In exchange for two kidnapped U.S. and Australian professors, the Afghan government freed dangerous Taliban and Haqqani Network leaders Haji Malik Khan, Anas Haqqani, and Qari Abdul Rasheed Omari. Read more >
If confirmed, this would represent another major blow to al Qaeda's Uqba bin Nafi Battalion. Read more >
Two statements, which were released by al Qaeda's general command and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, were addressed to Shabaab yesterday in a coordinated messaging campaign. Read more >
Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security claims it has confirmed that Asim Umar, the emir of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, was killed during a Sept. 23 raid in Helmand province. Other key AQIS leaders were also killed in the fighting. Read more >
In 2001, Omar was unwavering in his position that the Taliban was religiously obligated to protect Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda cadre. The Taliban has remained true to Omar's words, and fought an 18 year long war to defend the terror group. Read more >
Afghan officials have identified several AQIS members who were killed during a controversial raid in Musa Qala, Helmand earlier this week. They have also posted images purportedly documenting the weaponry, explosives and cash seized at the jihadists' compound. Read more >
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has repeatedly made it absolutely clear that the aim of this Jihad is the end of occupation and establishment of an Islamic government," the Taliban says in a recent statement. Read more >
On Sept. 19, Thomas Joscelyn testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs at a hearing titled, "The Trump Administration's Afghanistan Policy." His testimony focused on the close working relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Read more >
A raid against a Taliban explosives warehouse in Ghazni highlights the enduring relationship between the Taliban and al Qaeda. Read more >
On Sept. 14, President Trump released a statement saying Hamza bin Laden was killed in an American "counterterrorism operation." However, key questions concerning Hamza's life and death remain unanswered. Read more >
On the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 hijackings, Ayman al-Zawahiri defends the attack. He claims in a new video that all of the Islamic scholars' arguments against the hijackings have been "refuted." The video also features various al-Qaeda leaders from around the globe. Read more >
The past week has seen the harshest fighting between the two jihadist groups since April. Read more >
U.S. Central Command says an airstrike targeted al Qaeda in Syria (AQ-S) "leadership at a facility north of Idlib, Syria" earlier today. Jihadis on social media say the facility belonged to Ansar al-Tawhid, which is one of several al Qaeda-affiliated groups in Syria. Read more >
The Taliban continues to churn out propaganda that promotes jihad and the training of its fighters even as it is simultaneously negotiating an agreement with the United States that will lead to the withdrawal of US forces. Read more >
Shabaab's "Then Fight the Leaders of Disbelief" video series features clips of various al Qaeda figures from the past and present. Shabaab argues that Somali hotels are legitimate targets because they serve as "heavily fortified bases" for the government and its allies. Read more >
The bombing, which leveled a police station and killed and wounded scores of people, is the latest in a series of terror attacks in the capital. The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation continues to claim the Taliban can be an "effective counterterrorism partner"despite the Taliban's repeated use of terror tactics. Read more >
Mizan district was under siege for more than one year before it fell. Security in Zabul province, which is a known haven for al Qaeda and straddles the border with Pakistan, has deteriorated over the past five years. Al Qaeda operated a base in Mizan as recently as Sept. 2016. Read more >
The Taliban describes al Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the US as a "heavy slap on their dark faces," claiming it "was the consequence of their interventionist policies and not our doing." Additionally, the Taliban says it will not talk to the Afghan government, will fight Afghan security forces to the end, rejects the presence of foreign forces on Afghan soil, and calls western culture uncivilized. Read more >
Trump's acquiescence to Pakistan, which has backed the Taliban's deadly insurgency in Afghanistan, occurs less than two years after he accused Pakistan of providing "safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror". Trump also said Pakistan returned billions of dollars in US aid with “nothing but lies & deceit.” Read more >
Security in Badakhshan has gradually worsened over the past five years since the Afghan military and police took full control of security in the province. Al Qaeda and other foreign terrorist groups have a significant presence in the northern province. Read more >
Pakistan is a state where those who push the bounds of what is acceptable to the military and Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, including jihadists, politicians, journalists, and activists, end up missing or are found murdered. Pakistan has weathered nearly two decades of international condemnation over Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, yet he and his terrorist entities have not only survived, but thrived. Read more >
Al Jazeera released a documentary alleging that Bahrain and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula work together. Today, the al Qaeda branch denied this accusation in a letter to the editor. Read more >
Two leaders of al Qaeda's Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a Moroccan national and a local Malian, were designated as terrorists today. Read more >
Ayman al-Zawahiri has released a new message entitled, "Don't Forget Kashmir." He criticizes the Pakistani Army and intelligence services at length, saying they can't be trusted to support the jihad against Indian forces. He also calls upon Muslim scholars to explain that it is "individual duty" to support the Taliban's Islamic Emirate. Read more >
