June 16, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The U.S. government designated the Philippines-based group Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) as “specially designated global terrorists.” The decision will freeze the assets of RSM and its leaders. On June 4, the United Nations had previously declared that the RSM was linked to al-Qa`ida. –Bloomberg, June 16
June 16, 2008 (IRAQ): Four bombs targeting homes and vehicles of Iraqi security force members detonated simultaneously in Mosul, Ninawa Province. One policeman was killed. – Reuters, June 16
June 16, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Approximately 500 Taliban fighters seized control of seven villages in Kandahar Province’s Arghandab district. It is believed that some of the fighters were recently freed during the June 13 Sarposa prison break. Afghan and NATO forces, however, dispute the high number of Taliban troops. – Washington Post, June 17
June 17, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a checkpoint in Baghdad, killing four anti-al-Qa`ida Sunni fighters. – Bloomberg, June 17
June 17, 2008 (IRAQ): A truck bomb exploded in a bustling market in a predominately Shi`a area of Baghdad, killing 63 people. The U.S. military believes that the attack was actually carried out by a Shi`a splinter group led by Haydar Mehdi Khadum al-Fawadi (also known as Haydar al-Majidi) in order to “incite (Shiite) violence against Sunnis; that his intent was to disrupt Sunni resettlement in Hurriyah in order to maintain extortion of real estate rental income to support his nefarious activities.” – Reuters, June 17; AP, June 19
June 17, 2008 (IRAQ): A car bomb exploded outside the police headquarters in Ba`quba, Diyala Province, killing one policeman. – Reuters, June 17
June 17, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban fighters destroyed bridges in Arghandab district in anticipation of an Afghan government and NATO military assault on their positions. The fighters also mined roads leading into the Taliban occupied villages, which were seized on June 16. – AFP, June 17
June 17, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Four British soldiers were killed in an explosion in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province. The Taliban took credit for the operation. – CNN, June 18
June 17, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): The Abu Sayyaf Group released well-known journalist Ces Drilon, her cameraman and a university professor, all of whom had been held hostage since June 8. They were freed on Jolo Island. The hostages recounted their experience, saying that the ASG fighters, some of whom were as young as 12-years-old, threatened to behead them. Philippine authorities said that at least $112,700 was paid in ransom in exchange for the release. – AP, June 18; Reuters, June 20
June 17, 2008 (UNITED KINGDOM): A prominent extremist Jordanian cleric with suspected ties to al-Qa`ida was released on bail. The cleric, Abu Qatada, has been labeled Usama bin Ladin’s “spiritual ambassador in Europe,” yet British courts have ruled that he cannot be deported back to Jordan and therefore should be released from detention in the absence of a conviction or trial. Nevertheless, British judges recognize that Abu Qatada is still a security threat and have ordered him to a 22-hour per day house arrest. He is prohibited from using a cell phone or computer and is not allowed to connect to the internet. – Reuters, June 18
June 18, 2008 (UNITED KINGDOM): Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told reporters that an appeal would be filed against a ruling that prevents authorities from deporting extremist Jordanian cleric Abu Qatada, who was freed on bail—albeit on strict house arrest—on June 17. Smith said, “I am appealing to the House of Lords to reverse the decision that it is not safe to deport [Abu] Qatada and the other Jordanian cases.” –BBC News, June 18
June 18, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan and NATO forces launched a major offensive against Taliban positions in Arghandab district in Kandahar Province. – Washington Post, June 19
June 18, 2008 (JORDAN): A Jordanian military court sentenced Ziad Khalaf Raja al-Karbouly, an Iraqi al-Qa`ida operative, to death for planning terrorist attacks on Jordanians in Iraq. According to an AP report, “The ruling was the second time the court had sentenced al-Karbouly to death in the case. Following the initial verdict in March 2007, a Jordanian Appeals Court asked military judges to retry him to verify his claims that he suffered a mental illness.” – AP, June 18
June 18, 2008 (THAILAND): A roadside bomb ripped through a police vehicle in Pattani Province, killing a police colonel and his driver. After the explosion, insurgents immediately opened fire, wounding five policemen. – Reuters, June 19
