Category Archives: North America

CT Analysis: CTC Sentinel March 2012 Issue

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Articles included in this issue:

  1. The Evidence of Al-Qa`ida’s Role in the 2004 Madrid Attack - Fernando Reinares
  2. A Pre-Trial Profile of Anders Behring Breivik - Jacob Aasland Ravndal
  3. The Rabbani Assassination: Taliban Strategy to Weaken National Unity? - Michael Gabbay
  4. Assessing Al-Qa`ida’s Presence in the New Libya - Andrew Lebovich and Aaron Y. Zelin
  5. U.S. Gang Alignment with Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations - Mark Schmidt, U.S. National Gang Intelligence Center
  6. The Emergence of the Difa-e-Pakistan Islamist Coalition - Arif Rafiq
  7. Attacking Drug Cartels Through Undercover Money Laundering Operations - Robert Mazur

CT Analysis: CTC Sentinel March 2012 Issue

Articles included in this issue:

  1. The Evidence of Al-Qa`ida’s Role in the 2004 Madrid Attack - Fernando Reinares

  2. A Pre-Trial Profile of Anders Behring Breivik - Jacob Aasland Ravndal

  3. The Rabbani Assassination: Taliban Strategy to Weaken National Unity? - Michael Gabbay

  4. Assessing Al-Qa`ida’s Presence in the New Libya - Andrew Lebovich and Aaron Y. Zelin

  5. U.S. Gang Alignment with Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations - Mark Schmidt, U.S. National Gang Intelligence Center

  6. The Emergence of the Difa-e-Pakistan Islamist Coalition - Arif Rafiq

  7. Attacking Drug Cartels Through Undercover Money Laundering Operations - Robert Mazur


CT News: PTSS Daily Headlines

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  • FRANCE: A local rabbi and three children were killed and five others were wounded when an unidentified assailant opened fire on them with small-arms outside the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school in the city of Toulouse on 19 March. Security officials claimed that the attack was most likely racially motivated and linked the suspect with two other attacks in the region on 11 and 15 March in which three soldiers of North African or African-Caribbean origin were shot dead. (Haaretz/Al-Jazeera)
  • SYRIA: As many as eight soldiers were reported to have been killed and 27 others were wounded when suspected Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants carried out an improvised explosive device (IED) attack targeting a military convoy travelling in an unspecified area of Deraa governorate on 19 March. (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
  • IRAQ: At least seven people were killed and 30 others were wounded when unidentified militants detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) targeting a local police headquarters in the city of Kirkuk in Kirkuk province on 20 March. (Al-Jazeera)
  • SOMALIA: At least four Transitional Federal Government (TFG) soldiers and six Shabab militants were killed and an unspecified number of combatants were wounded in a clash that erupted when Shabab militants ambushed a convoy of joint TFG and Kenyan military forces travelling between the village of Kulbiyow and the town of Badade in Jubbada Hoose region on 19 March. (Shabelle Media Network/Somalia Report)
  • YEMEN: Three soldiers were killed and two others were wounded in a small-arms attack by suspected Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants on an army barracks in an undisclosed location in Ad Dali governorate early on 19 March. (Reuters)
  • AFGHANISTAN: Two private security guards were killed and four others were wounded when Taliban militants ambushed a convoy of oil tankers – transporting fuel for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) personnel – in the Bala Bolok district of Farah province on 19 March. At least nine tankers were set on fire and destroyed in the attack. (Khaama Press/Afghan Islamic Press)
  • THAILAND: A local village defence volunteer was shot dead by suspected southern separatist militants in the village of Piyamumung in the Yarang district of Pattani province on 19 March. (The Nation)
  • EGYPT: The brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, Mohamed al-Zawahiri, and seven other unnamed men were acquitted by the Supreme Military Court in the capital Cairo on 19 March of several terrorism charges, including committing terrorist crimes, harming national security, and planning to overthrow the state. The court consequently overturned an earlier conviction on terrorism charges imposed on the defendants in absentia by a military court in the 1990s. (Reuters)
  • GERMANY: A dual German-Afghan national, Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, 37, appeared before a court in the city of Koblenz on 19 March and was charged with membership of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). According to prosecutors, Siddiqui allegedly trained in militants camps linked to both groups in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan between 2009 and 2010 with the purported aim of joining “violent jihad”. (RFE/RL)
  • UNITED KINGDOM: A security alert was raised at the ancient Celtic site of Nava Fort outside the town of Armagh in Northern Ireland’s County Armagh on 19 March after local police received a telephoned bomb warning with regards to the site. While bomb disposal officers were dispatched to the site, it was not immediately apparent whether a viable explosive device had been discovered. (BBC)

 

CT News: PTSS Daily Headlines


  • FRANCE: A local rabbi and three children were killed and five others were wounded when an unidentified assailant opened fire on them with small-arms outside the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school in the city of Toulouse on 19 March. Security officials claimed that the attack was most likely racially motivated and linked the suspect with two other attacks in the region on 11 and 15 March in which three soldiers of North African or African-Caribbean origin were shot dead. (Haaretz/Al-Jazeera)

