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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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Iran says it has agreement with Iraq to expel Kurdish Iranian opposition groups
Iran’s ambassador to Iraq claimed on October 20 that Iraq has agreed to expel Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region. The announcement came amid increased Iranian attacks on these groups and as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party withdraws from positions in northern Iraq as part of a peace process with Turkey. An Iraqi…
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Pakistan-Taliban border clashes continue amid diplomatic efforts
Pakistani forces and the Taliban exchanged heavy fire along the border as Russia, the European, and China pressed for dialogue and action against terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.
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Lebanon revokes Iranian bank’s license amid US pressure over Hezbollah financing
Lebanon has revoked Bank Saderat Iran’s operating license amid US pressure to disrupt Hezbollah’s financial networks. The bank has a documented history of channeling Iranian funds to Hezbollah, but whether Lebanese authorities have closed its branches or initiated liquidation proceedings remains unclear.
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Hezbollah accuses Lebanese police of violating security coordination procedure after supporters reportedly obstruct raid
Armed men identifying themselves as Hezbollah supporters reportedly surrounded Lebanese security personnel conducting an October 16 raid on a pharmaceutical warehouse near Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hezbollah subsequently claimed the officers had violated an agreed security coordination procedure with the group.
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Profile: Hezbollah’s new liaison to the Lebanese state and society
Hussain al Abdallah, the new chief of Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit who succeeded Wafiq Safa, reportedly sought the return of explosives seized by Lebanese security forces in early October. Abdallah’s career spans more than two decades in Hezbollah’s southern security apparatus.
All Articles
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Mountaineer Ends
Operation Mountaineer, the joint Iraqi and U.S. cordon & search operation in Ramadi, has completed. The southern neighborhood of Tammin was the main target of the operation, and the railroad bridge across the river was secured to prevent insurgents from smuggling weapons into the city from the west (the railroad bridge is bottom center of the satellite map). During the operation, twelve suspected insurgents were detained. Two of the suspects were captured at a school, and tested positive for explosive residue. The terrorists used the school as an ammunition depot: Coalition Forces discovered a large weapons cache and improvised explosive…
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Enter Operation River Gate
The Anbar Campaign intensifies and Zarqawi’s “Islamic Republic of Haditha” is in jeopardy. The Coalition – including Iraqi Army units – have launched Operation Bawwabatu Annaher (River Gate) and are taking the fight to Haditha, Haqlaniyah and Barwana. This operation is being conducted in conjunction with Operation Iron Fist in the Qaim region, and Operation Hiba (Mountaineers) in Ramadi (which we discussed last night). Approximately 2,500 Marines, Soldiers and Sailors from Regimental Combat Team – 2 and Iraqi Security Force soldiers are participating in the operation, making it the largest operation in the Al Anbar province this year. The operation’s…
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Iraqi Army in Ramadi – Operation Mountaineers
Coalition forces continue to battle with insurgents in an effort to secure Ramadi. Over the past two weeks several incidents of fighting have been reported. John Carlson, a reported embedded with 224th Engineer Battalion of the Iowa National Guard writes “It’s noon Monday in Ramadi as I write this (4 a.m. in Iowa) and there’s been a big battle underway in the city. You can hear the machine gun fire from Camp Ramadi.” The evidence points to low level clashes, however. Mr. Carlson describes an IED (improvised explosive device) hunter patrol manned by the engineers of the 224th. The soldiers…
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Iron Fist – Day Three
Day three of Operation Iron Fist has ended. Captain Jeffery Pool states that reports Marines have taken the fight to Karabilah are “not necessarily accurate” and “the operation is taking place in and around the village of Sa’dah.” This conflicts with Anna Badkhen’s report that Marines entered the town but withdrew. However it is possible Ms. Badkhen confused the location of the engagement (her report from today is likely a summary of the action encountered Sunday). The most of today’s fighting occurred north and east of Sa’dah, in the direction of Karabilah. This morning, Marines discovered a bomb in a…
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The Fighting Moves to Karabilah
The fight in Western Iraq has moved to the outskirts of the town of Karabilah, after the town of Sada was cleared by Marines. Press reports indicate 36 terrorists have been killed so far, with no Marine casualties. Al Qaeda has claimed to have taken two Marines as prisoners, but Major Neil Murphy denies this; “Claims on an Islamic militant website that two Marines were kidnapped in western Iraq are patently false. All Marines and service members attached to Multi-National Force – Iraq are accounted for.” Like the claims of airstrikes on Rumana, excessive civilian casualties and the cutting of…
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Iron Fist IV – Day Two
Day two of Operation Iron Fist has completed. Captain Jeffery Pool issues a status update. Thirteen insurgents are confirmed killed in the fighting, twelve others are suspected killed or wounded after six JDAMs (GPS guided bombs) struck a safe house. Five civilian casualties are reported, and no Marines were killed or injured during the intense fighting. Combat has indeed spread to the area surrounding Karabilah, as predicted this morning.: In one incident, at approximately 11:45 a.m. this morning, seven insurgents were engaged by Marine aircraft West of Sa’dah. Four of the insurgents were confirmed killed and the remaining three fled…
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Iron Fist III – Matador or Restoring Rights?