CENTCOM says the U.S. targeted a group of al Qaeda operatives in Syria who were "responsible for plotting external attacks threatening U.S. citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians." According to jihadists online, the operatives belonged to Hurras al-Din (the "Guardians of Religion" organization). Read more >
The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), an al Qaeda-affiliated group, has released a series of images showing a large number of fighters preparing for battle in Syria. The TIP has been a key jihadist group within the insurgency for years. Read more >
Asim Umar, a senior al Qaeda official, has released a statement praising the Taliban's "victory" in Afghanistan over the US. He also criticizes ISIS for dividing the jihadists' ranks, praying that Allah ends the "fitnah." Read more >
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent's spokesman has released a glowing eulogy for Zakir Musa, who led Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH) until his death in May. AQIS has also released a video calling on jihadis to join its cause in Kashmir. And AGH has named Musa's successor. Read more >
The defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria was neither final nor decisive, and policymakers should heed the War on Terror’s lessons to ensure the West doesn’t squander this advantage and enable ISIS, or its copycats and successor groups, to rally. Read more >
Indian forces have killed Zakir Musa, who led the al Qaeda-linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH). Musa and his men have attempted to poach from Pakistani-backed jihadist groups, while also competing with an upstart Islamic State presence. Musa's motto was "Sharia or Martyrdom." Read more >
Although John Walker Lindh is commonly known as the "American Taliban," he was actually trained by al Qaeda and belonged to Osama bin Laden's pro-Taliban fighting force. Read more >
Al Qaeda is operating "across the country" and not confined to one region, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan said. Read more >
The Turkistan Islamic Party, "Incite the Believers" operations room and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham are all battling Bashar al-Assad's loyalists in Latakia, Syria. Read more >
In a new audio address, Shabaab's Abu ‘Abdurahman Mahad Warsame warns jihadists that they should avoid spilling the blood of innocent Muslims. However, he justifies the assassination of a Muslim cleric and the murder of civilians. Read more >
Al Qaeda has released a new video emphasizing its unity with the Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The video features a joint Taliban-al Qaeda ambush on an Afghan army convoy in Paktika province. Read more >
The Assad regime and Russia have stepped up their bombing campaign in northwestern Syria in recent weeks. The al Qaeda-linked "Incite the Believers" operations room has counterattacked with a series of operations. Read more >
In his testimony to Congress in July 2016, Zalmay Khalilzad called for designating Pakistan a State Sponsor of Terrorism for its support of the Taliban, noted the enduring Taliban-al Qaeda alliance. Today he praises Pakistan for its desire for peace in Afghanistan and claims the Taliban will be an effective counterterrorism partner. Read more >
Bill Roggio testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and International Terrorism, and examines the global terrorism landscape. Read more >
While strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have waned over the past year, they have not halted all together. AQAP remains a significant threat. Read more >
The head of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), Abdul Haq al-Turkistani, has called on jihadist "scholars" to do more to address the plight of Uighurs. Al-Turkistani addresses his message to Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhunzada, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and a number of al Qaeda ideologues. Read more >
Despite repeated claims to the contrary, al Qaeda has not been defeated in Afghanistan, and it still continues to operate alongside its ally, the Taliban. Read more >
If the current pace of strikes continues, the US will strike Shabaab 130 times in 2019. Is this a prelude to disengagement? Read more >
According to the UN's Jan. 2019 assessment, al Qaeda's relationship with the Taliban is "long-standing" and "strong." And al Qaeda "continues to see Afghanistan as a safe haven for its leadership." The UN estimates that the Islamic State has several thousand fighters in Afghanistan as well. Read more >
The State Department announced today that it is offering a $1 million reward for information on Hamza bin Laden's whereabouts. Hamza is the genetic and ideological heir of al Qaeda's founder and he has been groomed for a leadership position within the organization. Read more >
The two latest strikes took place in a town where Shabaab is dominant. The US air campaign against Shabaab continues to intensify and is on pace to quickly outstrip last year's strike total. Read more >
In a message released on Feb. 5, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri harshly criticizes the jihadists in Syria. He says they are engaged in a misguided "competition" for "imagined authority" over territory that is under the oversight "of secular Turkish checkpoints." Read more >
The Taliban claims it does "not allow anyone to use the soil of Afghanistan against other countries including neighboring countries." Some have uncritically accepted this claim. But it is obviously false. Read more >
In a statement released earlier today, Al Qaeda’s Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which operates in West Africa and the wider Sahel, claimed Tuesday’s suicide assault on a Malian military base in the northern town of Tarkint. A photo of the purported suicide bomber was also released.... Read more >
According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), al Qaeda's senior leaders are strengthening the al Qaeda "network's global command structure." Meanwhile, the Islamic State "still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria." Both groups maintain worldwide networks or affiliates, branches, and supporters. Read more >
Bilal Khuraysat, an al Qaeda ideologue in Syria, has released a treatise justifying Shabaab's war with the Islamic State in Somalia. The Islamic State continues to battle al Qaeda's branches and like-minded jihadists in several theaters. Read more >
