Al-Shabaab fighters loyal to Godane reportedly kill al-Amriki

Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

American-born jihadist Omar Hammami, also known as Abu Mansour al-Amriki, was reportedly killed by al-Shabaab soldiers loyal to top al-Shabaab commander Ahmed Abdi Godane Tuesday afternoon (May 7th) near the village of Rama Addey in southern Somalia, UN-funded Radio Bar-Kulan reported.

According to the unconfirmed report, senior al-Shabaab leader Fuad Mohamed Qalaf, known as Fuad Shangole, made the announcement Tuesday evening in a sermon he delivered after evening prayers at a mosque in Hiran region's Bulo Burde. He said al-Amriki was ambushed and a fire-fight ensued that left several al-Shabaab militants dead.

In his sermon, Shangole called the men who gunned down al-Amriki as having acted contrary to the principles of Islam, a point previously stated by a number other top al-Shabaab leaders -- including co-founder Ibrahim al-Afghani, leader of foreign fighters al-Zubayr al-Muhajir and Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali (or Abu Mansur) -- in a fatwa April 30th that forbade the killing of al-Amriki.

Al-Amriki was placed on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) list of most wanted terrorists last November and in March the United States announced a $5 million bounty on his head.

Al-Amriki was believed to be in hiding in Somalia and he regularly communicated with his followers and international terrorism analysts via Twitter in recent months. His last update on Twitter was on May 3rd, nearly a week after he posted a number of pictures and updates alleging that al-Shabaab fighters loyal to Godane had tried to assassinate him.

In the week since the failed assassination attempt, al-Amriki appears to have been in a precarious situation, posting updates that gave little doubt of the danger he believed he faced.

"May not find another chance to tweet but just remember what we said and what we stood for. God kept me alive to deliver the mssg 2 the umah," he wrote on April 29th.

For more than a year, al-Amriki has posted videos, documents and updates on Twitter and YouTube detailing how al-Shabaab's leadership -- specifically Godane, who is also known as Abu Zubayr -- has been the reason for the organisation's downfall, and how Godane's leadership is contrary to the true principles of jihad.

Even in his last tweets, al-Amriki continued his attacks against Godane. "Abu zubayr has gone mad. he's starting a civil war," al-Amriki wrote April 26th.

Al-Amriki's death could not be independently verified, and this is not the first time such news has circulated. In April 2012, Somali media reports said al-Shabaab executed al-Amriki, which was later found to be erroneous.

from sabahionline
May 08, 2013

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Tunisia: Al-Qaeda tied to Jebel Chaambi militants

[AFP/Abderrazek Khlifi] Tunisian Special Forces stand guard in Kasserine as soldiers continue their hunt for a jihadist group hiding out in the border region with Algeria.

Tunisian security forces arrested 37 suspects connected to jihadist violence in Jebel Chaambi, the interior ministry revealed on Tuesday (May 7th).

Interior ministry spokesperson Mohamed Ali Aroui also said the remaining militants belonged to the Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade, which is linked to al-Qaeda. He made the announcement at a joint press conference with defence ministry spokesperson Mokhtar Ben Nasr.

The arrests included armed militants as well as elements that supplied logistic support, according to Aroui. Ten suspects were captured in Kef, while the rest were rounded up in Kasserine.

He stressed that the security forces and the army have full knowledge of the names and nationalities of the militants holed up in Kasserine and Kef.

He pointed out that the number of militants at large was between 10 and 15 terrorists in Kef and 20 in the Jebel Chaambi area of Kasserine, including 11 Algerians.

Aroui confirmed that the army and security forces were working very hard to eliminate these terrorist groups in co-ordination with Algeria and Libya.

"The armed elements holed up in Jebel Chaambi on the border with Algeria received logistic assistance of water, food and clothing from Tunisians sympathetic to them, which serves as evidence of the presence of an incubator for those insurgents who are believed to belong to al-Qaeda," defence ministry spokesperson Ben Nasr said.