Marines entered the town of Sada and conducted house by house searches. Anna Badkhen, embedded with the Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment reports many of the residents fled the town, and the terrorists took the opportunity to rig homes with explosive devices. Ms. Badkhen also states the Marine are receiving inaccurate mortar fire from the east in the direction of the town of Karibalah. Karibalah is the home of the tribe which has supported al Qaeda in and has battled the Karabilah tribe for control in the region. The media has failed to place Iron Fist into the…
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Iron Fist Update
The first day of Operation Iron Fist concludes. Eight terrorists are killed during separate engagements and one is captured – a potential source of intelligence on the enemy’s infrastructure and defenses in the town. Multiple car bombs are destroyed. Airstrikes, infantry and armor were utilized during the day’s fighting. The fighting appears to be occurring at the perimeter of the Sada, and the insurgents are either attempting to flee the assault or are attacking the Marines head on. No Marine casualties have been reported. Captain Patrick Kerr sends a roundup of the day’s fighting: Coalition Forces, including helicopters from 2nd…
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Operation Iron Fist Near Qaim
Operation Iron Fist is aimed at the town of Sada (Sa’dah) near Qaim. Via an email from Captain Jeffery Pool (updated with press release): A force of approximately 1,000 Marines, soldiers and sailors from Regimental Combat Team-2 launched an operation against a known terrorist sanctuary in the western Al Anbar province town of Sa’dah, in the Al Qa’im region approximately 12 km. from the Syrian border. Operation Kabda Bil Hadid (Iron Fist) began in the early morning hours with the objectives of rooting out Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) terrorists operating within the area and disrupting insurgent support systems in…
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The Waiting Game in Qaim
The Coalition is preparing to assault the region of Qaim, on the western end of the Euphrates River. An unidentified Iraqi source states the date of the operation will not be advertised, and intimates the operation may already be underway; “Just as with our Tal Afar operation, D-Day is not announced until well after we go on in — and you can take it that D-Day [in Qaim] has either happened or is about to.” Anna Badkhen from the San Francisco Chronicle has been reporting from the region, and states the towns of Husaybah, Ubaydi, Qaim, Sada, and Karabila are…
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Controlling Ramadi
The situation in Ramadi is still unclear. Coalition and media reports are sparse on the subject of Ramdi, but it does appear operations are occurring, accompanied by an up tick in violence. Last week, we discussed an operation in the northeast of the city, where Marines airlifted equipment into a stadium and fighting soon broke out in the industrial district directly north. In the past few days, six Marines have been killed in combat. All six were killed “conducting combat operations” . Matthew D. LaPlante, a reporter with the Salt Lake Tribune who is embedding with Utah National Guard units…
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Operation Hunter Redux
Last week, the Coalition announced that Operation Hunter (or Sayaid), designed to bolster Coalition forces in the region of Qaim on the Syrian border, was underway. Yesterday, Iraq’s Chief of Interior Ministry Commandos stated that Iraqi commandos will conduct sweeps in the border area beginning Tuesday (it is unclear if this means operations are currently underway, or if the deployment is moving forward). KUNA intimates the operations will be an Iraqi led endeavor, but no doubt the Marines based in Qaim as well as Special Operations units, Air Force, Naval and army artillery assets will participate. This news coincides with…
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Who was Abdullah Abu Azzam al-Iraqi?