  • SYRIA: As many as eight soldiers were reported to have been killed and 27 others were wounded when suspected Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants carried out an improvised explosive device (IED) attack targeting a military convoy travelling in an unspecified area of Deraa governorate on 19 March. (The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)

  • IRAQ: At least seven people were killed and 30 others were wounded when unidentified militants detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) targeting a local police headquarters in the city of Kirkuk in Kirkuk province on 20 March. (Al-Jazeera)

  • SOMALIA: At least four Transitional Federal Government (TFG) soldiers and six Shabab militants were killed and an unspecified number of combatants were wounded in a clash that erupted when Shabab militants ambushed a convoy of joint TFG and Kenyan military forces travelling between the village of Kulbiyow and the town of Badade in Jubbada Hoose region on 19 March. (Shabelle Media Network/Somalia Report)

  • YEMEN: Three soldiers were killed and two others were wounded in a small-arms attack by suspected Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants on an army barracks in an undisclosed location in Ad Dali governorate early on 19 March. (Reuters)

  • AFGHANISTAN: Two private security guards were killed and four others were wounded when Taliban militants ambushed a convoy of oil tankers – transporting fuel for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) personnel – in the Bala Bolok district of Farah province on 19 March. At least nine tankers were set on fire and destroyed in the attack. (Khaama Press/Afghan Islamic Press)

  • THAILAND: A local village defence volunteer was shot dead by suspected southern separatist militants in the village of Piyamumung in the Yarang district of Pattani province on 19 March. (The Nation)

  • EGYPT: The brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, Mohamed al-Zawahiri, and seven other unnamed men were acquitted by the Supreme Military Court in the capital Cairo on 19 March of several terrorism charges, including committing terrorist crimes, harming national security, and planning to overthrow the state. The court consequently overturned an earlier conviction on terrorism charges imposed on the defendants in absentia by a military court in the 1990s. (Reuters)

  • GERMANY: A dual German-Afghan national, Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, 37, appeared before a court in the city of Koblenz on 19 March and was charged with membership of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). According to prosecutors, Siddiqui allegedly trained in militants camps linked to both groups in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan between 2009 and 2010 with the purported aim of joining “violent jihad”. (RFE/RL)

  • UNITED KINGDOM: A security alert was raised at the ancient Celtic site of Nava Fort outside the town of Armagh in Northern Ireland’s County Armagh on 19 March after local police received a telephoned bomb warning with regards to the site. While bomb disposal officers were dispatched to the site, it was not immediately apparent whether a viable explosive device had been discovered. (BBC)


 

This Weekends Headlines

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  • Colombia: FARC detonates a “house-bomb” as a military convoy passes, wounding 4 soldiers and 2 civilians. The house was constructed with a 400 pound bomb installed in the concrete foundation in anticipation for a military target. READ MORE HERE
  • Kenya: Suspected Al-Shabaab militants attacked a bus station in Nairobi killing 5 and wounded 59. Witnesses stated that the militants threw grenades at the bus station from a passing vehicle. This attack marks the deadliest attack in Nairobi since the 1998 Al-Qaeda attack on the U.S. Embassy. READ MORE HERE 
  • Lebanon: Hezbollah refuses the establishment of Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon stating “we cannot accept the establishment of Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon because such camps will turn into a military island against Syria first and then Lebanon.” READ MORE HERE
  • Mali: Taureg rebels take control of an Army camp ni northern Mali during a “strategic retreat” according to the Mali military.
  • Nigeria: The Nigerian Tribune claims that credible sources report that AQIM has established a base in the old Sokoto axis of Northern Nigeria. The AQIM base is reportedly aimed at bring in revenue to AQIM through kidnappings. READ MORE HERE
  • Nigeria: Boko Haram claims it was negotiating the release of the hostages when British SAS launched a failed rescue attempt that resulted in their death last Thursday. READ MORE HERE
  • Palestine: Increased violence between Gaza based terrorist groups and the IDF has prompted Hamas to send a delegation to Cairo in hopes of obtaining a ceasefire agreement beween Israel and terrorist factions in the Gaza Strip. According to the report Hamas has been having trouble reigning in other terrorist groups such as Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Resistance Committees. READ MORE HERE 
  • Pakistan: Taliban suicide bombers kills 15 at a funeral being attended by anti-Taliban Politicians. READ MORE HERE
  • Somalia: Up to 60 British Special Forces (SAS) are reportedly working in Somalia to assistant in directing airstrikes against militants. This report comes one week after British Attorney General Dominic Grieve approved SAS involvement in Somalia. READ MORE HERE
  • Uganda: The Ugandan government issued a warning to the Kony 2012 movement that while they appreciate organization raising awareness about regional issues they “strongly urge that any awareness campaign fully takes into consideration the current realities of the situation.” READ MORE HERE
  • United States: During a visit to Guantanamo Bay by an Afghan delegation Taliban detainees  expressed a willingness to be transferred to Qatar. The Afghan government wants to facilitate a detainee transfer in order to promote negotiations with the Taliban. However, the United States has not commented on this proposed transfer, and the Afghan government wants the detainees transfered to Afghanistan. READ MORE HERE  
  • Yemen: Airstrikes carried out by Yemen and the United States have killed an estimated 45 militants in southern Yemen. These airstrikes were purportedly targeting the militants responsible for last weekends attacks. READ MORE HERE 
  • Yemen: AQAP has taken control of Azzan in Southern Yemen and declared it  part of  their Islamic emirate. The area is now governed by Ansar Al-Sharia which is operating out of the former police station. READ MORE HERE

