July 16, 2008 (IRAQ): A car bomb exploded near a market in Tal Afar, Ninawa Province, killing at least 15 people. – Sydney Morning Herald, July 17
July 16, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): The Canadian military announced that they killed the Taliban’s “deputy governor of Kandahar” during airstrikes the previous week. – The Canadian Press, July 17
July 16, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Two employees of Globe Telecom Inc. were kidnapped by armed men near Tuburan town on Basilan Island in the southern Philippines. It was not immediately clear whether the Abu Sayyaf Group was responsible for the kidnapping, as there are a number of kidnap-for-ransom groups now operating in the region. – Philippine Inquirer, July 16; AFP, July 17
July 16, 2008 (THAILAND): A series of bombs exploded outside two of the largest police stations in southern Thailand. The bombs exploded in Pattani and Yala provinces and wounded seven people. – AFP, July 16
July 17, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The U.S. Treasury Department placed sanctions on four suspected leaders of al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb. According to an Agence France-Presse report, “Those named included Salah Gasmi, identified as the head of the group’s information committee; Yahia Djouadi, based in northern Mali and leader of a cell that includes southern Algeria; Ahmed Deghdegh, identified as the group’s finance chief and designated negotiator; and Abid Hammadou, a deputy leader [of] a battalion based in northern Mali.” – AFP, July 18
July 17, 2008 (IRAQ): In a series of raids, U.S. and Iraqi forces apprehended nine individuals suspected of financing terrorist activity and bringing foreign fighters into Iraq. – UPI, July 17
July 17, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan and international forces killed two Taliban leaders in Shindand district of Herat Province. The leaders, Haji Dawlat Khan and Haji Nasrullah Khan, were killed along with a “significant number of other insurgents.” – CNN, July 17
July 17, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud demanded that the Pakistani government cease its sporadic operations against Taliban groups in the tribal regions and that the provincial government resign from their posts. Tehrik-i-Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar warned that if the government refused to comply with the demands, then Taliban forces “will attack the provincial government and the ANP leaders after five days…” A spokesman for the North-West Frontier Province government responded to the demands, saying, “We will not step down [based] on a threat from some individual. They are threatening to follow the path of violence, while we believe in peace.” – Globe and Mail, July 18
July 17, 2008 (THAILAND): Two men claiming to be behind the separatist insurgency that has roiled southern Thailand announced that their group, identified as Tai Ruam Pak Tai Khong Prathet Thai (Thailand’s United Southern Underground group), had called an immediate cease-fire. Analysts believe that the recent announcement may be a “hoax” and were skeptical of the claims. After four years of violence, little is still known about the identities of the insurgent leadership in southern Thailand since they rarely claim responsibility for attacks and operations. – Financial Times, July 17; AFP, July 16
July 18, 2008 (PAKISTAN): The Taliban in Pakistan threatened to begin executing hostages unless the Pakistani government released from jail four of their fellow operatives. The Taliban is holding dozens of hostages, including government employees, police officers and paramilitary soldiers. One of the militants that the Taliban is demanding the government release is known as Rafiuddin, who was arrested on July 9 in South Waziristan Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. – New York Times, July 19
July 18, 2008 (ISRAEL): The Israeli government accused six Arabs of attempting to establish an al-Qa`ida cell in Israel. According to authorities, one of the suspects had posted inquiries on Islamist websites on how to shoot down helicopters; it is believed that he wanted to possibly shoot down a helicopter carrying U.S. President George W. Bush when he visited Israel. Four of the suspects were Palestinian residents of Arab East Jerusalem, while the other two were Israeli Arabs. – Reuters, July 18
July 18, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Militants released two Globe Telecom Inc. employees who were kidnapped on July 16. Authorities suspect that an Abu Sayyaf-linked group was responsible for the kidnapping. It is not clear whether a ransom was paid for their release. – GMANews.tv, July 18
July 19, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): In an interview with the Associated Press, General David Petraeus said that although al-Qa`ida will not “abandon Iraq, what they certainly may do is start to provide some of those resources that would have come to Iraq to Pakistan, possibly Afghanistan.” – AP, July 19
