April 1, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A mob attacked a UN compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, killing seven UN employees. The demonstrators were angry over the burning of a Qur’an by a Florida pastor in March. – Washington Post, April 2
April 2, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): Violent protests spread through the city of Kandahar, leaving at least nine people dead. The demonstrators were angry over the burning of a Qur’an by a Florida pastor in March. – Washington Post, April 2
April 2, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): Three suicide bombers attacked the Camp Phoenix NATO base in Kabul, but there were no reported casualties other than the deaths of the assailants. – CNN, April 2
April 3, 2011 (PAKISTAN): Two suicide bombers attacked the prominent Sakhi Sarkar Sufi shrine in the Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab Province, killing at least 50 people. – AFP, April 3
April 4, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): The Afghan Taliban relaxed an order to cell phone companies to shut down networks in Helmand Province, and mobile service will now be available from 9 AM to 3 PM. All mobile telephone networks were shut off in Helmand on March 23 in response to Taliban demands. The Taliban argue that NATO-led forces can track them through phone signals. – Reuters, April 4
April 4, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber attacked a bus station in Lower Dir District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, killing at least seven people. According to the BBC, “A member of a government-backed peace committee…was reported to have been killed in the blast.” – BBC, April 4
April 6, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): Top Afghan official Mohammad Massoom Stanekzai confirmed that Kabul has been in peace talks with the Taliban. According to the New York Times, Stanekzai’s remarks “were the most public confirmation by a senior Afghan official that talks with the Taliban were under way.” – New York Times, April 6
April 7, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A group of Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers attacked a police complex on the outskirts of Kandahar city, killing at least six members of the Afghan security forces. – Los Angeles Times, April 7; New York Times, April 7
April 7, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle killed a police constable in Quetta, Baluchistan Province. The attack targeted the house of a senior investigations officer, who was injured in the blast. – AFP, April 6; Dawn, April 8
April 7, 2011 (LIBYA): U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that it was highly unlikely that al-Qa`ida could “hijack” the uprising in Libya. According to Gates, “I think that the future government of Libya is going to be worked out among the principal tribes. So I think that for some outside group or some element of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to be able to hijack this thing at this point looks very unlikely to me.” – AFP, April 6
April 8, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A 14-year-old boy arrested in Pakistan told the media that 350-400 “would-be suicide bombers are getting training in Mir Ali in North Waziristan…I was trained for two months and saw many boys being trained there.” According to Agence France-Presse, “He made the remarks in an interview aired Friday from his hospital bedside, where he is being treated after detonating a hand grenade in the April 3 attack that killed 50 people at a 13th-century Sufi shrine.” The boy said, “A man called Ayyaz gave us the suicide jackets on April 3 (the day of the attack). At 4 or 5 pm we visited the Sakhi Sarwar shrine and he told us each where to carry out our attacks.” – AFP, April 8
April 10, 2011 (CANADA): A Canadian official told the media that approximately 20 Canadians traveled to Somalia to join the al-Shabab terrorist and insurgent group. Of the 20, three may have been killed in the country. – National Post, April 10
April 11, 2011 (UNITED STATES): Farooque Ahmed, a 35-year-old man of Pakistani descent living in Ashburn, Virginia, was sentenced to 23 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from his role in plotting to bomb metro stations in the Washington, D.C. area. According to one media report, “Ahmed, who has lived in the United States since 1993, was under FBI surveillance from last April until his arrest in October. According to a federal indictment, he repeatedly collected information, including video images, of train stations around Washington and gave it to people he believed were part of al-Qaida and were planning multiple bombings.” – National Journal, April 11
