Pakistan reopens vital border crossing to NATO

September 7, 2008 12:25 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Defense minister admitted closure was retaliation for US strikes inside Pakistan's tribal areas, while an advisor to the prime minister cited poor security.
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Suicide bombing kills 30 in Pakistan's northwest

September 6, 2008 7:46 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

More than ninety are wounded after a massive truck bomb is detonated at a checkpoint on a highway just outside Peshawar. The Taliban have been fighting to take control of the Indus Highway.
(1)

Afghanistan: Provincial intelligence chief killed in Taliban suicide bombing

September 6, 2008 11:29 AM ET
By Matt Dupee

A Taliban suicide attack killed the provincial intelligence chief for Nimroz province and five others. Violence in southwestern Afghanistan continues to escalate as some Taliban commander's vow to take the fight to urban settings.
(2)

Pakistan closes Torkham border crossing, shuts down NATO's supply line

September 6, 2008 12:04 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Khyber political agent cites security problems. The decision comes the same day the Pakistani military threatens to retaliate against US cross-border strikes.
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US airstrike kills five al Qaeda operatives in North Waziristan

September 5, 2008 8:38 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

The US campaign against the Taliban and al Qaeda’s safe houses in Pakistan’s tribal areas has intensified. Today’s strike is the fifth inside Pakistan in six days.
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Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle: September 2008 update

September 5, 2008 12:48 AM ET
By DJ Elliott

Anbar is the eleventh province to go under Iraqi control, the 17th Division takes control of southern Baghdad, and more.
(17)

Report: US airstrike kills four in North Waziristan

September 4, 2008 12:57 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

The attack occurred along the border with Afghanistan in territory run by the Haqqani family. This is the fourth cross-border strike in five days.
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Coalition: Senior Taliban leaders killed in Kapisa province

September 4, 2008 10:03 AM ET
By Matt Dupee

Five Taliban leaders have been killed in fighting north of Kabul, including two who were involved in the deadly Aug. 18 ambush that killed 10 French ISAF soldiers and wounded 21 others.
(1)

Taliban take credit for assassination attempt on Pakistan's prime minister

September 3, 2008 7:22 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani dodged an assassination attempt after his motorcade came under gunfire earlier today. The Taliban have taken credit for the attack.
(8)

Pakistanis claim US helicopter-borne forces assaulted village in South Waziristan

September 3, 2008 12:39 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Unconfirmed reports from Pakistan indicate 15 were killed after "American and Afghan soldiers" conducted a search and destroy operation in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency.
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Saudi al Qaeda commander killed in Afghan clash

September 2, 2008 9:59 PM ET
By Matt Dupee

An al Qaeda spokesman claims US and Afghan forces killed a senior field commander in southwestern Afghanistan. Commander Abu Gharib al Makki was killed in one of two clashes reported in Farah province in recent fighting.
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Shabab reaches out to al Qaeda senior leaders, announces death al Sudani

September 2, 2008 11:05 AM ET
By Nick Grace

The latest tape from Shabab highlights the future merger between the Somali-based terror group and al Qaeda.
(3)

Senior al Qaeda operative killed in Somalia

September 1, 2008 4:41 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

Al Qaeda reports Abu Talha al Sudani was killed “more than a year ago” during fighting in Somalia. Sudani was al Qaeda's senior leader in eastern Africa.
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US detains 7 League of the Righteous operatives in Iraq

September 1, 2008 1:18 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

The US has captured several senior leaders of the Iranian-backed, Mahdi Army offshoot since identifying the group two weeks ago.
(3)

US hits al Qaeda safe house in North Waziristan

August 31, 2008 11:25 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

Six killed, eight wounded in the second strike in Pakistan's tribal areas in two days.
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Five killed in al Qaeda safe house strike in South Waziristan

August 31, 2008 12:18 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Two Canadian Arabs were reported killed in the attack, the third such attack in South Waziristan and eight in Pakistan’s tribal areas this year.
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Pakistan declares Ramadan cease-fire

August 30, 2008 3:29 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

The cease-fire comes as heavy fighting with the Taliban has occurs in Swat, Bajaur, South Waziristan, and Aurkzai and the Taliban ramp up their suicide campaign.
(7)

Coalition forces target Hezbollah Brigades in Baghdad

August 30, 2008 1:18 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

Twenty Hezbollah Brigades operatives have been captured in the past two months. The detentions have provided insight on the group's propaganda efforts.
(1)

Pakistani forces thwart triple suicide bombing attack

August 29, 2008 6:30 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Five Pakistanis were killed and 37 wounded as troops stopped three suicide car bombers just outside the gates of a military camp near the Kohat Tunnel. Two bridges were also destroyed on the Indus Highway.
(3)

Fighting intensifies in Pakistan's Northwest

August 28, 2008 1:49 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

Nine killed in IED strike in Bannu; 50 Taliban reported killed in Bajaur; Taliban and military take additional casualties in South Waziristan.
(3)

