May 16, 2008 (GLOBAL): Usama bin Ladin released a new audio message on Islamist internet forums, in which the al-Qa`ida leader vowed to “continue our struggle against the Israelis and their allies.” The message, which was timed for release with Israel’s 60th anniversary as an independent state, said that the Palestinian cause is “the core reason of the war between our civilization and your civilizations [Western nations].” Bin Ladin also claimed that the Palestinian cause was a critical factor behind the decisions of the September 11, 2001 hijackers “to fight for those subjected to injustice and the oppressed.” – AP, May 16
May 16, 2008 (SOMALIA): UN-sponsored peace talks between Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government and opposition forces ended without agreement. The talks are scheduled to resume on May 31. – Garowe Online, May 16
May 16, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A child suicide bomber killed one Afghan soldier and injured two Canadian soldiers in Zhari district of Kandahar Province. Because the child approached soldiers with his arms in the air, there is the possibility that his explosives were either detonated remotely, or were set to detonate on a timer. – CTV.ca, May 16
May 16, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Authorities discovered the beheaded body of a paramilitary soldier in Bajaur Agency. A note attached to the body of the soldier explained that the beheading was conducted by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in retaliation for the May 14 suspected U.S. airstrike on a target in Damadola. The note warned others against cooperating with authorities. – Daily Times, May 17
May 16, 2008 (UNITED STATES): A U.S. military judge hearing the case against Salim Hamdan, a former driver for Usama bin Ladin and a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, ruled that the trial should be postponed until mid-July so that the Supreme Court can decide whether detainees at Guantanamo Bay can challenge their detentions in U.S. civil courts. – AP, May 16
May 16, 2008 (EUROPE): French, German and Dutch authorities arrested 10 Turkish nationals on charges of financing the Islamic Jihad Union, an Islamist group connected to al-Qa`ida. – Deutsche Press Agency, May 16
May 17, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A NATO Chinook helicopter that was carrying Helmand Governor Golab Muhammad Mangal was hit by ground fire while flying near Musa Qala. The helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing due to a damaged rotor blade, but there were no injuries. The governor was traveling to Musa Qala in order to attend a ceremony. – Reuters, May 17
May 17, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A bicycle bomb exploded in Kandahar, killing a nine-year-old child and wounding four people, three of whom were police. The intended target was a police convoy traveling through the city. – Reuters, May 17
May 17, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Taliban militants released Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan, Tariq Azizuddin, after holding him hostage since February 11. In exchange for his release, press reports allege that the Pakistani government freed from prison more than 40 Taliban fighters. According to one report, “The French news agency AFP quoted an unidentified security official as saying the ambassador was recovered late on May 16 from the custody of a local Taliban group just outside the Khyber tribal district in Pakistan. Other media reports in Pakistan said the envoy had been freed in Afghanistan.” – Reuters, May 17; RFE/RL, May 17
May 17, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives in an office of the Sons of Iraq in Ba`quba, Diyala Province. One woman, along with the bomber, was killed. – AFP, May 17
May 17, 2008 (SOMALIA): Islamist fighters took control of the southern city of Jilib—located 250 miles south of Mogadishu—after defeating a government-supported militia group. – al-Jazira, May 17; AFP, May 17
May 18, 2008 (YEMEN): A Yemeni judge jailed Jabir al-Banna, an al-Qa`ida operative, for an unspecified period of time. The United States has a $5 million reward on al-Banna’s capture, although the Yemeni government had until now refused to jail him even though his whereabouts were known; he was allowed to move around freely during his ongoing trial, in which he is charged with plotting to blow up oil installations in 2006. – Washington Post, May 18
May 18, 2008 (GLOBAL): Usama bin Ladin released a new audio message—distinct from his message of May 16—in which he criticized Arab leaders for sacrificing the Palestinians. According to Bin Ladin, Arab leaders “sacrificed Palestine and al-Aqsa to keep their crowns…They have decided that peace with the Zionists is their strategic option, so damn their decision.” He also spoke about Lebanese Hizb Allah, criticizing the group for allowing UN peacekeepers into southern Lebanon “to protect the Jews.” – AP, May 18
May 18, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber killed at least 11 people after blowing himself up by a market situated near the gate of an army base in Mardan District, North-West Frontier Province. Four soldiers guarding the entrance to the base were among those killed. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan took credit for the operation, stating that it was “in reaction to Damadola,” referring to the May 14 missile strike targeting their forces; Pakistan has accused the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan for being behind that attack. – Chicago Tribune, May 19; New York Times, May 19