July 19, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A roadside bomb in Maywand district of Kandahar Province killed four policemen. – AP, July 19
July 19, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a police checkpoint in Kandahar Province. A policeman and child were wounded. – AP, July 19
July 19, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Mullah Rahim, identified as the senior-most Taliban leader in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, surrendered to Pakistani officials in Quetta, according to a spokesman at the British Defense Ministry. – AP, July 22; Reuters, July 23
July 19, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Authorities apprehended two Abu Sayyaf Group members who are linked to the June 8 kidnapping of journalist Ces Drilon. The men were arrested at a checkpoint in Sulu Province. – Mindanao Examiner, July 20
July 20, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): According to the UK Defense Ministry, an airstrike by British planes killed Abdul Rasaq, identified as a Taliban leader who led fighters in Musa Qala in Helmand Province. – AP, July 22
July 20, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): NATO announced that its forces killed Mullah Sheikh, identified as a high-level Taliban commander, and two of his followers near Musa Qala, Helmand Province. – Voice of America, July 21
July 20, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Two Turkish engineers who were kidnapped on July 14 were released, apparently after a ransom was paid. – AFP, July 21
July 20, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Suspected Taliban militants killed Ghamai Khan Mohammadyar, the spokesman for the governor of Paktika Province, in his home, which is located in Paktia Province. His family members were wounded during the attack, and his brother was kidnapped. – AFP, July 21
July 20, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped three Catholics on Basilan Island in the southern Philippines. – GMANews.tv, July 20
July 20, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): In response to the rise in kidnappings on Basilan Island, additional police forces were deployed to the province. The heightened security measures will mean more mobile checkpoints and foot patrols. – GMANews.tv, July 20
July 21, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The military trial of al-Qa`ida operative Salim Hamdan began at Guantanamo Bay. Hamdan, who was a driver for Usama bin Ladin, is accused of transporting weapons for al-Qa`ida, among other charges. – UPI, July 21
July 21, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan officials announced that Taliban militants captured the remote Ajiristan district in Ghazni Province. The Taliban captured the same district in October 2007, but security forces retook the district the following day. – Voice of America, July 21; AFP, July 22
July 21, 2008 (PAKISTAN): During an interview between Geo News and al-Qa`ida leader Shaykh Sa`id Mustafa Abu’l-Yazid, an Egyptian who is head of al-Qa`ida operations in Afghanistan, al-Yazid said that the suicide bomber in the June 2 attack on the Danish Embassy in Islamabad was from Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. It is not clear, however, whether the bomber was of Saudi descent himself. Al-Yazid explained that the operative traveled to Pakistan to fight in Indian Kashmir or in Afghanistan, but was angered over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspapers in 2005. During the rare interview, al-Yazid also called for the destruction of the Pakistani government. – Reuters, July 22
July 21, 2008 (THAILAND): A remotely-detonated bomb exploded in Yala Province, wounding six policemen and one civilian. – AP, July 21
July 22, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near Babur’s Gardens in Kabul, wounding three civilians. The intended target was a police control post. The Taliban claimed responsibility. – AP, July 22; AFP, July 21
July 22, 2008 (PAKISTAN): According to an Indian press report, Pakistan’s Tehrik-i-Taliban threatened to launch “severe attacks” against the Pakistani government unless military operations in the tribal regions were halted. – Press Trust of India, July 23
July 22, 2008 (THAILAND): Separatist militants attacked a troop convoy in Narathiwat Province, killing one soldier and wounding five more. The attack began with a roadside bomb and finished in a firefight. – Reuters, July 22
July 23, 2008 (IRAQ): In a new statement, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States announced that “many of the foreign fighters that were in Iraq have left, either back to their homeland or going to fight in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is now seeming to be more suitable for al-Qaida fighters.” The ambassador warned, however, that “if things break down in Iraq, they are capable of coming back.” – AP, July 23
July 23, 2008 (ALGERIA): A suicide bomber on a motorbike detonated his explosives in Lakhdaria, Bouïra Province, wounding 13 soldiers. Al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility. – AFP, August 10
