March 15, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide car bomber targeted a NATO-led convoy near the town of Khost in Khost Province. Two civilians were killed and a NATO soldier wounded. – Reuters, March 15; Voice of America, March 15
March 15, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): After a series of Taliban attacks on mobile phone infrastructure, a phone company official announced that at least one of the country’s four cell phone companies would heed a Taliban demand to cease operations at night. The Taliban demanded the action on February 25, stating that coalition forces track Taliban movement through cell phone signals. – Reuters, March 15
March 15, 2008 (GERMANY): According to German newspapers, a suicide bomber who killed two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan’s Khost Province on March 3 may have been a 28-year-old German-born Turk. The reports were based on a claim of responsibility from the Islamic Jihad Union. – Spiegel Online, March 15
March 15, 2008 (THAILAND): A car bomb exploded at a car park adjacent to the CS Pattani Hotel in Pattani Province, killing at least one person and injuring more than 10. The luxury hotel is often used by government officials. – AFP, March 15
March 15, 2008 (THAILAND): A man was killed after two bombs exploded prematurely in his vehicle in Yala Province. It is suspected that the man was planning to conduct an attack. – Reuters, March 15
March 15, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani militant commander Faqir Muhammad offered his government a cease-fire if it refrained from supporting President Pervez Musharraf. – Dawn, March 16
March 15, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Four American FBI personnel were wounded after militants bombed a restaurant at which they were eating in Islamabad. In addition to the wounded FBI personnel, one Turkish aid worker was killed in the attack. – AP, March 16
March 16, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A suspected militant leader, known by the single name of Noorullah, was killed, along with approximately 20 others, near Wana in South Waziristan Agency after his home was destroyed by a series of missiles. According to Pakistani intelligence officials, another home was also destroyed during the attack. It is suspected that an unmanned aerial drone, or other U.S. aircraft, executed the attacks. – AP, March 16; New York Times, March 17
March 16, 2008 (NORTH AFRICA): Al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb, which is holding two Austrian tourists hostage, extended a deadline for their demands to be met in exchange for the hostages’ release. – Reuters, March 16
March 16, 2008 (IRAQ): The U.S. military announced that al-Qa`ida in Iraq is increasingly using suicide vests to conduct attacks. According to a U.S. military spokesman, “There has been an increase over time in the use of suicide vest bombers. Late in 2007 there were about eight or 10 a month; in the month of February, there were 18. There is an increase…We are also seeing that average Al-Qaeda fighters are wearing suicide vests and before they are captured they are often blowing themselves up.” – AFP, March 16
March 17, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan authorities apprehended Taliban commander Maulvi Dastagir in Herat Province. Dastagir was identified as a commander in neighboring Badghis Province. – Pajhwok Afghan News, March 17
March 17, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Four NATO soldiers were killed after their convoy was hit by a suicide car bomber in Helmand Province. – AFP, March 16
March 17, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): According to NATO, approximately 12 insurgents were killed in an airstrike in Helmand Province. – AP, March 18
March 17, 2008 (IRAQ): More than 40 people were killed in Karbala Province after a female suicide bomber targeted Shi`a worshippers. – AP, March 17
March 17, 2008 (PAKISTAN): At least two police officers were killed after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a police compound in Swat District in the North-West Frontier Province. – AP, March 17
March 18, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The U.S. State Department announced that the Somali group al-Shabab has been added to its list of designated terrorist organizations. According to the statement, “Al-Shabaab is a violent and brutal extremist group with a number of individuals affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Many of its senior leaders are believed to have trained and fought with Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.” The decision to designate the group, the statement reads, was made on February 29. – AFP, March 18
March 18, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The U.S. State Department advised Americans to avoid travel to southern Thailand. The announcement came after a series of attacks in the country’s southern provinces, including a March 15 car bomb at the CS Pattani Hotel in Pattani Province, a hotel that is frequented by foreigners. – AP, March 18