June 19, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): NATO and Afghan government officials announced that the Taliban have been cleared from the villages they recently seized in Arghandab district in Kandahar Province. Approximately 1,000 NATO and Afghan soldiers were part of the counter-offensive against Taliban forces. An Afghan official said that 56 Taliban fighters were killed, many of them foreigners; the actual death count may be much higher. An ISAF spokesman said that the joint forces are now in the “closing stage of the operation.” – AFP, June 18
June 19, 2008 (GERMANY): A German court sentenced Ibrahim Raschid to three years in prison for spreading internet links to audio and video messages of al-Qa`ida leaders. The Iraqi refugee was arrested in October 2006. Speaking about the sentencing, a prosecutor said, “For the first time, a German court has appraised the domain of Islamist activities on the internet and shown that they are punishable under German law.” – AP, June 20
June 20, 2008 (UNITED KINGDOM): A British court ruled that extremist Muslim cleric Abu Hamza should be extradited to the United States where he faces terrorism charges. The Egyptian-born Abu Hamza had been fighting the U.S. extradition request in British courts, but the judges ruled against him. At one point the cleric ran the Finsbury Park Mosque in north London. – guardian.co.uk, June 20
June 20, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber exploded at a checkpoint in Mosul, wounding at least five policemen. – CNN, June 20
June 20, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a NATO convoy in Gereshk district of Helmand Province. At least five civilians and one NATO soldier were killed. – International Herald Tribune, June 20
June 20, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban fighters ambushed U.S.-led coalition forces in Zerok district of Paktika Province, near the Pakistani border. Approximately 55 Taliban fighters were killed in the engagement. – Reuters, June 23
June 20, 2008 (SOMALIA): Somali opposition and military leader Yusuf “Indha Ade” Mohamed Siad told a Mogadishu-based radio station that he rejects the recent June 9 peace deal between Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. “I know nothing about that peace deal, therefore it does not concern us,” he said, adding that “the fighting will continue until Somalia is liberated from Ethiopian troops.” – Garowe Online, June 20
June 21, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): An IED killed four soldiers from the U.S.-led coalition in Kandahar Province. – Reuters, June 21
June 21, 2008 (THAILAND): Suspected Muslim insurgents boarded a train as it passed through Yala Province and proceeded to kill three civilian train employees and one policeman. – AP, June 22
June 22, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives outside a government compound in Ba`quba, Diyala Province. The explosion killed at least 15 people. – AP, June 23
June 22, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber targeted a police checkpoint in Mosul, Ninawa Province, leaving 14 people wounded. – AP, June 23
June 22, 2008 (IRAQ): A mortar attack killed 10 members of an Awakening Council in Udaim, Diyala Province. – AP, June 23
June 22, 2008 (SOMALIA): A video statement of al-Qa`ida operative Abu Yahya al-Libi was posted on Islamist web forums, in which the leader urges Islamist fighters in Somalia to fight a United Nations peacekeeping force that may soon be deployed there, and to establish an Islamic state in the country. He criticized the June 9 peace deal between Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. – AP, June 23
June 23, 2008 (SOMALIA): The deputy chairman of the Somali opposition group, the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), Abdirahman Abdishakur, criticized a June 22 statement by al-Qa`ida operative Abu Yahya al-Libi, in which Abu Yahya denounced the June 9 peace deal between the ARS and Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government. “I do not think we are interested in al-Qaida’s statements and they have nothing to do with Somali issues,” Abdishakur said. “Al-Qaida has not got any base in Somalia and they always issue statements against any peace process. I do not think their statements are relevant to the Somali people.” – Voice of America, June 23
June 23, 2008 (IRAQ): Two U.S. soldiers were killed in Madain (also known as Salman Pak) in Baghdad Province after a disgruntled local official opened fire on them after a municipal council meeting. According to one witness, “The attacker came out of his car with an AK-47 rifle in his hand and started firing on the American soldiers until he was killed by the return fire.” Conflicting accounts in press reports state that the assailant was either formerly or currently a member of the municipal council. – AP, June 24