April 11, 2011 (YEMEN): Yemeni security forces killed 11 suspected al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula militants in Abyan Province. Authorities said that at least two of the killed militants were foreigners. – Reuters, April 11
April 13, 2011 (FRANCE): Contributors to Islamist militant web forums called for attacks on France due to that country’s ban of the Muslim full face veil. – Reuters, April 13
April 13, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people in Kunar Province in an attack that targeted tribal elders. Among the dead was the prominent pro-government tribal elder Haji Malik Zarin, who was a close ally of President Hamid Karzai. According to the district police chief, who spoke to Agence France-Presse, “The suicide attacker approached them, hugged Malik Zarin and then detonated the explosives strapped to his body.” – BBC, April 13
April 14, 2011 (GLOBAL): Al-Qa`ida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri appeared in a new video calling on Arab armies to intervene in Libya to help remove Mu`ammar Qadhafi from power. He also called on Muslims to attack NATO and U.S. forces should they be deployed on the ground in Libya. – ABC News, April 14; Reuters, April 15
April 14, 2011 (UNITED STATES): According to senior FBI official Mark F. Giuliano, “While core AQ remains a serious threat, I believe the most serious threat to the homeland today emanates from members of AQAP [al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula].” AQAP realizes “the importance and value of reaching English-speaking audiences and are using the group’s marketing skills to inspire individuals to attack within the homeland.” – Bloomberg, April 14
April 14, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): Multiple suicide bombers attacked a police training center in Aryub Jaji in Paktia Province, killing three police officers. – Los Angeles Times, April 14
April 14, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber attacked a government office south of Kabul, detonating a car bomb that injured three police officers and one civilian. – Los Angeles Times, April 14
April 14, 2011 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani officials announced that two alleged Islamist extremists from France were arrested in Lahore in late January. One of the men is of Pakistani origin, while the other is a convert to Islam. The Frenchmen were caught meeting with an individual who is suspected of having ties to al-Qa`ida. – AP, April 14
April 14, 2011 (TURKEY): Turkey’s foreign minister confirmed that the Afghan Taliban will be allowed to open a political office in Turkey to help reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan. – AFP, April 12; Voice of America, April 14; Reuters, April 15
April 15, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber wearing a police uniform killed Kandahar provincial police chief Khan Mohammad Mujahid. His bodyguard was also killed. The slain police chief had survived three previous assassination attempts. – Los Angeles Times, April 16
April 15, 2011 (GAZA STRIP): Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian pacifist who had lived in the Gaza Strip for three years, was hanged by a Salafi-jihadi group in Gaza. Arrigoni was kidnapped on April 14, and his captors demanded that in exchange for his release, Hamas had to free their leader, Hesham al-Sa’eedni, from a Hamas-run prison. Hamas was given 30 hours to release al-Sa’eedni, but failed to comply to the demand. The Salafi-jihadi group, which calls itself the Brigade of the Gallant Companion of the Prophet Muhammad bin Muslima, was previously unknown, but it is believed to be a front for a larger extremist organization, al-Jihad wal-Tawhid. On April 19, Hamas said one of the men responsible for the hanging, Abdel Rahman al-Brizar, “shot himself dead” upon being confronted by Hamas security forces. – Telegraph, April 15; Reuters, April 14; Bloomberg, April 19
April 15, 2011 (JORDAN): Islamist protesters attacked police in Zarqa, wounding 51 officers. The demonstrators were armed with swords, daggers and clubs. The protesters, described as Salafists, were demanding the release of 90 Islamist prisoners. – AFP, April 15
April 15, 2011 (JORDAN): Jordanian security forces arrested Ayman al-Balawi, the brother of triple agent Humam al-Balawi, who blew himself up at a CIA outpost in Afghanistan in December 2009. According to a Jordanian security official, Ayman al-Balawi was arrested with 102 other Salafists in the wake of violent protests in Zarqa. – AP, April 19