Senior Special Groups leader captured at Baghdad airport

August 27, 2008 5:24 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

The unnamed leader has traveled to Iran and Lebanon to consult with Iranian agents and Hezbollah. He was also behind the June 24 bombing attack at the Sadr City District Advisory Council meeting that killed two US soldiers, two members of the US State Department, and six Iraqis.
(4)

Pakistani military repels Taliban assault on South Waziristan fort

August 27, 2008 10:28 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

A company of Taliban fighters launched a nighttime attack on the Tiarza Fort. Eleven Taliban fighters were reported killed.
(6)

Eight killed in Islamabad bombing

August 26, 2008 8:50 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

A blast at a cafe in Pakistan's capital is the latest in a string of bombings in Pakistan.
(6)

US diplomat dodges assassination attempt in Peshawar

August 26, 2008 11:40 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

The US Consulate's principal officer and her driver evade an ambush on the streets of Peshawar as the Taliban step up attacks against the government in the provincial capital.
(1)

Al Qaeda-linked Shabab in control of southern Somalia

August 25, 2008 8:34 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

One and a half years after the Ethiopian Army defeated the Islamic Courts, its successor is poised for a takeover of much of southern and central Somalia. Shabab seeks to formally join al Qaeda.
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Three senior al Qaeda in Iraq leaders captured in Baghdad

August 24, 2008 1:21 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

A senior al Qaeda adviser, a district commander, and an adviser to Obu Omar al Baghdadi were captured during raids over the past two weeks. Both played a crucial part in al Qaeda's terror campaign in 2007.
(6)

Taliban suicide bomber kills 17 in Pakistan's Swat district

August 23, 2008 12:47 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Twenty wounded after a bomber strikes police checkpoint. This is the third major attack in four days.
(7)

US draws down forces as Iraqis stand up security forces

August 22, 2008 8:48 AM ET
By DJ Elliott

The US plan to draw down forces in Iraq was announced by General Petraeus in a September 2007 briefing to Congress. The drawdown schedule is based on the Iraqi forces taking over responsibility for security.
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Taliban suicide bombers kill 70 Pakistanis outside a munitions factory

August 21, 2008 9:20 AM ET
By Bill Roggio

Two suicide bombers detonated their vests outside Pakistan's main military arms factory in Wah, where nuclear weapons are thought to be housed. More than eighty were wounded.
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Al Qaeda safe house targeted in South Waziristan strike

August 20, 2008 10:16 PM ET
By Bill Roggio

Eight killed, including "foreign militants," in an attack on a known al Qaeda sanctuary in Wana.
(8)

The Long War Journal is cited in The Institute for the Study of War's latest report, Special Groups Regenerate [PDF format].

The Long War Journal is cited in the latest editions of the Brookings Institution's Iraq Index and Afghanistan Index.

The Honolulu Advertiser interviews Nathan Webster about his embed in Tarmiyah.

Afghanistan

US troops killed 10 Haqqani Network operatives and captured three during a raid in Khost province. Six police were killed and 37 were wounded in a double suicide attack on a senior police general in Kandahar. One Afghan soldier was killed and seven were wounded in an IED attack in Kandahar.

Somalia

An unidentified warship captured 14 pirates and sunk their boat. Shabab conducted attacks against peacekeepers in Mogadishu and a police station in Baidoa. An Islamic Courts official rejected the appointment of new leaders in Kismayo as local clans were not represented.

Iraq

Six Iraqis were killed and 32 wounded in a suicide car bombing in Tal Afar. Coalition forces detained 12 al Qaeda operatives during raids nationwide. Iraqi forces detained 24 insurgent in Baghdad and 13 terrorists and criminals in Basrah. US and Iraqi forces detained two Special Groups operatives in Hillah and Baghdad.

Al Qaeda

Western intelligence sources in Pakistan believe that al-Qaeda's American recruit and propaganda chief, Adam Gadahn, may have been killed in a CIA-directed airstrike. Intelligence officials will scrutinize radical websites and forums this week to see whether Gadahn - also known as Azzam al-Ameriki - produces a new video message to mark September 11, as he has done every year since 2003.

Somalia

[Update 2] Shabab has seized the frontier town of Dobley in the lower Juba region. A total of nine Somali and Ethiopian soldiers surrendered themselves to Islamist fighters on Saturday. Ethiopia's ETV aired a bulletin saying that Sacad Mohamad Al Sacad, a Nigerian officer of the al-Qaeda network, has been killed by Ethiopian troops. Malaysian officials say they are sending naval vessels to the pirate-infested Somali coast.

Pakistan

A pickup truck packed with explosives blew up a police security checkpoint in Peshawar, killing at least 30 people and injuring dozens more. Police say the death toll is likely to rise because people are stuck under the rubble of nearby buildings, which collapsed from the force of the blast. Fighting in Bajaur has forced 200,000 residents to flee their villages in recent weeks.

Philippines

The military believes the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has fractured into splinter groups. MILF may drop support for two commanders behind the recent violence. More troops have been sent to the South to escort UN food aid. More than 500,000 civilians are believed to have been affected by the recent fighting.