March 18, 2008 (YEMEN): Bomb blasts struck a girls’ school near the U.S. Embassy in Sana`a, killing a schoolgirl and a policeman. U.S. officials believe that the mortars were directed at the embassy, but hit the school by mistake. – AFP, March 19
March 19, 2008 (THAILAND): Security forces killed two suspected insurgents in Raman district of Yala Province. Authorities allege that one of the men was a core leader of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil militant group. – Bangkok Post, March 19
March 19, 2008 (SOMALIA): In response to a March 18 decision by the U.S. State Department to place al-Shabab on the U.S. list of designated terrorist organizations, al-Shabab spokesman Shaykh Muktar Robow told reporters, “We are happy that the U.S. put us on its list of terrorists, a name given to pure Muslims who are strong and clear in their religious position.” Robow claimed that the U.S. government is against al-Shabab because it is “fighting against Ethiopia, a Christian nation that had invaded our country.” – AP, March 19
March 19, 2008 (SOMALIA): Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a top leader in the Council of Islamic Courts, denied that al-Shabab is linked to terrorists such as al-Qa`ida and insisted that the fighters “are part of the coalition for the re-liberation of Somalia.” According to Aweys, “The U.S. policy toward Somalia is always wrong and twisted. They made the wrong decision in 2006 when they backed the Ethiopian invasion and they are wrong to designate part of the resistance as terrorists.” – AP, March 19
March 19, 2008 (FRANCE): The seven men of the “19th arrondissement” cell went on trial in Paris and are charged with recruiting French men on behalf of al-Qa`ida and sending them to fight in Iraq. Authorities believe that the men managed to send 10 fighters to Iraq, three of whom may have died there. The cell members were arrested in 2005, and they now face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. – AP, March 19
March 19, 2008 (IRAQ): Iraqi security forces apprehended Ahmad Muhammad Taha in Ba`quba in Diyala Province. Taha was identified as an al-Qa`ida member who confessed to killing 20 people. – UPI, March 19
March 19, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives in Balad Ruz of Diyala Province, killing four people. The bomber apparently targeted a police patrol. – Voice of America, March 19
March 19, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber targeted an Iraqi army building in Mosul, Ninawa Province, injuring 14 people. – AP, March 19
March 19, 2008 (GLOBAL): A new audio recording with the purported voice of Usama bin Ladin appeared on jihadist internet websites. In the recording, Bin Ladin threatened the European Union for publishing editorial cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad. “Your publications of these drawings—part of a new crusade in which the Pope of the Vatican had a significant role—is a confirmation from you that the war continues,” Bin Ladin said. He warns the EU that it is “testing Muslims” by publishing the cartoons, and that “the answer will be what you shall see and not what you hear.” – Reuters, March 20
March 20, 2008 (GLOBAL): Al-Jazira broadcast audio excerpts from a speech attributed to Usama bin Ladin, in which he denounced Israel-Palestine peace negotiations and stated that “Palestine cannot be retaken by negotiations and dialogue, but with fire and iron.” Bin Ladin also said, however, that mujahidin who cannot fight against Israel should instead join al-Qa`ida in Iraq since “the nearest field of jihad today to support our people in Palestine is the Iraqi field.” According to the Associated Press, “There was no indication how recently the recording was made, or if it was an unreleased part of the audio posted late Wednesday on an extremist Web site that has carried al-Qaida statements in the past.” – AP, March 20
March 20, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): The UN Security Council agreed to extend the mandate of its mission in Afghanistan—known as UNAMA—until March 2009. The mission will also “strengthen the cooperation with” the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force “at all levels and throughout the country.” – AFP, March 20
March 20, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Five soldiers were killed after a suicide car bomber drove his explosives-laden vehicle into the gates of the primary army base in South Waziristan Agency. – Daily Times, March 21
March 20, 2008 (SOMALIA): Al-Shabab leader Shaykh Muktar Robow, responding further to the U.S. decision to designate al-Shabab on its list of terrorist organizations, told reporters that “we were not terrorists. But now we’ve been designated…we have been forced to seek out and unite with any Muslims on the list against the United States.” – Reuters, March 21