May 18, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber killed four civilians after he detonated his explosives at the main market in Musa Qala, Helmand Province. – CNN, May 18
May 19, 2008 (IRAQ): Iraqi officials claimed that they had arrested al-Qa`ida in Iraq’swali, or governor, for Mosul. The suspect, identified as `Abd al-Khaliq Awad Ismail al-Sabawi, was arrested in Salah al-Din province. – AP, May 19
May 19, 2008 (IRAQ): At least 11 Iraqi police recruits were killed while traveling in their minibus in the deserts of Ninawa Province. Suspected Sunni gunmen opened fire on the bus, killing everyone inside. – AP, May 19
May 20, 2008 (UNITED KINGDOM): Waheed Ali, a British Muslim accused of conspiring with the July 7, 2005 London bombers, told a court that he, along with the group’s leader Muhammad Sidique Khan, received training at a Taliban camp in Afghanistan in the summer of 2001. – Guardian, May 21
May 20, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A roadside bomb exploded near a military truck in Kohat District, North-West Frontier Province. At least five soldiers were wounded by the blast. – AP, May 20
May 20, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Suspected Abu Sayyaf Group militants attacked and killed two Philippine soldiers as they were riding a motorcycle on their way to Patikul in Sulu Province. – Philippine Inquirer, May 21
May 20, 2008 (SOMALIA): An explosion in Mogadishu killed three Ethiopian and two Somali government soldiers. – Voice of America, May 20
May 21, 2008 (IRAQ): The acting commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, told the Associated Press that “our forces and the Iraqi forces have certainly disrupted al-Qaida, probably to a level that we haven’t seen at any time in my experience,” but warned that “they can regenerate, and do from time to time.” – AP, May 21
May 21, 2008 (PAKISTAN): The Pakistani government signed a deal with Taliban militants that will lead to the withdrawal of the Pakistani Army from Swat District of the North-West Frontier Province. According to the deal, Shari`a will be enforced in Swat and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) will be involved in securing law and order in the district. In exchange, TTP forces in Swat will cease attacks on government security forces. According to one Taliban spokesman, “We have accepted to give up the armed struggle because the government has agreed to the complete enforcement of the Sharia laws. We are happy about the agreement but the success of it depends on the conduct of the government, especially in enforcing the Sharia laws.” – International Herald Tribune, May 22; AFP, May 22
May 21, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): According to a Philippine media industry official, the Abu Sayyaf Group may be behind illegally copying Hollywood movies and selling them to Manila stores in order to raise funds. – AFP, May 21
May 21, 2008 (SOMALIA): Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi pledged to keep his country’s soldiers in Somalia until the “jihadists” are defeated. – Reuters, May 21
May 21, 2008 (SOMALIA): Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a former leader in Somalia’s now defunct Islamic Courts Union, told journalists that “it is important to expel the enemy from all areas. We don’t want a fight to the death. We don’t want to kill all the Ethiopian soldiers. We want to save them. We want them to leave.” Aweys further explained that Somalia’s Islamist opposition will “liberate Somalia from Ethiopia. Then we will form a government of national unity. We are all Muslims in Somalia. We have no idea of secularism. The people will place their trust in religion.” – Guardian Unlimited, May 22
May 21, 2008 (JORDAN): A Jordanian military court sentenced eight al-Qa`ida-linked operatives to life in prison for a 2004 plot to execute a chemical attack on the U.S. Embassy, along with other targets in the country. The 2004 plot was financed by then al-Qa`ida in Iraq leader Abu Mus`ab al-Zarqawi, who gave the men $118,000 for the operation. In a previous trial in 2006, the men were sentenced to death, but an appeals court overturned that ruling. – AP, May 21
May 21, 2008 (MOROCCO): Security officials announced the arrest of 11 al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb suspects. The men allegedly trained at al-Qa`ida camps in Iraq and in North Africa. According to a UPI report, “Moroccan officials said the cell was plotting attacks in the European Union and specifically a hotel in Belgium, though officials in Brussels couldn’t confirm the allegations.” One of the suspects is a Moroccan who was living in Belgium. – UPI, May 21
May 21, 2008 (NORTH AFRICA): Austrian diplomats told reporters that “things are progressing” in attempts to secure the release of two Austrian tourists who were kidnapped by al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb fighters while in Tunisia in February. Authorities suspect that the group moved the hostages to Mali. – AFP, May 21
