At least ten Chadian military personnel were killed in an attack on Tuesday by suspected members of the jihadist group Boko Haram against a checkpoint located on an island in the Lake Chad basin (west). The Chadian Presidency has indicated in a statement published on its official account on the social network Twitter that the attack was perpetrated on the island of Bouka-Toullorom, between the towns of Ngouboua and Kaiga”, without claiming responsibility for now. “This umpteenth surprise attack comes to confirm the active presence of the Boko Haram nebula in the Lake Chad basin and also gives reason to … Continue reading Ten Chadian military killed in attack blamed on Boko Haram on island in Lake Chad

At least six people have been killed and 81 wounded in an explosion in a busy area of central Istanbul, Turkish authorities have said. The blast happened at about 16:20 local time on a shopping street in the Taksim Square area, the Turkish city’s governor Ali Yerlikaya said. A suspect has now been arrested, the interior minister said. Vice-President Fuat Oktay earlier said the blast was thought to be a terrorist attack carried out by a woman. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the perpetrators would be punished. Speaking at a news conference in Istanbul, he condemned what he called the … Continue reading Six people killed in terrorist attack in Istanbul

A US woman who admitted leading an all-female battalion of the Islamic State group (IS) has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Allison Fluke-Ekren, a 42-year-old from Kansas, committed terrorist acts in Iraq, Syria and Libya over an eight-year period. She also admitted to giving military training to more than 100 women and girls, including some as young as 10. She pleaded guilty to the charges in June. Ahead of the sentencing, prosecutors said the sentence – the maximum allowable by law – would not be enough to punish her but should be imposed regardless. Her defence team had … Continue reading American woman who led all-female IS battalion sentenced to 20 years

Twin car bomb explosions near a busy junction in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, killed at least 100 people, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says. He appealed for international medical help to deal with the 300 injured. Among the victims “who were massacred were mothers with their children in their arms”, the AFP news agency quotes the president as saying. The president blamed the al-Shabab militant group for Saturday’s attack which targeted the education ministry. The pro-jihadist Somali Memo website has reported that the group has said it was behind the blasts. An affiliate of al-Qaeda, al-Shabab has engaged in a long-running conflict … Continue reading Twin bomb blasts kill 100 in Somalia capital Mogadishu

Graphic footage of the Bali bombings has been played at a ceremony marking its 20th anniversary, upsetting survivors and relatives of the dead. Hundreds gathered on the Indonesian island late on Wednesday to remember the 202 people killed in the attacks. One victim’s relative said he felt “sick” when the footage aired. It is unclear who made the documentary video. The Australian government says it is “deeply disappointed” and will formally raise concerns with Indonesia. People from 21 countries, including 88 Australians, died in the bombings on two popular nightclubs in Kuta on 12 October, 2002. Another device exploded outside … Continue reading 2002 Bali Bombing: Australian families angered over graphic video at anniversary ceremony

The Turkish government announced Monday the “neutralization” of a total of 13 alleged Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) “terrorists” in northern Syria. The Turkish Defense Ministry said Monday morning that five PKK/YGL members have been “neutralized” in northern Syria, without giving further details about the operation carried out jointly with the National Intelligence Organization. Hours later, the ministerial portfolio has added another eight suspected terrorists to the figure of “neutralized” by the country’s Army. Turkey uses the term “neutralized” to refer to suspects who have been killed, captured or surrendered to the authorities. As these are bombings, it is understood that … Continue reading Turkey ‘neutralize’ 13 suspected PKK terrorists in northern Syria

Police in Kabul say an explosion at an education centre in the Afghan capital has killed at least 19 people and injured many others. The blast took place at the Kaaj education centre in the Dashte Barchi area in the … Continue reading At least 19 dead after blast hits Kabul education centre in Afghanistan

Two Russian embassy staff are among at least six people killed in a suicide bombing in the Afghan capital Kabul, Russian and Taliban officials say. Guards shot the attacker dead as he approached the entrance to the consular section, officials said. A number of other people were reported to have been wounded. The Islamic State group said it was behind the attack. The attack is the first on a foreign mission in Afghanistan since the Taliban swept to power in August 2021. Earlier, a Taliban official said at least 10 people had been injured. Russia’s state-owned news agency RIA reported … Continue reading Russian embassy staff killed in suicide bombing in Afghanistan

At least 20 people, including women and children, have been killed and food aid destroyed after militants attacked several vehicles in Somalia’s central Hiiraan region. “They put a bomb while people were in the car and blew it up,” the region’s governor said. Islamist militant group al-Shabab has said it was targeting a government-affiliated armed group. In a statement al-Shabab said the lorries it attacked were carrying food supplies for a group of local fighters who have been backing the government’s offensive against them. Somalia is facing what experts call its worst drought in a decade. Threat from al-Shabab militants, … Continue reading Deadly attack targets Somalia food convoy

A prominent Afghan cleric who supported the Taliban and was in favour of female education has been killed. Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani reportedly died in a suicide bomb blast in Kabul. Speaking to Reuters, Taliban sources say the religious leader was targeted by a man who detonated explosives hidden in an artificial plastic limb. The Islamic State (IS) group, which has previously targeted the cleric, claimed responsibility for the bombing saying it happened inside his office. According to local reports, the attack took place at an Islamic seminary in the Afghan capital. Sheikh Haqqani was a supporter of Afghanistan’s Taliban government … Continue reading How Afghan cleric was killed by bomb hidden in artificial leg

The US has killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a drone strike in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has confirmed. He was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday. Mr Biden said Zawahiri had “carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens”. “Now justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more,” he added. Zawahiri took over al-Qaeda after the death of Osama Bin Laden in 2011. He and Bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks together and he was one of the US’s “most wanted … Continue reading Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in US drone strike

Suspected jihadists killed at least 34 people in attacks on villages in northern Burkina Faso at the weekend, officials and sources said Monday. In the northwest of the country, 22 people, reportedly including children, were killed late Sunday at Bourasso in Kossi province, said Boucle du Mouhoun regional governor Babo Pierre Bassinga. “Armed men moved around the village at around 5:00 pm, firing in the air. They came back at night and blindly opened fire on people,” a security source said. In northern Burkina Faso, 12 people died on Saturday in an attack at Namissiguima in Yatenga province, another security source … Continue reading Over 30 people killed in two jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso