Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria begins Sambisa ground offensive
Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria begins Sambisa ground offensive
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Yemen rebels demand complete end to attacks, seek talks
Yemen rebels demand complete end to attacks, seek talks
Iraqi forces fight to rout Islamic State militants from Ramadi | Reuters
Iraqi forces fight to rout Islamic State militants from Ramadi
Islamic State shot and beheaded 30 people in Libya: video
Islamic State shot and beheaded 30 people in Libya: video
Saudi-led coalition bombs Yemen despite calling off air campaign
Saudi-led coalition bombs Yemen despite calling off air campaign.
Police personnel, residents return to Iraqi city of Ramadi as panic subsides
Police personnel, residents return to Iraqi city of Ramadi as panic subsides
Afghan Taliban announces new ‘spring operations’
“Azm” will focus on the usual targets: Coalition and Afghan security personnel, and the Afghan government. The Taliban go through great pains to claim that it doesn’t target civilians.
US adds Shabaab leaders to designated terrorist list
The State Department announced today that two senior Shabaab officials, including the group’s emir or leader, have been added to the US government’s list of designated terrorists.
Taliban admit to beheading Afghan soliders ‘in revenge’
While the Taliban admitted its fighters beheaded Afghan troops, it placed the blame on the soldiers. According to the jihadist group’s ‘rules of engagement,’ the fighters should have shot, and not beheaded.
Lebanese Army defector portrayed as ‘martyr’ in Al Nusrah Front video
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has released a video portraying Osama Mansur as a “martyr” for its anti-Iranian, anti-Hezbollah cause. Mansur served in the Lebanese Army before defecting to Al Nusrah.
Libya
Jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State released a video showing the execution of 30 Ethiopian Christians on a Libyan shoreline. A bomb exploded in front of the Spanish embassy in Tripoli, causing no injuries.
Mali
A driver was killed during an ambush on a UN peacekeeping supply convoy near Gao in northern Mali, marking the third attack on the UN mission in a week. Al Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for one of the previous attacks, a suicide bombing of a barracks in Ansongo that killed two civilians and wounded nine Nigerien peacekeepers on Apr. […]
Jihadists claim wanted al Qaeda operative killed in Syria
Online jihadists are claiming that Adel Radi Saker al Wahabi al Harbi, who was designated a terrorist by the US Treasury Department in 2012, has been killed in Syria. Al Harbi previously served as the deputy head of al Qaeda’s Iran-based network.
Russian troops kill leader of Islamic Caucasus Emirate
Ali Abu Muhammad al Dagestani led the Islamic Caucasus Emirate during defections to the Islamic State. He openly stated his allegiance to Al Qaeda and the global jihadist group also provided him support.
Pakistani Taliban promotes ‘Muhajideen Special Group,’ training camp
The Pakistani Taliban, which has advertised the Mujahideen Special Group as its version of special forces, shows the fighters going through various stages of instruction.
Hezbollah Brigades deploys fighters to Ramadi
The Foreign Terrorist Organization continues to promote attacks on American forces while fighting under the aegis of the Iraqi government and benefiting from US airstrikes against the Islamic State.
Al Murabitoon claims Ansongo suicide attack
The explosion killed three civilians and left 16 wounded, including nine Nigerien UN peacekeepers. The group said that it was directly targeting Nigerien troops because of Niger’s president Mahamadou Issoufou’s response in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.
Islamic State publicizes use of child soldiers in Baiji fight
Two children fire a howitzer towards Iraqi Security Force positions in the Baiji oil refinery. Prior to this video, the Islamic State has shown kids conducting and assisting in executions. They are part of the “Cubs of the Caliphate,” which is what the jihadist group calls those children it trains in various training camps in Iraq and Syria.
Islamic State uses drones to coordinate fighting in Baiji
In a new video from Baiji, the Islamic State highlighted the use of a drone to gather intelligence for its “operations control room” directing the fighting at the oil refinery complex. The jihadist group has showcased the use of drones before, most notably at the Brigade 93 base in Raqqah last summer.
Libya
Fighting broke out in Tripoli between Libya Dawn and local forces, including one of the Islamist group’s factions, after accusations of support for the Libyan National Army. Pro-government forces conducted air strikes near Tripoli; a “security source” claimed that a missile battery was hit. A new round of peace talks backed by the UN began […]
Pakistani Taliban praises slain al Qaeda leaders
The statement highlights the close working relationship between al Qaeda and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and al Qaeda’s influence over the fellow jihadist group.
Syria
A former Australian model who joined the Islamic State was reportedly killed fighting in Syria. Some Palestinian rebels are siding with the Assad regime to combat the Islamic State. A group of insurgents in southern Syria announced that they would not cooperate with the Al Nusrah Front. Human Rights Watch claims the Assad regime used chemical […]
Southern Syria rebels set collision course with al Qaeda
Southern Syria rebels set collision course with al Qaeda
Obama warns Iran its fighters in Iraq must answer to Baghdad
Obama warns Iran its fighters in Iraq must answer to Baghdad
Somalia
Shabaab staged a suicide assault on the Ministry of Higher Education, killing at least 12 people and wounding 15. Seven attackers were killed. Unknown gunmen wounded a journalist in Mogadishu on Apr. 9.
Egypt
A bomb targeting a bus killed two military academy students and wounded six in Kafr al-Sheikh. Attacks on a checkpoint, a police station and a highway killed at least 12 in the North Sinai on Apr. 12. Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Benghazi suspect designated by UN, State Department
Both the US State Department and the UN have designated Ali Ouni Harzi as a terrorist. The UN designation notes Harzi’s alleged role in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, whereas the State Department does not.
AQAP announces death of sharia official in US drone strike
Al Qaeda announced the death of sharia official Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish, who was killed in a drone strikein eastern Yemen. Rubaish is a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay who also served as an operational planner for the jihadist group.
Islamic State overruns Iraqi Army headquarters near Thar Thar
The jihadist group has remained on the offensive in Anbar province despite its recent loss in Tikrit. Islamic State fighters have overrun two Iraqi Army bases in Thar Thar in the past month.
Libya
Jihadists tied to the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a bomb attack at the gate of the Moroccan Embassy and an assault on South Korea’s mission in Tripoli, both on Apr. 13. New Libyan peace talks kicked off in neighboring Algeria. Jordan’s King Abdullah II met with Libyan General Khalifa Haftar and pledged his country’s […]