July 24, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives near a group of Awakening Council fighters in Ba`quba, Diyala Province, killing at least eight of them, including the group’s chief, Na`im al-Duliami. – AP, July 24
July 24, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A grand jirga, representing the Taliban, and a government official signed a cease-fire agreement in Hangu District of the North-West Frontier Province. The agreement came after Pakistani forces ended a military operation in the district. – RTTNews, July 25
July 25, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): During an offensive in Ghazni Province, which began on July 23, Afghan and NATO forces killed 40 Taliban fighters in airstrikes. The purpose of the offensive was to retake the district of Ajiristan, which the Taliban seized control of on July 21. – AFP, July 25
July 25, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Taliban militants released eight hostages in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The release of the hostages—who were government employees and security personnel, abducted in Hangu District—came one day after a cease-fire agreement was reached between Taliban militants and the Pakistani government in Hangu District of the North-West Frontier Province. –RTTNews, July 25
July 25, 2008 (YEMEN): A suicide car bomber attempted to ram his vehicle into a police station in Hadramawt Province, but was unable to breach the outer gates. One police guard was killed in the explosion. According to a government official, “All evidence gathered by the investigation team shows the involvement of [the] al-Qa`ida organization.” Furthermore, the al-Qa`ida-linked Jund al-Yaman Brigades posted a statement claiming credit for the operation, saying that it was in retaliation for the killing of al-Qa`ida militants in Yemen. – Reuters, July 25; Reuters, July 26; DPA, July 26
July 26, 2008 (THAILAND): Approximately 10 gunmen dressed in camouflage uniforms attacked the Sai Buri police station in Pattani Province. Although there was heavy damage to the building, there were no casualties. The assailants withdrew five minutes into the gunfight. – TNA, July 26; Bangkok Post, July 26
July 27, 2008 (TURKEY): Two bomb blasts struck a pedestrian square in Istanbul, killing at least 17 people. Authorities have blamed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for the attack, although the PKK has denied involvement. – Guardian, July 28; Reuters, July 30
July 28, 2008 (GLOBAL): Al-Qa`ida leader Abu Yahya al-Libi released a new video statement calling on jihadists to kill Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah due to his decision to lead an interfaith conference in Madrid in July. During the tape, al-Libi said that “equating Islam with other religions is a betrayal of Islam.” – AP, July 28
July 28, 2008 (IRAQ): Three women suicide bombers attacked a crowd of Shi`a pilgrims in Karrada district of Baghdad, killing at least 25 people. – AFP, July 28
July 28, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber attacked a crowd of protestors in Kirkuk Province, which then caused a stampede, prompting guards to open fire. As a result of the incident, 27 people died. – AFP, July 28
July 28, 2008 (IRAQ): U.S.-led coalition forces apprehended two suspected al-Qa`ida terrorists near Abu Ghurayb in Baghdad Province. – UPI, July 28
July 28, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Top al-Qa`ida operative Abu Khabab al-Masri, also known as Midhat Mursi al-Sayyid `Umar, was believed killed in South Waziristan Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. His death occurred after missiles, believed fired from U.S. aircraft, struck a building of which he was inside. An al-Qa`ida statement later confirmed the death, saying that he left behind “a generation of faithful students who will make you suffer the worst torture and avenge him and his brothers.” Al-Masri was involved in training operatives in the use of poisons and explosives. – AP, July 28; AFP, July 27; AP, August 3
July 29, 2008 (IRAQ): Approximately 50,000 Iraqi soldiers and police launched an offensive against al-Qa`ida and other insurgents in Diyala Province. – AFP, August 12
July 29, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): U.S.-led coalition forces killed 22 Taliban militants in an airstrike in Giro district of Ghazni Province. – AFP, July 29
July 29, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan government forces killed 10 Taliban fighters in Ghazni Province. – AFP, July 29
July 29, 2008 (INDONESIA): Security officials announced that two alleged Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah leaders—Abu Husna and Agus Purwantoro—were planning to travel to Iraq via Syria to ask al-Qa`ida for financial assistance so that they could “pay for explosives and operating expenses.” The information, according to the official, was found on a laptop that was seized after the two men were arrested before they could embark on their trip; they were detained in March 2008 in Malaysia. – AP, July 29
