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Al Qaeda’s Kandahar training camp ‘probably the largest’ in Afghan War
In an interview with the Washington Post, General John Campbell described an al Qaeda camp in southern Afghanistan as “probably the largest training camp-type facility that we have seen in 14 years of war.” The camp is one of two raided by joint US-Afghan forces in Kandahar earlier this month.
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UN official reportedly meets with Iraqi on al Qaeda sanctions list
UN representative Jan Kubis reportedly met with Muthanna Harith al Dari yesterday. The UN National Security Council’s Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee has accused Dari of funding al Qaeda in Iraq.
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Shabaab photo release shows aftermath of ambush in central Somalia
While most Shabaab attacks are located in the capital of Mogadishu or in the south, the jihadist group maintains the ability to launch operations in the country’s central regions.
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Popular Mobilization Committee militia threatens to ‘strike and destroy’ the Saudi government
Sayyid al Shuhada said it would “strike and destroy” Saudi interests, not just in Iraq, but inside the kingdom. The militia, which operates as part of the Iraqi government, Iran, and the US-backed Popular Mobilization Committee, is led by Abu Mustafa al Sheibani, a dangerous commander who is listed by the US as a global terrorist.
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Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb honors Ansar al Sharia’s slain military commander
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has released a eulogy for Mansur al Shalali (aka “Harun”), the slain military commander of Ansar al Sharia in Libya. AQIM notes that Shalali fought for several years in Algeria. The eulogy further underscores the tight relationship between AQIM and Ansar al Sharia Libya.
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Jihadists in Syria train for urban warfare
The Islamic State is training its forces inside Palmyra, a city under its control, while Al Nusrah is instructing fighters near the contested city of Aleppo.
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Hekmatyar denies Hizb-i-Islami supports the Islamic State
“Hizb-i-Islami neither has relations with the Islamic State, or any commitment to the group, nor has it announced any support of that group,” Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said in mid-October.
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Taliban overruns district, loses control of 2 others in Afghan north
The jihadist group overran the district center of Darqad in Takhar province, but lost control of Dasht-i-Archi in Kunduz and Ghormach in Faryab.
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Shabaab’s leadership fights Islamic State’s attempted expansion in East Africa
Shabaab’s leadership has actively opposed the Islamic State’s expansion in East Africa. The Islamic State has made a major push via propaganda videos to encourage defections, but only a small cadre of Shabaab fighters has switched allegiance to the “caliphate” thus far.
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Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, Ajnad al Sham form anti-Russian alliance in Damascus countryside
Three jihadist groups have formed Jund al Malahim (“Soldiers of the Epics”), a joint operations room opposed to the Assad regime and Russian forces in the Ghouta region of Damascus.
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Al Qaeda appears ‘moderate’ compared to Islamic State, veteran jihadist says
The second edition of Al Risalah magazine features an interview with Usama Hamza Australi, who joined al Qaeda in mid-2001 after leaving the Australian military. Al Qaeda senior leadership sent him to Syria to train Al Nusrah Front’s fighters in guerrilla warfare.
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Al Qaeda operates in southern Helmand province
According to multiple reports, al Qaeda and its newest regional branch, al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, are operating in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. Terrorists are being trained in Helmand to carry out operations throughout Southeast Asia. And As Sahab, al Qaeda’s propaganda arm, has operatives in the province as well.
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Taliban threatens provincial capital of Helmand
The Taliban continues to press its offensive in southern Afghanistan and is reported to have advanced within miles of the city of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand.
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US Special Forces, Kurdish troops raid Islamic State prison in Iraq
The military’s claim that the US troops who participated in the operation were military advisers and not engaged in a combat mission is implausible, given the involvement of Delta Force operators. One US soldier was killed.
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US praises role of Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Baiji operation
Officials continue to whitewash the role that Iranian-backed Shiite militias play in Iraq’s offensive against the Islamic State. The US continues to provide airstrikes to these militias, which are Iranian clients responsible for killing hundreds of American soldiers and remain hostile to the US.