April 15, 2011 (INDONESIA): A suicide bomber targeted a mosque—situated in a police compound—during Friday prayers in Cirebon, located in West Java. At least 26 people, including police officers, were wounded by the blast. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack, but authorities believe that the bomber may have been a local resident. – Voice of America, April 15; Bloomberg, April 17
April 16, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber wearing an Afghan army uniform detonated explosives inside a military base in Laghman Province, killing five NATO soldiers, four Afghan soldiers and an interpreter. The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and said that the bomber was a sleeper agent who joined the army a month ago. – AP, April 17
April 16, 2011 (YEMEN): Suspected al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula militants shot and wounded a Yemeni army officer in Abyan Province. The two gunmen, who were on a motorcycle, opened fire on the officer’s vehicle. – AFP, April 16
April 16, 2011 (ALGERIA): Islamist militants killed at least 13 Algerian soldiers at an army post in Kabyle, located 80 miles east of Algiers. Two militants died in the assault. Al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb later claimed credit for the operation. – International Business Times, April 16; AFP, April 21
April 18, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A gunman wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire inside Kabul’s Defense Ministry, killing two soldiers. The gunman was shot to death, and authorities subsequently found that he was wearing an undetonated suicide vest. Militants claimed that the high-profile attack was aimed at France’s visiting defense minister, Gerard Longuet. – AFP, April 18
April 21, 2011 (PAKISTAN): According to Reuters, the United States will provide Pakistan with 85 “Raven” drone aircraft. The “Raven” is a non-lethal, short-range surveillance aircraft. – Reuters, April 21
April 21, 2011 (PAKISTAN): Militants beheaded a sympathizer of an anti-Taliban lashkar (tribal militia) and dumped his body on the road in the Peshawar suburbs. – Dawn, April 22
April 22, 2011 (RUSSIA): Russian federal officials announced the death of Khaled Yusef Mukhammed al-Emirat, identified as al-Qa`ida’s top emissary to the Islamist insurgency in Russia’s North Caucasus region. According to Reuters, “known by his code name Moganned, al-Emirat had been in the North Caucasus since 1999 and was shot and killed by law enforcement agencies in Chechnya.” – Reuters, April 22
April 22, 2011 (KENYA): Kenyan police spokesman Eric Kiraithe warned that Somalia’s al-Shabab terrorist and insurgent group threatened to execute attacks on Kenyan government buildings, bus terminals and places of worship over the Easter weekend. – Bloomberg, April 22
April 23, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A gunman assassinated Abdul Zahir, the deputy of Helmand Province’s peace council, in Lashkar Gah. – AP, April 24
April 23, 2011 (NORTH AFRICA): Al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb militants who are holding four French hostages want France to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in exchange for their release. – AFP, April 23
April 23, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber assassinated Malik Manasib Khan, the chief of the Salarzai tribe, in Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Khan was the leader of an anti-Taliban militia. Four others died in the blast. – AFP, April 23
April 24, 2011 (IRAQ): According to Agence France-Presse, insurgents in Iraq have “stepped up deadly gun attacks against senior officials and military leaders in a bid to undermine public trust in the security forces, officers and analysts said…The apparent trend is a major shift from the spectacular car bombs and suicide attacks that Al-Qaeda, which have been blamed for a recent spate of targeted killings in Baghdad, appeared to focus on in 2009 and much of 2010.” – AFP, April 21
April 24, 2011 (LIBYA): U.S. Senator John McCain said that the United States should escalate its involvement in NATO airstrikes in Libya, warning that a stalemate would likely bring al-Qa`ida into the conflict. McCain said, “…nothing would bring Al-Qaeda in more rapidly and more dangerously than a stalemate.” – AFP, April 24
April 25, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): More than 450 prisoners escaped from a jail by crawling through a 1,180-foot tunnel dug by the Taliban in Kandahar Province. – Reuters, April 25; Christian Science Monitor, April 25
