Search Results for: Ansar al Islam




Ansar al Islam claims new attacks on official Twitter feed

In one tweet earlier this month, Ansar al Islam implied that it had a hand in the killing of a top Iraqi general. But this claim cannot be independently verified and the few details offered by the group conflict with published reports based on Iraqi government sources.


Ansar al Islam releases propaganda photos showing operations in Iraq

Ansar al Islam, a jihadist group founded in September 2001, has released a set of propaganda photos showing its claimed operations in Iraq. The photos purport to show the organization’s control over a highway between Tikrit and Kirkuk, captured spoils, and its willingness to grant amnesty to members of Iraq’s security forces.



Ansar al Islam names new leader

Ansar-al-Islam-banner.jpgAnsar al Islam, an al Qaeda-linked terror group based in northern Iraq, named Abu Hashim Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman al Ibrahim as its new emir.


Ansar al Islam

Ansar al Islam claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in Baghdad on Oct. 6, 10, and 13. The terror group said it killed more than 60 Iraqis in attacks on policemen and Shia militias in the Sadr City, Al Washash, and Al Atefiyah neighborhoods.




Ansar al-Islam raids Assad regime position in Latakia

Ansar al-Islam raided an Assad regime military position in the Latakia province yesterday, killing more than two dozen Assad loyalists. The attack was widely celebrated on Sunni jihadist social media channels. Ansar al-Islam is a small jihadist group that originated in Iraq, but has fought in Syria for years.





Islamic State flag waving on the wind

Analysis: Islamic State calls for jihad in Sudan

In its weekly Al Naba newsletter, the Islamic State made its most explicit call for jihad inside Sudan, referring to opposing sides of the country’s brutal civil war as infidels. Both the Islamic State and Al Qaeda have now called on Muslims in Sudan to take up arms for their respective organizations.


Iranian air defense system and missile

Analysis: Tehran’s triad: propaganda, proxies, and preparedness

The Tehran regime faces significant challenges, including the diminished influence of its regional proxies and the potential for an Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities. In response, the Islamic Republic has devised a three-pronged strategy: bolstering morale through propaganda, conducting extensive military drills as a deterrent, and amplifying support for its remaining proxies.


Hayat Tahrir al Sham-terror network in Syria

Hayat Tahrir al Sham’s terror network in Syria

The Biden administration is reportedly debating removing Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) from the list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. However, while the group’s leader, Abu Muhammad al Jolani, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, attempts to portray HTS as moderate, a host of jihadist groups—many designated as Foreign Terror Organizations—fight under the banner of or are allied with HTS.


Cover of AQAP magazine

Analysis: AQAP praises Shabaab’s activities in East Africa

In the latest issue of its Sada al-Malahem magazine, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) heaped significant praise on recent operations conducted by Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa. The article is another data point regarding the open support between these Al Qaeda branches.



Analysis: The Houthis have challenged the Rules-Based International System and must be defeated

Was the international community culpably naive in failing to give unqualified backing to Yemen’s internationally recognized government (IRG)? And was this largely because of a knee-jerk hostility to the Saudis that is so common in Western progressive circles? If the Houthis genuinely pose a chronic threat to the Rules-Based International System and intend to hold freedom of navigation in the Red Sea hostage to any and every tactical interest they choose to pursue, will it become inevitable to try to revive and empower the Saudi-IRG coalition to suppress them?


Iran intelligence logos

Analysis: Mass arrests and conflicting narratives following the Haniyeh assassination

Iran’s regime arrested dozens of intelligence officers who may have been responsible for the security breach that led to Haniyeh’s assassination. The IRGC’s sole control over the investigation into the incident and the regime’s contradictory reporting further demonstrate various parties are intentionally crafting differing narratives to deflect blame and avoid being seen as incompetent.



Makkawi reward poster

Jihadi archives: Islamic State’s eulogy of Sudanese jihadist Mohamad Makkawi Ibrahim

In May 2016, the Islamic State (IS) issued a eulogy for the infamous Sudanese jihadist Mohamad Makkawi Ibrahim through its weekly Al-Naba newsletter. The eulogy flew under the radar at the time but offers an interesting look into the career of one of the Islamic State’s first so-called “martyrs” in Somalia. It also provides an early chronicle of the Islamic State’s history in the Horn of Africa.


Islamic State flag waving on the wind

Islamic State operatives arrested after illegally crossing the US border

Eight Tajik nationals with ties to the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) were recently arrested in major US cities after illegally crossing the Mexican border as early as 2023. The arrests underscore the resurgence of the ISKP after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and may indicate terrorist groups are seeking to exploit America’s border crisis to stage attacks.


Jihadi History: Al-Qaeda’s failed mobilization efforts in Central African Republic

In early 2014, as Muslim civilians were being massacred in Central African Republic as part of a cycle of violence between Muslim and Christian militias, al-Qaeda went on a full-court press in an attempt to foster any jihadist movement to take up arms in the country. These attempts, however, largely fell on deaf ears. As such, this offers a unique glimpse into when, and potentially how, jihadist mobilization attempts fail.



Houthis strike commercial vessel, target French warship

A Norwegian tanker was hit with a cruise missile, while a French warship shot down two drones that “came straight at” it. The Houthis have vowed to continue to attack all international ships that enter or leave Israeli ports.