Egypt – Six Egyptian policemen have been killed by a roadside bomb in the Sinai Peninsula it was reported on the 16 Sep 14. A group of policemen were travelling in an armoured convoy in northern Sinai. The bombing took place on the road between Rafah, on the border with Gaza, and North Sinai's provincial capital, el-Arish. Responsibility for past attacks has been claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis. The group says it is avenging the hundreds of Islamists killed and thousands detained in a crackdown on Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.
A bomb explosion near the Egyptian foreign ministry in Cairo has killed at least two police officers it was reported on the 21 Sep 14. The blast occurred on a crowded street near the River Nile. No group at the time claimed responsibility but the following day Ajnad Misr, or Soldiers of Egypt claimed responsibility. Sunday's blast occurred in the Bulaq Abu-al-Ila district. The bomb is believed to have been planted below a tree. 361 COMMENT: Egyptian terrorists have a habit of planting explosive devices at the base of trees. On previous occasions they have been near police checkpoints. COMMENT ENDS
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) called on insurgents in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on the 22 Sep 14 to press ahead with attacks against Egyptian security forces and continue beheadings, an announcement likely to deepen concerns over ties between the militant groups. "Rig the roads with explosives for them. Attack their bases. Raid their homes. Cut off their heads. Do not let them feel secure," ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani said in a statement released online. Adnani also called on supporters to kill citizens of countries taking part in the U.S.-led anti-militant coalition by any available means. "If you can kill a disbelieving American or European -- especially the spiteful and filthy French -- or an Australian, or a Canadian... including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him," he said in a message released in multiple languages. The United States and France are carrying out air strikes against IS targets across Iraq and are seeking to build an international coalition against a group increasingly perceived as a global threat. Also on the 22 Sep, an Egyptian militant group claimed responsibility for the 21 Sep 14 bomb blast in a busy downtown Cairo Street near the Foreign Ministry. Ajnad Misr, or Soldiers of Egypt, which claimed previous attacks on police, said in a statement posted late Sunday on its Twitter account and on a militant website. The group said it used an explosive device on "officers of the criminal apparatus" as part of its campaign against security forces. It said the attacks will not stop until "the ruling tyrants fall and God's Shariah is established." 361 COMMENT: Interesting how after a short period of time the French have rose to the fore regarding the IS statement. The French had only recently started bombing the IS. French personnel working in areas that could be deemed as high kidnap threat require updating their security measures. COMMENT ENDS
Kenya – The authorities in Kenya have closed a madrassa - or religious school - for teaching radical Islamic ideologies it was reported on the 26 Sep 14. The school in Machakos, about 65km (40 miles) from the capital, was targeted after local youths were detained on suspicion of joining Somali militants. It is the first Kenyan madrassa to be closed because of allegedly extremist teachings. A police chief warned that others could follow. Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka said the decision had been taken to close the Daarul-Irashad centre, which opened in 1997, on the advice of the police's CID, anti-terror and intelligence units. The recent arrest in the Machakos area of 21 young men suspected of being recruited for al-Shabab first raised suspicions, he said. The police then profiled suspects arrested in other terror crackdowns and found that others had passed through that madrassa. The head of the madrassa, Farqan Chacha, stated that he would challenge the closure in court.
Nigeria – Gunmen attacked a teacher training college in Kano it was reported on the 18 Sep 14. Officials said at least 15 people had been killed in addition to the two suicide bombers. The attackers fired gunfire randomly in the college before detonating themselves, wounding 34 people. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack, but everyone believes that the Boko Haram group was responsible. In Jul 13, Boko Haram fighters were responsible for five attacks in four days, one of which also targeted a college and killed six people. Kano is the most important city in north-central Nigeria. Open sources are not sufficiently detailed to report details of Boko Haram's command and control system. Every week Boko Haram groups execute attacks in northern and north-eastern Nigeria. The distances between attack locations are great. The attacks do not appear coordinated, which is a small blessing for the Nigerian security forces. With modern communications and one good tactician, Boko Haram could whip-saw the Nigerian Army into total exhaustion. Thus far, the attacks seem to be locally organized and uncoordinated.
25 Sep 14 more than 260 Islamist militants have surrendered in north-eastern Nigeria, the military had reported on the 25 Sep 14. Soldiers had also killed a man who featured in Boko Haram's propaganda videos pretending to be the group's leader Abubakar Shekau, it claimed. Boko Haram has suffered heavy losses in recent weeks in battles in its stronghold of north-eastern Nigeria. The military said that 135 Boko Haram members surrendered with their weapons in Biu, Borno state, on the 23 Sep 14 - and that 133 others surrendered elsewhere in north-eastern Nigeria. Claims are reportedly difficult to verify. General Chris Olukolade of the Nigerian military said that a man named Mohammed Bashir was among those killed in the latest offensive against Boko Haram last week. Bashir "had been acting or posing in videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as leader of the group", he said.
