Taliban strikes near the Afghan Parliament in Kabul, kills at least 30

A couple of blasts struck near the Afghan Parliament in Kabul and left at least 30 people dead with another 80 wounded.It was a rush-hour attack by the Taliban and it broke a relative lull in violence in the capital.
The bombings happened hours after a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the volatile southern province of Helmand, as the militants ramp up attacks.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 11 January 2017.

It seems a suicide bomber on foot carried out the first explosion, leaving a number of innocent workers killed and wounded. The second one was a car bomb in a vehicle that was parked on the other side of the road.
The blasts left 30 people dead and 80 wounded - some of the wounded are in serious condition and the death toll was expected to rise. The dead included at least four policemen - they were killed in the second explosion when they rushed to help the victims of the first blast.
This attack underscores the growing insecurity in Afghanistan, where there are around 10,000 U.S. troops who are helping the Afghan forces to combat a resilient Taliban insurgency as well as al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants.


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Car bomb exploded in a busy market in Mogadishu - at least eight killed

A car bomb exploded near a busy market in Somalia's capital Mogadishu and left at least eight people dead and medical sources have warned that the toll could be far higher.
An official of the police have indicated that eight civilians have been killed in the blast and more than 10 others wounded but the death toll could rise because the area is a market and it was densely populated when the blast occurred. Most of those wounded have serious injuries.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 26 November 2016.

Unconfirmed sources had suggested nearly 30 people had been killed, but this was not confirmed by authorities. The ambulance service have indicated about collecting 13 wounded civilians and 28 dead bodies and the toll could be higher. The blast happened in the densely populated Afisiyone area in southern Mogadishu.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the immediate suspicion falls on the Al-Qaeda linked Islamist group al-Shabaab. It has been locked in battle against the Somali government and regularly carries out attacks in the city. It still control vast swathes of outlying rural areas from which they launch guerrilla operations. Its most deadly recent attack was in August when a car bomb outside a popular hotel close to the presidential palace killed 15.


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Suicide bomb attack in Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers kill at least 25

A suicide bomb attack in a Pakistani mosque during Friday prayers has killed at least 25 and more than 35 worshipers were left injured when a huge blast destroyed the building. The incident happened in the Mohmand tribal area of the country's north west that is bordering Afghanistan.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 16 September 2016.

The mosque was packed with people attending Friday prayers and the attacker shouted 'Allahu Akbar' before detonating an explosive vest. The explosion brought a portion of the building, including its veranda collapsed crushing worshipers below. Bodies are still being hauled out of the rubble and the death toll could rise.
Local tribal elder feels that the attack may have been carried out by Islamist militants who are seeking revenge after local tribesmen gathered a volunteer force and killed one and captured another insurgent.
Regarding security in Pakistan, the military says 'terrorist incidents' have reduced from 128 in 2013 to 74 last year and Islamist extremists continue to stage major attacks. Killing of 74 people including lawyers in the city of Quetta last month was an attack claimed by both the Islamic State and Jamaat-ur-Ahrar which is a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban. The Jamaat-ur-Ahrar also claimed the Easter Sunday bombing in a park in the eastern city of Lahore in which 72 people were killed - many of them were children.


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Suspected al-Shabaab militants launch suicide attack on a hotel in Mogadishu

Suspected al-Shabaab militants have launched a suicide attack on a hotel in the capital Mogadishu killing at least five civilians. As confirmed by local security forces, a suicide bomber is believed to have detonated a truck bomb at the gate of the Naasa-Hablood hotel which was then stormed by a group of heavily-armed men.
The al-Shabaab has links with al-Qaeda and they have claimed responsibility for the attack.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 25 June 2016.

The terrorists are believed to have taken a number of hostages because it is a popular location among the Somali political elite and members of the nation's diaspora who return to the city on business. The terrorists took positions behind blast walls and sandbags and armed guards are trying to repel the militants and, as per reports of eyewitnesses, there was a huge blast followed by heavy machine gunfire.
The intention of the al-Shabaab is to topple the Western-backed government and it has been observed that during Ramadan they target public areas where people gather before they break their daily fast. It may be recalled that in early June an overnight siege by extremist gunmen at another hotel in the capital had left 15 people dead, two of them were members of parliament and al-Shabab had claimed responsibility for that attack also.


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US drone strike kills at least 150 al-Shebab militants near Mogadishu

The Pentagon has revealed that US drone strike on an al-Shebab training camp in Somalia has killed more than 150 fighters who were planning a "large-scale" attack. The training camp called Raso is located some 195-Km north of Mogadishu.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 8 March 2016.

The fighters were apparently undergoing training in the camp for a large-scale attack and, hence, posed an imminent threat to US and (African Union) forces. As per initial assessments more than 150 terrorist fighters have been eliminated in the strike. The spokesman did not elaborate on the "offensive operations" that the fighters were allegedly planning.
It is felt that such preemptive actions would degrade al-Shebab's ability to meet the group's objectives in Somalia. This is, namely, recruiting new members, establishing bases and planning attacks on US and AMISON (African Union Mission to Somalia) forces.
Incidentally, the training camp had been under surveillance for quite some time ahead of the drone strike. Al-Qaeda aligned al-Shebab jihadists have already claimed responsibility for a number of attacks in recent times including a twin bombing at a busy restaurant in the Somali city of Baidoa last month.


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Coordinated terror attacks in Paris leave more than 150 dead

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The worst carnage occurred at the Bataclan concert hall, where at least 112 died. There was a heavy metal concert there and the terrorists shot at the assembled people for 10 to 15 minutes. It was like a bloodbath.
As a witness has revealed one of them had heard them talk about Iraq and Syria. Later, the men were speaking in French.
On an initial count, at least 153 people were killed in the Paris and Saint-Denis shootings and bombings. Saint-Denis is home to the national stadium where the soccer match was being played.
Four of the attackers are believed to have been killed - three of them were wearing explosive belts.
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(Image source wikimediacommons.org)

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Massacre in Mogadishu – at least 20 killed, unknown number taken hostage

#mogadishu #alshabaab #somalia #alqaeda #suicidebomber Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has taken responsibility for the attack on the Hotel Maka Al Mukaram in Mogadishu – at least nine deaths have been reported with an unspecified number taken hostage.
As per VOA report – death toll is 20 with another 28 injured.
From reports it is revealed that a suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden car at the gate of the hotel, and at least four gunmen have taken hostages inside the building following a furious shootout with police.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 27 March 2015.

The hotel is located in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia and is popular with government officials. It is still not clear who the targets were. Police captain Mohamed Hussein has confirmed that he had counted at least nine bodies at the scene, and has indicated that the death toll is likely to rise.
There were the remains of two destroyed cars at the gates of the building and the militants had taken control of the hotel as admitted by Major Ismail Olow, a Mogadishu police officer at the scene. The al-Shabaab fighters were on the top of the building and inside the hotel.

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