Al Qaeda brigade claims attack on Russian forces in Syria
On the same day that Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad, a mainly Uzbek jihadist group, swore allegiance to Al Nusrah Front, it claimed an attack on Russian forces in the Latakia province of Syria.
Monthly Archives: September 2015
Uzbek group pledges allegiance to Al Nusrah Front
The mainly Uzbek group, Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad, has formally pledged allegiance to Al Nusrah Front. However, it was always under al Qaeda’s influence.
District in western Afghanistan falls to Taliban, group claims
If the Taliban’s takeover of Khaki Safid in Farah province is confirmed, the jihadist group has seized five districts in three provinces and the provincial capital of Kunduz in the span of three days.
US Special Forces engage Taliban in fighting at Kunduz airport
A senior Afghan military official confirmed that US Special Forces engaged the Taliban outside of Kunduz Airport. Maintaining control of the airport is vital if Afghan security forces hope to regain control of Kunduz city.
US counterterrorism efforts in Syria: A winning strategy?
Testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade on the US counterterrorism strategy in Syria. “The West’s involvement is ad hoc, tactical and reactionary.”
US government targets Islamic State’s foreign fighters in new designations
The US State and Treasury Departments announced 35 designations today. The designations target the Islamic State’s foreign fighters, leaders, “provinces” and other related entities. Several jihadists from the West were included among the designees.
Taliban claims it seized 3 districts in Takhar province
The Taliban reports cannot be independently confirmed as media reporting in the Afghan north has focused on Kunduz. But the Taliban has been accurate in its reporting of districts it has taken in the past.
Taliban emir seeks to reassure residents of Kunduz
The Taliban’s statements as well as its speedy offensive indicate that the effort to take Kunduz city was planned and coordinated in advance at the Taliban’s highest levels.
Photos show Taliban in control of Kunduz city
Photos released on Twitter by Taliban fighters and supporters show the jihadist group in control over the northern city. The Taliban raised its white banner over several buildings in Kunduz.
Taliban storms Kunduz city
Reports from Afghan officials, residents and Taliban fighters inside Kunduz indicate that Afghan forces have been driven out of the city and the Taliban is in full control.
US-backed rebels handed over equipment to al Qaeda in Syria
CENTCOM has conceded that rebels belonging to the so-called “New Syrian Forces” turned over equipment and ammunition to Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria. This is the latest setback for the US effort to train and equip Syrian rebels.
Islamic Jihad Union claims to control areas along Afghan-Tajik border
The IJU claims it is “controlling many territories bordering Tajikistan,” and released photographs purporting to show a small unit crossing into northern Afghanistan.
Uighur jihadist group in Syria advertises ‘little jihadists’
The Turkistan Islamic Party continues to highlight children in jihadist training. It is known to operate training camps for minors in both Syria and in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
Foreign fighter group officially joins Al Nusrah Front
Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar, which is mainly comprised of foreign fighters, has officially merged with the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria. Al Nusrah gains several hundred jihadists out of the deal, which was likely intended to bolster al Qaeda’s hand in the Aleppo province.
Pentagon confirms French al Qaeda member, Islamic State leader killed in airstrikes
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters today that David Drugeon, a French bombmaker who belonged to al Qaeda’s so-called “Khorasan Group,” and Abu Bakr al Turkmani, a senior Islamic State leader, have been killed in airstrikes. Drugeon was killed in July, while al Turkmani perished earlier this month.
Zawahiri argues Islamic State’s ‘caliphate’ not based on ‘prophetic method’
Al Qaeda has released the third installment of its long-delayed “Islamic Spring” series, which features long-winded speeches by Ayman al Zawahiri. As in past editions of the series, Zawahiri argues that the Islamic State’s “caliphate” is illegitimate.
Taliban overruns outpost in eastern Afghanistan
As the jihadist group mounts offensives in the northern province of Kunduz and the southern province of Helmand, it has also been consolidating its grip on areas in eastern Afghanistan, including within the Haqqani Network stronghold of Paktika.
The Islamic State West Africa continues to utilize women as suicide bombers
The group, formerly known as Boko Haram, has used at least 47 women as suicide bombers since June 2014.
Iraqi Shiite militia promotes training camp named after Qods Force general
Saraya al Khorasani, an Iranian-backed Shiite militia that operates alongside the Iraqi military, released a video showing the “Sheikh Hajj Hamid Taqavi training center.” Taqavi was an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps – Qods Force general who was killed by an Islamic State sniper.
Jihadists say al Qaeda veteran killed during assault on Shiite towns in Syria
Pro-al Qaeda jihadists on Twitter are claiming that an al Qaeda veteran known as Abu Hassan al Tunisi was killed while fighting in Syria. The jihadists say he was a companion of Osama bin Laden and survived the Battle of Tora Bora in 2001. These details are unconfirmed.
Al Nusrah Front, allies strike 2 Shiite towns in Idlib province
The Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, Jund al Aqsa, and the Turkistan Islamic Party have launched significant operations targeting two Shiite villages in the Idlib province of Syria. Their attacks are a response to the siege of Zabadani, a southern Syrian city, by Bashar al Assad’s regime and its allies.
US kills 7 ‘militants’ in drone strike in South Waziristan
The strike took place in an area in Paksitan’s tribal agency of South Waziristan that is administered by Sajna Mehsud, who heads a splinter faction that broke away from the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (TTP) in May 2014.
Pakistani Taliban assaults Air Force camp near Peshawar
The Movement of the Taliban is capable of organizing, training and executing attacks such as today’s assault on the Air Force camp near Peshawar despite the military offensive that is targeting the group in North Waziristan.
Senior al Qaeda leaders reportedly released from custody in Iran
Five veteran jihadists, including three members of al Qaeda’s management council, have reportedly been released from custody in Iran as part of a hostage exchange. The details of their detention and release from Iranian custody are murky.
Haqqani Network publicizes training camp in Afghanistan
Jihadist groups in Afghanistan continue to operate training camps despite the presence of coalition troops.
Gulf states continue to pay price in Yemen despite advances
While the Saudi-led coalition has made gains towards the proclaimed Houthi capital in Sanaa, the Iranian-backed Shiites continue to hit the coalition hard in both Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia.
Mullah Omar’s brother and son swear allegiance to new Taliban emir
Mullah Manan and Mullah Yacoub’s pledge to Afghan Taliban emir Akhtar Mohammad Mansour closes a major rift that existed after Omar’s death was announced on July 31.
Al Qaeda leader killed in eastern Afghanistan, NDS claims
The raid that killed “Khuram,” the al Qaeda leader, took place in the same district in Paktika province where 15 Pakistani Taliban fighters were reported killed last week.
Senior al Qaeda leader claims French bombmaker is dead
A senior al Qaeda leader known as Sanafi al Nasr recently claimed on his Twitter feed that David Drugeon, an alleged al Qaeda bombmaker from France, had been killed in Syria. But there are good reasons to take Nasr’s testimony with a grain of salt.
Taliban suicide assault team overruns prison, frees hundreds
The Taliban freed more than 140 of its fighters and 200 prisoners in a coordinated suicide assault on a jail in the southeastern Afghan province of Ghazni.