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One war, many fronts: Iran and its proxies
The war with Iran is far from over, and the fight extends well beyond the Strait of Hormuz. Bill Roggio is joined by FDD Senior Fellow and former British Ambassador to Yemen Edmund Fitton-Brown to assess the status of the US-Iran conflict, Tehran’s efforts to break the American naval blockade, and the growing role of its terrorist proxies.
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Afghanistan-Pakistan border clashes continue amid reported Pakistani outreach to anti-Taliban groups
Taliban and Pakistani forces have clashed at least three times since October 19, amid reports that Pakistani military and intelligence officials have met with members of Afghanistan’s anti-Taliban resistance to discuss possible support.
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Poland selected to host Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile maintenance facility
Poland will host Europe’s first dedicated maintenance facility for the Patriot air defense system’s PAC-3 missiles, reducing repair and servicing times while strengthening regional air defense readiness. The initiative comes amid growing shortages of critical munitions and Poland’s broader efforts to expand its role in US weapons production and maintenance.
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Jordanian Air Force strikes targets in Syria in retaliation for deadly church attack
On October 26, the Jordanian Air Force conducted multiple strikes against suspected Islamic State positions in southern Syria, targeting militants Jordan linked to an October 23 attack on a church in Karak that killed nine people and wounded dozens. Jordan said the strikes killed more than 20 militants, while Syrian authorities reported seven civilian deaths.
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Iraq juggles border security and ties with Iran, Syria, and Jordan
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi is seeking to strengthen border security and regional cooperation amid tensions with Iran over the closure of a key crossing in Iraq’s Maysan province, while also pursuing closer ties with Jordan and Syria. The developments come as Baghdad continues to face threats from Iranian-backed militias, concerns over instability along…
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Pakistani outreach presents a dilemma for Afghanistan’s anti-Taliban resistance
Pakistan’s reported outreach to anti-Taliban resistance groups reflects deteriorating ties with its longtime ally. But accepting Pakistani support could deepen divisions in the resistance and undermine its standing among Afghans who blame Islamabad for decades of bloodshed.
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Iraqi parliament approves most remaining cabinet appointments, including Iran-backed militia figures
After five months of negotiations, almost all remaining spots in Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi’s cabinet were approved by the parliament on October 15. Among the three deputy prime ministers is Laith al Khazali, whom the US State Department designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2020.
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The Houthis’ Red Sea power play
The Houthis are on the offensive in Yemen, threatening one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints and bringing the war back to Saudi Arabia’s doorstep. Bill Roggio is joined by FDD research analyst and Long War Journal contributor Bridget Toomey to discuss the Iranian-backed group’s renewed campaign to conquer Yemen, its advances along the…
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Ukrainian intelligence details new low-cost Russian cruise missile
A new missile called the Filin adds to Russia’s growing arsenal of low-cost, long-range munitions, placing strain on Ukraine’s overstretched air defenses. Ukraine is expected to scale production of faster interceptor drones, but this addresses only part of the challenge of countering Russia’s evolving missile and drone capabilities.
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Protests break out in Syria against ‘Israeli incursions and attacks’ as tensions rise
Protests erupted across southern Syria and Damascus on October 23 against Israeli military operations in the buffer zone along the Golan border, following reports that a Syrian man with disabilities was killed during an IDF raid. The protests come amid growing Syrian condemnation of Israeli incursions, as well as diplomatic efforts by Syrian officials to…
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FBI arrests alleged Islamic State supporter accused of plotting to assassinate Texas congressman
A 17-year-old Texas teenager allegedly plotted to assassinate Republican US Representative Keith Self at a veterans’ fundraiser as part of a broader Islamic State-inspired terrorist plot. Federal agents arrested the suspect after he acquired a firearm.
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Azzam – The American al Qaeda’s “Invitation to Islam”
Banner announcing “Invitation to Islam, al Qaeda’s latest videotape. Links to video below. As Sabah, al Qaeda’s media production company, has released the anticipated videotape of Ayman al-Zawahiri and Adam Gahadn (a.k.a. Azzam the American). This video is the latest in an al Qaeda media campaign designed to influence westerners, supporters and sympathizers. In the video, both Zawahiri and Azzam are dressed in white robes and turbans. They are both on message and their statements are clearly coordinated. If they are not in the same location (and they do not appear together) then their messages were coordinated remotely. This is…
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Russia
Chechen terrorists continue to surrender since the death of Shamil Baseyev on July 10. Chechen terrorist Abukhamid Shamilev, a “deputy commander responsible for logistics” surrendered this week, along with a group of 49 Chechen fighters, and another group of 6.