Somalia

Shabab has taken over the town of Walaweyn. Five Ethiopian soldiers were killed in a Shabab ambush outside the town of Baidoa. The UN has declined to send peacekeeping forces to Somalia until the political situation improves.

Pakistan

Pakistan closed the Torkham border crossing in Khyber agency to NATO traffic the same day it said it reserved the right t respond to US airstrikes inside Pakistan. The US struck an al Qaeda safe house in North Waziristan; five "foreigners" were reported killed. The Taliban raided a checkpoint in Khyber. The Salarzai tribes in Bajaur agency announced sanctions against those supporting the Taliban. Local tribes killed six Taliban kidnappers in Swat.

Somalia

Shabab leaders revealed earlier today on Paltalk that the group would announce the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Somalia very soon. Shabab has made overtures to merge with Al Qaeda over the past several weeks.

Iraq

Coalition forces detained 14 al Qaeda operatives during operations in the Mosul region. US and Iraqi forces detained four Special Groups fighters in Maysan province. A senior police official in Wasit province and his wife were killed in an attack. More than 12,000 detainees have been released this year.

Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda's latest videotape featured the suicide bomber who carried out the June 2 attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad. Mustafa Abu Yazid, al Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan, said attacks would continue. "The Danish embassy (attack) and prior operations is but the beginning..."

Afghanistan

Eight Taliban fighters, including three local commanders, and two civilians were killed in an airstrike in Farah province. The Taliban gathered elite fighters for an attack on Canadian forces earlier this week. A British soldier was killed in the Sangin district in Helmand province.

Pakistan

The US killed four during an airstrike on an al Qaeda safe house in South Waziristan. Seventeen Taliban were reported killed during fighting in Swat. The Lashkar-e-Islam kidnapped three tribal police personnel in Khyber. The Taliban threatened a pro-government tribe in Bajaur. "Very important" government officials have received death threats from the Taliban.

Iraq

The Iraqi government will take over the Sons of Iraq program in October. Coalition forces killed one al Qaeda operative and detained 15 during raids in Baghdad and the Tigris River Valley. Iraqi forces killed one insurgent and captured 18 in Baghdad. Two US soldiers were killed in an IED attack in Baghdad.

Somalia

Islamic Courts fighters forced restaurants in the Middle Shabelle region to shut down for Ramadan. Somaliland released a politician after accusing him of having links to Shabab. Pirates seized an Egyptian ship and a French yacht; 10 ships and their crews are being held for ransom.

Caucasus

Gunmen assassinated Abdulla Alishayev, a host on one of the most popular Islamic television stations in the Russian republic of Dagestan; he is the second journalist to be killed in the Caucasus this week. A third journalist, Miloslav Bitokov, editor-in-chief, of the independent weekly Gazeta Yuga, was severely beaten yesterday by unidentified men outside his apartment in the North Caucasus Republic of Kabardino-Balkariya. Russian forces killed five suspected Muslim rebels in the southern region of Dagestan.

Palestinian Territories

Hamas detained Abu Hafss, the leader of Jaish al Ummah (Army of the Nation), a pro-al Qaeda group operating out of Gaza. The terror group gained prominence after Reuters visited a training camp two days ago. Hamas has allow the group to operate as long as it stays out of local politics and does not enforce its views in Gaza.

Afghanistan

Five senior Taliban leaders in Kapisa province, including two behind the Aug. 18 attack on French forces in Kabul, were killed during a series of Coalition raids. A British soldier was killed during a patrol in southern Afghanistan. ISAF soldiers killed a civilian in an escalation of force incident in Helmand province. A 100-man Czech special forces team unit is operating outside of NATO command.

Pakistan

Taliban took credit for the assassination attempt on the prime minister. The government claimed 30 Taliban were killed during an operation in Swat. The Taliban kidnapped 32 police recruits in Khyber and six security officials in Landi Kotal. Baitullah Mehsud's Taliban joined forces with the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Karachi.

Somalia

Shabab vowed to continue attacks during Ramadan. Fifteen Somalis were killed in a Shabab attack on the Presidential Palace in Mogadishu. The Islamic Courts said the government is incapable of retaking Kismayo.

Philippines

President Arroyo disbanded the government panel negotiating autonomy with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Arrest warrants have been issued for MILF commanders Kato and Bravo, and 12 other members of the group. The government said 66 people have been killed and 79 wounded during recent fighting with MILF in the South.

Iraq

Coalition forces killed an al Qaeda weapons facilitator and detained eight fighters during raids in the Tigris River Valley and captured six operatives in Bayji and Mosul. Iraqi forces detained 40 insurgents in Baghdad. Iraqi and US soldiers detained four Special Groups operatives during air assaults in Dhi Qar and Maysan provinces. Police captured seven "wanted individuals" in Basrah.

Afghanistan

Afghan police killed 32 Taliban fighters during engagements in southern Afghanistan. Three Canadian troops were killed and five were wounded in a "direct fire" incident in the Zari district in Kandahar province. The US military said last week's raid in Azizabad in Herat province resulted in seven civilian casualties, not the 90 cited in the press.