Most wanted Malaysian Islamic terrorist, Noordin Mohammad Top, 40, member of the Jemaah Islaymiyah splinter group Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad, is being reported dead, although it has not yet been confirmed by the Indonesian government. He was reportedly killed in a duel raid, one on a house in Beji village, Temanggung, Central Java and another in Bekasi. Witnesses stated that Friday evening, police set off an explosion at approximately 9:50 am, and then entered the house in Beji after gunfire was exchanged. Another man was killed in the raids and 5 more arrested.
Although Top was wanted for previous attacks in Indonesia, the nation has 17,000 islands and a population of over 200 million, so it was relatively easy for him to avoid capture for many years. It is believed Top had the aid of the shrinking local Islamic terror network and his several wives.
Although Top was the prime suspect in the recent Jakarta bombings, another man, a cook at the Gran Melia hotel, Yayan, 28, has also been implicated and arrested.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