March 21, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Golab Mangal, the new governor of Helmand Province, told reporters that he wished to negotiate with “second- and third-tier” Taliban militants in order to stabilize the region. He also stressed, however, that the invitation does not extend to “foreign-affiliated,” top-tier militants. – RFE/RL, March 21
March 21, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Two coalition soldiers were killed after a roadside bomb destroyed their vehicle near Kandahar city in Kandahar Province. – AFP, March 23
March 21, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani authorities shut down three FM radio stations in the Swat Valley. The stations were shut down after they broadcast a speech by a pro-Taliban cleric, Maulana Fazlullah. – Voice of America, March 21
March 21, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Philippine Marines killed a suspected Abu Sayyaf Group fighter in Barangay Pansol in Patikul, Sulu Province. – Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 23
March 21, 2008 (YEMEN): The Jund al-Yaman Brigades, or The Soldier’s Brigade of Yemen, which is linked to al-Qa`ida, claimed responsibility for the March 18 mortar attack on the U.S. Embassy. The attack failed to hit the embassy and instead struck an adjacent girls’ school. According to the claim of responsibility, which was posted on the internet, “one of the mortars missed its target and fell in a school close to the embassy. We pray to God to speed the girl students’ recovery.” – Asharq al-Awsat, March 25
March 22, 2008 (IRAQ): U.S. military spokesman Rear Admiral Greg Smith told reporters that in the past year authorities had killed and apprehended 39 al-Qa`ida members charged with producing and spreading propaganda materials in Iraq. As a result, al-Qa`ida’s propaganda activities have been degraded. According to Smith, “We think the vast majority of this media network has been degraded at this point.” – Reuters, March 22
March 22, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan and NATO air and ground operations in Dihrawud district of Uruzgan Province resulted in the deaths of “dozens of terrorists,” according to the Afghan Defense Ministry. The estimate of the number of militants killed surpassed 40. – AFP, March 23
March 22, 2008 (YEMEN): Yemen’s al-Thawra newspaper, citing a security official, said that al-Qa`ida operative Hamza al-Dhayany was behind the March 18 bomb attack against a girls’ school near the U.S. Embassy in Sana`a. According to the official, “Dhayany launched rockets that were mounted on a car toward the school.” The United States believes that the attack targeted the U.S. Embassy. – AFP, March 22
March 23, 2008 (YEMEN): Yemen’s Interior Ministry denied March 22 press reports that al-Qa`ida was behind the March 18 bomb attack against a girls’ school near the U.S. Embassy in Sana`a. The March 22 press report was published in the state-run al-Thawra newspaper. – Saba, March 23
March 23, 2008 (YEMEN): Yemen extradited to Saudi Arabia four Saudi militants suspected of being al-Qa`ida operatives. – AFP, March 28
March 23, 2008 (SINGAPORE): Singaporean authorities announced that they arrested a member of Jemaah Islamiyah in February who they allege trained with Muslim fighters in Afghanistan. The suspect was identified as Rijal Yadri Jumari, and it is believed that he trained at an al-Qa`ida camp in Kandahar in 2000 where he learned explosives, surveillance, weapons handling and other guerrilla warfare techniques. It is also alleged that he met Usama bin Ladin on more than one occasion. – AP, March 23
March 23, 2008 (IRAQ): At least 13 Iraqi soldiers were killed after a suicide car bomber targeted a military base in Mosul, Ninawa Province. Soldiers attempted to stop the vehicle with weapons fire, yet the suicide bomber’s vehicle was equipped with bullet-proof glass. – AP, March 23
March 23, 2008 (IRAQ): The U.S. military announced that it has disrupted a “suicide bombing network” in Diyala Province, with 12 terrorists killed in the raid. According to the statement, six detained men had their bodies shaved in preparation for their suicide operations. – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, March 23
March 23, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Approximately 65 people were injured after Islamic militants used an IED to blow up a series of fuel tankers in Landikotal in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The tankers were supplying fuel for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and a total of 36 were destroyed. – AFP, March 23
March 23, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): International and Afghan forces killed 12 Taliban-linked fighters in Chora district of Uruzgan Province. – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, March 25
