Latest HeadlinesBelmokhtar's unit participated in Niger suicide attacks
May 24, 2013
By MUJAO suicide bombers hit uranium mine, barracks in Niger
May 23, 2013
By The al Qaeda-linked Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa said the suicide attacks were intended to punish Niger for "cooperation with France in the war against Sharia" in Mali.
American killed in US drone strike, US Attorney General says
May 22, 2013
By Jude Kenan Mohammed was the eighth member of Daniel Boyd's terror cell in North Carolina. He traveled to Pakistan in 2008, was arrested, skipped bail, and is thought to have traveled to Pakistan's tribal areas. He may have been killed in a strike in 2011 that occurred in an area controlled by the Haqqani Network.
Muhajireen Brigade official calls on Hamas to end campaign against Salafi jihadists
May 22, 2013
By The top sharia official from the Muhajireen Brigade, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Syria, slammed Hamas' recent crackdown against Salafi jihadists in the Gaza Strip. The official also called on Hamas to join hands with the Salafi jihadists in Gaza to fight Israel.Book excerpt: Chemical attack in Iraq
May 21, 2013
By US drones strike again in Yemen, kill 2 AQAP fighters
May 20, 2013
By Taliban suicide bomber assassinates senior politician in Afghan north
May 20, 2013
By The head of the provincial council in Baghlan province and 13 others were killed by a Taliban suicide bomber who was dressed as a policeman.
US drones kill 4 'militants' in first strike in Yemen in a month
May 18, 2013
By Four al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters who were reportedly transporting suicide vests and explosives were killed in a strike in the terrorist haven of Al Mahfad in Abyan province.
ISAF targets al Qaeda facilitator in eastern Afghanistan
May 17, 2013
By The International Security Assistance Force has balked at mentioning al Qaeda in press releases since the end of January.
Uzbek national in Idaho arrested, charged with supporting the IMU
May 16, 2013
By Fazliddin Kurbanov is charged with supporting the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, training others to purchase and assemble components of a bomb, and possessing an "unregistered destructive device."
Hizb-i-Islami Gulbuddin suicide bomber in Kabul kills 6 Americans, 9 Afghans
May 16, 2013
By The Taliban's spring offensive promised a renewed focus on suicide attacks targeting ISAF forces. Today's suicide bombing in a residential area also injured 39 Afghan civilians.
Al Nusrah Front's emir to be added to US terrorism list
May 16, 2013
By Sheikh Abu Muhammad al Julani, the emir of al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, swore allegiance to al Qaeda's leader just over one month ago.Tensions continue to escalate in Tunisia
May 15, 2013
By The Tunisian government has interfered in Ansar al Sharia Tunisia's events and may refuse to grant the group permission to hold its third annual congress. Ansar al Sharia's leaders have responded with statements condemning the Ennahda regime.
IMU suicide bomber targeted top police commander in Quetta
May 13, 2013
By The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan said yesterday's attack, which killed eight people, was executed by a man whose daughter carried out a suicide bombing last year.Egyptian interior minister: Al Qaeda cell plotted suicide attack against Western embassy
May 11, 2013
By Egypt's interior minister said that three members of an al Qaeda cell that was plotting to attack a Western embassy have been arrested. The cell received training in Iran and Pakistan and contacted al Qaeda in Algeria. The cell also has ties to the so-called Nasr City Cell.
Panjwai district chief of police: 'Pakistan has been trying to bring Afghanistan under its control'
May 11, 2013
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Threat MatrixA blog by The Long War Journal. Obama pulls back in fight against al QaedaPakistani Taliban claim credit for deadly attack in Quetta
May 23
Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan "proudly" claimed responsibility for today's deadly bombing in Quetta, Pakistan that killed at least 11 members of an elite police unit.
More Palestinian kidnapping plots thwarted by Israel
May 21
Israeli authorities announced the arrest of 14 Palestinian terrorists from two separate terror cells operating near Hebron. One cell, which was tied to Hamas, had nine members and was planning a kidnapping operation. The other cell, affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, had five members.
Prominent anti-Taliban police chief killed in western Afghanistan
May 19
Taliban assassins killed the Khak-i-Safid district police chief in Farah province on Friday night. Khak-i-Safed police forces have been conducting an effective counterinsurgency campaign in the area since last year.
Former 'head' of al Qaeda in Italy an 'organizer' of Ansar al Sharia rally
May 17
Agence France Presse interviewed Sami Ben Khemais Essid, describing him as one of the "organizers" of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia's planned conference this weekend. Essid was formerly the "head" of al Qaeda's operations in Italy, according to the US State Department.