April 26, 2011 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani Taliban fighters attacked two buses carrying naval officials in Karachi, killing four people and wounding 56. – Reuters, April 26
April 27, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A veteran Afghan military pilot opened fire on trainers at a military compound near Kabul International Airport, killing eight U.S. soldiers and an American contractor. According to the Los Angeles Times, “The pilot opened fire about 10 a.m. after an argument with a foreign colleague at a meeting in the operations room of the Afghan air force building…The pilot, identified as Ahmad Gul Sahebi, 48, was from the Tarakhail district of Kabul province and had served in the Afghan army for decades, according to a man who claimed to be his brother.” – Los Angeles Times, April 28
April 28, 2011 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber attacked a Shi`a mosque in Balad Ruz, north of Baghdad, killing eight people. – Denver Post, April 29
April 28, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A roadside bomb destroyed a bus carrying Pakistani navy personnel in Karachi, killing five people. – Voice of America, April 28
April 28, 2011 (MOROCCO): A remotely-detonated bomb ripped through a crowded tourist café in Marrakech, killing 16 people. Among the dead were 14 foreigners, at least half of whom were French. Morocco’s interior minister said that the bomb had the hallmarks of al-Qa`ida. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. – AP, April 29; New York Times, April 29
April 29, 2011 (GERMANY): German police arrested three suspected al-Qa`ida members, and claimed to have averted “a concrete and imminent danger.” All three suspects were young men of Moroccan origin, and they were arrested in Düsseldorf and Bochum. Police reportedly seized large quantities of explosives during the raids. A U.S. official told reporters that at least one of the men had been trained by al-Qa`ida. According to NBC News, “The [U.S.] official added that the men had already put together ‘precursor chemicals’ for a terror attack and were planning a ‘test run’ on Friday morning. Although the test was postponed, German authorities decided to move in and arrest them.” – Reuters, April 29; NBC News, April 29
April 30, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): The Taliban said they will launch a spring offensive against U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, and that the operation will begin on May 1. – Voice of America, April 30
April 30, 2011 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber detonated explosives at an Iraqi Army checkpoint next to a market in Mosul, Ninawa Province, killing eight people. Five of the dead were Iraqi soldiers. – al-Jazira, April 30; New York Times, April 30
May 1, 2011 (GLOBAL): U.S. Special Operations forces killed Usama bin Ladin, the founder and head of al-Qa`ida, in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Documents recovered from Bin Ladin’s compound show that he remained actively involved in organizing plots for the al-Qa`ida organization. According to the Associated Press, Bin Ladin’s “personal, handwritten journal and his massive collection of computer files show he helped plan every recent major al-Qaida threat the U.S. is aware of, including plots in Europe last year that had travelers and embassies on high alert, two [U.S.] officials said…bin Laden dispensed chilling advice to the leaders of al-Qaida groups from Yemen to London: Hit Los Angeles, not just New York, he wrote. Target trains as well as planes. If possible, strike on significant dates, such as the Fourth of July and the upcoming 10th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Above all, he urged, kill more Americans in a single attack, to drive them from the Arab world.” – New York Times, May 4; AP, May 13
May 1, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber, who was reportedly a 12-year-old boy, killed four people in Paktika Province. The bomber detonated his explosives in a bazaar filled with civilians. The attack killed the head of a district council for the Shakeen area. – Voice of America, May 1
May 2, 2011 (GLOBAL): U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers told reporters that at least a dozen senior al-Qa`ida leaders are likely in Pakistan. According to Rogers, “Of the 20 senior leaders in al Qaeda, at least a dozen of them we believe to be traveling around Pakistan someplace.” – Reuters, May 2
May 2, 2011 (INDONESIA): Abu Bakar Bashir, who is accused of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings, commented on the death of Usama bin Ladin from his jail cell in Indonesia. Bashir said that if the news of Bin Ladin’s death is true, “then it will not put al-Qa`ida to death. Osama’s death will not make al-Qa`ida dead…[the] jihad will keep on going because [the] jihad movement it’s not political, but Shari`a (religious law).” – AFP, May 2
