Bedouins free kidnapped U.S. tourists in Egypt: security

Egyptian Bedouin tribesmen on Monday released two U.S. tourists who had been held in captivity for three days in the Sinai Peninsula, a senior security official told AFP.

“The two have been released after successful negotiations with the Bedouins and they are now in the North Sinai security headquarters,” the official said.
The negotiations were being mediated by Bedouin elders, the official said, but refused to elaborate on the terms of the deal.

The lead kidnapper, Germy Abu Masouh, abducted the two -- an American man and a woman -- and their guide in Egypt’s lawless Sinai on Friday, demanding the release of his uncle who is being held on drugs charges.

General Ahmed Bakr, the head of North Sinai security, confirmed that the three had been released, in statements carried by the official MENA news agency.

“They are all in good health,” he said, adding that the U.S. embassy had been notified of the Americans’ release.

“Preparations are being made to transport them to Cairo,” Bakr said.
The sparsely populated Sinai region is where Egypt’s most lucrative tourist resorts are located, but it is also home to a mostly poor and disaffected Bedouin population.

Since an uprising overthrew President Hosni Mubarak last year, the Sinai has grown ever more lawless, with attacks on police stations and 14 bombings targeting a pipeline that exports gas to neighboring Israel and Jordan.

The Bedouin have pressed hard for the release of captive tribesmen they say have been sentenced unfairly on charges ranging from terrorism to drugs dealing and people trafficking across the border into Israel.

They have done so in increasingly frequent tourist kidnappings over the past year.

In May, a tourist from Singapore was kidnapped for several hours. Two American tourists kidnapped near the Red Sea resort of Dahab in May were released after less than 24 hours in captivity.

All of the previous hostages have been released unhurt.


from AL ARABIYA NEWS
Last Updated: Mon Jul 16, 2012 21:41 pm (KSA) 18:41 pm (GMT)

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Taliban suicide assault team strikes police station in Bannu

By Bill Roggio - July 16, 2012 - LWJ

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan claimed credit for today's suicide assault on a police station in the northwestern district of Bannu.

A five-man team of "Fedayeen," or "Martyrdom seekers," attacked the police station this morning in Bannu, a district that borders the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan, Ihsanullah Ihsan, the main spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, told The Long War Journal.

The Taliban fighters lobbed grenades into the police station before entering and opening fire with assault rifles. Two of the fighters were reported to have been dressed in burqas. Three policemen were killed and three more were wounded, according to Xinhua. Ihsan claimed that "15-20 security personal were killed while scores of them [were] injured ...."

Ihsan claimed the attack in an email sent to The Long War Journal, and said that three of the attackers escaped.

"We the Mujaheddin of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claim responsibility of attacks on investigation police station in Bannu today," Ihsan said. "In this martyrdom operation five mujahideen took part among them two embraced Shahadah [martyrdom] while three brothers came back to us by Grace of ALLAH after completing operation."

Ihsan said the Taliban would "continue our war until we throw out the filthy democratic system out, and implement Shariah [Islamic law] in Pakistan."

The Taliban launched a larger operation against a prison in Bannu on April 15, when hundreds of fighters stormed the jail and freed more than 400 inmates, many of whom are jihadists. Among those freed was Amjad Farooqi, the Pakistani terrorist who engineered the two assassination attempts against Musharraf in December 2003 at the behest of al Qaeda leader Abu Faraj al Libi and was involved in other terror attacks. The Taliban later released video of the assault that featured Farooqi.

The Taliban have launched three major attacks against Pakistani security forces in the past week. Two of the other attacks took place in the eastern province of Punjab. On July 9, the Taliban attacked a military camp in Gurjat, near Lahore, and killed six soldiers and a policeman. And on July 12, a small team of Taliban fighters struck a police facility in Lahore that killed eight policemen and wounded nine more. The July 12 attack in Lahore was very similar to today's attack in Bannu.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/07/taliban_suicide_assa_8.php#ixzz20oebaeZk

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Suicide car bomb hits Mogadishu, kills attacker, wounds 6

MOGADISHU, July 16 (Xinhua) -- A suicide car bomb explosion hit the center of Somali capital Mogadishu on Monday, killing the bomber and wounding six others, police said.

