US gives Mali security forces $5 million in equipment following al-Qaida attack claim

October 10th, 2009 13 killed in Algerian desertALGIERS, Algeria — Ten suspected Islamists and three soldiers were killed in a fierce gunbattle in the Sahara Desert when a convoy of heavily armed militants was attacked by the Algerian army, officials said Saturday. The gunmen, in a caravan of several 4-by-4 vehicles crossing the desert, took refuge in remote terrain near the Great Erg — the world's largest sand dune — when they saw they were being trailed by the army and special gendarmerie police forces in the early hours Friday, the officials said.

October 7th, 2009 2 wounded in Philippine blast blamed on militantsZAMBOANGA, Philippines — Muslim militants with ties to al-Qaida planted a bomb that wounded two civilians in the southern Philippines and in a separate attack shelled a runway near where U.S. counterterrorism troops are based, officials said Thursday.

October 5th, 2009 Al-Qaida offshoot claims Algeria attacksALGIERS, Algeria — Al-Qaida's North African offshoot claimed it killed or injured dozens of Algerian security forces in 29 separate attacks and bombings over the past two months, despite the intense military pressure that appears to have seriously limited the militants' scope. The claim Monday by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, came as security forces reported that they killed eight suspected Islamist fighters over the weekend.

July 18th, 2009 Mauritania: detained Islamists killed AmericanNOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania — Mauritania's state security chief says two men detained in a late-night shootout in the capital are part of an al-Qaida-linked terror cell that killed an American citizen last month. Mohamed Lemine Ould Ahmed says the pair were among four people responsible for killing a 39-year-old American in Nouakchott in June.

July 12th, 2009 Swiss say hostage held in Mali has been freedBERN, Switzerland — A Swiss tourist taken hostage in North Africa in January has been released to authorities in Mali, officials said Sunday. The health of the Swiss citizen, who had been held in Mali after his capture with three other European tourists, appears to be reasonably good considering the six-month ordeal, according to information received by Swiss representatives in Mali, a Foreign Ministry official said.

June 18th, 2009 Somalia president: al-Qaida behind suicide bombingMOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia's president says al-Qaida is behind a suicide bombing that killed the national security minister in a western Somali town. Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed says a senior Somali diplomat also died in Thursday's attack in Belet Weyne that killed at least 20 people.

June 17th, 2009 BAMAKO - Mali's army has killed at least a dozen militants in an attack on an Al Qaeda base near the border with Algeria, a media report said Wednesday. The attack was the first against Al Qaeda on the Malian soil and came weeks after a British hostage was killed and a senior Malian intelligence official investigating the group was shot dead.

June 7th, 2009 Algeria militants claim ambushALGERIA, Algiers — Al-Qaida-linked militants in Algeria have claimed responsibility for an ambush that killed 10 people this week but denied they deliberately targeted the two teachers who were among the victims. A statement released on the Internet by al-Qaida of the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, claimed the militants killed 100 people in 17 attacks through the months of May and early June.

June 3rd, 2009 UK: British hostage thought killed by al-QaidaLONDON — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday that a Briton held captive in Mali is believed to have been killed by al-Qaida terrorists. A statement issued in the name of al-Qaida on an Internet site frequently used for extremist messages said the captive, Edwin Dyer, was killed on Sunday.

June 3rd, 2009 British hostage thought killed by al-QaidaLONDON — Al-Qaida terrorists have killed a Briton taken hostage in Mali, the British prime minister said Wednesday. The fate of a Swiss hostage taken at the same time was unknown.

May 14th, 2009 Treasury targets al-Qaida in Iraq operativeWASHINGTON — The Obama administration moved Thursday to clamp down financially on the Syria-based leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. The Treasury Department's action against Abu Khalaf means that any bank accounts or other financial assets found in the United States that belong to him must be frozen.

May 2nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - At least 16 militants were killed in clashes with the security forces in Pakistan's Mohmand agency bordering Afghanistan, TV reports said Saturday. The fighting started when the militants attacked a security checkpost in the Spinkai Tangai area, some 25 km from Ghalani, the headquarters of Muhmand Agency, the state-run PTV said.

April 22nd, 2009 Mali: kidnappers release 4 foreign hostagesBAMAKO, Mali — Kidnappers on Wednesday released a senior U.N. peace envoy and three other Western hostages, following months of captivity, a Malian official said.

January 26th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - The Gujarat police Tuesday arrested two people from Kotarpur village close to Ahmedabad international airport and seized counterfeit currency with the face value of Rs.301,500. The Ahmedabad crime branch received a tip-off that a man from Rajasthan would be coming Tuesday morning to Kotarpur village with their counterfeit currency.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In the wake of the 60-hour hostage drama that unfolded in Mumbai last year, highlighting the lacunae in the Indian Special Forces, the army has asked for more counter terrorism equipment and decided to fast track the procurement process. Interacting with the media ahead of the 61st Army Day, Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said the army has sought 'better guns and goggles to remove night blindness' in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack in which more than 170 people were killed.