Satellite imagery of Israeli airstrike at Damascus airport released
May 16
Israeli TV has released satellite imagery from the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike at Damascus International Airport earlier in May.
Today In...AfghanistanA Taliban suicide assault team targeted a UN-linked NGO compound in Kabul; five Taliban fighters, a Nepalese guard, and an Afghan policemen were killed during the fighting, which lasted for seven hours. The Taliban killed four policemen in an attack in Helmand. SomaliaA government official claimed that 12 Shabaab fighters were killed after clashing with a group of nomads in Beledweyne. Three Ethiopian soldiers were seriously wounded in an IED attack in Beledweyne. NigerMokhtar Belmokhtar said that his Those Who Sign in Blood Brigade carried out yesterday's suicide attacks in Niger along with the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa. Belmokhtar also promised more attacks in Niger if the government does not withdraw its military from Mali. EgyptThree women were killed by at least 10 men in an honor killing near Luxor. Authorities shut down five smuggling tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Security sources alleged that President Morsi was informed of plans to kidnap soldiers in the Sinai a week before seven security personnel were abducted. United StatesPresident Obama set out a new approach to the war on terror, arguing that since al Qaeda's core was "on the path to defeat," the US should narrow its operations to focus only on those "specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America." Renewing his commitment to closing Guantanamo, he announced the removal of a moratorium on sending detainees to Yemen. He issued a new directive on drone strikes, narrowing the circumstances to those targets who cannot be captured and who present "a continuing and imminent threat to the United States," and he expressed a preference for the military rather than the CIA to conduct the strikes. He said the scale of the terrorist threat now "closely resembles the types of attacks we faced before 9/11." AfghanistanA suicide bomber killed seven people in an attack that targeted a local militia commander in Ghazni. Security forces killed 11 Taliban fighters in Kandahar and Herat, and two Haqqani Network commanders and three fighters in Paktia. ISAF claimed that the Afghan Air Force can conduct independent air operations. IranA new report from the UN's atomic energy agency said Iran is significantly expanding its nuclear program, and has started work on an alternative approach to developing a nuclear weapon. Advanced equipment for the enrichment of uranium is being installed at an accelerating pace at the Natanz plant, and work is progressing at other sites as well. The US State Dept. called the report an "unfortunate milestone." EgyptAuthorities arrested four suspected jihadists near Alexandria. The government decided to withdraw its annual funding for the country's Jewish community. President Morsi said he hopes to see the kidnappers of the seven security personnel, who were recently freed, arrested. Authorities seized a variety of weaponry including rockets destined for the Gaza Strip. Palestinian TerritoriesTwo Palestinians in Gaza were sentenced to death for allegedly collaborating with Israel. The Palestinian leadership is reportedly putting little faith in the US effort to restart peace talks with Israel. President Abbas met with Secretary of State Kerry to discuss the peace process with Israel; some Palestinians protested the meeting in Ramallah. SomaliaTen people were killed during fighting between Shabaab and Ethiopian forces in Beledweyne. A Puntland court sentenced seven men to death for the murder of a prominent cleric. An AMISOM spokesman denied a UN claim that more than 3,000 soldiers were killed while battling Shabaab. LibyaA group of armed assailants from "outside the area" attacked the Mellitah oil and gas complex west of Tripoli on May 20; the attackers wounded at least two guards, stole weapons, and made off with 20 vehicles. Guards at the Elephant oil facility in southwest Libya, one of the largest in the country, plan to strike in protest against alleged nonpayment of salaries; they are also demanding vehicles and equipment. TunisiaAlgerian AQIM leader Ahmed Abu Abdul-Elah Al-Jigli warned the government that the group was "still committed to the directives of our Sheikh and Emir Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri...to co-operate with [post-revolution governments] in applying sharia," and threatened "fatal consequences" for "injustice." The terror group recently pledged its support for Ansar al Sharia Tunisia. Foreign Affairs Minister Noureddine Khadmi said that a hundred mosques in Tunisia are controlled by radical groups and out of the government's control. 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.

The top sharia official from the Muhajireen Brigade, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Syria, slammed Hamas' recent crackdown against Salafi jihadists in the Gaza Strip. The official also called on Hamas to join hands with the Salafi jihadists in Gaza to fight Israel.
Sheikh Abu Muhammad al Julani, the emir of al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, swore allegiance to al Qaeda's leader just over one month ago.
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan said yesterday's attack, which killed eight people, was executed by a man whose daughter carried out a suicide bombing last year.