March 24, 2008 (GLOBAL): A new statement by al-Qa`ida operative Ayman al-Zawahiri appeared on Islamist websites in which he calls on Muslims to “strike the interests of the Jews, the Americans, and all those who participated in the attack on Muslims. Monitor the targets, collect money, prepare the equipment, plan with precision, and then—while relying on God—assault, seeking martyrdom and paradise.” Similar to a recent statement by Usama bin Ladin, in the tape Zawahiri focuses on the need to retaliate for Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. – AP, March 24
March 24, 2008 (THAILAND): Police arrested a suspect in the March 15 bomb attack on the CS Pattani Hotel. The suspect was identified as Muden Sameng, and he was arrested in Pattani Province’s Panare district. It is alleged that Muden is a member of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil militant group. – Thai News Agency, March 24
March 24, 2008 (THAILAND): Exiled Pattani United Liberation Organization leader Lukman B. Lima told the Associated Press that “peace talks cannot be held [with Thailand’s new government] under the conditions of war, military aggression and occupation.” – AP, March 24
March 24, 2008 (NORTH AFRICA): Press reports quoted a new statement by al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb in which they provide a new deadline for their demands to be met in exchange for the release of two Austrian hostages. The terrorist group was quoted as saying, “It is an additional extension of two weeks that will expire on Sunday, April 6, 2008, at midnight.” After that date, “we will have exhausted what we could bear. Let Austria, Tunisia and Algeria be responsible for the lives of the kidnapped.” The group has demanded the release of imprisoned militants, and Austrian media sources have reported that the group is also demanding five million euros in ransom. – AFP, March 24
March 25, 2008 (ISRAEL): Israeli forces arrested Hamas operative Umar Jabar, who is wanted for planning the 2002 Passover suicide bombing in Netanya that left 30 Israelis dead and more than 140 wounded. Jabar was apprehended in a West Bank village. – CNN, March 26
March 26, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A Danish soldier was killed during a firefight with Taliban fighters in Helmand Province. – AFP, March 27
March 26, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A car bomb exploded at a farmers’ market in Helmand Province, killing eight civilians. The bomb was detonated remotely. – AFP, March 26; AP, March 26
March 26, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): The FBI began a six-month counter-intelligence training program in the southern Philippines to assist Philippine police and military forces in their efforts against the Abu Sayyaf Group and Jemaah Islamiyah. – AFP, March 26
March 26, 2008 (SOMALIA): Al-Shabab fighters briefly took control of the strategic town of Jowhar, which lies 55 miles north of Mogadishu. According to the Washington Post, al-Shabab has in the past month “briefly asserted control of at least six towns in southern Somalia.” – Washington Post, March 27
March 27, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A new internet posting by the Taliban warns of the start of a spring offensive against government and international troops in Afghanistan. The posting was authored by Mullah Bradar Akhund, and says, “Our aim in these operations is to give the enemy an admonishing lesson through conclusive and painful strikes that he does not anticipate, until he knows and is compelled to end the occupation of Afghanistan and withdraw until the last soldier leaves.” – Reuters, March 27
March 29, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban militants bombed a power station in Girishk district of Helmand Province, which resulted in the deaths of two people. – Reuters, March 29
March 29, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan and international troops killed eight Taliban fighters in Zabul Province. – AFP, March 30
March 29, 2008 (PAKISTAN): The first of six joint U.S., Afghan and Pakistani military intelligence centers on the Afghan-Pakistan border was opened. The purpose of the centers is to limit the ability of militants to move and conduct operations in the region. According to U.S. Brigadier General Joe Votel, “The macro view is to disrupt insurgents from going back and forth, going into Afghanistan and back into Pakistan, too. This is not going to instantly stop the infiltration problem, but it’s a good step forward.” – AP, March 29
March 29, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told his country’s lawmakers that “we are ready to talk to all those people who give up arms and are ready to embrace peace.” The offer, directed at Islamist militants inside the country, was welcomed by one of the major militant groups, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). According to TTP spokesman Maulvi Omar, “We welcome the announcement by the federal government to hold talks with Taliban Tehrik to improve law and order situation in the country.” Omar added, however, that “the government should immediately say goodbye to pro-U.S. policies because there is no good in them for the government and the people of Pakistan.” – AFP, March 30