May 22, 2008 (ISRAEL): A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden truck at the Erez passenger crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip with Israel. There were no casualties besides that of the bomber. – AP, May 22
May 22, 2008 (GLOBAL): Al-Qa`ida ideologue Abu Yahya al-Libi released a new video statement on Islamist web forums in which he accused moderate Muslims of promoting Western ideas. According to al-Libi, “The duty of the Islamic nation is not to emulate the infidel nations, nor to lick their boots nor satisfy them…nor even look for ways to coexist.” – AP, May 22
May 23, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): U.S.-led soldiers launched an airstrike on an “extremist cell” in Garmser in Helmand Province, leading to a few casualties and a number of arrests. The U.S. military released a statement claiming that the cell was involved in financing and arming militants. – AFP, May 24
May 23, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Four Afghan Army soldiers and one civilian child were killed after a suicide bomber attacked a military convoy in Khost Province. – Voice of America, May 23
May 24, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Baitullah Mehsud pledged to continue carrying out attacks against international forces in Afghanistan despite a recently signed Taliban peace deal with the Pakistani government. According to Mehsud, “Fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan is harming Islam and Pakistan” and should cease immediately, but “jihad in Afghanistan will continue.” – AP, May 24
May 24, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Government security forces confiscated 283 bags of explosive components allegedly belonging to the Abu Sayyaf Group on Jolo Island in the southern Philippines. Speaking about the recovered components, a military spokesman said, “With blasting caps, and the ammonium nitrate, which is the basic ingredient in the so-called fertilizer bombs, it is obviously meant for a terrorist action.” – Sun Star, May 26
May 25, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): During a day of fighting between the Philippine military and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) militants in the southern Philippines, at least 17 Philippine Marines were wounded and two MILF fighters killed. The violence, which occurred in Tipo-Tipo on Basilan Island, was said to have also involved the Abu Sayyaf Group. – AFP, May 25
May 25, 2008 (SOMALIA): Islamist insurgents attacked a base of Ugandan peacekeepers in Mogadishu, sparking a gun battle that left approximately 18 people dead, most of whom were civilians. – AFP, May 27
May 26, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber attacked a military convoy in Kandahar, killing a teenage civilian and wounding four Canadian soldiers. – Canwest News Service, May 25
May 26, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber driving a motorcycle blew himself up at a checkpoint controlled by Iraqi police and guards from a local Awakening Council in Tarmiyah, Salah al-Din Province. The blast killed four people, one of whom was a civilian. – AP, May 26
May 26, 2008 (IRAQ): A roadside bomb killed one U.S. soldier in Salah al-Din Province. – AP, May 26
May 26, 2008 (PAKISTAN): The Pakistani government signed a peace deal with a small Taliban militant group in Mohmand Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. As part of the deal, the government released from detention an unknown number of militants, and the Taliban group, which is led by Umar Khalid, pledged not to attack government security forces. Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, allegedly backed the deal. – AP, May 27; AP, May 28
May 27, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives in Ninawa Province, killing six people and wounding more than 40. – AFP, May 28
May 27, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban fighters killed nine policemen in an attack in Shorabak district, Kandahar Province. – Voice of America, May 27
May 27, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned four alleged leaders of Lashkar-i-Tayyaba (LeT), an Islamist group fighting against India for control of Kashmir. According to the statement, LeT is a “dangerous al-Qaida affiliate that has demonstrated its willingness to murder innocent civilians.” At least one of the named leaders, Muhammad Saeed, has since denied any involvement with LeT or al-Qa`ida. – AP, May 28
May 28, 2008 (THAILAND): Security forces killed three suspected Muslim militants during a village search in Yala Province. – Reuters, May 28
May 29, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of international troops in Kabul, killing three Afghan civilians. – AP, May 28
May 29, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives amid a group of police officers in a village near Mosul, leaving two policemen and one civilian dead. –AFP, May 29
May 29, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a group of police recruits in Sinjar, Ninawa Province, leaving at least 16 people dead. – AP, May 29
May 29, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): A bomb exploded outside Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, killing two people and injuring 19 others. Authorities are investigating whether the Abu Sayyaf Group, or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, was behind the cell phone detonated bomb. The U.S. government is assisting with the investigation. – AP, May 29; Philippine Inquirer, May 31