July 29, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Philippine Marines killed two Abu Sayyaf Group militants near Tipo-Tipo town on Basilan Island in the southern Philippines. – Straits Times, July 30
July 31, 2008 (GLOBAL): According to a statement posted on Islamist websites, an al-Qa`ida military leader who escaped from Bagram prison in 2005 was killed during a U.S. airstrike. The leader, Abu Abdallah al-Shami, escaped from the Bagram jail with Abu Yahya al-Libi, a prominent al-Qa`ida operative who is still active in the region. The web statement did not explain when or where al-Shami was killed. – CNN, July 31
July 31, 2008 (GLOBAL): A Washington Post report claimed that al-Qa`ida in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri (also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir), along with several of his top lieutenants, may have left Iraq for Afghanistan. – Washington Post, July 31
July 31, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a police station near Mosul, Ninawa Province. Three policemen were killed. – Voice of America, July 31
July 31, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Two women were kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf Group militants in Parang on Jolo Island, in the southern Philippines. – AFP, August 1
August 1, 2008 (GLOBAL): CBS News reported that al-Qa`ida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri may have been injured or killed during a missile strike in Pakistan. The veracity of the report, however, was denied by U.S. intelligence officials and also by Taliban spokesmen. – AP, August 2
August 1, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): A police counter-terrorism unit apprehended Hadji Ahmad Edris, identified as a member of the Abu Sayyaf Group who had a bounty on his head. He was arrested after he disembarked from a ferry near Zamboanga City. –ABS-CBN, August 1
August 1, 2008 (SOMALIA): An African Union peacekeeper from Uganda was killed by a roadside bomb in Mogadishu. – AFP, August 1
August 2, 2008 (IRAQ): Iraqi officials arrested al-Qa`ida’s “governor” for Diyala Province, along with other key leaders, in Ba`quba. – UPI, August 3
August 2, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A roadside bomb killed at least eight Pakistani police officers in Swat District of the North-West Frontier Province. – Reuters, August 2
August 2, 2008 (KENYA): Fazul Abdullah Muhammad, an al-Qa`ida operative with a $5 million bounty on his head, narrowly escaped arrest after Kenyan police raided his hideout in the coastal resort town of Malindi. Two of his aides were apprehended. Fazul is wanted for involvement in the simultaneous al-Qa`ida attacks in Mombasa in 2002. According to one press report, “Fazul, who is in his mid-30s, speaks five languages and is considered a master of disguise, is reported to have crossed into Kenya from Somalia a few days ago to seek treatment for a kidney condition.” –guardian.co.uk, August 4
August 2, 2008 (THAILAND): Seven small bombs exploded in the southern Thailand tourist towns of Hat Yai and Songkhla in Songkhla Province. The bombs were planted at restaurants and shops; two people were injured. – AFP, August 3
August 3, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A roadside bomb struck a U.S.-led military convoy on the eastern outskirts of Kabul, killing one soldier. – Reuters, August 3
August 3, 2008 (ALGERIA): A suicide car bomber attacked security forces in Tizi Ouzou in the Kabylie region, wounding 25 people including four policemen. Al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb later took responsibility, claiming that the suicide bomber “drove a truck laden with 600 kilograms of explosives and hit two important targets: the headquarters of the secret services and local police.” The statement also explained that the bomber, identified as “Abu Mariam,” was “the son of one of the tribes in the area, and was very careful to avoid spilling the blood of even one Muslim.” – AFP, August 3; AKI, August 6
August 4, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Philippine Marines arrested suspected Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) member Usman Asari Aldani while he was buying provisions at a market in Isabela, Basilan Province. A military official said that Aldani is a known accomplice of ASG leaders Khadaffy Janjalani (who is now deceased) and Isnilon Hapilon. – Philippine Inquirer, August 7
