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Insurgent attacks surge in southeastern Iran
Insurgent attacks have intensified in southeastern Iran, with the Baluch coalition JMM claiming five operations in the first eight days of October. A review of 37 armed incidents since January 2026 traces the renewed insurgency, its growing attacks on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and police, and JMM’s shift toward framing its struggle in Iranian nationalist terms.
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Somalia claims to have killed another senior Shabaab leader
Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said that Bashir Ahmed Haji Nunow, the former head of Shabaab’s Amniyat wing and ringleader behind the worst terrorist attack in Somalia’s history, is dead. Shabaab has neither confirmed nor denied his death.
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Syria increases criticism of Israeli actions, continues diplomatic outreach
Syria has stepped up its criticism of Israeli military operations in Syria, drawing support from several regional countries. Damascus continues diplomatic outreach, strengthening ties with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the US as it seeks to consolidate its regional position following the fall of the Assad regime.
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Islamic State-linked suspects detained or charged in 6 countries since late September
Authorities detained suspected Islamic State fighters, dismantled an alleged criminal network, and disrupted a suspected poison-and-explosives plot between September 25 and October 8 in eight distinct cases spanning Europe, Turkey, Georgia, and Israel.
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The Taliban vs Pakistan: Can they both lose?
Five years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban is stronger than ever, Al Qaeda continues to operate under its protection, and Pakistan is learning the hard way that supporting jihadists comes with a price. Bill Roggio is joined by Will Selber to assess the state of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate, the fractured Afghan…
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FBI arrests alleged Islamic State supporter accused of plotting Mall of America attack
Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud, 18, an American citizen of Somali descent, allegedly intended to attack an arts festival at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, in late October. Mohamud’s arrest marks the seventh Islamic State-linked terrorism case or incident in the United States this year.
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IDF shifts southern Lebanon forces toward ‘forward-defense’ posture as troops prepare for winter
The Israeli military is shifting toward a deeper “forward defense” posture in southern Lebanon, rotating formations and preparing positions for winter while continuing to clear Hezbollah infrastructure. The evolving deployment comes as Hezbollah maintains that Israeli forces’ continued presence in Lebanon justifies continued “resistance.”
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US flag trampling, militia disarmament dispute mark Iraq’s post-US withdrawal era
Iraq is grappling with controversy over the role of Iran-backed militias following the departure of US forces, including an incident in which Popular Mobilization Forces members were photographed driving over an American flag. Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi is pushing to bring militia weapons under state control by June 2027, with several factions reportedly agreeing…
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Yemeni government forces launch Saudi-backed counteroffensive against Houthis
The Yemeni government announced a counteroffensive against the Houthis, with Saudi support, to retake territory the group seized in September, stating that removing the Houthis from the Yemeni capital of Sanaa is a goal. Forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government retook territory along the Bab al Mandeb Strait on October 5.
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Pakistan launches new strikes as conflict with Taliban persist into third week
Pakistan claims its latest airstrikes in Afghanistan last week killed 22 terrorists, while the UN reports 10 civilians killed, most of them children. The Taliban accused Islamabad of sending anti-Taliban fighters into Afghanistan.
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Syria faces infrastructure sabotage, Islamic State activity amid utility shortages
Syria has restored a sabotaged gas pipeline near Deir Ezzor and is repairing another line near Damascus as authorities confront threats to the country’s energy infrastructure. The repairs come amid wider challenges, including Islamic State activity and electricity, water, and fuel shortages, even as Syria expands energy trade with Iraq and works to restore regional…
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Retooling
Information on the Iraqi forces fighting in Fallujah is difficult to come by as the media is focusing on the front line battles, which are mainly conducted by American soldiers and Marines. The Iraqi Army and National Guard have been widely criticized by the American media for problems with training and morale. Most recently, before the operation to take Samarra in October, almost half of one of the Iraqi battalions (about 300 of 750 men) deserted the unit after a suicide bombing that killed an officer of the battalion. The remaining Iraqi battalions, almost 2,000 soldiers, did fight well. The…
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Wolves to the Slaughterhouse
The offensive in Fallujah has uncovered torture chambers run by the various terrorist groups that operated unfettered for the past year. Fallujah will no longer serve as a safe production studio for Zarqawi’s string of barbaric snuff films. “We have found hostage slaughterhouses in Fallujah that were used by these people and the black clothing that they used to wear to identify themselves, hundreds of CDs and whole records with names of hostages,” the general said at a military camp near Fallujah. Mohan was unsure if the hostage records included the names of any of the at least nine foreigners…
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So Long Mogadishu, Hello Fallujah
Two days into the Second Battle of Fallujah, Coalition forces appear to be making stunning progress. Toby Harnden continues his ride with the Phantoms of Task Force 2-2, composed of elements of the 1st Infantry Division. This unit entered the fray in the Askari district, in the upper Northeast corner of Fallujah (see map below for details). The Phantoms have swept through Askari and overtaken the industrial district with little resistance. The Washington Post reports that a psyops exercise is being conducted on the streets of Fallujah. The Americans are taunting the terrorists in their own language, appealing to their…
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Thru Fallujah
The Seattle Times and the Telegraph gives excellent narratives on the tactics used by the Marines and Army forces tasked to retake Fallujah. These articles also provide insight on the overall strategy to destroy the insurgents in Fallujah. Matthew McAllester of Newsday is embedded with the 2nd Battalion of the Army’s 7th Cavalry Regiment, and describes the sophistication and lethality of the Coalition forces arrayed against Fallujah. The American way of war is deadly as the battlefield is integrated. UAVs pinpoint targets, transmit coordinates and images to field commanders, and the orders are quickly given to destroy the enemy position.…
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The Box
News reports indicate the assault on Fallujah is moving forward. Marines supported by the elements of the 1st Infantry Division, the 1st Calvary Division, and Iraqi Army units have attacked from the Northwest and Northeast, into the respective neighborhoods of Jolan and Askari. At the start of the offensive, Coalition forces attacked from the West, taking the two bridges that span the Eastern segment of the Euphrates River. While the media is not reporting this, it is likely Fallujah’s industrial park district is either under Coalition control or will be assaulted shortly; the same goes with the region West of…
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The Weak Horse
The Second Battle of Fallujah has begun. After weeks of failed attempts to negotiate with the various indigenous local factions, Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has declared a state of emergency and has given the vast forces arrayed against Fallujah the permission to attack. The Adventures of Chester provides the order of battle, which is a mix of American Marines, The British Black Watch Regiment and 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, Iraqi forces and possibly the U.S. Army’s 10th Special forces. According to CENTCOM, the “Iraqi forces will comprise a major element of the assault including five Iraqi army battalions,…
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The Battle of the Sunni Triangle
“First we’re going to cut it off, and then we’re going to kill it.” General Colin Powell, Gulf War I The battle to retake the untamed region of Iraq commonly known as the Sunni Triangle has been underway for several months. While there has been reporting of the discrete assaults on individual cities and towns, I have yet to read a comprehensive report on the scope of the conflict. This post is an attempt to piece together the individual accounts and draw a picture of the ongoing battle that is leading up to the showdown in Fallujah. There is little…