"A vehicle parked near a hotel Bin Ali in Hamarweyne district exploded, killing what we think the attacker and wounding six civilians. But the target of the attack was not immediately clear, " police officer Mohyadeen Ali told Xinhua.

The hotel locates in an area frequented by Somali government officials and house key government installations.

Witnesses said the vehicle has been parked near the gate of the hotel since in the hours of Monday morning before it went off while the driver was inside it.

"The explosion was very big. But it was luck that no one else was killed," Saed Muse, an eyewitness told Xinhua.

Somali security forces cordoned off the area and asked people to stay away from the scene of the explosion.

Police said the car bomb appears to have exploded prematurely and that investigations are underway into the explosion.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack so far but the militant group Al-Shabaab has previously carried out similar suicide car bomb attack against Somali government targets and AU peacekeeping forces. Al Shabaab does not usually claim responsibility for failed or foiled attacks.

The radical group which has links to al Qaida has recently been weakened by concerted military offensives by Somali government forces and African Union troops.

The Al-Shabaab fighters which controlled much of southern and central Somalia have lost large swathes of territory since they were forced to withdraw from the capital Mogadishu in August.

from XINHUA
2012-07-16 17:10:51

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3 armed insurgents killed and 10 others arrested by ANP (Jul.16.2012.)

Publish Date: Jul 16, 2012

Three armed insurgents killed and 10 others arrested by Afghan National Police

Counterterrorism:

During the past 24 hours, Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army, NDS and Coalition Forces launched nine joint clearance operations in Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman, Faryab, Zabul, Maidan Wardak, Logar, Ghazni and Khost provinces.

As a result of these operations, three armed insurgents were killed and 10 others were arrested by Afghan National Police.

Also, during these operations, Afghan National Police discovered and confiscated 202 kilograms of opium, nine different types of weapons with 21 magazines, five radio handsets, two heavy rounds, 800 light rounds, 15 different types of mines, 10kg of explosives, seven hand grenades and one motorcycles.

During the same 24 hour period, Afghan National Police discovered and defused six anti-vehicle and personnel mines in Herat and Kandahar provinces.

Crimes:
The 101 Kabul Zone National Police detained 11 individuals accused of trafficking, theft and assault in the 4th, 7th, 8th, 9th 15th and 16th Districts of Kabul-City.

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July 16., 2012. - ISAF Joint Command Morning Operational Update

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan and coalition security force conducted a security operation in Maidan Shahr district, Wardak province, Saturday.

Afghan and coalition security forces confirmed today that both Qari Ziauddin, a senior Taliban leader, and Tor Gul, a weapons smuggler, were killed along with several other insurgents during the operation.

The operation also resulted in the arrest of a third suspected Taliban leader.

Qari Ziauddin, also known as Ikram Jan, was the senior Taliban leader for Maidan Shahr district. He armed insurgent fighters, transported suicide bombers, coordinated the emplacement of improvised explosive devices, and personally led numerous attacks throughout the district.

Tor Gul, also known as Emal and Mukhlis, acquired and transported weapons, ammunition and IED components for insurgents throughout the region.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

South

An Afghan and coalition security force conducted an operation to detain a Taliban weapons specialist in Arghandab district, Kandahar province, today. During the operation, a group of insurgents attacked the security force with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns. The security returned fire and killed several of the attackers. The force conducted a follow-on assessment of the area and confirmed no civilians had been injured. As a result of the operation, the Afghan and coalition security force detained multiple suspected insurgents.

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6 insurgents killed, 6 detained in Wardak

KABUL (PAN): Six insurgents were killed and as many others injured during a security operation in Maidan Shahr city, the capital of central Maidan Wardak province, an official said on Monday.

The operation was conducted by the Afghan security forces in Kashmira Qala, Charki, Mulakhel, Ghonda Khel and Deh Afghanan areas on Sunday night, the governor's spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told Pajhwok Afghan News.

He said six insurgents were killed, as many others injured and two others detained during the operation that ended early this morning.

