Shabaab kills, captures French soldiers during failed rescue mission in Somalia

January 12, 2013
By Bill Roggio

French commandos from the General Directorate for External Security attempted to rescue Denis Allex, one of their operatives captured in 2009. The French said they believe Allex was killed in the raid, Shabaab denied the claim.

(12)

Al Nusrah, jihadist allies overrun Syrian airbase

January 11, 2013
By Bill Roggio

A jihadist alliance made up of the Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, and the Islamic Vanguard seized control of the Taftanaz air base in Idlib.

(9)

Islamist militants suspected in attack on Egyptian police in Sinai

January 11, 2013
By David Barnett

Several policemen were wounded in the attack. In what appears to be a separate incident, one policeman was killed by a sniper reportedly tied to extremist groups in the area.

(2)

ISAF kills and captures IMU operatives in Afghan north

January 11, 2013
By Patrick Megahan

Mazlum, an Afghan national, facilitated suicide and IED attacks in Baghlan and Takhar provinces. He is the first al Qaeda-linked operative known to have been killed or captured in Afghanistan so far this year.

(1)

'Key al Qaeda paramilitary commander' killed in recent drone strike in Pakistan

January 10, 2013
By Bill Roggio

Sheikh Yasin Al Kuwaiti, who was killed in a US drone strike on Jan. 8, was a "key al Qaeda paramilitary commander" who was "very high up the food chain," a US intelligence official who tracks the terror group in Pakistan's tribal areas told The Long War Journal.

(8)

US drones strike again in Mir Ali

January 10, 2013
By Bill Roggio

Four senior and midlevel al Qaeda and Taliban leaders are reported to have been killed in the seven strikes since the beginning of the New Year.

(2)

West African jihadist group forms 4 'battalions,' names 3 after al Qaeda leaders

January 9, 2013
By Bill Roggio

The al Qaeda-linked Movement for Tawhid [Unity] and Jihad in West Africa created the Abdullah Azzam, Al Zarqawi, and the Abu al Laith al Libi battalions, as well as the Martyrdom-Seekers Battalion. These join the previously established Osama bin Laden Battalion.

(1)

Tunisia frees Benghazi suspect

January 8, 2013
By Thomas Joscelyn

The Tunisian government has freed Ali Harzi, a key suspect in the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. The FBI questioned Harzi in December, and Ansar al Sharia Tunisia released photos of the investigating agents online.

(1)

US adds 2 Sudanese al Qaeda operatives to list of terrorists

January 8, 2013
By Bill Roggio

Abdelbasit Alhaj Alhassan Haj Hamad and Mohamed Makawi Ibrahim Mohamed murdered a US diplomat and his Sudanese driver in Khartoum in January 2008.

(2)

Afghan soldier kills 1, wounds 6 in latest insider attack

January 8, 2013
By Lisa Lundquist

An Afghan National Army soldier opened fire on British and Afghan troops at a patrol base in Helmand, killing one British soldier before being shot while attempting to flee.

(3)

US drones launch 2 strikes in North Waziristan

January 8, 2013
By Bill Roggio

Two compounds were hit in the Mir Ali area. The US has now launched six strikes in Pakistan so far this year.

(6)

Omar Hammami's personal dispute with Shabaab

January 6, 2013
By Bill Roggio

The American jihadist's rants against Shabaab indicate a personal feud with the al Qaeda affiliate, and not a wider split between Somali jihadists and foreign fighters.

(10)

US drones strike again in South Waziristan

January 6, 2013
By Bill Roggio

A Taliban commander loyal to Hafiz Gul Bahadar was the target of the strike; 17 people, including a Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan commander who directed suicide operations, are reported to have been killed.

(9)

Taliban promise 'sacred jihad' if US forces remain in Afghanistan past 2014

January 5, 2013
By Bill Roggio

The Afghan Taliban said they reject any security agreement that allows "even a single American soldier" to remain in country. "War and destruction will continue in the region" if US forces stay in Afghanistan after 2014.

(18)

Taliban name Mullah Nazir's replacement

January 4, 2013
By Bill Roggio

Bahwal Khan, the new emir of the Mullah Nazir group, maintains close ties to al Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, and a host of terrorist groups, US intelligence officials told The Long War Journal. Additionally, the US intelligence officials denied that the Pakistani government or military aided in the killing of Nazir.

(14)

US drone strike kills local AQAP commander, 2 fighters in central Yemen

January 3, 2013
By Bill Roggio

A local al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader and two fighters were killed in the third strike in Rada'a in Al Baydah province since Dec. 24, 2012.

(2)

Britiain is sending two RAF C-17s to provide logistical support for the Malian Army in its attempt to stem the advance of Islamist fighters. No British soldiers will be deploying in a combat role to Mali. Prime Minister Cameron offered to support the French military effort in Mali after a French pilot was killed there.

Insurgents killed two soccer players in an IED attack on the team bus in Kirkuk. Iraq closed all border crossings with Syria until further notice.

French commandos attempted to free Denis Allex, a French intelligence operative captured by Shabaab in 2009. A French soldier was killed and another was captured during the failed raid. Seventeen Shabaab fighters were killed.

Al Qaeda in the Land of the Two Niles has formed a students' group at the University of Khartoum. The students said that the Sudanese government is not pursuing al Qaeda in Sudan.

The French military has intervened in Mali. French aircraft and attack helicopters beat back a jihadist advance on the town of Mopti, while soldiers are being deployed to Sevare. More than a hundred Islamists are said to have been killed.

After meeting with Afghan president Karzai, President Obama said the pace of the US withdrawal in Afghanistan would accelerate as the US mission shifted to training Afghan forces this the spring. The number of US troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014 remains undecided. Obama pledged that US troops would leave Afghan villages by spring and Afghan prisons housing terrorism suspects would revert to Afghan control.

President Obama said US forces would switch to a support role this spring and that the goals in Afghanistan have largely been met. The Taliban killed four policemen in Badghis and an ISAF soldier in the west.

"Gunmen" killed a member of the Awakening and his seven-year-old son in Mosul. Security forces detained three insurgents with a car bomb in Mosul and three suspected assassins in Diyala.

After months of fighting, rebels captured Taftanaz military airport, the largest in northern Syria. The attackers consisted mostly of jihadist fighters from the Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar Al-Sham, and Islamic Vanguard groups.

Kuwait's Prime Minister said more than 60 Islamists held by the UAE for plotting to overthrow the government were financed by Kuwaiti nationals. The plotters belong to the Muslim Brotherhood.

International aid organizations began evacuating the central part of the country as Islamist forces advance south toward the strategic city of Mopti. France vowed to assist the Malian army repel the Islamists, within the framework of the UN resolution. Government forces backed by military assistance from European countries, including aircraft, launched a counterattack.

French forces launched an airstrike in central Mali to assist the Malian army repel the advance of al Qaeda-linked fighters. European soldiers landed by transport airplane in Sevare, near the city of Mopti. French citizens have been advised to leave Mali.