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Wanted al Qaeda leader warns of Turkish influence on jihad in Syria
Al Qaeda Telegram channels have shared a statement attributed to Saif al-Adel. He writes that the jihadis modify their military program to take into account Turkey’s influence.
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Analysis: Ayman al Zawahiri calls for ‘unity’ in Syria amid leadership crisis
The jihad in Syria has unleashed another leadership crisis for al Qaeda.
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Analysis: Ayman al Zawahiri argues jihadists can’t deceive America
In a new message, Ayman al Zawahiri holds up the Taliban-al Qaeda relationship as a model for jihadists around the globe. He also critiques the jihadists and Islamists in Egypt and Syria who think they can “deceive” America and achieve power by placating the US.
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Hay’at Tahrir al Sham leader calls for ‘unity’ in Syrian insurgency
Abu Jaber has released his first speech as the general commander of the newly formed Ha’yat Tahrir al Sham (“Assembly for the Liberation of Syria”). He calls on other factions to join his group, promises to wage jihad on Bashar al Assad’s regime until the end and claims that losing the war would be catastrophic for Syria’s Sunnis.
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Pentagon: 11 al Qaeda terrorists killed in airstrikes near Idlib, Syria
The Pentagon announced that 11 al Qaeda operatives were killed in a pair of airstrikes near Idlib, Syria earlier this month. One of them, Abu Hani al Masri, is described as “a legacy al Qaeda terrorist with ties to the group’s senior leaders, including Ayman al Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden.”
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Ayman al Zawahiri honors 2 slain jihadis in new video
Ayman al Zawahiri eulogizes two slain al Qaeda veterans in a newly released video. Zawahiri praises the pair for their contributions to jihad. The production is laced with criticisms of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s Islamic State.
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Osama bin Laden’s son says al Qaeda has grown despite 15 years of war
Al Qaeda has released a new audio message from Hamza bin Laden, Osama’s son and heir. The message was translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. Hamza argues that the number of “mujahideen” has grown dramatically around the globe despite the decade and a half of war that began on Sept. 11, 2001. Hamza also threatens revenge for his father’s death.
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Al Qaeda defector discusses group’s secrets in Islamic State magazine
Abu Ubaydah Al Lubnani was once one of al Qaeda’s top security officials. After being dismissed from his job, he joined the Islamic State. In an interview with Al Naba magazine earlier this year, Lubnani discussed al Qaeda’s relationship with Iran and the group’s early strategy for the war in Syria. An al Qaeda loyalist has responded to Lubnani’s testimony.
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Shabaab’s leadership fights Islamic State’s attempted expansion in East Africa
Shabaab’s leadership has actively opposed the Islamic State’s expansion in East Africa. The Islamic State has made a major push via propaganda videos to encourage defections, but only a small cadre of Shabaab fighters has switched allegiance to the “caliphate” thus far.
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Senior al Qaeda leaders reportedly released from custody in Iran
Five veteran jihadists, including three members of al Qaeda’s management council, have reportedly been released from custody in Iran as part of a hostage exchange. The details of their detention and release from Iranian custody are murky.
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Veteran jihadist served al Qaeda for 17 years, ‘martyred’ in Syria
In a video recorded prior to his death, a jihadist known as Abu Hafs al Masri explained that he served al Qaeda for 17 years and had lived with Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders. Al Masri was a senior leader in Ahrar al Sham in Syria when he was “martyred” in late March.
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6 Guantanamo detainees transferred to Uruguay were part of al Qaeda’s network, files allege
Intelligence cited in leaked Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) threat assessments link the six recently transferred Guantanamo detainees to Abu Zubaydah and al Qaeda.
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Al Nusrah Front releases eulogy commemorating Ahrar al Sham leaders
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has released a statement honoring the Ahrar al Sham leaders killed in yesterday’s explosion. Al Nusrah says they were among the “best” of men and leaders.