The slain rebels belonged to the group led by Maulvi Aminullah, who was detained few days ago after he was injured in an operation.

There has been no word from the Taliban on the incident yet.

from Pajhwok
by Hakim Basharat on Jul 16, 2012 - 10:07

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Somalia: Kenyan Fighter Jets Target Al Shabaab in Southern Somalia

Kismayo, Somalia — For the second time Kenyan fighter jets have targeted districts in southern Somalia, Radio Garowe reports.

Howsingo districts in the Lower Jubba region were targeted in the air strikes by Kenyan fighter jets on Sunday.

Unconfirmed reports said that the air strikes successfully destroyed a training camp in the Howsingo district and killed over 18 Al Shabaab agents.

According to military sources, there are also contradicting reports saying that the strikes led to many civilian casualties, with a few Al Shabaab agents being killed in the strikes.

Last week, Kenyan fighter jets targeted Al Shabaab training camps in districts under Garbaharey in Gedo region.

Al Shabaab has yet to comment on the air strikes and overall casualties in the air raids have not been independently confirmed.

from allAfrica/Garowe Online
15 July 2012

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July 15., 2012. - RC-East operational update

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Afghan and coalition forces killed two insurgents, detained two and cleared 14 improvised explosive devices during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours, July 15.

Ghazni province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared seven IEDs four in Giro district, one in Ghazni district, one in Dehyak district and one in Ab Band district.

Khowst province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces detained two insurgents during an engagement in Sabari district. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

Laghman province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared three IEDs two in Qarghah’i district and one in Alingar district.

Logar province
Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs in Pul-E Alam district.

Nangarhar province
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces found and safely cleared two IEDs, one in Khugyani district and one in Kama district.

Paktika province
A coalition airstrike killed two insurgents in Jani Khel district in response to Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces receiving direct fire.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing.

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22 armed insurgents killed and wounded by ANP (Jul.15.2012.)

Publish Date: Jul 15, 2012

22 armed insurgents killed and wounded by Afghan National Police

Counterterrorism:

During the past 24 hours, Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army, NDS and Coalition Forces launched 10 joint clearance operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunduz, Uruzgan, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Herat and Helmand provinces.

As a result of these operations, 15 armed insurgents were killed, seven wounded and six others were arrested by Afghan National Police.

Also, during these operations, Afghan National Police discovered and confiscated 18 different types of weapons, three rocket launchers, one radio handset, 320 heavy rounds, 36 different types of mines, 13 hand grenades, 1500 kilograms of ammonium nitrate and two motorcycles.

During the same 24 hour period, Afghan National Police discovered and defused three missiles and eight anti-vehicle and personnel mines in Logar and Kandahar provinces.

 

Crimes:

The 101 Kabul Zone National Police detained two individuals accused of trafficking and kidnapping in the 5th and 11th Districts of Kabul-City.

 

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Private security guards among 8 killed in Herat

Karokh District (in green) on Herat province map (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HERAT CITY/JALALABAD (PAN): Two guards of a private security company were killed and as many injured during a roadside bombing in Karokh district of western Herat province, an official said.

Ghulam Farooq Rustavi, the town's administrative head, said the explosion took place in Aab Khoban area, where a vehicle of the private security firm struck a roadside bomb.

Zonal hospital spokesman, Dr. Mohammad Rafiq Sherzai, confirmed receiving two dead bodies and two injured people. He described the condition of the injured stable.

A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmad, claimed that four guards of NATO supply convoy were killed and their vehicle destroyed in the attack.

In eastern Nangarhar province, six armed insurgents were killed during a clash with police in the Khogyani district, the border police spokesman said.

Mohammad Idris Mohmand told Pajhwok Afghan News the predawn clash was touched off by a militant attack on a border police-check post in Wazir area.

The administrative head of Khogyani, Haji Syed Rahman, said the firefight lasted nine hours. Security forces, backed by air support from NATO-led troops, suffered no casualties.

from Pajhwok
by Abdul Mueed Hashimi & Ahmad Quraishi on Jul 15, 2012 - 17:34

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