August 5, 2008 (UNITED STATES): Aafia Siddiqui, a former resident of Boston and an MIT-trained scientist from Pakistan, appeared before a judge in the Southern District of New York on two counts of assault on U.S. officers. Siddiqui was allegedly arrested in Afghanistan’s Ghazni Province on July 17, after planning to conduct a martyrdom operation against Ghazni’s provincial governor. According to an affidavit, when FBI agents and U.S. military personnel attempted to take custody of her from Afghan officials, Siddiqui managed to arm herself and fire at the U.S. personnel; she was wounded during the altercation. According to a Boston Globe report, Siddiqui’s “family members say they have not seen or heard from her or her three young children since March of 2003, when FBI officials posted her photo on their web site hoping to question her.” Siddiqui claims that she has been in U.S. custody for years and was tortured during this time. – Boston Globe, August 6; MailOnline, August 6; Guardian, August 8
August 5, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Maulvi Omar warned the Pakistani government that the Taliban would launch suicide attacks in Pakistan unless it immediately ceased a military operation in the Swat Valley of the North-West Frontier Province. – Voice of America, August 6
August 5, 2008 (YEMEN): An al-Qa`ida in Yemen operative released an audiotape threatening “bigger” operations in Yemen unless its jailed fellow militants were released from prison. The operative, Hamza al-Q’uyati, also threatened the head of Yemen’s Political Security Organization (PSO), Ghalib al-Qamesh. Al-Q’uyati was one of the 23 al-Qa`ida-associated operatives who escaped from a PSO prison in February 2006. – NewsYemen, August 6
August 6, 2008 (UNITED STATES): Salim Hamdan, Usama bin Ladin’s former driver, was convicted of providing material support for terrorism at a U.S. military court in Guantanamo Bay. Hamdan was found not guilty, however, of conspiracy. Although faced with the possibility of a life sentence, the military jury only gave him five-and-a-half years, of which he already completed 61 months, meaning that he will only serve a five month sentence. Even after his sentence is up, however, Hamdan can still be held as an “enemy combatant.” – NPR, August 6; NBC News, August 7
August 6, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Security forces killed prominent Taliban leader Ali Bakht during clashes in the Swat Valley of the North-West Frontier Province. A Taliban spokesman confirmed the death. According to Pakistan’s Daily Times, “Bakht was head of the Taliban committee holding negotiations with the NWFP government and a key aide of rebel cleric Mullah Fazlullah.” – Daily Times, August 7
August 7, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): NATO announced that “hundreds” of French troops have been deployed to train and advise Afghan security forces in Uruzgan Province, a region of frequent clashes between Taliban and coalition forces. – AP, August 7
August 8, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber struck Tal Afar, Ninawa Province, killing 25 people. The detonation occurred near a fruit and vegetable market. The United States blamed al-Qa`ida in Iraq for the attack. – AP, August 9
August 8, 2008 (IRAQ): Iraqi police announced the arrest of Mahmud Kraydi, who is “considered to be the leader of al-Qa`ida in Ramadi.” – AFP, August 8
August 8, 2008 (PAKISTAN): The Pakistani Army announced that intense clashes were taking place between Taliban and government forces in Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Since the clashes began on August 6, at least seven soldiers and 30 militants have been killed. The clashes began after hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked a security checkpoint in the Loisam area of Bajaur. – AFP, August 7
August 8, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Taliban militants beheaded two men and executed a third by gunfire after accusing them of spying on Taliban activities. The incident occurred in Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. – Daily Times, August 9
August 8, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Taliban militants kidnapped 14 security personnel after attacking their checkpoint in the Buner area of Swat District in the North-West Frontier Province. – Daily Times, August 9
August 9, 2008 (ALGERIA): A suicide car bomber attacked a coast guard barracks and gendarmerie post in Zemmouri el Bahri, Boumerdes Province, killing at least six civilians. According to witnesses, the blast destroyed the gendarmerie post, but the barracks was only slightly damaged. It is suspected that al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb was behind the attack. – Reuters, August 10
August 10, 2008 (GLOBAL): A new audiotape purportedly of al-Qa`ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was partially broadcast on Pakistan’s ARY One television network. During the recording, al-Zawahiri said that Pakistan is “virtually ruled from the American Embassy…Pervez has insulted and compromised Pakistan’s sovereignty by allowing the CIA and FBI to operate freely in Pakistan and arrest, interrogate, torture, deport and detain any person, whether Pakistani or not, for as long as they like, thus turning the Pakistani army and security agencies into hunting dogs in the contemporary crusade.” The tape attempts to convince Pakistani soldiers to “disobey any order to kill Muslims or aid their killers.” Furthermore, on the tape, al-Zawahiri spoke in English, which is not typical of previous releases. – AP, August 10