Meanwhile a fourth land mine exploded on Monday morning in Jebel Chaambi, seriously wounding three army corporals. One of them, from the elite brigade of the fort of Bizerte in northern Tunisia, lost a leg. The second from the same brigade lost his eyes and sustained injuries to his face while the injuries of the third soldier were not determined.

"There is co-ordination with the Algerian authorities at both the field and intelligence levels to capture the terrorists who sought refuge in Jebel Chaambi," the defence ministry spokesman said.

He explained that "the mines that exploded were made of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and flammable materials that can easily explode when exposed to heat."

Journalist Nabil Zaghdoud commented that "nothing has changed" since the clashes with terrorists in Soliman several years ago.

"However, they were unable to this day to eliminate these terrorists and the reason is the absence of a political and sovereign decision to eliminate them and eradicate their roots with iron and fire," he added. Sadok Chourou, an Ennahda leader known as a hardliner, called for a dialogue between the government and the armed Islamists, a proposal that raised eyebrows.

Political analyst Anis Mansouri answered Chourou by saying that he was calling for "recognising the terrorists as a political party that the government sits with for dialogue".

"Their demands are the application of Sharia law, crucifixion of highwaymen, and to excommunicate as many as possible... In short, they would convert Tunisia into Afghanistan or Sudan," Mansouri added, stressing, "No dialogue and no democracy with the enemies of democracy and with those who call for violence, exercise it, justify it or defend it."

However, Ennahda chief Rachid Ghannouchi took a more moderate tone in remarks posted on the party's official Facebook page.

"We salute the heroes of the national army, the police and civil society in confronting terrorist acts and all young Islamists must know that fighting a Muslim is a heresy, debauchery and one of the greatest crimes."

Ghannouchi added, "Our police force is Muslim and so is our army and society; this so-called jihad has no place here."

By Yasmin Najjar in Tunis for Magharebia – 08/05/2013

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14 killed, 68 injured in attacks in Iraq

KIRKUK, Iraq, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Fourteen people were killed and 68 others wounded in shootings and bombings, including suicide bombings against Kurdish security forces, in Iraq on Wednesday, the police and medics said.

The deadliest attacks occurred in the morning in and near the city of Kirkuk, some 250 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, when two suicide bombers and a car bomb detonated and left a total of four killed and 53 wounded.

In one of the attacks, a suicide bomber blew up his explosive- laden car at the entrance of the office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a Kurdish party headed by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, in central Kirkuk, a local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The blast killed one of the Kurdish security guards and wounded 40 people -- most of whom were Kurdish security members, known as Peshmerga, the source said, adding that the blast destroyed part of the office building.

Rescuers and residents gather near a bombing site at the office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Kirkuk, Iraq, on May 8, 2013.(Xinhua/Dena Assad)

Meanwhile, a car bomb detonated near a Kurdish security patrol in southwestern Kirkuk, leaving one security member killed and six others wounded, he said.

Another suicide car bomber struck a checkpoint at the entrance of a Kurdish security base near the town of Daquq, some 50 km south of Kirkuk, killing two Peshmerga members and wounding seven others and a civilian, the source added.

The ethnically mixed province of Kirkuk and its capital Kirkuk City are part of the disputed areas between the Kurds and both Arabs and Turkomans.

In a separate incident, a suicide bomber blew up his explosive vest near a crowd of policemen and civilians in the city of Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, killing a policeman and a civilian and wounding three, a police source told Xinhua.

Elsewhere, unidentified gunmen clashed with policemen at a checkpoint in the city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, leaving three policemen killed and two wounded, while a gunman was killed by the clash and another captured, a local police source anonymously told Xinhua.

In Baghdad, gunmen using silenced weapons shot a taxi driver in Jamia district in western the capital before they fled the scene, an Interior Ministry source said.

Also in the capital, two people were killed and eight wounded in two separate bomb blasts in northern Baghdad, the source said.

In Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, an Iraqi army soldier was killed and two wounded in a roadside bomb explosion which hit their vehicle near the town of Qara-Tappa, some 170 km northeast of Baghdad, a provincial police source told Xinhua.

