November 1, 2009 (GLOBAL): The leader of al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula called on militants to bomb airports and trains in Western countries, explaining that explosives can easily be acquired from household materials. Nasir al-Wahayshi, the leader of the group, wrote in the jihadist magazine Sada al-Malahim that “you do not need to exert great effort or spend a lot of money to make 10 grams of explosives, more or less. Do not spend a long time searching for materials as they already exist in your mother’s kitchen. Make them [explosives] in the shape of a bomb you hurl, or detonate through a timer or a remote detonator or a martyrdom-seeker belt or any electrical appliance.” Al-Wahayshi also wrote that “it is a duty that a Muslim mujahid be busy planning to reap the heads of infidels.” – Reuters, November 2
November 1, 2009 (IRAQ): Two suicide bombers—one in an explosives-laden vehicle and the other on foot wearing a suicide belt—killed two people just outside the city of Ramadi, Anbar Province. Iraqi authorities believe the bombers were targeting a passing police patrol. – Reuters, November 1
November 1, 2009 (IRAQ): A bomb on a bus near a police checkpoint in Karbala killed at least three people, including a policeman. – Reuters, November 1
November 1, 2009 (IRAQ): Explosives attached to a bicycle ripped through a popular market in Mussayab, a predominately Shi`a town that is 40 miles south of Baghdad. The explosion killed at least five people. – Reuters, November 1
November 1, 2009 (SOMALIA): A remotely-detonated bomb killed five senior military officers in northern Somalia’s Sool region. – Shabelle Media Network, November 1; UPI, November 1
November 2, 2009 (UNITED STATES): Ahmad Wais Afzali, a New York City imam charged with four counts of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, pleaded not guilty. Afzali is accused of alerting suspected terrorist Najibullah Zazi that he was under surveillance. Before his arrest, Afzali had been used as an informant by the New York police. Prosecutors allege that Zazi admitted to taking explosives courses at an al-Qa`ida training camp in Afghanistan, and that he was planning to detonate bombs in the United States. – Reuters, November 2
November 2, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Pakistan’s government announced $5 million in monetary rewards for information leading to the capture of top Pakistani Taliban commanders. The three most wanted commanders include Hakimullah Mehsud, Waliur Rahman and Qari Hussain, who each carry a $600,000 reward for their capture, dead or alive. – BBC, November 2
November 2, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani troops gained control of Kaniguram, an important stronghold of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in South Waziristan Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. On October 17, the Pakistan Army deployed at least 30,000 ground troops in a major offensive against TTP militants in South Waziristan. – BBC, November 4
November 2, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber on a motorbike detonated his explosives next to workers waiting for their salaries outside a bank near the four-star Shalimar Hotel in Rawalpindi. The blast killed at least 30 people. The attack occurred not far from the Pakistan Army headquarters. – AFP, November 1; Guardian, November 2
November 3, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): Five British soldiers were shot to death by an Afghan policeman they were training in Helmand Province. The assailant managed to flee the scene. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, although it was not immediately clear whether they were involved. – AP, November 4
November 3, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani troops marched into Srarogha, an important stronghold of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Srarogha, located in South Waziristan Agency in Pakistan’s tribal areas, is where former TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud signed his first peace accord with the government in February 2005. On October 17, the Pakistan Army deployed at least 30,000 ground troops in a major offensive against TTP militants in South Waziristan. – AFP, November 3
November 3, 2009 (YEMEN): Suspected al-Qa`ida militants killed seven members of Yemen’s security forces in eastern Hadramawt Province. The men were ambushed as they traveled back from a post on the Saudi Arabian border. Three of the dead were senior officers, including the chief of the Political Security Organization for Hadramawt Province, the regional security chief, and the head of the regional criminal investigation division. Al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula later took credit for the attack. According to the New York Times, which referred to an official Yemeni government statement, “The assailants opened fire on the motorcade’s lead vehicle as it passed through the town of Kashm Alein in the Alabr district, causing the vehicle to collide with an oncoming truck in the opposite lane and burst into flames.” – BBC, November 4; Reuters, November 5; New York Times, November 3
November 3, 2009 (PHILIPPINES): Philippine soldiers killed five militants from the Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan Province in the southern Philippines. – Mindanao Examiner, November 3