June 23, 2008 (IRAQ): A roadside bomb exploded next to an Awakening Council patrol in Ba`quba, Diyala Province, killing two of the council members. – AP, June 24
June 23, 2008 (THAILAND): The State Railway of Thailand suspended services in Thailand’s three southern-most provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat as a result of the June 21 killings of train employees by suspected Muslim separatist insurgents. –Bangkok Post, June 23
June 23, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide car bomber attacked an Italian NATO convoy in Shindand district of Herat Province, killing five civilians. – Reuters, June 23
June 23, 2008 (THAILAND): Approximately 200 soldiers and police raided a jungle hideout used by Muslim separatist insurgents in Yala Province, killing six of the fighters. – Reuters, June 23
June 24, 2008 (IRAQ): U.S.-led coalition forces killed al-Qa`ida in Iraq’s amir for Mosul, according to a press statement from Multinational Force-Iraq. The leader’s name was later identified as Abu Khalaf. – MNFI-Iraq.com, June 24; AP, June 26
June 24, 2008 (IRAQ): A bomb ripped through a Baghdad council meeting, killing 10 people. The dead included two U.S. government employees and two U.S. soldiers. The U.S. military blamed “rogue elements” of the Mahdi Army. – Reuters, June 24
June 24, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Germany announced that it would increase the number of its soldiers available for use in Afghanistan by 1,000. Once the change takes effect, Germany will have 4,500 soldiers deployed to the country. According to one press report, however, “Some military experts questioned how much help the additional German forces could provide if they were not permitted to engage in the heaviest fighting.” – International Herald Tribune, June 25
June 25, 2008 (PAKISTAN): The bodies of 22 members of a pro-government “peace committee,” who had all been killed by Taliban forces loyal to Baitullah Mehsud, were discovered in South Waziristan Agency. Mehsud’s men captured the town on June 23 and rounded up pro-government members of the Bhittani tribe. The Taliban began withdrawing from the town on June 24. According to an AFP report, “Clashes broke out in Jandola on Monday [June 23] between followers of pro-government tribal elder, Commander Turkistani, and militants belonging to Mehsud’s tribe after rockets were fired at the home of a peace committee member. Tensions had been high between the groups for months.” – Reuters, June 25; Daily Times, June 25; AFP, June 26
June 25, 2008 (YEMEN): Yemeni authorities announced the arrest of Haytham bin Saad, identified as an important member of al-Qa`ida in Yemen. The arrest, which took place in Hadramawt Province, included four of Bin Saad’s bodyguards. – Saba, June 25
June 25, 2008 (SAUDI ARABIA): The Interior Ministry revealed that authorities had arrested 701 suspected al-Qa`ida-linked militants since the beginning of 2008. Out of the 701, 520 remain in custody, while 181 were released due to lack of evidence tying them to the terrorist group. – AP, June 25
June 25, 2008 (THAILAND): Five Thai Army soldiers were wounded when a remotely-detonated bomb exploded under their vehicle in Yala Province. – TNA, June 25
June 25, 2008 (SOMALIA): Nine police officers, including the Daynile district deputy police commander, were found dead inside a Mogadishu police station. The al-Shabab insurgent group was blamed for the killings. – Garowe Online, June 26
June 26, 2008 (UNITED STATES): A U.S. military judge denied a defense motion to delay the trial of Salim Hamdan, a former driver for Usama bin Ladin held at Guantanamo Bay. Pretrial hearings will begin on July 14, and the trial will start shortly after. – AP, June 27
June 26, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber targeted a municipal office in Garma in Anbar Province, killing the local mayor and at least 14 members of an anti-al-Qa`ida Awakening group. Three U.S. Marines were also killed. The Islamic State of Iraq later claimed credit for the operation. – AFP, June 26; Los Angeles Times, June 26; AP, June 28
June 26, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): In response to an attack while on patrol, Afghan and U.S.-led coalition troops killed 32 Taliban fighters in Uruzgan Province. – Reuters, June 28
June 26, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Suspected Abu Sayyaf Group fighters kidnapped five employees of an electronics company on Basilan Island in the southern Philippines. One of the hostages was released shortly after capture due to his tribal affiliation. –AP, June 26
