Afghanistan to expand Army to 240,000
November 22, 2009 12:14 AM ET
By Bill Roggio Abdul Rahim Wardak, Afghanistan's Defense Minister announced the Afghan Army would be expanded to more than 240,000 soldiers. Wardak described President Obama's process to decide on a US increase in troops as "long awaited and over-elaborated," which prompted laughter from the senior US generals in attendance, including General Stanley McChrystal. Irish jihadi Khalid Kelly on TV
November 17, 2009 1:17 PM ET
By Bill Roggio Khalid Kelly, the Irish jihadi who is training in Pakistan to wage war on the West, live on Irish TV with Anjem Choudary, the radical cleric and leader of Al Muhajaroun. Kelly is based in Pakistan's Swat Valley. The Taliban suicide assault continues in Peshawar
November 14, 2009 8:27 PM ET
By Bill Roggio The Taliban stuck in Peshawar for the second day straight. Today's suicide attack, which killed 10 people at a checkpost, follows yesterday's attack on the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, which killed 10 people. Taliban suicide commander Qari Hussain Mehsud vowed to step up attacks if the military operation in South Waziristan is not ended. Dost Mohammad grants interview in Nuristan
November 13, 2009 1:31 AM ET
By Bill Roggio
One month after US forces abandoned outposts in the Kamdesh district in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nuristan, the Taliban are operating in the open, without fear of retaliation [see LWJ report, "Taliban govern openly in Nuristan"]. The Taliban and their commander Dost Mohammed recently flaunted their control of the district to Al Jazeera. The audio is in Arabic. 'Leaving your enemy intact is not a smart idea in any war'
November 5, 2009 2:12 PM ET
By Bill Roggio Bing West provides footage from combat engagements with the Taliban in Helmand province. "Video shows why coalition and Afghan battalions inflict few Taliban casualties. Causes include terrain, Taliban maneuver, heavy coalition armor and risk aversion to minimize casualties, while doing a professional job and returning in one piece," West writes. The inability to fix and kill the Taliban allows them to continue to threaten the Afghan people and Coalition forces. FBI kills radical Muslim cleric in Detroit
October 29, 2009 5:53 AM ET
By Bill Roggio The FBI killed Luqman Ameen Abdullah, a radical Muslim preacher and the leader of the Detroit area's Masjid Al-Haqq mosque, during an attempted arrest. Federal agents rounded up members of the radical Islamist group “Ummah,” which advocates the establishment of an Islamic state in the US. A look at the Taliban offensive in Pakistan
October 22, 2009 10:34 PM ET
By Bill Roggio France 24 provides an overview of the Taliban threat in Pakistan. Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, a Pakistani security specialist, provides an excellent commentary on the jihadi catch and release program, and notes that Dr. Usman, the commander of the recent attack on the Army GHQ in Rawalpindi, had previously been in custody but was later released. Afghanistan's election impasse
October 20, 2009 5:13 AM ET
By Bill Roggio The UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission and the Afghan-led Independent Election Commission are at odds over the results of the elections. President Karzai said the ruling of the Independent Election Commission, which is said to favor his administration, will be obeyed. The standoff may need to be resolved by Afghanistan's Supreme Court. Jundallah suicide bomber kills Iranian Revolutionary Guards commanders
October 19, 2009 4:42 AM ET
By Bill Roggio Jundallah attacked a meeting between Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps leaders and tribal leaders in Sistan-Baluchistan province, and an IRGC convoy, killing 28 officers and civilians. Brigadier General Nour Ali Shoushtari, the deputy commander for the IRGC's ground forces, and Brigadier Rajab Ali Mohammadzadeh, the IRGC's provincial commander for Sistan-Baluchistan, were killed in the attack. In a press release on its website, Jundallah claimed the commanders of Iranshahr Corps, Sarbaz Corps, and the Amir al Mo'menin Brigade were also killed in the attack. Joint forces kill Herat Taliban commander who sheltered al Qaeda
October 12, 2009 5:36 PM ET
By Bill Roggio Coalition forces and the Afghan army teamed up to kill Ghulam Yahya Akbari, a Taliban commander, in the western province of Herat. Akbari has been behind the rising violence in Herat and is known to have sheltered al Qaeda fighters, according to Al Jazeera. See LWJ report, Senior insurgent leader reported killed in Western Afghanistan, for more information on Akbari. Pakistani commandos assault Army headquarters, free hostages
October 11, 2009 7:05 PM ET
By Bill Roggio Pakistani commandos from the Special Services Group assaulted a building inside the Army General Headquarters building and freed 25 hostages. Four terrorists and three hostages were killed during the assault. Father of al Qaeda suspect indicted for lying to FBI
October 10, 2009 4:34 AM ET
By Bill Roggio The US Attorney's office in Denver announced that a grand jury returned the indictment against Mohammed Zazi, the father of suspected al Qaeda operative Najibullah Zazi, for allegedly making a false statement in a matter involving terrorism. Najibullah attended an al Qaeda camp in Pakistan and was attempting to conduct an attack in the US. Pakistani soldiers beat Swat suspects
October 2, 2009 7:06 PM ET
By Bill Roggio Pakistani soldiers from the Punjab Regiment beat several Pashtun men during questioning in Swat. The video appears to have been taken on a cell phone by a Pakistani soldier. A Pakistani officer questions the men, then steps back as several soldiers advance to beat the men with whips, their fists, and feet. Several of the men are slammed to the ground. The beatings take place in what appears to be a courtyard or on a street. The beatings are administered as many young men watch. The 'German Taliban Mujahideen' in Pakistan
September 26, 2009 7:47 PM ET
By Bill Roggio This video, released by a group calling itself the "German Taliban Mujahideen," shows foreign fighters in weapons training and training in the snow. The video shows Abu Ibrahim Amriki, an American terrorist operating in Pakistan, and a spokesman named Ayyub Almani. The video appears to be produced by the Islamic Jihad Union, an offshoot of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The video is related to this story in the Telegraph, which described a German "village" in Pakistan's tribal areas. Osama bin Laden offers Europe an out
September 25, 2009 6:23 PM ET
By Bill Roggio Osama bin Laden issued another audiotape, this time a short clip (4:48) titled "A Message from Sheikh Osama bin Laden to the People of Europe." The tape is captioned in English and German (the English version is displayed). In the tape, bin Laden urges European nations to withdraw their forces from Afghanistan and end their support of the US. Bin Laden says the US will withdraw from Afghanistan and leave Europe to the predations of al Qaeda: Would that you reflect on the matter and ask wise and reasonable people, because it won’t be long until the dust of war clears in Afghanistan, at which point you won’t find a trace of any American, because they will have gone away far beyond the Atlantic, Allah permitting, and just us and you will remain, for the oppressed to retaliate from his oppressor. |