November 4, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suspected U.S. unmanned aerial drone killed four militants in North Waziristan Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. – Reuters, November 5
November 5, 2009 (UNITED STATES): U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on his own soldiers at the Ft. Hood military base in Texas, killing 13 people. Hasan was seriously wounded after being shot by a civilian police officer. Hasan, a graduate of Virginia Tech, was a military psychiatrist who was practicing at the Darnall Army Medical Center at Ft. Hood. Previously, he worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He is 39-years-old. Later investigations revealed that Hasan was attempting to make contact with an individual associated with al-Qa`ida, according to ABC News. Various reports stated that Hasan, a Muslim, “seemed to have gradually become more radical in his disapproval of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.” – Dawn, November 8; CNN, November 7; ABC News, November 9
November 5, 2009 (UNITED STATES): A U.S. court charged Tarek Mehanna and Ahmad Abousamra with providing and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, among other charges. Although Mehanna is in U.S. custody, Abousamra apparently left Boston for Syria almost three years ago after facing questions from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mehanna, a U.S. citizen, is a 27-year-old pharmacist who was living with his parents in the Boston suburbs when he was arrested on October 21, 2009. Mehanna and Abousamra allegedly conspired to attack civilians at a shopping mall, U.S. soldiers overseas, and two members in the federal government’s executive branch. The two men have apparently been friends since childhood. – Boston Globe, November 6; New York Times, October 21
November 5, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani troops secured the Ladha Fort in South Waziristan Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The town of Ladha is considered one of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) most important strongholds. On October 17, the Pakistan Army deployed at least 30,000 ground troops in a major offensive against TTP militants in South Waziristan. – Reuters, November 5
November 6, 2009 (GLOBAL): A videotape of Usama bin Ladin appeared on Islamist web forums. It appears, however, that the video is the Pashtu-language version of a tape released in Arabic and Urdu in June-July 2009. The tape was titled, “To Our People in Pakistan.” – Reuters, November 6
November 6, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani troops entered Makeen in South Waziristan Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The town is considered the headquarters of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). On October 17, the Pakistan Army deployed at least 30,000 ground troops in a major offensive against TTP militants in South Waziristan. – Reuters, November 6
November 6, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Gunmen opened fire on an army brigadier and his driver in Islamabad, both of whom were wounded in the attack. Pakistan’s Dawn said that the brigadier worked for a military intelligence agency. The attack resembled the October 22 assassination of a brigadier who was shot to death in heavy rush hour traffic in Islamabad. On October 27, another brigadier was targeted by two gunmen on a motorcycle, but that attack did not result in any casualties. – Reuters, November 6; New York Times, November 6; Guardian, October 22
November 8, 2009 (NETHERLANDS): Dutch police arrested a Somali man at an asylum-seeking center in Dronten in the northern Netherlands. The man, identified in some press reports as Mohamud Said Omar, is wanted in the United States on terrorism charges. He is accused of helping Americans from the Somali diaspora travel to Somalia in 2007 and 2008 to take part in “jihad.” U.S. prosecutors also allege that he financed weapons purchases for Islamist extremists. The United States has asked for the man to be extradited. – Independent Online, November 11; Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 13
November 8, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a crowded market in Adazai, a town 10 miles south of Peshawar. The bomber targeted one of the city’s local mayors, Abdul Malik, who was killed in the blast. Malik had previously been a Taliban supporter, but switched sides and formed a local militia to help fight against Taliban militants. A total of 12 people were killed. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed credit for the attack. – AFP, November 7; Independent, November 8; Bloomberg, November 10
November 8, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Police shot dead a suicide bomber as he ran toward a police checkpoint in Islamabad. The bomber was killed before he could detonate his explosives. – Voice of America, November 9
November 8, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Suspected Taliban militants fired rockets at a security checkpoint in Makeen, located in South Waziristan Agency, killing four Pakistani soldiers. Soldiers responded and killed eight militants. – AFP, November 9
November 9, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber in a rickshaw killed three people at a police checkpoint in Peshawar. – Voice of America, November 9