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Al Qaeda members mourn Ahrar al Sham, Islamic Front leaders on Twitter
Several influential al Qaeda members have used their Twitter feeds to mourn the slain leaders of Ahrar al Sham and the Islamic Front. The jihadists were killed in an explosion earlier today. One well-connected jihadist, who appears to be an al Qaeda media operative, claimed that the head of the Islamic Front had been in communication with Ayman al Zawahiri.
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Head of Islamic Front, other senior leaders killed in explosion
The Islamic Front announced today that more than one dozen of its senior leaders were killed in a car bombing in Idlib. Among the slain leaders is Hassan Abboud, who was the leader of Ahrar al Sham and the head of the Islamic Front’s political office. Abboud was especially close to Ayman al Zawahiri’s representative in Syria.
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Social Media Jihad: Banner dedicated to Zawahiri’s main representative in Syria
A banner dedicated to Abu Khalid al Suri is being posted on Twitter. The banner shows him both after his “martyrdom” and as a younger man.
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Zawahiri eulogizes al Qaeda’s slain Syrian representative
Ayman al Zawahiri has released an audio message eulogizing Abu Khalid al Suri, who was killed on Feb. 23. Zawahiri confirms that he knew al Suri since before the 9/11 attacks and that they had been in direct communication after the beginning of the Syrian revolution.
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Al Qaeda veteran appears in Al Nusrah Front video, criticizes rival
In a video released on March 18, the Al Nusrah Front identifies Abu Firas al Suri as a leader within the group. Al Suri, who has a long al Qaeda pedigree, was dispatched to Syria from Yemen to try to mediate the dispute between Al Nusrah and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham.
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Head of al Qaeda ‘Victory Committee’ in Syria
Sanafi al Nasr heads al Qaeda’s “Victory Committee” and has relocated to Syria. He has become a vocal critic of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) and has been allied with ISIS’ main jihadist rivals, including the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria.
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Social Media Jihad: Honoring al Qaeda’s chief representative in Syria
The Ibn Taymiyya Media Center (ITMC) has published a banner honoring the “martyrdom” of Abu Khalid al Suri, who was one of al Qaeda’s top men in Syria. The ITMC is the propaganda arm for Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC) and also publicizes propaganda on behalf of Ansar Jerusalem.
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Islamic Front official posts pictures of al Qaeda’s top representative in Syria
Hassan Abboud has posted a series of pictures of himself with Abu Khalid al Suri, al Qaeda’s top operative in Syria until his demise this past weekend. Al Suri was a founding member of Ahrar al Sham, which Abboud leads.
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Al Qaeda’s chief representative in Syria killed in suicide attack
Ayman al Zawahiri’s chief representative in Syria, a longtime al Qaeda operative known as Abu Khalid al Suri, has been reportedly killed in a suicide attack in Aleppo.
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Pro-al Qaeda Saudi cleric calls on ISIS members to defect
Influential al Qaeda-linked jihadists have denounced the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) in recent weeks and are now calling on its members to defect. They have supported Ayman al Zawahiri and al Qaeda’s senior leadership in their dispute with ISIS.
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Al Qaeda’s general command disowns the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham
Al Qaeda’s general command has disowned the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS), which has been fighting with other jihadist groups in Syria and pursuing its own agenda.
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Statement from Zawahiri’s representative shows Syrian rebel group tied to al Qaeda
A statement posted by Abu Khalid al Suri, Ayman al Zawahiri’s main representative in Syria, criticizes the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS). The statement was posted on Twitter. Al Suri is a senior leader in Ahrar al Sham, a Syrian rebel group that is directly linked to al Qaeda.
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Alleged message from Zawahiri’s Syrian representative posted online
A message allegedly written by Abu Khalid al Suri has been posted online. The message cannot be authenticated. It is directed at the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS), which has been fighting with other jihadist groups inside Syria.
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Latest Treasury designation targets al Qaeda’s fundraising network
A newly released terrorist designation by the Treasury Department highlights the extent and cohesion of al Qaeda’s global fundraising network. Treasury reports that Ayman al Zawahiri’s main representative in the Levant, Abu Khalid al Suri, has been funneling cash from Gulf donors to al Qaeda.
