Latest HeadlinesUS drone strikes kill 7 AQAP fighters, 8 civilians in Yemen
May 15, 2012
By Omani jihadist killed in US airstrike in 'Khorasan'
May 14, 2012
By Abu Hamza al Omani and several other unnamed "brothers and supporters" were killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan on May 5.Mullah Dadullah Front claims assassination of Afghan High Peace Council member
May 14, 2012
By The powerful Taliban subgroup is led by former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mullah Zakir, and is closely tied to al Qaeda.
Senior Afghan peace council member assassinated in Kabul
May 13, 2012
By Arsala Rahmani was gunned down in Kabul. He was a senior member of the Afghan High Peace Council who served as a deputy education minister during the Taliban's rule.
Afghan security forces kill 3 ISAF troops
May 12, 2012
By Two British soldiers were killed in an attack by Afghan Uniformed Police in Helmand today, and a US soldier was killed by an Afghan soldier in Kunar.
US drone strikes kill 11 AQAP fighters
May 12, 2012
By An Egyptian is reported to have been killed in one of two strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula units in southern Yemen.
Taliban leader confirms infighting and vows revenge, plots to kill Quetta Shura leadership
May 12, 2012
By Taliban leader Mullah Ghulam Hassan issued a 27-minute-long videotape denouncing the arrest and torture last month of Maluvi Mohammad Ismail by the Taliban's Quetta Shura. In an unprecedented move, Hassan vowed revenge for Ismail's mistreatment and threatened to kill senior Quetta Shura leadership.
Suicide bombers kill 55 in Syrian capital
May 10, 2012
By The coordinated suicide attack targeted a military intelligence center in Damascus; nearly 400 people were wounded in the complex assault.
US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters
May 10, 2012
By Bin Laden docs hint at large al Qaeda presence in Pakistan
May 9, 2012
By Badr Mansoor led just one Pakistani "company," and has been reported to have more than 2,000 fighters under his command. For the last three years, the US government has maintained that al Qaeda has only 300 to 400 operatives in Pakistan and that the network is on the verge of defeat.
US disrupts latest AQAP airline plot
May 8, 2012
By US and European security services are on the lookout for similar bomb plots after foiling the latest AQAP attempt to blow up an airliner.
Security and stability in Afghanistan: progress and risk
May 8, 2012
By The Department of Defense's semi-annual report on Afghanistan says it is making progress towards security and stability. But progress needs to be considered alongside risks. And risks are high and increasing.
Analysis: Spinning Iran and al Qaeda, part 2
May 7, 2012
By The Combating Terrorism Center's report on the bin Laden files gets a basic fact about the history of the relationship between Iran and al Qaeda wrong.
AQAP overruns Yemeni Army bases, kills 32 soldiers
May 7, 2012
By Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters attacked two bases outside of Zinjibar. Forty troops were wounded and at least 28 were captured.
Al Qaeda releases video of American captured in Pakistan
May 7, 2012
By The videotape is the first real proof that al Qaeda is holding Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in Lahore in August 2011.USS Cole bomber killed in US drone strike in Yemen
May 6, 2012
By The Yemeni Embassy said Fahd al Quso was killed in an airstrike in Shabwa province. A US intelligence official told The Long War Journal that Quso was the target of a strike.More LWJ Headlines: |
Threat MatrixA blog by The Long War Journal. Pakistani jihadists reported in northern Mali
May 16
The mayor of Timbuktu said Pakistanis have infiltrated the city and are training al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb fighters.
Taliban video of Bannu jailbreak sold in Pakistani markets
May 16
Hakeemullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman gathered with 150 Taliban fighters to plan and execute the April 15 jailbreak.
Al Nusrah Front denies validity of Damascus suicide attack videoSpying on al Qaeda
May 10
Double agents, although uncommon, have played a significant role in the post-9/11 fight against terrorism. The double agent who broke up a recent al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) plot is just the latest example.
Osama bin Laden on the Muslim Brotherhood
May 10
Just one week before his demise, Osama bin Laden wrote that al Qaeda members should avoid confrontation with the Muslim Brotherhood, which he said offers only "half solutions" but is migrating towards the "true Islam."
Pakistani Taliban proclaim 'jihad' for bin Laden
May 8
"Let us pledge today that we will continue our jihad and sacrifice our lives and property in the way of Allah like Sheikh Osama did," pamphlets distributed by armed militants in Miramshah said.
Today In...PakistanPolice arrested a Lashkar-i-Jhangvi operative in Sohrab Goth in Karachi. The British, French, and Australian embassies received packages containing a suspicious powder and threatening letters. AfghanistanISAF killed nine insurgents in an airstrike in Paktia and three more during operations in Kunar. The Taliban killed two policemen and a soldier in Badghis and Badakhshan. Germany pledged $150 million annually after 2014; Australia promised $100 million. SomaliaKenyan troops killed two businessmen in Taabta after their base cam under attack. "Gunmen" killed two people in Mogadishu and Baidoa. KenyaA police officer was killed and four more were wounded in an IED attack in Lagdera in Garissa county. Police arrested a suspect in the bombing of a Mombasa nightclub that killed one person. NigeriaThe Minister of Police Affairs said that Boko Haram has conducted 118 attacks and killed 308 people so far this year. The attacks have taken place in in Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Niger, Yobe, and Plateau states. SyriaGovernment forces opened fire on a crowd in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing at least 21 people. In Homs, 15 civilians appear to have been summarily executed by government forces. President Assad denounced the opposition as a gang of "criminals" and said countries that "sow chaos" in Syria could suffer from it themselves. Al Qaeda in the Islamic MaghrebThe Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, an al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb offshoot, has threatened to kill a Spanish hostage. A Mauritanian court upheld the death sentence of an AQIM fighter who killed an American in 2009. MaliPakistani jihadists are reportedly moving into northern Mali to train al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb fighters in guerrilla warfare, weapons, smuggling, and other areas. The Pakistanis are said to have entered via Algeria and are present in Timbuktu. PakistanPakistan has delayed the decision on the issue of reopening NATO supply lines to Afghanistan; the US is confident the supply lines will be reopened. Security forces detained one of Hakeemullah Mehsud's commanders in Peshawar. News on the web |
The ANSF Order of Battle
A breakdown of the structure and units in the Afghan National Security Forces.
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan
A look at the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan's top leaders.
The Quetta Shura
A look at the Afghan Taliban's top leaders, military councils, and committees.

Abu Hamza al Omani and several other unnamed "brothers and supporters" were killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan on May 5.
The videotape is the first real proof that al Qaeda is holding Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in Lahore in August 2011.
The Yemeni Embassy said Fahd al Quso was killed in an airstrike in Shabwa province. A US intelligence official told The Long War Journal that Quso was the target of a strike.