Mauritania and Mali say they have destroyed an al-Qaida-affiliated base camp and are pursuing terrorists who fled along their common border. Security forces in Africa's Sahel region are on high alert following last month's killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Mauritanian army spokesman Colonel Teyib Ould Brahim says there were casualties on both sides when Mauritanian and Malian troops attacked a well-defended al-Qaida camp in the Wagadou forest region.

Suspected Islamic militants threw a bomb into a beer garden in northeastern Nigeria Sunday, killing 25 people and wounding at least 12 others.

Police and witnesses say the attackers drove up to the open-air pub in Maiduguri on motorcycles and tossed a bomb into the crowd of drinkers. Some witnesses say the attackers also fired gunshots into the crowd.

Authorities are blaming Boko Haram, an Islamic fundamentalist group whose name in the Hausa language means "western education is sinful."

A combined Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban leader during an overnight security operation in Nahr-e Saraj District, Helmand province, yesterday.

The leader was responsible for directing a cell of fighters who conduct roadside bomb and direct fire attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces.

The Afghan-led security force conducted the operation after intelligence tips led them to the leader’s compound. At the compound, Afghan members of the force interviewed residents who identified the leader.

Soldiers from Task Force White Currahee and Afghan National Security Forces denied insurgents freedom of movement across the Pakistan during Operation Sarak Basta III from June 21-23.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division with their counterparts, the Afghan National Army soldiers from the 2nd Kandak, 2nd Brigade of the 203rd Corps, and the Afghan border police of the 2nd Zone conducted the operation in Paktika province, Afghanistan.

Marines with Border Advisor Team 1 met with Afghan Border Police to evaluate their status and offer guidance at Bost Airfield outside Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, June 19. The Marines met with the ABP leadership, took inventory of all their weapons, and verified their training was valid and up to date.

A Navy hospital corpsman was awarded the fourth highest military honor during a June 24 ceremony at U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) on board Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (FMF/DV/FPJ) Amilcar Rodriguez was awarded the Silver Star for his actions on Nov. 6, 2009, while serving as a combat advisor and corpsman with Marine Special Operations Company F, 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment, Special Operations Command. His unit was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan at the time.

HELMKE LEAVES BRADY CAMPAIGN
Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke announced his departure from the Brady Campaign. Meanwhile Kenneth Melson is clinging to his post as Acting Director of the Brady Campaign.
http://www.sofmag.com/helmke-leaving-brady-camp-melson-clings-atf-post

Helmke leaving Brady Camp; Melson clings to ATF post

Paul Helmke, president of the anti-gun Brady Campaign who tried to stir up a boycott of Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee last year because it caters to armed patrons, has announced he is leaving that job in July.

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/breaking-helmke-leaving-br...

Article by Dave Workman

Three bombs planted at an irrigation site in southern Thailand blew up Friday, killing at least two people.

Police say the first two bombs detonated, killing two workers in Narathiwat province. Several others were wounded.

Officials said police responding to the scene tried to defuse a third device, but it also exploded.

The attacks wounded 13 people, including at least four police officers.

About 4,500 people have been killed in southern Thailand since Islamist insurgents began their uprising in 2004.

Article by VOA News