June 26, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): The head of the Philippines’ armed forces, General Alexander Yano, told reporters that the Abu Sayyaf Group had been reduced to “plain bandits” as a result of a “leadership vacuum.” According to Yano, “We still look at them as a loose organization with some splinter groups, in fact, some of them may be conducting their own operations, and now, has degenerated into a money-making group devoid of any ideology or cause.” – Philippine Inquirer, June 26
June 26, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Military officials announced the capture of Jul Akram Hadjail (also known as Dodong), an Abu Sayyaf Group fighter who had an estimated $3,300 bounty. According to authorities, the suspect, who was captured near Jolo airport in Sulu Province, may have been involved in the June 8 kidnapping of ABS-CBN correspondent Ces Drilon and her team. – GMANews.tv, June 27
June 28, 2008 (IRAQ): Iraqi police raided a house on the outskirts of Samarra, Salah al-Din Province, and arrested 11 suspected al-Qa`ida operatives. In the house, police discovered the bodies of seven Iraqis who had been tortured and killed. – Reuters, June 28
June 28, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader Baitullah Mehsud suspended peace talks with the government “because the government is constantly using force against us…if the government takes any military action we are also ready for martyrdom.” Mehsud had previously announced a unilateral cease-fire in April, and his latest announcement came after Pakistan’s military “moved paramilitary troops to clear the area [outside of Peshawar] of militants and establish the writ of the government.” – AFP, June 28
June 28, 2008 (YEMEN): A Yemeni court refused to grant bail to al-Qa`ida operative Jabir al-Banna. He will return to court on October 11 when the verdict on his appeal is ready. – AFP, June 28
June 28, 2008 (THAILAND): Rail service was restored to Thailand’s three southern-most provinces. Service was suspended on June 23 in response to a June 21 insurgent attack on train personnel. – TNA, June 28
June 28, 2008 (SOMALIA): Islamist insurgents took control of the strategic town of Beledweyne, according to the town’s residents. Reports said that the fighters were unopposed since Ethiopian and Transitional Federal Government troops were not present. – AP, June 29
June 29, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber attempted to blow up an Awakening Council headquarters in Diyala Province, but her explosives detonated prematurely after coming under fire by Iraqi guards. One council member was wounded. – AP, June 29
June 29, 2008 (IRAQ): A truck bomb detonated in Duluiyah in Salah al-Din Province, killing seven policemen and a member of an Awakening Council. Due to conflicting reports, it is unclear whether the bomb was remotely detonated or detonated by a suicide bomber. – AP, June 29; Reuters, June 29
June 29, 2008 (UNITED KINGDOM): A new report by MI5 warned that al-Qa`ida-linked operatives in the United Kingdom may be planning to purchase former ambulances and police vehicles to utilize them as suicide car bombs. According to one press report, “Every year dozens of police cars, ambulances and fire engines are sold. Some are fully marked and can be bought for as little as £1,500.” – The Sunday Times, June 29
June 30, 2008 (GLOBAL): The UN Security Council voted to extend sanctions against the Taliban and al-Qa`ida for 18 months. According to one press report, “The Security Council mandate is a measure to prevent funds and other financial assets from reaching al-Qaida and the Taliban or any satellite organization with ties to the terrorist networks.” – UPI, July 1
June 30, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The Pentagon announced that it would seek the death penalty against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi of Yemeni descent who is charged with “organizing and directing” the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. The al-Qa`ida operative is currently being held at Guantanamo Bay. – AP, June 30
June 30, 2008 (IRAQ): Gunmen attacked a checkpoint in Mosul, Ninawa Province, killing two Iraqi soldiers. – Reuters, June 30
June 30, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): U.S.-led coalition troops engaged a grouping of Taliban militants near the border with Pakistan, killing 33 of them with helicopter gunships and fighter jets. The incident occurred in Khost Province. – AFP, June 30
July 1, 2008 (NORTH AFRICA): According to new statements made by al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) leader Abdelmalek Droukdel, “American interests are legitimate targets” because AQIM “found America building military bases in the south of our country [Algeria] and conducting military exercises, and plundering our oil and planning to get our gas.” – Arab Times, June 2