March 30, 2008 (GLOBAL): CIA Director Michael Hayden told reporters that al-Qa`ida is training operatives in Pakistan’s tribal areas who “look Western” and “would be able to come into this country [the United States] without attracting the attention others might.” Speaking of Pakistan’s tribal areas and the border region with Afghanistan, he said, “If there is another terrorist attack, it will originate there.” – Bloomberg, March 30
March 30, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Two British Marines were killed after an explosion destroyed their vehicle while they were on patrol near Kajaki Dam in Helmand Province. – AP, April 1
March 31, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The U.S. military charged a Guantanamo Bay detainee with involvement in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Tanzania. The Tanzanian suspect, identified as Ahmad Kalfan Ghailani, was apprehended in July 2004 and transferred to Guantanamo in 2006. He could face the death penalty. – AP, March 31
March 31, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban commander Mullah Naqibullah, who has escaped from prison in Afghanistan on two separate occasions, was apprehended by Afghan police after a gun battle which left three militants dead and two policemen injured. The incident occurred in Helmand Province. – AP, April 1
April 1, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Two police officers were killed after a suicide car bomber attacked a police compound in the town of Zaranj in Nimroz Province. – AP, April 1
April 1, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): According to a posting on Islamist websites, two recent Taliban attacks on Dutch forces in Afghanistan were in retaliation for Dutch MP Geert Wilders’ film Fitna, which is highly critical of Islam. The film was released on March 27. The post alleges that the retaliatory attacks took place on March 30; the Dutch Defense Ministry stated that two separate attacks on March 30 wounded five Dutch soldiers. – Reuters, April 1
April 1, 2008 (ALGERIA): Algerian newspapers reported that authorities recently foiled a plot by al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to assassinate the country’s prime minister, Abdelaziz Belkhadem. According to reports, AQIM operatives planned to assassinate the prime minister when he was vacationing at his holiday home in Marsa bin Mahdi, which is in Tlemcen Province. – AKI, April 1
April 1, 2008 (TURKEY): Turkish police detained 45 suspected al-Qa`ida-linked individuals in various locations in Istanbul. – Reuters, April 1
April 1, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): A Department of Education executive was kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf Group in Maimbung. Reportedly a ransom is being demanded for his release. – Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 1
April 1, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): The U.S. Embassy warned American citizens to avoid travel to the Zamboanga City area since “extremist elements may be planning to kidnap Americans or other foreigners at hotels or other public places.” U.S. counter-terrorism troops are based in Zamboanga and on the nearby Jolo Island. – AP, April 1
April 1, 2008 (UNITED STATES): FBI Director Robert Mueller told a congressional hearing that al-Qa`ida is attempting to recruit Westerners so that its operatives can have valid North American and European passports, allowing them to enter the United States without arousing as much suspicion. – AFP, April 6
April 1, 2008 (SOMALIA): Al-Shabab fighters allegedly took control of the central Somali town of Buulo Burte, and in the process killed an estimated 22 government soldiers, according to witness accounts. – CNN, April 4
April 2, 2008 (SOMALIA): Al-Shabab fighters withdrew their forces from the town of Buulo Burte in advance of a convoy of Ethiopian reinforcements. The fighters had taken control of the town on April 1. – CNN, April 4
April 2, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): The Abu Sayyaf Group released a Department of Education official who they had kidnapped the previous day. It is believed that a ransom was paid by the official’s family in exchange for his release. – Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 2
April 2, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber killed at least five people at a checkpoint in the Addayah area near Mosul, Ninawa Province. – AP, April 3
April 2, 2008 (MAURITANIA): Sidi Ould Sidna, an al-Qa`ida-linked man accused of killing four French tourists in December 2007, escaped from a Mauritanian courthouse. – AP, April 3
April 3, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani authorities arrested four Turkish nationals who are suspected of being tied to al-Qa`ida. The men were traveling on a bus from Quetta to Peshawar when they were arrested. Frontier Corps personnel who made the arrest found explosives, sub-machine gun ammunition, a laptop, jihadist books and other materials. – Dawn, April 4