November 9, 2009 (ALGERIA): An Algerian court sentenced three Moroccans—Yacine Bouheltit, Bilel al-Aloui and Mohamed al-Hamedi—to three years in jail for trying to join al-Qa`ida fighters in Iraq. The men illegally crossed into Algeria from Morocco and were arrested after authorities intercepted their cell phone conversation with an Algerian militant. The Algerian militant was going to take the three Moroccans to Islamist strongholds in northern Algeria and then to Iraq to join al-Qa`ida. – Reuters, November 10
November 9, 2009 (PHILIPPINES): The severed head of a kidnapped school principal, Gabriel Canizares, was found in a bag left at a gas station in Jolo in Sulu Province, located in the southern Philippines. Canizares was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf Group militants on October 19 in Sulu’s Patikul town. He was beheaded after his family failed to pay his $42,000 ransom. – Mindanao Examiner, November 9; BBC, November 9
November 10, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle killed at least 24 people in Charsadda in the North-West Frontier Province. – Bloomberg, November 10; GEO TV, November 10
November 11, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle attacked NATO troops in southern Afghanistan’s Zabul Province. Two civilians were killed in the explosion. – Dawn, November 11
November 11, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani police arrested seven suspected militants in the commercial hub of Karachi. The suspected militants are part of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and they were allegedly planning to attack security agency offices and officials in Karachi. The suspects were arrested following a shoot-out in the city. – Reuters, November 12
November 12, 2009 (GERMANY): The U.S. State Department extended a travel alert for Germany, urging Americans to remain cautious as a result of al-Qa`ida’s recent threats against the country. The alert replaced another alert that was issued in September and expired on November 11. The new alert will remain in effect until February 10. The alert states, “Over the past few months, al Qaeda has released videos threatening to conduct terrorist attacks against German interests. While these threats initially mentioned the German federal elections in September, al Qaeda continues to threaten Germany.” – CNN, November 13
November 12, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Gunmen killed a Pakistani working at the Iranian Consulate in Peshawar. – AP, November 19
November 12, 2009 (MAURITANIA): Twenty-five Mauritanian detainees issued a statement from a prison in Nouakchott renouncing Islamic extremism. The detainees are mostly members of al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb. – AFP, November 12
November 13, 2009 (UNITED STATES): The U.S. government announced that it will prosecute Khalid Shaykh Muhammad, the “mastermind” of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, in a Manhattan federal courtroom. Four other co-conspirators will be charged alongside him. – New York Times, November 14
November 13, 2009 (GERMANY): The German government announced that it will send 120 more soldiers to northern Afghanistan to reinforce its base in Kunduz Province. Germany has the third-largest troop contingent in the NATO-led mission, consisting of 4,200 soldiers. – Reuters, November 13
November 13, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber in a vehicle attacked a U.S. military convoy on the outskirts of Kabul, wounding nine NATO personnel, 10 civilian contractors and three Afghans. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. – New York Times, November 13
November 13, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle struck the regional headquarters of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency in Peshawar. At least 10 people were killed in the explosion, which caused the partial collapse of the building. – Christian Science Monitor, November 13; Reuters, November 13
November 13, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle killed at least eight people at a police station in Bannu in the North-West Frontier Province. At least five of the dead were policemen. – Christian Science Monitor, November 13; The Nation, November 14
November 14, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber in a vehicle detonated his explosives in Peshawar, killing at least 11 people. Two policemen were among the dead. According to news reports, the bomber “detonated explosives when police asked him to stop for a search.” – al-Jazira, November 14
November 15, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban militants attacked a police post in Arghandab district of Kandahar Province, killing eight Afghan policemen. – Reuters, November 16
November 15, 2009 (IRAQ): Gunmen posing as Iraqi soldiers executed 13 members of the same tribe in two villages in Abu Ghurayb district on the outskirts of Baghdad. Authorities believe that al-Qa`ida in Iraq was behind the execution-style killings. One of the men killed was the head of the Iraqi Islamic Party in the area. – Christian Science Monitor, November 17
November 15, 2009 (YEMEN): Takeo Mashimo, a 63-year-old Japanese engineer, was kidnapped near Sana`a by tribesmen seeking to exchange him for one of their relatives held by police. – AFP, November 22
November 16, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban militants fired rockets at a bazaar in Tagab district of Kapisa Province, killing at least four Afghan civilians. The location of the attack was near the site of a meeting between French soldiers and local tribal leaders. – New York Times, November 16