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Are we losing Afghanistan again?
An opinion piece originally published at The New York Times. As the Taliban expands its influence in Afghanistan, al Qaeda has re-emerged as a force in the country. More US forces, and not less, are required to turn the tide.
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Islamic State promotes training camps in ‘Khorasan’
While the locations of the Shaykh Abu Omar al Baghdadi and Shaykh Abu Musab al Zarqawi camps are unknown, they are likely situated in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, where the jihadist group has established a presence.
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Taliban seizes another district in western Afghanistan
The Afghan Taliban claimed it overran the district center of Ghoryan in the western province of Herat. Afghan forces later retook the district. Thirteen districts have fallen to the jihadist group in the past several weeks.
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US adds Taliban leader linked to ‘groups of Arab fighters’ to terrorism list
Torek Agha is “a long-standing Taliban member [who] has been central to spearheading brutal military attacks and raising millions of dollars to support the Taliban’s ruthless acts of terrorism,” Treasury stated.
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Iraqi Army, Shiite militias report success in Baiji
After launching an operation to recapture the central Iraqi city of Baiji last week, Iraqi troops and Shiite militias retook the oil refinery, the city center, and several districts. The city has exchanged hands multiple times in the past. The US military continues to provide airstrikes that support the Iranian-backed militias.
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Another Afghan district falls to the Taliban
The jihadist group continues to fight for control of the northwestern Afghan province of Faryab, where two other districts fell to the Taliban over the past 10 days.
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Qods Force commander photographed with Iraqi militia in Aleppo
The photo comes just days after Soleimani was spotted in Latakia addressing Iranian and Syrian troops. The Syrian regime also relies on Shiite militias from Iraq and elsewhere, which are often trained and advised by the Iranian Qods Force.
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US military confirms it killed senior al Qaeda strategist Sanafi al Nasr in airstrike in Syria
The Department of Defense confirmed that the senior al Qaeda strategist, who was dispatched years ago by al Qaeda from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region to Syria, was killed in an airstrike on Oct. 15. Nasr’s death is a blow to al Qaeda.
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Jihadists claim senior al Qaeda strategist killed in Syria
Online jihadists are claiming that an al Qaeda leader known as Sanafi al Nasr has been killed in an airstrike in Syria. Nasr’s death is not confirmed and he has been reported dead before. The latest claims come from al Qaeda members who apparently knew Nasr and interacted with him online.
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Taliban controls or contests 70 districts in Afghanistan
A New York Times map, based on data provided by The Long War Journal, shows the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. President Obama’s decision to keep 5,500 troop in country past 2017 will not be enough to turn the tide.
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US drone strike kills mufti of Islamic State Khorasan Province
Jalaluddin, the former mufti for Khorasan Province, rose thought the jihadist ranks in the Afghan-Pakistan region and was mentored by Sheikh Aminullah, an influential Taliban leader and al Qaeda facilitator, before defecting to the Islamic State. He taught at the Ganj Madrassa, which is listed by the US as a terrorist facility.
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Taliban overruns district in Farah province
The district of Bala Buluk fell to the jihadist group after more than a week of fighting. The fate of dozens of policemen who were surrounded for days is unknown.
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Turkistan Islamic Party shows fighters on frontlines in northwestern Syria
The Uighur jihadist group plays a role in assisting Al Qaeda in northwestern Syria.
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Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani rallies Iranian officers, Hezbollah in Syria
Photographs show the notorious Qods Force commander addressing Iranian officers and Hezbollah forces in Latakia. Iran is reported to have deployed significant forces, estimated at thousands of troops, to support the Assad regime’s offensive in northwestern Syria.
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Al Qaeda-linked jihadists claim to have detained Islamic State operative in Derna, Libya
The Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) in Derna claims to have captured a top Islamic State leader in Libya. The MSC has been battling the Islamic State in Derna since June, but appears to have the upper hand in the jihadists’ infighting.
