants” were killed in a Pakistani airstrike in Khyber and three more were killed in a shootout in Swat. Five Lashkar-e-Islam fighters were killed near Darra Adam Khel. The Taliban torched three NATO fuel tankers in Mastung and Khuzdar.
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ISAF continues to hunt IMU commanders in Kunduz
ISAF is definitely hot on the tail of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan commanders who are operating in Kunduz. From an ISAF press release today: Afghan and coalition security forces detained two insurgents in Kunduz province Monday in their continued pursuit of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist connected to several insurgent groups in the area including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Taliban. The extremist was recently forced to leave his safe haven in Pakistan and moved to Takhar province with several Al Qaeda members. The assault force targeted a series of compounds in Kunduz City in pursuit of the Al…
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Somalia
Twenty-three people were killed in attacks in Mogadishu; nine of those were killed in an IED attack on a minivan near a base manned by Burundian troops. Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces said it would deploy 10,000 troops to Somalia if the United States provides financial assistance.
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Afghanistan
Afghan authorities take over biggest bank to avoid meltdown
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Afghanistan
The Taliban killed five ISAF soldiers in separate IED attacks in the south and east, and three government employees in Kabul. Afghan and Coalition forces killed and captured several Taliban fighters and commanders in Kandahar, Khost, Ghazni, Kunar, and Kunduz.
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Al Qaeda leader in Yemen tries to woo Saudi soldiers
Said al Shihri, an ex-Gitmo detainee who is one of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s most senior leaders, issued an audiotape earlier this month seeking the support of Saudi soldiers and security officers. Al Shihri’s tape echoes the messaging of al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki, who has sought to convince Muslim soldiers to serve al Qaeda.
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Iraq
The US has officially transferred security to the Iraqi government. Three terrorists were killed in a premature detonation in Fallujah. Security forces killed a suicide bomber in Tal Afar and a Mahdi Army fighter in Baghdad, and detained 22 gunmen in Bayji, 15 wanted men in Basrah, an Islamic State of Iraq leader and three members in Kirkuk, and two al Qaeda operatives in Mosul. Insurgents killed two truck drivers in Mosul.
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Al Qaeda
Iraqis approach end of US combat role with worry
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Update on Predator strikes in Pakistan
Alexander Mayer and I are a little overdue for an update on the latest trends on the Predator/Reaper strikes in Pakistan, but in the interim, my friend Anirudh Bhattacharyya at the Hindustan Times has a very good article rounding up the latest. Anirudh did interview me for the article. From the Hindustan Times: The latest strike was in the tribal agency of Kurram that targeted the Tehrik-e-Taliban or the Pakistan Taliban. That took the total for 2010 to 54 exceeding last year’s 53, according to figures from the Long War Journal, which tracks the strikes within Pakistan. The nature of…
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Al Qaeda
Canada’s Operation Samosa and the Pakistani connection
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Afghanistan
Afghan campaign turning the corner, says UK’s deputy PM
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Afghanistan
Turkmenistan, Afghanistan ink pipeline framework deal
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Al Qaeda
Afghan concern about Pakistan is legit: Petraeus
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Al Qaeda in Iraq
Rights groups sue US on effort to kill cleric
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United States
Dutch still holding two men over air security scare
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Afghanistan
Afghan withdrawal won’t be a ‘hand-off’ – Petraeus
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Iran
Ali Akbar Salehi announced that Tehran will produce medical reactor fuel by next year. Iran’s foreign minister said a partial withdrawal of US troops from Iraq is “unacceptable.” Fidel Castro announced a plan to stop an Israel-Iran nuclear war.
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Spain
Spanish authorities arrested a Moroccan national for links to al Qaeda. Faical Errai ran a jihadist website, raised funds, and recruited fighters for terror groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Chechnya. Spanish authorities have warned that Mokhtar Belmokhtar, an al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb cell, is hiring mercenaries to kidnap more Westerners in the Sahara/Sahel.
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Algeria
Algerian security forces arrested five men for forming a terror cell in Sidi Khaled in Biskra province. The men will be presented and charged for providing support for Islamist fighters in the region. A roadside bomb wounded an Algerian soldier near Bejaia.
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Afghanistan
Petraeus finishes guidelines for Afghan security transition
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‘Dry run’ terror plot discovered on US-bound flight to Amsterdam
Pictures of the two suspected terrorists, from ABC News. Two Michigan men were detained in Amsterdam after arriving from Chicago and charged with “preparation of a terrorist attack.” Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi and Hezam al Murisi raised eyebrows when officials found a knife, a box cutter, and a cell phone taped to a Pepto Bismol bottle in their checked luggage. From the AP: Another U.S. law enforcement official who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters said federal air marshals were on board the flight from Chicago to Amsterdam. The law enforcement official said Al…
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United States
Two men were questioned and charged with “preparation of a terrorist attack” by Dutch authorities after arriving in Amsterdam from Chicago. The men, Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi and Hezam al Murisi from Michigan, alarmed authorities for their suspicious luggage, including a cell phone taped to a bottle, a knife, and a box cutter.
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United States
Two men on United flight from Chicago arrested in Amersterdam on charges of ‘preparation of a terrorist attack’
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Algeria
Seven Libyans have been arrested by Algerian security forces for attempting to join al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The seven suspects are being sent to Algiers for possible extradition to Libya. A Libyan security delegation is reported to be coming to Algiers to identify the suspects.