April 3, 2008 (GLOBAL): A new audiotape began circulating on Islamist websites in which al-Qa`ida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri makes efforts to deny that his movement kills civilians. Zawahiri was responding to a question posed by an individual on an Islamist website, in which the questioner asked about al-Qa`ida attacks that have killed civilians in Muslim states such as Iraq, Algeria and Morocco. Zawahiri explained that the deaths of innocents are caused by “unintentional error” and because the enemy uses innocents as “human shields.” Zawahiri also mentioned the December 2007 attack by al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb against a United Nations building, saying that the “United Nations is an enemy of Islam and Muslims.” Finally, Zawahiri said that Usama bin Ladin is “healthy and well.” – CNN, April 3
April 3, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Philippine Brigadier General Juancho Sabban told reporters that the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has been weakened by leadership and funding problems, in addition to having to counter continuous U.S.-backed attacks on their fighters. According to Sabban, “They [ASG] haven’t been able to come up with a single, influential leader who can unite the different factions.” – AP, April 3
April 4, 2008 (SOMALIA): According to Somalia’s Shabelle Media Network, al-Shabab fighters took control of Biyo Ade village, which is north of Mogadishu. – CNN, April 4
April 4, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A new video of Taliban commander Jalal al-Din Haqqani was sent to news organizations. According to the Associated Press, Haqqani appeared in the video for “the first time after seven years in hiding.” – ABC News, April 7
April 4, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): France offered to send 700 more troops to Afghanistan to combat the Taliban insurgency in the east. According to reports, the troops will allow the United States to reinforce the current troops in southern Afghanistan. – Bloomberg, April 4
April 4, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber killed two policemen and a civilian in Lashkar Gah of Helmand Province. It is believed that the attack was in retaliation for the March 31 arrest of Mullah Naqibullah; one of the dead policemen was the commander responsible for Naqibullah’s arrest. – Reuters, April 4
April 4, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A Canadian soldier in NATO was killed after his vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Kandahar Province. – AFP, April 5
April 4, 2008 (IRAQ): Approximately 15 people were killed after a suicide bomber targeted a funeral for a policeman in al-Sadiyah in Diyala Province. – AFP, April 4; AP, April 4
April 5, 2008 (IRAQ): At least four people were killed after a bomb exploded on a minibus in Baghdad. – AP, April 5
April 5, 2008 (SOMALIA): A group of militants used a public transportation bus to execute a surprise attack on government police at a checkpoint in Mogadishu’s Hodan district, which resulted in the deaths of two police officers. – Garowe Online, April 5
April 5-6, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Police and military forces killed a top Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader in Sulu Province. The leader, Sam Andal, was identified as a logistics and liaison officer for ASG. – GMANews.TV, April 6; Sun Star, April 7
April 6, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): NATO and Afghan forces killed 10 Taliban militants in Uruzgan Province. The men were killed after they engaged a joint NATO-Afghan patrol in Charchino district, a hotbed of Taliban activity. – Reuters, April 7
April 6, 2008 (IRAQ): Coalition forces apprehended 22 suspected al-Qa`ida fighters in central and northern Iraq. – UPI, April 6
April 6, 2008 (YEMEN): Three rockets were fired at a residential housing complex for Westerners in Sana`a. The complex houses foreign U.S. and Arab oil workers. Initial reports showed no casualties, and it is believed that the Jund al-Yaman Brigades, an al-Qa`ida-linked group, were likely responsible for the attack. – AFP, April 7
April 7, 2008 (SOMALIA): A roadside bomb exploded in central Somalia, killing six people. – Dow Jones Newswires, April 7
April 7, 2008 (YEMEN): Authorities arrested seven suspects in connection with the April 6 attack on a residential housing complex for Westerners in Sana`a. An official said that some of the suspects had links to al-Qa`ida. The Jund al-Yaman Brigades, which is believed connected to al-Qa`ida, took credit for the attack, stating that they fired three mortar shells at the compound as an act of revenge for last year’s killing of Taliban military commander Mullah Dadullah. – AP, April 7