May 3, 2011 (GLOBAL): Al-Qa`ida confirmed the death of Usama bin Ladin and vowed to avenge his death by retaliating against the United States “soon.” – Los Angeles Times, May 7
May 4, 2011 (FRANCE): Loic Garnier, the head of intelligence gathering at the French Interior Ministry, said that Usama bin Ladin’s death reduces the risk of a terrorist attack against France. “France has moved to the background as a target for ‘core’ al Qaeda, but it remains a top priority for AQIM,” he said. – Reuters, May 5
May 4, 2011 (INDONESIA): Indonesian police found six unexploded pipe bombs in a river in Cirebon city. The explosives were similar to the device detonated by a suicide bomber inside a mosque in Cirebon on April 15. The latest explosives were discovered just days before leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are to arrive in Jakarta to attend a regional meeting. According to a police spokesman, “They [militants] planned to use the six pipe bombs for another terror attack like the one which was carried out” on April 15. – AFP, May 4
May 5, 2011 (UNITED STATES): According to Voice of America, “U.S. officials say an initial review of documents seized from Osama bin Laden’s compound shows al-Qaida considered carrying out a terrorist plot against the United States on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks…The document says al-Qaida thought about tampering with rail tracks so a train would fall off the tracks in a valley or over bridge.” – Voice of America, May 5
May 5, 2011 (IRAQ): A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a police training center in the mainly Shi`a city of Hilla, south of Baghdad. Twenty-five people were killed by the blast. The Islamic State of Iraq later claimed responsibility. – Los Angeles Times, May 6; New York Times, May 5; AFP, May 9
May 5, 2011 (YEMEN): A U.S. aerial drone killed two suspected al-Qa`ida operatives in Shabwa Province. Various media reports suggested that the strike also targeted Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-`Awlaqi, but he survived the attack. According to press reports citing U.S. officials, the incident was the first time since 2002 that the United States used a drone to attack a target in Yemen. – Los Angeles Times, May 5; Reuters, May 6
May 5, 2011 (SAUDI ARABIA): Saudi Arabia announced that Khalid Hathal al-Qahtani, a senior member of al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula, surrendered to Saudi authorities earlier in the week. – Guardian, May 5
May 6, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A U.S. drone strike killed 13 suspected militants in North Waziristan Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. According to the Los Angeles Times, “The strike involved eight missiles fired at suspected militants in a car, a restaurant and a local seminary in the Datta Khel area.” – Los Angeles Times, May 7
May 7, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): The Afghan Taliban launched a series of coordinated attacks in Kandahar city, killing at least two people. Taliban militants attacked the Kandahar governor’s compound, as well as an intelligence service building, a foreign special forces base, and multiple Afghan police checkpoints. Fighting continued into May 8. – Voice of America, May 7; Christian Science Monitor, May 8
May 7, 2011 (SOMALIA): Somalia’s al-Shabab terrorist and insurgent group vowed to avenge the killing of Usama bin Ladin. – Voice of America, May 7
May 8, 2011 (IRAQ): Abu Huzaifa al-Batawi, the head of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), managed to overpower a guard inside Baghdad’s Interior Ministry—where he was imprisoned—arming himself and freeing a number of al-Qa`ida-affiliated detainees. The militants proceeded to kill a number of police officers, including Brigadier Muaeid Mohammed Saleh, the chief of a department responsible for combating terrorism and organized crime in eastern Baghdad. Al-Batawi was shot to death as he tried to escape the Interior Ministry compound in a vehicle. – al-Jazira, May 8; Los Angeles Times, May 8
May 9, 2011 (GERMANY): A German court sentenced a German-Syrian man, only known as “Rami M.,” to four years and nine months in prison for being a member of al-Qa`ida. The man confessed to a Frankfurt court that he traveled to Pakistan’s tribal regions and trained with al-Qa`ida between 2009 and 2010. He also said that he engaged in attacks on the Pakistani military during that time by transporting rockets, among other duties. – Reuters, May 9