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Philippines
The Philippine military is bolstering its forces in the fight against al Qaeda linked Abu Sayyaf terrorists on Jolo island. Abu Sayyaf commander Khaddafy and Indonesian members of Jemaah Islamiyah are the targets of operations. U.S. and Filipino troops arriving in Jolo were cheered by locals. Three suspects (including a member of MILF) in a foiled ferry bombing plot have been released on bail.
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Somalia
al Qaeda connected Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader of the radical Islamic Courts in Somalia is “prepared to talk peace” as talks between the ICU and the Transitional Government. The ICU has suspended “all trade and public transportation during prayer times.” The autonomous region of Puntland is beginning to arrest ICU friendly Islamist clerics. Africa is viewed by many experts as the “next big battleground” against al Qaeda, and Washington is considering creating an African command structure. An unnamed intelligence source indicates the ICU and the Algerian GSPC are enemies number 1 and 2, respectively.
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United Kingdom
Police in the United Kingdom arrested 14 in a terror sweep at a restaurant and a mosque. The arrests are unrelated to airline plot or 7/7 attacks. MI5 indicates they are are keeping tabs on “thousands of people” who may be involved in terrorism. This news comes as BBC releases a program on the radicalization of Europe’s young Muslims.
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Egypt
Egyptian authorities are preparing for al Qaeda attacks in the southern Sinai, as hundreds of Israeli tourist flee the region. Police are hunting “five suspected al Qaeda members in the Sinai Peninsula” who are believed to be Egyptians.
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Iran
The International Atomic Energy Agency has “found new traces of enriched uranium in Iran.” Iran refuses to give up its nuclear program. The U.S. State Department has approved a visa for former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami to visit the country. Khatami was sponsored by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
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Al Qaeda
A jihadi website has announced the pending release of a video from Ayman al-Zawahiri and “Azzam al-Ameriki (Adam Gadahn). The GSPC has also released a propaganda video of “Mujahideen operations tracking training, preparation, attack, and celebration.” The Global Islamic Media Front is launching a professional-quality German language website aimed at sympathizers and disaffected Westerns. New English, French, Spanish websites are anticipated. al Qaeda’s media arm is well organized and on message.
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The Lost Territories
North Waziristan and Quetta: Pakistani Tribal regions continue to slide into the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda The Afghan-Pakistan border regions. News from Pakistan’s western tribal belt is less than encouraging these days. The Taliban and their al Qaeda backers continue to operate from safe havens within Pakistan, particularly in North Waziristan and Quetta. The Taliban have fought the Pakistani Army to a standstill, and forced them to largely remain in barracks in the North Waziristan agency capital of Miranshah. Beheadings of suspected U.S. spies are now commonplace; the bodies of the two latest victims “were dumped at…
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The Battle Against Sadr Intensifies
Signs indicate the Iraqi government and the Coalition are putting additional pressure against Muqtada al-Sadr and his radical Mahdi Army The fighting between the Iraqi Army and the forces of Iranian backed radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army earlier in the week has increased the tensions between the government and the militia. The battles in Diwaniyah resulted in fifty Mahdi militiamen killed, twenty troops from the Iraqi army, and up to 80 civilians dead. One day after a truce was called in the town of Diwaniyah, Iraqi Defense Minister Abdel Qader Jassim Mohammed has called it off. According to…
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The Battle for Baghdad Continues
Sadr’s Mahdi Army and political party become targets of the Iraqi government Baghdad and Operation Together Forward. Green is cleared, Yellow is ongoing operations, Red is untouched. Diamonds indicate locations of violence. Operation Together Forward, the plan to secure Baghdad, is still in its second phase, with Iraqi and Coalition forces clearing and securing the most violent neighborhoods. As we mentioned earlier, the Iraqi government and Coalition are executing the operation of the course of months, not weeks. “This thing’s going to be conducted over many months, and the idea was to get into focused areas, reduce the level of…
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A Hard August for the Taliban in Afghanistan
The “Taliban Offensive” continues to produce Taliban bodies but the Taliban and al Qaeda continue to grow in Northwestern Pakistan The Taliban’s summer of 2006 “offensive” continues to produce inordinately large numbers of Taliban casualties with little to show for the slaughter. But the Taliban still possess its bases of operation in northwestern Pakistan, and churns out fighters for the Afghan front. The Taliban has largely eschewed the established hit-and-run harassment tactics common in successful insurgencies, and has chosen to engage Afghan and Coalition forces en masse. The results have been deadly – for the Taliban. In battle after battle,…