April 7, 2008 (NORTH AFRICA): Al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb released a new statement in which it warned that it will not be responsible for the fate of the two Austrian tourists the group abducted in Tunisia in February. AQIM’s deadline for its demands to be met passed on April 6. According to the statement, “Austria has shown disregard and carelessness regarding its citizens, despite the flexibility of the mujahidin in their legitimate demands. Now, after the new preconditions of the mujahidin, it [Austria] is responsible first and foremost for the lives and the fate of the abducted.” – AP, April 7
April 7, 2008 (MAURITANIA): Security forces attacked a group of gunmen suspected of having links to al-Qa`ida and of being involved in the December 2007 killings of four French tourists in Mauritania. At least one of the men was killed by security forces, but the fate of the other militants is not clear. – AP, April 8; Reuters, April 9
April 7, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban fighters killed two police officers after attacking their checkpoint in Shindand district of Herat Province. – AP, April 8
April 7, 2008 (THAILAND): Suspected insurgents destroyed four power relay lines and a cell phone transmitter in Narathiwat Province. A total of five bombs were used, and it is believed that wristwatches were the trigger mechanisms. – The Nation, April 8
April 8, 2008 (SOMALIA): A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into an African Union military position, killing one civilian. The target was a base housing primarily Burundian peacekeepers. The al-Shabab militant group claimed credit for the attack. – AFP, April 8
April 8, 2008 (LIBYA): Libya released from jail 90 members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. Authorities claim that all of those released had renounced violence. – AP, April 9
April 8, 2008 (THAILAND): The Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) posted a statement on its website saying that the group is “fully committed to finding a peaceful resolution of the conflict” in southern Thailand. There are a number of other groups involved in the southern Thailand insurgency, and it is not clear whether they support PULO’s new statement. – AP, April 9
April 8, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban militants ambushed a group of road construction workers in Zabul Province, killing 18 of their guards. – UPI, April 9
April 8, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): According to a confidential police report provided to the Associated Press, a Filipino militant who was considered a prime candidate to lead the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) “declined the emirship.” The militant, known as Yasser Igasan, was trained in the Middle East and was allegedly sought because of his connections with financiers in the Middle East. The police report further stated that the ASG “continues to operate without a central leadership.” – AP, April 8
April 8, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Six people were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu Province. – GMANews.TV, April 10
April 9, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Abu Sayyaf Group militants released six hostages after ransoms were reportedly paid by the victims’ families. The six were abducted from Sulu Province on April 8. – AHN, April 10; GMANews.TV, April 10
April 9, 2008 (PAKISTAN): U.S. counter-terrorism officials told reporters that an al-Qa`ida bombmaker, Abu al-`Ubayda al-Masri, died in Pakistan several months ago due to natural causes, possibly from hepatitis. According to Fox News, “Al-Masri is credited with recruiting, training and directing the suicide bombers involved in the July 2005 London [bombings], and officials also believe he played a role in the liquid explosives bomb plot to blow up transatlantic flights bound for the U.S. and Canada in the summer of 2006.” – Fox News, April 9
April 9, 2008 (UNITED KINGDOM): A UK appeals court blocked the deportation of Jordanian al-Qa`ida-linked cleric Abu Qatada, along with two Libyans, because the suspects would possibly be tortured once out of British custody. – The Guardian, April 10
April 10, 2008 (UNITED STATES): Suspected al-Qa`ida conspirator Ibrahim Ahmad Mahmud al-Qusi, who is currently being held at Guantanamo Bay, told a U.S. military court that “Usama bin Ladin has succeeded in a great way in attacking you militarily and economically…The whole world has a headache from your [United States] hypocrisy.” The Sudanese al-Qusi is accused of being a bodyguard, a driver and logistics operative for Bin Ladin from 1996-2001. – Reuters, April 10
April 10, 2008 (MAURITANIA): Authorities arrested Maarouf Ould Hadib, who they allege was in charge of the al-Qa`ida-linked group that killed four French tourists in December 2007. The suspect was apprehended after police found him disguised as a woman in a taxi. – AP, April 10