November 16, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle killed four people during an attack on a police station just outside Pakistan’s Badaber air force base near Peshawar. – Reuters, November 16; CNN, November 17
November 17, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Taliban militants blew up a girls’ school in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. No one was at the property when it was destroyed. – AFP, November 16
November 17, 2009 (NORTH AFRICA): Daniel Benjamin, the U.S. State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, told a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is less likely to target Europe, primarily as a result of increased pressure on the group from Algerian security forces. According to Benjamin, “We currently view the near-term possibility of such an expansion of operations [to Europe] as less likely than it was just a few years ago. This, in large measure, is because of the pressure on the group in Algeria.” – Reuters, November 17
November 17, 2009 (THAILAND): Security forces killed six suspected separatists in southern Thailand’s Pattani Province. – al-Jazira, November 18
November 18, 2009 (UNITED STATES): A U.S. district judge in Miami sentenced two brothers to six and seven years in jail for swearing allegiance to al-Qa`ida and plotting to blow up Chicago’s Sears Tower. The brothers, Burson and Rotschild Augustine, were members of the so-called Liberty Five, a U.S. group that sought contact with al-Qa`ida and plotted to conduct a series of terrorist attacks in the United States. – AFP, November 18
November 18, 2009 (IRAQ): U.S. General Ray Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, told reporters that al-Qa`ida in Iraq (AQI) is becoming dominated by Iraqis and less by foreigners. According to Odierno, AQI is increasingly joining forces with members of Saddam Hussein’s Ba`ath Party. “Al Qaeda in Iraq has transformed significantly in the last two years,” said Odierno. “What once was dominated by foreign individuals has now become more and more dominated by Iraqi citizens.” – Reuters, November 18
November 19, 2009 (UNITED STATES): A U.S. district judge in Miami handed down prison terms of eight and nine years to Stanley Phanor and Patrick Abraham for swearing allegiance to al-Qa`ida and plotting to blow up Chicago’s Sears Tower. The men were members of the so-called Liberty Five, a U.S. group that sought contact with al-Qa`ida and plotted to conduct a series of terrorist attacks in the United States. – AFP, November 19
November 19, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suspected U.S. unmanned aerial drone killed six militants, including three foreigners, in North Waziristan Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. – Dawn, November 20
November 19, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a court building in Peshawar, killing 19 people. – Reuters, November 19; AP, November 20
November 20, 2009 (UNITED STATES): A U.S. district judge in Miami sentenced Narseal Batiste to 13 ½ years in prison for being the ringleader of the so-called Liberty Five, a U.S. group that sought contact with al-Qa`ida and plotted to conduct a series of terrorist attacks in the United States, including bombing Chicago’s Sears Tower. Batiste faced a maximum of 70 years in prison. According to the Associated Press, “The sentencing Friday marked the culmination of a case that began with an FBI raid in June 2006 on the group’s warehouse, known as the ‘Embassy,’ in Miami’s impoverished Liberty City neighborhood. Top U.S. officials acknowledged at the time that the Sears Tower and FBI plots never got past the discussion stage and the group never acquired the means to carry out such audacious attacks.” – AP, November 20
November 20, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan Member of Parliament Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf narrowly escaped an assassination attempt near Kabul. His convoy was struck by a remotely-detonated bomb, killing five of his bodyguards. – Voice of America, November 20
November 20, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle detonated his explosives in the capital of Farah Province, killing at least 12 people. – AFP, November 19
November 20, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A suspected U.S. unmanned aerial drone killed eight people, including foreign militants, in Mir Ali in North Waziristan Agency. – Dawn, November 20
November 21, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): A rocket struck the wall of the five-star Serena Hotel in downtown Kabul. Another rocket hit the front of the Rabia Balkhi hospital. A total of four people were wounded in the attack. – AFP, November 21
November 21, 2009 (PAKISTAN): An explosion ripped through the offices of an aid agency, Shift International, in Peshawar. A security guard was wounded. – AP, November 20
November 23, 2009 (UNITED STATES): Federal authorities in the United States unsealed terrorism-related charges against eight men accused of recruiting at least 20 young Somali-Americans from Minnesota to join al-Shabab, an Islamist insurgent group, in Somalia. – Washington Post, November 24
November 23, 2009 (YEMEN): Japanese engineer Takeo Mashimo, who was kidnapped by Yemeni tribesmen near Sana`a on November 15, was released after a week of captivity. The release occurred after negotiations by Yemen’s government. – AP, November 23