A bomb explosion near the Egyptian foreign ministry in Cairo has killed at least two police officers it was reported on the 21 Sep 14. The blast occurred on a crowded street near the River Nile. No group at the time claimed responsibility but the following day Ajnad Misr, or Soldiers of Egypt claimed responsibility. Sunday's blast occurred in the Bulaq Abu-al-Ila district. The bomb is believed to have been planted below a tree. 361 COMMENT: Egyptian terrorists have a habit of planting explosive devices at the base of trees. On previous occasions they have been near police checkpoints. COMMENT ENDS
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) called on insurgents in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on the 22 Sep 14 to press ahead with attacks against Egyptian security forces and continue beheadings, an announcement likely to deepen concerns over ties between the militant groups. "Rig the roads with explosives for them. Attack their bases. Raid their homes. Cut off their heads. Do not let them feel secure," ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani said in a statement released online. Adnani also called on supporters to kill citizens of countries taking part in the U.S.-led anti-militant coalition by any available means. "If you can kill a disbelieving American or European -- especially the spiteful and filthy French -- or an Australian, or a Canadian... including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him," he said in a message released in multiple languages. The United States and France are carrying out air strikes against IS targets across Iraq and are seeking to build an international coalition against a group increasingly perceived as a global threat. Also on the 22 Sep, an Egyptian militant group claimed responsibility for the 21 Sep 14 bomb blast in a busy downtown Cairo Street near the Foreign Ministry. Ajnad Misr, or Soldiers of Egypt, which claimed previous attacks on police, said in a statement posted late Sunday on its Twitter account and on a militant website. The group said it used an explosive device on "officers of the criminal apparatus" as part of its campaign against security forces. It said the attacks will not stop until "the ruling tyrants fall and God's Shariah is established." 361 COMMENT: Interesting how after a short period of time the French have rose to the fore regarding the IS statement. The French had only recently started bombing the IS. French personnel working in areas that could be deemed as high kidnap threat require updating their security measures. COMMENT ENDS
Kenya – The authorities in Kenya have closed a madrassa - or religious school - for teaching radical Islamic ideologies it was reported on the 26 Sep 14. The school in Machakos, about 65km (40 miles) from the capital, was targeted after local youths were detained on suspicion of joining Somali militants. It is the first Kenyan madrassa to be closed because of allegedly extremist teachings. A police chief warned that others could follow. Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka said the decision had been taken to close the Daarul-Irashad centre, which opened in 1997, on the advice of the police's CID, anti-terror and intelligence units. The recent arrest in the Machakos area of 21 young men suspected of being recruited for al-Shabab first raised suspicions, he said. The police then profiled suspects arrested in other terror crackdowns and found that others had passed through that madrassa. The head of the madrassa, Farqan Chacha, stated that he would challenge the closure in court.
Nigeria – Gunmen attacked a teacher training college in Kano it was reported on the 18 Sep 14. Officials said at least 15 people had been killed in addition to the two suicide bombers. The attackers fired gunfire randomly in the college before detonating themselves, wounding 34 people. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack, but everyone believes that the Boko Haram group was responsible. In Jul 13, Boko Haram fighters were responsible for five attacks in four days, one of which also targeted a college and killed six people. Kano is the most important city in north-central Nigeria. Open sources are not sufficiently detailed to report details of Boko Haram's command and control system. Every week Boko Haram groups execute attacks in northern and north-eastern Nigeria. The distances between attack locations are great. The attacks do not appear coordinated, which is a small blessing for the Nigerian security forces. With modern communications and one good tactician, Boko Haram could whip-saw the Nigerian Army into total exhaustion. Thus far, the attacks seem to be locally organized and uncoordinated.
25 Sep 14 more than 260 Islamist militants have surrendered in north-eastern Nigeria, the military had reported on the 25 Sep 14. Soldiers had also killed a man who featured in Boko Haram's propaganda videos pretending to be the group's leader Abubakar Shekau, it claimed. Boko Haram has suffered heavy losses in recent weeks in battles in its stronghold of north-eastern Nigeria. The military said that 135 Boko Haram members surrendered with their weapons in Biu, Borno state, on the 23 Sep 14 - and that 133 others surrendered elsewhere in north-eastern Nigeria. Claims are reportedly difficult to verify. General Chris Olukolade of the Nigerian military said that a man named Mohammed Bashir was among those killed in the latest offensive against Boko Haram last week. Bashir "had been acting or posing in videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as leader of the group", he said.
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