April 10, 2008 (THAILAND): Thai Army Rangers killed two suspected members of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil insurgent group in Rueso district of Narathiwat Province. – Bangkok Post, April 11
April 10, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Security forces took control of the village Imam Dheri in the Swat Valley, which is a stronghold of pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah. Authorities have now set up a checkpoint in the village. – AP, April 10
April 10, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide car bomber attempted to attack a NATO convoy in Kandahar, yet missed his target and instead killed eight civilians. – AP, April 11; Los Angeles Times, April 11
April 11, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): The Abu Sayyaf Group freed Jolo businesswoman Maria Rosalie Lao, who was abducted in January. According to the Sulu governor, the ASG released Lao in order to better evade Philippine Marines who were avidly pursuing the kidnapping group. Other reports, however, say that a negotiator, hired by Lao’s family, was responsible for the release. – Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 11
April 11, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Coalition forces killed 24 Taliban militants in airstrikes in Zabul Province. – AP, April 12
April 12, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban militants killed four policemen working to eradicate the opium harvest in Kandahar Province. – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, April 14
April 12, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber targeted a road construction crew in Nimroz Province, killing two Indian engineers and an Afghan driver. – AP, April 12
April 12, 2008 (TUNISIA): A court in Tunisia jailed 19 men for up to eight years for “having links with al-Qa`ida [in the Islamic Maghreb] and setting up a jihadist cell.” The men were arrested in late 2006. – Reuters, April 13
April 13, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): A mortar round placed under a car exploded in the parking lot of a Roman Catholic cathedral in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Fifteen minutes after the explosion, another mortar detonated outside a bank in downtown Zamboanga. Neither incident resulted in injuries. Authorities suspect that either the Abu Sayyaf Group or Jemaah Islamiyah was responsible for the attacks. – AP, April 13
April 14, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban militants killed 11 policemen at a checkpoint in Arghandab district of Kandahar Province. During the pre-dawn attack, a number of the men were killed in their sleep. – AP, April 14; New York Times, April 15
April 14, 2008 (SOMALIA): Militants threw a grenade into a movie theater in Marka, killing four people. There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but it is likely that Islamist militants conducted the attack. – AFP, April 14
April 14, 2008 (SOMALIA): Al-Shabab militants killed two Kenyan and two British teachers in the central Somali town of Beledweyne. The British teachers were dual British-Somali nationals. Al-Shabab spokesman Shaykh Muktar Robow claimed that “our fighters did not intentionally kill the teachers, but what we know is that their guards targeted fire at our forces and they returned fire, therefore maybe they were caught in the crossfire.” – AP, April 14
April 15, 2008 (INDONESIA): Indonesian authorities announced that two Jemaah Islamiyah operatives who were arrested in Malaysia several weeks ago are now in their custody. Malaysian authorities discovered the men after a routine raid on illegal immigrants. The suspects were identified as Dr. Agus Purwanto and Abdur Rohim. According to CNN, “Terrorism expert Sidney Jones says Abdur Rohim is believed to have replaced Zarkasih as Jemaah Islamiyah leader, after Zarkasih’s arrest last year.” – CNN, April 15
April 15, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A roadside bomb killed two Afghan policemen in Kandahar Province’s Spin Boldak district. – Voice of America, April 15
April 15, 2008 (IRAQ): A new audiotape by Abu `Umar al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State of Iraq, appeared on Islamist internet forums, in which he called on Sunnis to unite against the “Crusader” enemy. “The scholars of the faith and the honorable shaykhs of the tribes are charged with calling and urging the children of the Sunni shaykhdoms to leave the army and the police…and the Awakening Councils, on the basis that all arms…be directed at the Crusaders and those who support them,” he said. – AP, April 15
April 15, 2008 (IRAQ): A car bomb detonated in Ba`quba, Diyala Province, killing at least 38 people. The bomb exploded outside a restaurant frequented by people visiting government offices. – BBC News, April 15
April 15, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber blew himself up in a restaurant in Ramadi, Anbar Province, killing at least 13 people. – BBC News, April 15; AFP, April 15