May 9, 2011 (IRAQ): The Islamic State of Iraq pledged its support to Ayman al-Zawahiri in the wake of Usama bin Ladin’s death in Pakistan. Al-Qa`ida has not yet named Bin Ladin’s successor. – AP, May 9
May 10, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): Hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked police checkpoints in Nuristan Province. The insurgents failed to overrun government positions, however. The operation was part of the Taliban’s recently announced spring offensive. – AP, May 10
May 11, 2011 (YEMEN): Nasir al-Wihayshi, the leader of al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), warned that the United States faces more attacks in the wake of Usama bin Ladin’s death. He said that “what is coming is greater and worse” and that the “ember of jihad is glowing brighter.” – Voice of America, May 11
May 13, 2011 (PAKISTAN): Two suicide bombers killed 98 people in Charsadda District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The bombers targeted paramilitary recruits. The Pakistani Taliban later claimed responsibility for the attack, and the group said it was to avenge the killing of Usama bin Ladin. – Christian Science Monitor, May 13; AFP, May 16
May 13, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A U.S. drone killed four suspected militants in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. – CNN, May 13
May 14, 2011 (UNITED STATES): The FBI arrested three Pakistani-Americans on charges of providing financial and other material support to the Pakistani Taliban. According to the New York Times, “Arrested in the United States were Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, 76, of Miami; and two of his sons, Izhar Khan, 24, of Miami; and Irfan Khan, 37, of North Lauderdale. Hafiz Khan is the imam at the Miami Mosque, also known as the Flagler Mosque. Izhar Khan is an imam at the Jamaat Al-Mu’mineen Mosque in Margate, Fla. Hafiz and Izhar Khan were arrested Saturday in South Florida, while Irfan Khan was arrested in Los Angeles. All three are originally from Pakistan.” – New York Times, May 14
May 16, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): U.S. Lieutenant General David Rodriguez told reporters, “We still think that there are just less than a hundred al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan…But what they do is a cadre-type organization that helps out to bring both resources as well as technical skills to the rest of the Taliban fighting here.” – Reuters, May 16
May 16, 2011 (PAKISTAN): Militants shot to death a Saudi diplomat in the Khayaban-i-Shahbaz neighborhood of Karachi. The Taliban claimed responsibility. – Dawn, May 17
May 17, 2011 (GLOBAL): Noman Benotman, a former associate of Usama bin Ladin who now lives in London, claimed that Sayf al-Adl was acting as al-Qa`ida’s interim operational leader in the wake of Bin Ladin’s death. Benotman’s statement, however, could not be confirmed. – MSNBC, May 18
May 17, 2011 (KAZAKHSTAN): A suicide bomber detonated explosives outside the headquarters of the security service in Aktobe, wounding three people. According to Agence France-Presse, “The mysterious bombing was a rare event in Kazakhstan, a majority Muslim country that prides itself on being the most stable nation in Central Asia and a hub for Western investment.” – AFP, May 17
May 18, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle attacked a minibus carrying police cadets in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province, killing 13 people. – Reuters, May 18
May 18, 2011 (IRAQ): Iraqi security forces apprehended four senior al-Qa`ida in Iraq militants in Samarra. According to Reuters, “The four men included Mikhlif Mohammed Hussein al-Azzawi, known as Abu Radhwan, suspected of leading the local group’s military operations, and Qassim Mohammed Taher, accused of orchestrating a March attack on a provincial building that killed more than 50 people.” – Reuters, May 18
May 19, 2011 (GLOBAL): Al-Qa`ida released a posthumous audio recording of Usama bin Ladin, where the deceased al-Qa`ida leader praised the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. Bin Ladin reportedly failed to mention the uprisings in Libya, Syria and Yemen. – Christian Science Monitor, May 19
May 20, 2011 (UNITED STATES): The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued an alert to law enforcement and the energy industry that al-Qa`ida considered attacking tanker ships and other marine infrastructure in the summer of 2010. The alert was issued after U.S. authorities reviewed documents seized from Usama bin Ladin’s compound in Pakistan. – Los Angeles Times, May 21
May 20, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A Taliban car bomb struck an armored vehicle carrying U.S. government employees to the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar. Two Americans were injured, while a Pakistani civilian was killed. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility and said that it was to avenge the killing of Usama bin Ladin. – AP, May 20
May 21, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a military hospital in Kabul, killing six people. The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility. – CNN, May 21
May 22, 2011 (GLOBAL): A new audio message from al-Qa`ida’s Ayman al-Zawahiri appeared on Islamist web forums. The message, which was recorded before the death of Usama bin Ladin, supported the revolutions sweeping the Arab world. He called on North African Muslims to join the fight against the Libyan regime, and told Egyptians to implement Shari`a. Al-Zawahiri also addressed Syrians, telling them to continue their uprising against the regime in Damascus. – AFP, May 22
May 22, 2011 (PAKISTAN): Militants attacked the PNS Mehran naval aviation base in Karachi, killing 10 government security personnel. The militants managed to gain entrance to the base, and it took about 16 hours for Pakistani security forces to kill the fighters and secure the facility. According to Bloomberg, “The insurgents in Karachi damaged or destroyed U.S.-made surveillance planes in the biggest strike against a leading Pakistani military installation since a raid on the army’s Rawalpindi headquarters in October 2009.” As few as six militants may have been involved in the operation. – Bloomberg, May 23; BBC, May 23; Reuters, May 24
May 24, 2011 (KAZAKHSTAN): A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle outside the headquarters of the security services in Astana, causing a number of casualties. – AFP, May 23
May 25, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into Pakistan’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Peshawar, killing seven police commandos and one army soldier. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. – The News International, May 26; NPR, May 25
May 26, 2011 (PAKISTAN): Pakistan agreed to allow a CIA forensics team to examine the compound where Usama bin Ladin was killed. – Washington Post, May 26
May 26, 2011 (PAKISTAN): A suicide bomber in a pickup truck detonated explosives near government offices in Peshawar, killing at least 32 people. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. – AP, May 26
May 28, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber targeted a security gathering inside the governor’s compound in Takhar Province. The blast killed two NATO soldiers from Germany, in addition to four other people. Among the dead was Afghan General Daud Daud, one of the country’s most experienced anti-Taliban military commanders. The bomb also injured a provincial governor as well as the German commander of NATO troops in the region, General Markus Kneip. The assailant was wearing an Afghan army uniform. – Los Angeles Times, May 29; McClatchy Newspapers, May 28
May 29, 2011 (YEMEN): Yemen’s government claimed that militants from al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula overran Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan Province. – Los Angeles Times, May 30
May 30, 2011 (AFGHANISTAN): A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden vehicle targeted the gates of an Italian military base in Herat, wounding five Italian soldiers. – RFE/RL, May 30
May 30, 2011 (SOMALIA): A suicide bomber and other militants attacked a peacekeeping base in Mogadishu, killing two African Union soldiers. Al-Shabab said that the suicide bomber was a Somali-American. – New York Times, May 30; AP, June 2
May 31, 2011 (UNITED STATES): U.S. federal officials announced that two Iraqi men living in Kentucky have been taken into custody and arraigned on a number of terrorism charges for helping al-Qa`ida in Iraq conduct operations against U.S. troops. – CNN, May 31
May 31, 2011 (PAKISTAN): Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad was found murdered near the town of Mandi Bahauddin, about 75 miles southeast of Islamabad. According to the Los Angeles Times, “Shahzad, the Pakistan bureau chief for the Asia Times Online news website, had recently written an article saying that Al Qaeda had infiltrated the ranks of the navy. The piece also asserted that a 17-hour siege on a naval base in Karachi that was carried out by militants was meant as retaliation for the military’s refusal to release a group of naval officials suspected of having militant links.” – Los Angeles Times, June 1