Todays Headlines

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  • Australia: The Australian Attorney General announced the removal Asbat al-Ansar and Islamic Army of Aden from Australia’s Terrorist Organizations List, and the re-listing of Ansar al-Islam, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Jaish-e Mohammad, and Lashkar-e Jhangvi terror groups. READ MORE HERE
  • Israel: Israeli airstrikes kill up to 10 militants affiliated with the Popular Resistance Committees and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip after militants fired rockets from Gaza into southern Israel. READ MORE HERE
  • Nigeria: Boko Haram hosts an “unusual” teleconference with news reporters to publicly deny involvement in the kidnapping and death of the two hostages that died durring a failed rescue attempt by British Special Forces. Durring the teleconference a Boko Haram spokesman stated “We have never been involved in hostage-taking, and it’s not part of our style, and we never ask for ransom…. We know how to settle our scores with anybody. Therefore the allegation that the kidnappers were members of our group is ridiculous.” READ MORE HERE
  • Pakistan: The Taliban has issued a warning to the Pakistani government demanding the release of bin Laden’s three widows from custody, and threatened the use of suicide bombing if their demands were not met. bin Laden’s widows were recently charged with entering the country illegally and face up to 10 years in prison. READ MORE HERE
  • Pakistan: Drone strikes in the Makeen area of South Waziristan have killed 13 militants. These strikes mark the end of a two week break in drone strikes. READ MORE HERE
  • Turkey: The Interior Ministry has announced it’s intention to approve a bounty program that will offer a 4 million Euro reward for top leaders of the Kurdish Workers Party, and a 2 million Euro reward for lower ranking leaders. READ MORE HERE
  • United Kingdom: A British citizen from Stepney, east London, is sentenced to jail after he gave £9,000 to his friends in order to help them join a terrorist group in Somalia. READ MORE HERE
  • United States: Police investigating the smell of marijuana at a Long Island home discovered 100 handguns, 20 rifles, 15 pipe bombs, 15 homemade grenades, and 50 pounds of bomb-making material. READ MORE HERE

Todays Headlines

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  • Afghanistan: Afghani and Coalition forces have detained two leaders of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). ISAF reports that the two individuals are suspected to be leaders connected to the IMU and Taliban, and are responsible for several recent high profile suicide bombings. READ MORE HERE
  • Afghanistan: Military and intelligence officials believe that the Taliban has been hiring Iranian bomb makers to develop IED’s that are more powerful and resistant to electronic detection. READ MORE HERE
  • Nigeria: Boko Haram executes two hostages as British Special Forces (SBS) conduct a rescue attempt. SBS claims they had to launch the mission or risk the hostages being transferred to another al-Qaeda affiliated group. READ MORE HERE
  • Pakistan: A report by the CFR suggests that Taliban groups based in Pakistan may be trying to unify under a single unnamed umbrella organization. The report suggests this unification may be an effort create a unified front in Pakistan and avoid further rifts within its command structure (as evidenced by the demoting of TTP deputy commander Faqir Muhammad). READ MORE HERE
  • Philippines: Government security forces have arrested two suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf Group in the city of Isabela. READ MORE HERE
  • United States: The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that the number of domestic hate and extremist groups rose to record levels in 2011, due to a surge in anti-government radicalism. The report also stated that California led the nation with 84 hate groups. READ MORE HERE
  • United States: U.S. government officials announced to lawmakers that the United States has paid $30 million USD to drug informants over the last 3 years. READ MORE HERE
  • Yemen: The Yemen Interior Ministry has disclosed that communiqué from AQAP reveals a plot to attack Al-Mukallh of Hadhramout governorate in Yemen, and declare it an Islamic Emirate. READ MORE HERE
  • Yemen: AQAP announces that their regional commander Mohamed Ahmed al-Haniq in Yemen has died from an illness. al-Haniq is one of the AQAP commanders responsible for last weekends attacks on Ymeni military forces and families. Read the statement HERE (ARABIC) or see the CNN’s report on his death HERE.