Violence and high-profile bomb attacks are still common in Iraqi cities despite the dramatic decrease in violence since its peak in 2006 and 2007 when the country was engulfed in sectarian killings.

from XINHUA
Editor: Mu Xuequan
2013-05-08 17:10:58

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2 killed, 17 injured as bomb hits market in NW Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, May 8 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed and 17 others injured when a bomb went off at a market place in Pakistan's northwest city of Hangu on Wednesday afternoon, local media reported.
Capital TV said that the bomb was detonated by a remote controlled device when residents were shopping in Jani Chowk market area of Hangu, a city that lies some 200 kilometers southwest of the country's capital Islamabad.

Police said that the bomb carrying an estimated 10 kg of explosive materials was affixed at a vegetable cart parked inside the market.

The injured people were rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors are providing medical treatment to them.

The blast left two shops and several vehicles destroyed.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

In separate incident of Wednesday evening, two people were killed when a bomb hit house of a local political party worker in the country's northwest Bajaur tribal area.

from XINHUA
2013-05-08 21:52:54

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Taliban ambush leaves 5 Afghan soldiers, 1 police dead in Farah

According to local authorities in western Farah province of Afghanistan, at least six Afghan security forces were killed and four others were injured following Taliban militants ambush.
A local security official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the incident took place on Tuesday after Taliban militants ambushed a convoy of the Afghan security forces in Karwangah area at Bala Bolok district.

The source further added at least five Afghan national army soldiers and a police officer were killed and four others were injured.

He also added, three vehicles of Afghan army and police forces were completely damaged during incident.

Yesterday’s incident is one of the deadliest attack on Afghan security forces after Taliban militants coordinated attacks on provincial court in this province.

Taliban militants attacks have been rampant since the group announced its summer offensive last week, vowing to target Afghan and coalition security forces and other government and diplomatic institutions.

from KHAAMA
By Sadaf Shinwari - 08 May 2013, 4:31 pm

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3 civilians dead, 5 wounded in Helmand bombing

Map showing Helmand province in Afghanistan where British troops are now mostly located. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LASHKARGAH (PAN): Eight civilians were killed and wounded when the vehicle they were travelling in struck a roadside bomb in southern Helmand province on Wednesday, an official said.

The explosion left three people dead and five others wounded in the Nahr-i-Saraj area of Greshk district at about 8am, the provincial police coordinator told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Col. Ismail Hotak said the victims were on their way to Lashkargah, the provincial capital. The injured were evacuated to the Emergency Hospital, he said, without commenting on their condition.

from Pajhwok
By Shams Jalal May 8, 2013 - 10:30

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May 08., 2013. - ISAF Joint Command Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and three other insurgents during an operation in Panjwa’i district, Kandahar province, today.

The leader has a history of coordinating and executing attacks against tribal elders in the region, as well as Afghan and coalition forces.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader during an operation in Marjeh district, Helmand province, today. The leader is responsible for planning, directing and participating in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also procures and distributes weapons to insurgent cells in the local area and advises senior leaders on long-term strategic goals. The security force also seized one AK-47, three magazines and 250 rounds of ammunition as a result of the operation.

East

An Afghan and coalition security force arrested three insurgents during an operation in search of a high-ranking Haqqani leader in Ziruk district, Paktika province, today. The ranking Haqqani leader directs attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, to include attacks against government facilities in multiple provinces throughout Afghanistan, including Khost and Kabul. The security force also seized ammunition as a result of the operation.

Provincial Response Company Logar, enabled by coalition forces, detained four insurgents and discovered a cache of weapons and explosives-making materials while conducting a cordon and search operation in the village of Padkhvab-e Shana, Pul-e District, Logar Province, yesterday. The cache consisted of 15 Chinese 107 mm Rockets, one 82 mm recoilless rifle round and two 50 kg bags of 46 percent fertilizer. All seized items were destroyed on location.

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May 08., 2013. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Afghan National Security and coalition forces killed one insurgent, discovered one weapons cache and found and safely cleared 10 improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, May 7.