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Aftermath of the Hezbollah-Israeli War
Disarming Hezbollah no longer an option Israel’s failure to fully pursue Hezbollah in the region below the Litani River in southern Lebanon as well as in southern Beirut and the Bekaa Valley is a model of what not to do when fighting terrorist organizations. The Israeli government’s strategy of over reliance on air power during the first two weeks of the campaign, which was then followed by overly conservative ground campaigns in southern Lebanon, allowed Hezbollah reach its desired goal of a negotiated solution which would essentially allow it to maintain its power in the country. Last week, the Jerusalem…
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Islamic Courts Consolidates Power in Somalia
Map of Somalia, recent gains by the Islamic Courts marked in red. Click map to view. Somalia continues the slide into the darkness of a radical Islamist state. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the al Qaeda linked leader of the Islamic Courts is consolidating power in Somalia by taking control of vital lines of communications, organizing the army of the Islamic Courts, and instituting shariah law throughout the areas it controls. As Daveed Gartenstein-Ross has noted, the Islamic Courts have taken control of the port cities of Harardhere, Eldher and Hoyobo, as well as Beletuein on the border with Ethiopia. The…
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The Ongoing Battle for Baghdad
Phase 2 of Operation Together Forward is in its early stages. Click map to view. The city of Baghdad, as well as Baghdad Province has become the epicenter of violence in Iraq. In a recent press briefing, Major General Bill Caldwell stated an estimated eighty percent of the violence in Iraq is occurring in Baghdad province. The Iraqi government must establish some semblance of control over the city. Baghdad is the political center of Iraq, as well as the focal point for the foreign media, which plays a large roll in influencing international opinion on Iraq. The legitimacy of the…
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The Kidnapping of Jill Carroll
Jill Carroll, the Christian Science Monitor reporter who was kidnapped by insurgents in Iraq last January and released 82 days later, has begun to tell the story of the long days she spent in captivity following her kidnapping. In a series called Hostage: The Jill Carroll Story, Jill provides a first person account of her kidnapping, the murder of her partner, and her initial days in captivity (the first few installments of the series are currently online). This is a fascinating look at the thoughts and feeling of a victim of a kidnapping plot, and the mindset and operational methods…
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Rehman, Rauf, suspected London Airline Plotters Captured, and the Pakistani Connection
Wanted photo of Matiur Rehman. Click photo to view. Two of the suspected ring leaders of the al Qaeda London Airline Plot to destroy aircraft en route to the United States have been captured by Pakistani intelligence. Matiur Rehman, who is believed to be a high-ranking leader in al Qaeda’s Pakistan operations, was captured in the Pakistani city of Bahawalpur. Rashid Rauf, who is described as “the planner of the attacks who recruited people to take part in the plot,” was also captured in the city of Bahawalpur. His arrest just prior to the announcement of the airline plot is…
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MNF-Iraq Update on Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Major General William Caldwell’s August 16th briefing on the state of counterinsurgency operations in Baghdad also includes an interesting, extended look at efforts to fight al Qaeda in Iraq and intelligence gleaned from the terror organization based on the capture of detainees (as well as the examination of documents, computers and other materials, which are not mentioned in the briefing). According to Maj. Gen. Caldwell, Coalition forces have obtained ” unique insight into the plans and operations of al-Qaida in Iraq and what they are doing to achieve their goals.” Al-Qaeda in Iraq remains a potent force behind the sectarian…
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Podcast at Global Crisis Watch
On Sunday afternoon Richard Lafayette and Nick Grace of Global Crisis Watch interviewed Daveed Gartenstein-Ross about the London Airline Plot and counterterrorism efforts. Also, I participated in a round table forum with Nir Boms of the Center for Freedom in the Middle East and Leah Soibel of the Israel Project. The topic was the war between Hezbollah and Israel, and the implications of the cease fire.
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After Action Report: Winners and Losers in the Hezbollah-Israel War
With the cessation of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel largely holding after 24 hours, it is time to look at the likely winners and losers of the Hezbollah-Israel war. Israel spent the weekend scrambling to reach the Litani River and consolidate their positions south of the river before the fighting ended, launching an attack which amounted to too little too late. The negotiated cease fire implemented by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, has lead to a major political victory for Hezbollah, Iran and Syria,and dealt Israel, Lebanon and the United States serious setbacks. The Winners: Hezbollah: Hezbollah achieved what…