July 1, 2008 (SPAIN): Authorities arrested three men of Algerian origin on suspicion of raising money for al-Qa`ida and other Islamist terrorist groups. The men were arrested in Huelva Province and in the Basque country. – AP, July 1
July 2, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Small-arms fire brought down a U.S. helicopter in Logar Province. The damaged helicopter landed safely, and the personnel were evacuated. Coalition forces then destroyed the disabled helicopter with precision-guided munitions. – Reuters, July 2
July 2, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide car bomber attempted to kill Nimroz Province Governor Ghulam Dastagir Azad, killing three police officers and one civilian during the attack. The governor was not wounded. – AP, July 2
July 2, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): During a 10-hour clash in Badghis Province, NATO and Afghan forces killed at least 25 Taliban militants. – AFP, July 3
July 2, 2008 (MOROCCO): Morocco’s state news agency announced that authorities apprehended 35 members of a group accused of sending suicide bomb volunteers to al-Qa`ida in Iraq and to al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb. Additionally, authorities accused the group of also planning attacks inside Morocco. – Reuters, July 2
July 3, 2008 (UNITED KINGDOM): UK authorities released from prison an Algerian who is suspected of al-Qa`ida connections and for planning bomb attacks in the United States and France. The suspect, identified as “U,” served more than seven years in jail and is now under strict house arrest while he fights deportation procedures. According to one press report, “U was arrested at London’s Heathrow airport in February 2001 when attempting to fly to Saudi Arabia on a false passport. The British government calls him a ‘leading organiser and facilitator of terrorist activity aimed mainly at overseas targets,’ with direct links to bin Laden and other senior al Qaeda figures.” –Reuters, July 3
July 3, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Suspected Taliban gunmen killed eight Afghan police officers at a checkpoint between Zahri and Panjwaii districts in Kandahar Province. –CBCNews.ca, July 4
July 3, 2008 (PAKISTAN): The United Kingdom announced that it would double its aid program for Pakistan to help the country combat extremism in its tribal areas on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Assistance—which focuses on relieving poverty and improving health care and education—will reach $950 million by 2011. – Bloomberg, July 4
July 3, 2008 (SAUDI ARABIA): Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, Shaykh Abdul Aziz Al al-Sheikh, called on Saudi citizens to take the al-Qa`ida threat seriously and to cooperate with the country’s security services. “You should be aware that these militants, who claim to work for the cause of Islam and defend Muslims, actually hide their vested interests and vicious objectives…Aggressions against Muslims and occupation of land…cannot be a justification for explosions, denouncing other Muslims as infidels and disobeying the Muslim social consensus…Obeying the Muslim ruler without sedition is as a basic principle of Muslims who follow the path of the Prophet.” – Arab News, July 4; Reuters, July 3
July 4, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Gunmen killed Habibullah Sanzenai, a member of Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament for Kandahar, as he returned home in Kandahar Province. – Reuters, July 5
July 5, 2008 (IRAQ): Gunmen shot and killed two off-duty policemen in a market in Mosul, Ninawa Province. – Reuters, July 5
July 5, 2008 (IRAQ): Iraqi police killed four militants near Tikrit, Salah al-Din Province. Two of the killed were foreigners. – Reuters, July 5
July 5, 2008 (THAILAND): Suspected insurgents shot up a café in Yala Province, killing three customers. The café was regularly frequented by police and soldiers. – AP, July 5
July 6, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber targeted a group of policemen in Islamabad during a commemoration of the first anniversary of when Pakistani security forces stormed the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque). The bomber killed 15 people, 13 of whom were police. It is unclear who was responsible for the attack. – Financial Times, July 6; AFP, July 6
July 6, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A report published in Dawn alleges that Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has established a Shari`a court in Bajaur Agency, “and a large number of people are using them [TTP] to get disputes resolved, instead of waiting for action by the tribal administration.” – Dawn, July 6