Ghazni province
Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared four IEDs during operations in the Ghazni district.

Khowst province
Afghan National Security and coalition forces found and safely cleared one IED during operations in the Nader Shah Kot district.

Logar province
Afghan National Security Forces discovered one weapons cache during operations in the Pul-e Alam district. The cache contained 15 107 mm rockets and one 82 mm mortar round.

Nangarhar province
Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared one IED during operations in the Bati Kot district.

Paktika province
Afghan National Security and coalition forces killed one insurgent during operations in the Wazi Khwah district.

Paktya province
Afghan National Security and coalition forces found and safely cleared one IED during operations in the Shawak district.

Afghan National Security Forces found and safely cleared two IEDs during operations in the Zurmat district.

Wardak province
Coalition forces found and safely cleared one IED during operations in the Sayed Abad district.

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55 people including 22 police officers killed in Boko Haram attack in Bama

At least 55 people were killed as members of the extremist Boko Haram sect attacked a prison, a police base, and other buildings in Bama Town of Borno State.

The attack, which occurred in the morning also saw the release of scores of prisoners by the insurgents, witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES.

The spokesperson for the Joint Task Force in Borno, Sagir Musa, told Reuters that the insurgents killed 22 police officers, 14 prison officials, two soldiers and four civilians.

He said 13 of the Boko Haram members were also killed.

Tuesday’s attack is coming less than two weeks after seven security personnel were killed and about 300 houses burnt when Boko Haram members engaged security officials in a shootout in Bama. The commanding military officer in charge of Bama Barracks, A.G Laka, had told visiting Borno State Governor that 10 members of the insurgent group were killed in the April 25 attack.

Rumours had spread in Bama that members of the sect threatened to avenge the killing of their members.

A top security official who didn’t want his name mentioned told PREMIUM TIMES that scores of inmates were freed when the gunmen attacked Bama prisons and took over the town at about 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

Mr. Musa, a Lieutenant Colonel, later told Reuters that 105 inmates were freed.

The official, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said aside from the attack on the prison, “We are aware that a mobile police base there (Bama) was attacked, a school was also attacked, and the palace of the top monarch there was attempted.”

Fleeing residents said a large number of Boko Haram gunmen took to the streets at about the time residents were waking up for the day.

“It was a terrible sight, seeing a large number of gunmen mostly youth carrying, shooting and chanting Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,” said a local administration staff, Usman Ajari, who made it to Maiduguri.

“We didn’t wait to see what was happening because the shooting was much and the gunmen moving towards the Shehu’s (the traditional ruler’s) palace.”

Hundreds of people have been killed in Borno in several attacks by the Boko Haram on security officials, public buildings, churches, opposition Islamic clerics, and others since 2009.

About 200 civilians were feared killed less than a month ago in Baga Town during a clash between soldiers and insurgents. The actual casualty figure is now a source of multiple investigations.

from PREMIUM TIMES
by Ola' Audu
Published: May 7,2013

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Tunisia Hunts al-Qaida-linked Militants Near Algeria

TUNIS - The Tunisian army and police force were hunting more than 30 suspected al-Qaida linked militants close to the border with Algeria on Tuesday, and President Moncef Marzouki travelled to the area to oversee the operation in a signal of its importance.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said there were about a dozen militants in the city of El Kef and about 20 in the remote area of Mount Chambi in the west of the country where police and militants have clashed regularly in recent weeks.

"President Moncef Marzouki arrived in Mount Chambi to raise the morale of soldiers and check on the conduct of pursuit operations there,'' an official in the president's office said.

The Interior Ministry spokesman said security forces had apprehended someone who had been delivering food to some of the suspected militants, cutting them off from supplies.

Tunisia, long among the most secular countries in the Arab world, has become increasingly concerned about attacks the authorities blame on hardline Islamists.

Police say Salafists - Muslim extremists - were behind the assassination of secular opposition politician Chokri Belaid in February, which triggered the biggest street protests in Tunisia since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

from VOA News

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