The death of Abdullah Abu Azzam al-Iraqi at the hands of the Coalition has raised questions. What was his value to al Qaeda in Iraq, and was he captured last winter? Who was he? Abdullah Abu Azzam al-Iraqi was also known as Abdallah Nahim, but his real name was Abdallah Mohammed al-Juhaari. He was a major figure in al Qaeda in Iraq, and he had not been captured prior to his death. A major problem with the nom de guerres used by terrorists is that several operatives often take the same name. This generates much confusion in the intelligence community…
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The Chopping Block
The past month has been exceptionally hard on the upper management of al Qaeda in Iraq. The death of al Qaeda in Iraq’s senior commander, Abdullah Abu Azzam, highlights this fact. Security Watchtower documents the heavy losses. In the Anbar and Diwana provinces, sixteen leaders, including six “emirs” , five senior facilitators and 5 brigade or cell leaders have been killed or captured. This list excludes the Coaliton’s success in dismantling the al-Ahwal brigade in the city of Hit. The Lincoln Tribune provides the details, summarized below. Note the cascading effect of capturing a senior leader of the al-Ahwal brigade.…
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The Demise of Abu Azzam
Al Qaeda in Iraq’s leadership suffers another blow. Sheikh Abdullah Abu Azzam al-Iraqi, reportedly the organization’s number two in command, has been killed by Coalition forces in Baghdad during a raid after the Coalition received a tip on his location. That the Coalition found him indicates actionable intelligence was available, and that he was in Baghdad indicates he may have been leading the recent spate of attacks in the capital. Any documentation found in Azzam’s possession may greatly assist in uncovering further al Qaeda leaders and cells. While the report indicates Azzam was the chief financier for al Qaeda in…
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al Qaeda Commander and 20 Terrorists Killed in Raid
The Coalition continues to conduct targeted strikes on al Qaeda in the Qaim region along the Syrian border. A safe house in the town of Al ‘Ushsh, which is about two miles from Qaim, was destroyed. Abu Nasir, who according to CENTCOM was believed to be “a senior al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighter facilitator and the alleged new al Qaeda in Iraq Emir of Karabilah” was among an estimated twenty terrorists killed in the attack. Abu Nasir’s tenure as al Qaeda Emir of the Qaim region was short-lived. He follows in the footsteps of Abu Ali, who was confirmed…
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The Anbar Campaign Continues
The Coalition appears to be conducting a comprehensive operation along a segment of the Euphrates River. The area of operations appears to stretch from Ramadi in the east to Khan-Al-Baghdadi in the west. Buried at the bottom of an Associate Press article on a multitude of news from Iraq: West of Baghdad, U.S. forces kept up pressure on insurgents near their Ramadi stronghold. Al-Sharqiyah television said the Americans operating in Hit detained more than 40 men who served in Saddam’s armed forces in ranks ranging from major to brigadier general. The U.S. military did not report the arrests. Ramadi is…
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Clashes in Ramadi
The city of Ramadi currently appears to be the focus of a Coalition operation. Four soldiers were killed in the city on Monday, and today two Marines were killed in separate attacks. Capt. Nasir Al-Alousi of the Ramadi police reports fighting has broken out after U.S. forces airlifted equipment into the stadium and has since moved into an industrial complex. The movement of equipment to the stadium may indicate it will be used as a staging area within the city. A look at the map shows the stadium is just south of the industrial zone, where the fighting moved, so…
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Northern Exposure
Iraqi and U.S. forces in Tal Afar have switched from combat operations to reconstruction and security operations. According to Major General Abdel Aziz Mohammed Jassem, the assault on Tal Afar resulted in 157 insurgents killed and 683 captured. Iraqi Security Forces suffered 12 killed and 27 wounded, astonishingly low numbers for urban combat. The town has been largely freed of insurgents, and the neighborhoods are classified as either safe or relatively safe, with none deemed dangerous. The Coalition continues to deliver food and other aid to the city, including $10,000,000 in immediate reconstruction funds (click map for details, courtesy of…
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Revisting Samarra
Operation Sayaid is designed to establish a Coalition presence along the Syrian border and choke off the insurgency from Qaim to Haditha. While operations along the northern ratline around Tal Afar, the central (and main) ratline around Qaim, and the southern entry point around Rutbah continue, the Coalition has not forgotten about the heart of the Sunni Triangle. During the battle of Tal Afar, Iraqi Defense Minister Dulaimi issued a warning to several Sunni-dominated towns and cities; “We tell our people in Ramadi, Samarra, Rawah and Qaim that we are coming.” Last week, Iraqi Defense Minister Dulaimi issued an ultimatum…