July 6, 2008 (SOMALIA): Osman Ali Ahmed, the head of the UN Development Program in Mogadishu, was gunned down as he left a mosque in the Somali capital. It is suspected that Islamist fighters were behind the attack. – AFP, July 7
July 7, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives at a market in Ba`quba, Diyala Province, killing nine people. – Reuters, July 7
July 7, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the gates of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, killing at least 58 people. Since the attack, Afghan government officials have implied that Pakistani government elements may have been behind the operation. The Taliban have denied involvement. – Reuters, July 7; AFP, July 8; AP, July 10
July 7, 2008 (THAILAND): Suspected Muslim insurgents opened fire on a school bus in Pattani Province, killing two paramilitary rangers and wounding three students. – AP, July 7
July 8, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A roadside bomb killed an Australian soldier in Uruzgan Province. – Reuters, July 9
July 8, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier in Kunar Province.– Reuters, July 9
July 9, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the convoy of Iraqi General Riyadh Jalal Tauffiq, the head of security operations in Mosul and Ninawa Province. The attack, which occurred in Mosul, killed seven people, although the general was not harmed. – AFP, July 9
July 9, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban militants attempted to abduct aid workers building a well in Faryab Province, yet were driven away by a group of villagers who used a machine gun and other weapons to kill two of the Taliban fighters. One of the killed militants was the Taliban-appointed shadow governor for the province. – AP, July 10
July 9, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani authorities signed a peace deal with an 18-member group of tribal elders in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The tribal leaders had consulted with militant leader Mangal Bagh before the deal was signed. – AFP, July 10
July 9, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Police arrested an aide to Tehrik-i-Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. The aide, known as Rafiuddin, was captured with four other associates while traveling in South Waziristan Agency. – AP, July 11
July 9, 2008 (YEMEN): Al-Qa`ida’s wing in Yemen posted a statement on Islamist internet forums calling for the kidnappings of tourists in the country. The purpose of the kidnappings, the statement read, is to gain leverage against the Yemeni government so that it releases jailed al-Qa`ida-affiliated militants. – Reuters, July 9
July 9, 2008 (ISRAEL): Israeli authorities arrested two Israeli Bedouin Arabs on accusations that they provided strategic information, such as details on army bases, commercial buildings and an airport, to al-Qa`ida. According to an AP report, the allegations marked “the first time Israel has accused any citizens of cooperating with the global terror network [al-Qa`ida].” – AP, July 9
July 9, 2008 (TURKEY): Suspected al-Qa`ida militants attacked a police guard post outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, killing three police officers and losing three of their own. At least two of the attackers were Turkish nationals. – AP, July 9
July 10, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into an Iraqi Army vehicle in western Baghdad, killing two people. – Voice of America, July 10
July 10, 2008 (IRAQ): Gunmen shot to death the head of the National Identity Department for Ninawa Province. The incident occurred in Mosul. – Reuters, July 10
July 10, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): An IED killed two NATO soldiers in Paktika Province. –Reuters, July 11
July 10, 2008 (TURKEY): Turkish authorities detained four people suspected of involvement in the July 9 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul. Authorities are still investigating whether al-Qa`ida was involved in the operation. – AP, July 10
July 10, 2008 (MOROCCO): Hicham Doukali, a Moroccan would-be suicide bomber who attempted to blow up a bus filled with U.S., Italian and French tourists on August 13, 2007, was sentenced to life in prison. During the botched attack, the bus door was closed just before he boarded, causing him to blow off his own arm. A co-conspirator, Hassan Azougar, received a 10-year sentence. – news24.com, July 10
July 10, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) militants released from captivity four electric company workers who were kidnapped on June 26. Authorities refused to reveal whether a ransom was paid in exchange for their release. – AP, July 11