May 29, 2008 (YEMEN): A Yemeni government newspaper announced that in the past few days security forces have disrupted an 11-member al-Qa`ida cell in the capital. Of those detained, six were Saudi Arabian and three were Chadian. According to a government source that spoke with AFP, “The Saudis are jihadists who originally wanted to go to Iraq but ended up coming to Yemen because of the strict measures taken by authorities in their country for monitoring the border with Iraq.” – AFP, May 29
May 30, 2008 (YEMEN): Rockets were fired at an Aden oil refinery, yet they failed to cause any damage. The al-Qa`ida-linked Jund al-Yaman Brigades later took credit for the operation in a statement posted on Islamist websites. According to the statement, the purpose of the attack was to prevent the Yemeni government from supplying “fuel to the crusaders in their war on Islam.” – AFP, June 1
May 30, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Canadian and Afghan forces killed Mullah Tohr Agha, a mid-level Taliban commander in Zhari district of Kandahar Province. – The Canadian Press, May 31
May 30, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): According to the Afghan Interior Ministry, Afghan and international forces recaptured the district of Bakwa in Farah Province, killing more than 100 Taliban-affiliated fighters in the process. – AFP, May 31
May 30, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan and international forces pushed the Taliban out of Rashidan district of Ghazni Province. The Taliban had taken control of the town only hours before. – Reuters, May 30
May 30, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Authorities arrested an Abu Sayyaf Group operative, Naim Jabdali, with suspected links to al-Qa`ida on Basilan Island in the southern Philippines. – AHN, June 4
May 30, 2008 (AZERBAIJAN): Eighteen men accused of having links with al-Qa`ida went on trial in Azerbaijan. The men were arrested in October and November 2007 and were found with machine guns, hand grenades, explosives and pistols. – Reuters, May 30
May 31, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber killed 10 people at a police checkpoint in the town of Hit, Anbar Province. Six policemen were among those killed, including the village’s chief of police. – AP, May 31
May 31, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide car bomber struck NATO forces in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, killing two NATO soldiers. – AFP, May 31
May 31, 2008 (LEBANON): Lebanese troops killed a man who was wearing a suicide belt near the Palestinian refugee camp of `Ayn al-Hilwa. The authorities released few details about the incident. – Voice of America, May 31
June 1, 2008 (SOMALIA): Alleged Islamist militants fired mortars at a plane carrying Somali Transitional Federal Government President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad as it was about to take off from Mogadishu’s airport. There were no casualties. – CNN, June 1
June 1, 2008 (SOMALIA): According to a press report, a new Islamic court has been established in Jowhar, the capital of Middle Shabelle region. The press report states that “many Jowhar locals have reportedly filed disputes with the Islamic Court, including disagreements over land ownership.” – Garowe Online, June 1
June 2, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives near the provincial police headquarters in Mosul, killing at least nine people, five of whom were policemen. – AP, June 3
June 2, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A car bomb exploded outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad, killing six people including one Dane. Denmark’s Security and Intelligence Service (PET) released a statement explaining, “It is PET’s assessment that al-Qaeda or an al-Qaeda-related group likely is behind the attack.” – AP, June 3
June 4, 2008 (GLOBAL): Al-Qa`ida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri released a new audio statement in which he called on Muslims to “break the Siege of Gaza.” Al-Zawahiri said, “The sons of the nation should break the shackles of the treacherous regimes [Arab governments in the Middle East] and move to wage jihad which has become a duty.” The video was released to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. – AP, June 4
June 4, 2008 (GLOBAL): An alleged al-Qa`ida statement posted on an Islamist website claimed credit for the June 2 attack on the Danish Embassy in Islamabad. The statement said that the attack was in retaliation for the republication of cartoons insulting the Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspapers. – al-Jazira, June 5
June 4, 2008 (MOROCCO): Moroccan security forces said that the leader of al-Qa`ida in Morocco, whose name they did not release, accidentally killed himself while working in his weapons workshop around the date of May 27. – UPI, June 4
June 4, 2008 (ALGERIA): A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a military facility on the outskirts of Algiers, wounding five people. Approximately five minutes after the explosion, a homemade bomb exploded outside a café regularly frequented by soldiers, injuring one person. – AFP, June 4; BBC, June 5