November 23, 2009 (MAURITANIA): Mohamed Ould Ahmed, a 23-year-old suspected member of al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was recently indicted in Mauritania over his role in a September 2008 attack that left 11 Mauritanian soldiers dead. – AFP, November 23
November 24, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Pakistan’s military killed 18 militants in Bara, close to the city of Peshawar, in a new operation against Taliban militants. The purpose of the new operation was to capture mountain heights and strategic locations from militants who have been assaulting Peshawar in recent weeks. – AP, November 24
November 25, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): Mullah Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, purportedly released a new statement declaring that U.S.-led forces will be defeated in Afghanistan even if they increase their troop numbers. He also called on his followers to “break off all relations with the stooge administration in Kabul.” He said, “The invading Americans want [holy warriors] to surrender, under the pretext of negotiations. This is something impossible.” – Los Angeles Times, November 26
November 25, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Suspected Taliban militants destroyed a tanker supplying fuel to NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan. The attack occurred just outside the city of Peshawar. – AFP, November 24
November 25, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Pakistan’s government charged seven men with involvement in the November 2008 terrorist assault on India’s financial hub of Mumbai. Two of the men, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarrar Shah, have been accused by India of masterminding the attacks. – AP, November 25
November 25, 2009 (MALI): Pierre Kamat, a French national, was kidnapped by gunmen in Mali’s remote east. A Malian security official said that Kamat is being held by militants from al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb. – Reuters, November 26; AFP, November 27
November 26, 2009 (PAKISTAN): A roadside bomb exploded in Peshawar, injuring two policemen and an 11-year-old girl. The attack targeted a police station chief. – BBC, November 26
November 26, 2009 (YEMEN): Al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula released a new video showing the corpse of abducted Yemeni security official Bassam Tarbush. According to Reuters, “The video showed group members preparing to shoot Tarbush, kidnapped in June according to Yemeni media, for spying on Islamic militants, but the actual shooting was not shown. The footage later carried a still photograph apparently showing his corpse with facial cuts.” – Reuters, November 26
November 27, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): Tooryalai Wesa, the governor of Kandahar Province, escaped assassination after a remote-controlled bomb exploded under his convoy. The governor was not injured. – Los Angeles Times, November 28
November 27, 2009 (PAKISTAN): Shahpoor Khan, a key anti-Taliban tribal leader, was killed by a roadside bomb as he returned home from saying prayers for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Khan was an important ally of the Bajaur authorities. – AFP, November 26
November 28, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): Twelve prisoners escaped from a jail in Farah Province. A 13th prisoner, who was apprehended as he tried to escape, explained that the tunnel took 10 days to dig and that the plan was to slowly empty the prison overnight. The escaped inmates include low-level Taliban militants along with drug dealers and other minor criminals, according to local authorities. – AP, November 28
November 28, 2009 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan border police said they killed 27 Taliban-linked insurgents during a clash in Khost Province. Police also said that they captured a Chechen fighter during the fighting. – AFP, November 28
November 29, 2009 (MAURITANIA): Three Spanish aid workers traveling in a convoy were abducted by armed gunmen on the road between the capital Nouakchott and the coastal trading city of Nouadhibou. Authorities suspect that al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb is holding the aid workers. – Voice of America, December 2; Reuters, November 29; AFP, November 30
November 30, 2009 (UNITED KINGDOM): British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced that he will send 500 more soldiers to Afghanistan, bolstering the United Kingdom’s total troop force in the country to 9,500. When including special forces, however, the total British troop commitment will exceed 10,000. – Guardian, November 30
November 30, 2009 (CANADA): A Canadian judge ruled that Mohamed Zeki Mahjoub be freed from custody under strict conditions. The government is trying to deport Mahjoub on the grounds that he was a high-ranking member of an Egyptian terrorist organization. – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, November 30
November 30, 2009 (ITALY): Two former Guantanamo Bay detainees who will be tried in Italy on terrorism charges arrived in Milan. The men, Adel Ben Mabrouk and Mohamed Ben Riadh Nasri, are both Tunisian. Officials said that the men are members of a terrorist group linked to al-Qa`ida and allegedly recruited fighters for Afghanistan. – AP, December 1