July 11, 2008 (IRAQ): Iraqi authorities foiled a chlorine bomb attack after seizing a truck filled with chlorine bottles and explosives in Samarra, Salah al-Din Province. During the encounter, four militants were killed. – Reuters, July 11
July 11, 2008 (IRAQ): A roadside bomb wounded six civilians in Mosul, Ninawa Province. – Reuters, July 11
July 11, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, warned that the Taliban would begin killing members of the security forces that it is holding hostage. To prevent the executions, the militant group is demanding the release of a number of Taliban militants held in Pakistani jails. The demand comes shortly after a top aide for Mehsud, Rafiuddin, was captured by authorities. – USA Today, July 12
July 11, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A new audio statement allegedly from al-Qa`ida commander Abu Yahya al-Libi was posted on Islamist web forums. In the statement, Abu Yahya threatens to increase attacks on international forces in Afghanistan and says that militants are “determined to turn the upcoming winter to hell for the infidels.” – AP, July 11
July 11, 2008 (MOROCCO): Abdelhak Bassou, the head of Morocco’s Renseignements Generaux domestic intelligence agency, told the AP that Moroccan security forces foiled a terrorist plot to attack tourists this summer, and said that it has become “near-daily work” to find and dismantle terrorist cells in the kingdom. – AP, July 11
July 12, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber killed two soldiers and a child in Helmand Province. – Reuters, July 12
July 12, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban fighters killed two female police detectives and left their bodies in a graveyard ditch in Ghazni Province. – Reuters, July 13
July 12, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A roadside bomb killed three police officers in Zabul Province. – Reuters, July 13
July 12, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Pro-Taliban fighters ambushed a convoy of paramilitary soldiers in Hangu District of the North-West Frontier Province, killing at least 16 of them. – The Age, July 13; Reuters, July 12
July 13, 2008 (IRAQ): Three policemen were killed after two roadside bombs exploded in Falluja, Anbar Province. – Reuters, July 13
July 13, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Nearly 200 Taliban fighters attacked a remote American-run military outpost in Kunar Province, near the border with Pakistan. During the engagement, nine U.S. soldiers were killed. The insurgents managed to partially breach the compound. Taliban casualties were high. – New York Times, July 15
July 13, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated his explosives next to a police patrol in Uruzgan Province, killing 24 people, 19 of whom were civilians. – AP, July 13
July 13, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A roadside bomb killed six Afghans working as guards for a Western security firm in Helmand Province. – Reuters, July 14
July 13, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban gunmen kidnapped Abdul Wali, a member of parliament, in Logar Province. – AP, July 13; AFP, July 14
July 13, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber injured four people at a Shi`a religious gathering in Dera Ismail Khan in the North-West Frontier Province. – AHN, July 13; Daily Times, July 14
July 14, 2008 (IRAQ): Police killed a suicide bomber as he approached their checkpoint in Mosul, Ninawa Province. – Reuters, July 14
July 14, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban fighters killed eight civilian passengers seized from vehicles in Ghazni Province. A Taliban source told Reuters that the killed civilians were acting as spies for U.S.-led forces. – Reuters, July 15
July 14, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A roadside bomb killed six civilians in Paktika Province.– Reuters, July 15
July 15, 2008 (IRAQ): Two suicide bombers targeted a military recruitment center in Diyala Province. The bombs killed 27 people, 20 of whom were police recruits. – Reuters, July 15
July 15, 2008 (IRAQ): A U.S. soldier was killed by an explosive device during operations in Ba`quba, Diyala Province. – Reuters, July 15
July 15, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber killed eight people in an attack on a police checkpoint in Mosul, Ninawa Province. – Reuters, July 15
July 15, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a crowded area in Mosul, Ninawa Province, killing four people. – Reuters, July 15
July 15, 2008 (THAILAND): Thailand’s cabinet extended emergency rule in the country’s three southern-most provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. Emergency rule has been in place since July 2005 due to ongoing separatist violence. – AFP, July 15