June 5, 2008 (ALGERIA): A roadside bomb destroyed a vehicle carrying Algerian soldiers in Boumerdes region, killing six of them. Authorities believe Islamist militants were to blame. – AFP, June 8
June 5, 2008 (UNITED STATES): Al-Qa`ida commander Khalid Shaykh Muhammad, who is considered the “principal architect” of the September 11, 2001 attacks, appeared in a U.S. military court in Guantanamo Bay. – Bloomberg, June 5
June 5, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber charged at a NATO patrol in Qalat, Zabul Province, detonating his explosives but failing to injure any international troops. Four civilians, however, were wounded. – AFP, June 4
June 6, 2008 (UNITED STATES): A U.S. appeals court upheld the conviction of American citizen Ahmed Abu Ali, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for plotting to assassinate President George W. Bush and conspiring with al-Qa`ida. The appeals court also overturned Abu Ali’s sentence, declaring that it was too lenient and sent his case back for resentencing. Abu Ali had appealed his conviction on the grounds that he had been tortured into confessing by Saudi security services. – Reuters, June 6
June 6, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Authorities captured Sali Dungkal Alih, a member of the Abu Sayyaf Group who was allegedly responsible for the beheadings of 10 Philippine Marines in 2007. He was found on the island of Basilan. – Macau Daily Times, June 10
June 6, 2008 (THAILAND): Thai authorities announced that they had killed Alinsan Nikaji, an insurgent wanted for the killings of two Thai marines in 2005. His death occurred during a sizeable operation involving 100 police and soldiers in the village of Tanyong Limo, Narathiwat Province. – AFP, June 6
June 7, 2008 (IRAQ): An Iraqi official told reporters that authorities had arrested 13 suspected members of al-Qa`ida who were planning suicide operations. During the raids in the town of Hit in Anbar Province, 58 explosives belts were seized. – Reuters, June 8
June 7, 2008 (ISRAEL): Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian militant as he was planting a bomb near the border with the Gaza Strip. – Voice of America, June 8
June 8, 2008 (IRAQ): A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives near a patrol base in Kirkuk Province, killing one U.S. soldier and injuring 18 others. – Reuters, June 8; Times Online, June 8
June 8, 2008 (PAKISTAN): Suspected Taliban militants ambushed and killed four policemen in Matani near Peshawar. – AFP, June 9
June 8, 2008 (ALGERIA): Two bombs ripped through the town of Lakhdaria, killing an estimated 12 people. Among the dead were members of the security forces along with a French engineer and his driver. Al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb later claimed credit for the operation. – AFP, June 8; AP, June 17
June 8, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Prominent television journalist Ces Drilon, her two person crew and a Muslim academic were all kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf Group fighters on Jolo Island in the southern Philippines. The ASG is demanding a ransom for their release. –AFP, June 10
June 9, 2008 (PAKISTAN): A police vehicle carrying recently freed Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat- e-Mohammadi leader Sufi Muhammad was hit by a roadside bomb, yet the leader was unharmed. – Dawn, June 9
June 9, 2008 (SOMALIA): Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government and the oppositionist Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia reached a cease-fire agreement. Islamist insurgents actively fighting in Somalia, however, were not party to the agreement. – Shabelle Media Network, June 11
June 10, 2008 (SOMALIA): Leading Somali Islamist opposition leaders rejected the June 9 cease-fire that was agreed to by the Transitional Federal Government and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. According to one journalist, the problem with the June 9 agreement “is that the deal was signed by just one splinter faction of the Islamist movement, which briefly controlled much of Somalia in 2006. After Ethiopian troops ousted the movement, many Islamist leaders went into hiding and the movement split into factions, some open to negotiations, others dead set against them.” – International Herald Tribune, June 10
June 10, 2008 (SOMALIA): Islamist fighters attacked a police station in Mogadishu, in addition to the home of a district commissioner. – Garowe Online, June 10
June 10, 2008 (MOROCCO): A Moroccan court convicted 29 people who were part of the “Tetouan cell” for plotting terrorist attacks and supporting fighters in Iraq. The men, who were arrested in January 2007, were accused of having links to al-Qa`ida, among other terrorist organizations. They received sentences ranging from two to eight years, and two of the 29 were convicted in absentia. – AP, June 11
June 10, 2008 (LEBANON): The leader of Fatah al-Islam, Shaker Youssef al-Absi, released an audio recording warning that the time had come for revenge attacks, and that suicide fighters were ready for operations. The leader of the al-Qa`ida-inspired group remains at large, but is wanted by Lebanese authorities. – AP, June 10
June 11, 2008 (THAILAND): A roadside bomb exploded at the entrance to a contested village in Pattani Province, wounding four soldiers. – The Nation, June 11