August 10, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber targeted U.S. and Iraqi forces in Tarmiyah, near Baghdad, killing one U.S. soldier and four Iraqi civilians. – AP, August 10
August 10, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): An Australian military official announced that soldiers recently apprehended Mullah Bari Ghul, the Taliban’s “shadow governor” for Uruzgan Province. – Bloomberg, August 11
August 10, 2008 (ALGERIA): A bomb exploded near a police station in Tighzirt, Tizi Ouzou Province. Three police officers were wounded in the blast. – AFP, August 10
August 11, 2008 (IRAQ): The Iraqi military temporarily halted its offensive in Diyala Province to give insurgents time to surrender. – AP, August 11
August 11, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber attacked a market checkpoint in Ba`quba, Diyala Province, killing at least one policeman and wounding 14 people. – AP, August 11
August 11, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of foreign troops on the outskirts of Kabul, resulting in the deaths of three civilians. – Reuters, August 11
August 11, 2008 (YEMEN): During a gun battle in Tarim in Hadramawt Province, security forces killed five suspected al-Qa`ida militants. One of those killed was identified as Hamza al-Q’uyati, who escaped from a Political Security Organization prison in 2006; on August 5, 2008, al-Q’uyati threatened “bigger” operations in Yemen. Two security officers were killed during the incident. – AP, August 12
August 12, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside the front gate of the Ba`quba police headquarters, killing three people. It is possible that the Diyala provincial governor was the target. – AFP, August 12
August 12, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban fighters attacked the convoy of Ghazni’s provincial governor in Wardak Province. Although the governor was unharmed in the attack, two security guards were wounded. – AP, August 12
August 12, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Authorities believe that top al-Qa`ida operative Shaykh Sa`id Mustafa Abu’l-Yazid was recently killed by Pakistani airstrikes in Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Al-Yazid was in charge of al-Qa`ida’s overall operations in Afghanistan. His death, however, has not yet been confirmed. – Los Angeles Times, August 13; Daily Times, August 13
August 12, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A roadside bomb destroyed an air force truck in Peshawar, killing approximately 14 people. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was part of an “open war” against the government due to its ongoing military operations in the region. – AP, August 12
August 13, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a military patrol in Mosul, Ninawa Province, killing two Iraqis. – AFP, August 14
August 13, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Three female Western aid workers were shot to death in Logar Province as they traveled toward Kabul. One of their Afghan drivers was also killed. – Minneapolis Star Tribune, August 13
August 13, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a police station in Lahore, Punjab Province, killing at least seven people, five of whom were policemen. – AFP, August 14
August 13, 2008 (LEBANON): A roadside bomb exploded in Tripoli, killing 10 soldiers and eight civilians. Officials suspect that Fatah al-Islam, an al-Qa`ida-inspired terrorist group, was behind the blast. – AP, August 14
August 13, 2008 (MAURITANIA): According to the BBC, al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb released an internet statement urging Mauritanians to take up arms against the country’s new government, which recently seized power in a coup. – BBC News, August 13
August 14, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber targeted a group of Shi`a pilgrims in Iskandariyya, Babil Province, killing at least 20 of them. – Los Angeles Times, August 15
August 14, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan and international troops killed seven Taliban militants in Paktia Province, according to Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry. The statement said that one of those killed is Mohammad Zaman, identified as an associate of pro-Taliban leader Jalaluddin Haqqani. – AP, August 17
August 15, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry claimed that 23 Taliban militants were killed in Helmand Province after they attacked a police checkpoint. – AP, August 17
August 15, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban forces captured Nawa district in Ghazni Province. – Voice of America, August 15
August 15, 2008 (YEMEN): Authorities arrested several al-Qa`ida suspects in Hadramawt Province. – AP, August 15
August 15, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Authorities apprehended Abu Sayyaf Group operative Aseng Sahidul on Basilan Island in the southern Philippines. – Mindanao Examiner, August 16