June 12, 2008 (UNITED KINGDOM): A judge sentenced Yeshi Girma, the partner of would-be suicide bomber Hussain Osman, to 15 years in jail after being found guilty by a jury the previous day for failing to provide information to the authorities of Osman’s plan to detonate explosives on the London transportation system on July 21, 2005. Girma was also guilty of two other related crimes. She was among a number of suspects, such as two of Girma’s siblings, to be found guilty for involvement in the incidents. – AFP, June 12
June 12, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that inmates held at Guantanamo Bay have a right to challenge their detentions in U.S. courts. – AFP, June 13
June 12, 2008 (YEMEN): U.S. counter-terrorism official Kenneth Wainstein urged Yemeni President `Ali `Abdullah Salih to release Jabir al-Banna and Jamal al-Badawi—two al-Qa`ida suspects—into U.S. custody. – AP, June 12
June 12, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A male suicide bomber disguised in a burqa was shot by authorities as he charged a police compound in Helmand Province. He failed to detonate his explosives. – The Australian, June 12
June 12, 2008 (PHILIPPINES): Suspected Abu Sayyaf Group fighters holding three ABS-CBN employees hostage released cameraman Angelo Valderama. Well-known reporter Ces Drilon and cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion are still being held captive. – AP, June 13
June 12, 2008 (SOMALIA): Islamist fighters launched mortars at the Mogadishu airport as President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad was preparing to board his plane. The president managed to fly off safely. Islamist fighters conducted a similar attack on June 1. – AP, June 12
June 12, 2008 (ISRAEL): Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinian militants as they were planting a bomb near the border with the Gaza Strip. – AP, June 12
June 13, 2008 (IRAQ): Iraqi authorities claimed that they killed Abu Bakr al-Sa`udi, a Saudi national and alleged senior al-Qa`ida in Iraq leader, in Anbar Province. Four of his aides were also killed. – AFP, June 13
June 13, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Taliban fighters staged a coordinated attack on the Sarposa prison in Kandahar Province and managed to release approximately 870 prisoners. The fighters first used a truck bomb to destroy the front gate of the facility, while a suicide bomber attacked the rear of the building. Fighters then stormed the prison, releasing the inmates, of whom about 390 were imprisoned Taliban. – Los Angeles Times, June 14; AP, June 15
June 13, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide car bomber attacked a U.S. military convoy in Nangarhar Province. There were conflicting accounts of casualties. – CBS News, June 13
June 13, 2008 (UNITED STATES): The U.S. Treasury Department froze the assets of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society’s Kuwaiti headquarters. The Islamic charity denied any al-Qa`ida links. Its Afghanistan and Pakistan offices suffered similar measures in 2002. – AFP, June 13
June 13, 2008 (UNITED STATES): Three Ohio state residents were convicted of planning attacks on Americans overseas, including on U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The three men convicted by the Toledo federal court were Mohammad Amawi (a U.S. citizen), Marwan el-Hindi (a naturalized U.S. citizen) and Wassim Mazlou (a legal permanent U.S. resident). According to a Reuters report, the men “engaged in a conspiracy that involved firearms training and instructions to build improvised explosive devices and suicide bomb vests…They also sought to recruit others to participate in jihad training, solicited funding for the training, and proposed sites for training in firearms, explosives and hand-to-hand combat.” – Reuters, June 13
June 13, 2008 (DENMARK): The head of Denmark’s Security and Intelligence Service (PET) told reporters that al-Qa`ida is “steering, training and planning…a terror attack on Danish soil.” PET chief Jakob Scharf said that today’s younger generation of militants “are better, more dedicated and better trained.” – Reuters, June 13
June 14, 2008 (IRAQ): A female suicide bomber detonated her explosives near a group of football fans in Diyala Province celebrating Iraq’s win over China in a World Cup qualifying game. Twenty-five people were wounded. – AFP, June 14
June 14, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): U.S.-led forces killed 15 insurgents holed up in a farming compound in Kandahar Province. – Reuters, June 15
June 14, 2008 (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES): The British Embassy in Abu Dhabi posted a statement on its website warning Britons that the UAE faces “a high threat of terrorism.” According to the statement, “We believe terrorists may be planning to carry out attacks in the UAE. Attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen at any time.” – Guardian, June 17
June 15, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan and international forces killed two Taliban militants in Arghandab district of Zabul Province. – AFP, June 16
June 15, 2008 (AFGHANISTAN): Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that he would send Afghan troops into Pakistan to attack Taliban militants if they were caught conducting cross-border raids. – Reuters, June 15
