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Shabaab claims ‘Western intelligence officials’ targeted in airliner bombing
Shabaab, al Qaeda’s official branch in East Africa, has issued a statement claiming responsibility for a failed airliner bombing on Feb. 2. The group portrays the bombing as part of its ongoing war with “Western and apostate intelligence” services, but doesn’t explain how its adversaries in the CIA and other spy agencies were specifically targeted.
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The IRGC’s involvement in the battle for Aleppo
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has invested significant resources to prop up Bashar al Assad’s regime. Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, who oversees all of the Shiite militias active in Syria, is directing operations in the battle of Aleppo.
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Jihadists launch assaults on UN, Malian forces in northern Mali
The UN’s mission in Mali continues to be one of the most dangerous peacekeeping operations in the world.
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Treasury sanctions Islamic State oil and religious officials, facilitator in Gaza
The Treasury Department announced today that three Islamic State officials have been sanctioned. One is a senior official in the “caliphate’s” oil and gas division. A second was the deputy leader of the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem before swearing allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and agreeing to establish a foothold for the Islamic State in Gaza. The third is the group’s “chief religious advisor.”
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Al Qaeda seizes more territory in southern Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula expanded the territory under its sphere of influence after capturing five towns in southern Yemen over the past two weeks.
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Treasury designates head of al Qaeda’s eastern zone in Afghanistan
Nayf Salam Muhammad Ujaym al Hababi, also known as Farouq al Qahtani, has been added to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists. Hababi, a senior al Qaeda leader, has been heavily involved in both the insurgency in Afghanistan and in plotting terrorist attacks in the West. He has also worked with the Taliban.
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AQAP publishes insider’s account of 9/11 plot
AQAP has published a two-part interview with Nasir al Wuhayshi, who was killed in a US drone strike in June 2015. The interview is a transcript of Wuhayshi’s account of the 9/11 plot. Wuhayshi was Osama bin Laden’s aide-de-camp prior to the hijackings.
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Senior Taliban leader dies of cancer
Mullah Hassan Rahmani, a member of the Taliban’s Quetta Shura, had previously opposed the appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as the jihadist group’s new emir. Rahmani reconciled with Mansour just weeks before his death.
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Ansar al Sharia claims to have downed jet flying over Derna, Libya
Libya’s air force confirmed that a jet was shot down by anti-aircraft fire earlier today. Ansar al Sharia Libya, which says its fighters were responsible, openly promotes al Qaeda ideologues in its propaganda.
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Iranian-backed militia seen with US tank in Iraq
The photo offers more evidence of another Iranian-backed militia in Iraq owning and using a US-made M1 Abrams tank.
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Jihadists reinforce other rebels during key battle in Aleppo province
A crucial battle in Syria’s Aleppo province pits Bashar al Assad’s regime and its allies against jihadists, Islamists, and other rebel factions.
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AQAP confirms military commander killed in US airstrike
Jalal Bala’idi, a prominent AQAP field commander khow is also known as Hamza al Zinjibari, “was killed in a Crusader strike that targeted him while he was amongst the sons of his tribe in Abyan province,” the jihadist organization confirmed.
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UN, Malian forces retake police base captured by jihadists
Attacks like this continue to show that the security situation inside Mali, especially in the north and increasingly in the south, is still volatile despite a French-led counterterrorism mission and an UN peacekeeping force inside the country.
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Shabaab regains ground in southern Somalia
Over the past two weeks, African Union forces withdrew from the southern Somali towns of Marka, El Ade, and Badhadhe. Al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia quickly reoccupied the towns.
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Hezbollah tries to shift attention to the West Bank
Israeli security forces announced last week their dismantling of a five-man terror cell from the West Bank city of Tulkarem, jihadists who were recruited by Hezbollah’s secretive Unit 133. The men were instructed to gather intelligence information on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) training facilities for attacks and prepare a bomb for use in a suicide operation against civilians. The foiled plot was Hezbollah’s latest attempt to stir up Israeli-Palestinian violence, exploiting the conflict to improve its tarnished image while bogging down Israeli forces in a battlefield far from its home base. Hezbollah established Unit 133 in the early 2000s, to focus its…
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Senior AQAP commander reportedly killed in US drone strike in Yemen
According to jihadists on social media and press reports, a prominent AQAP commander named Jalal Bala’idi was killed in a US drone strike launched last night. Bala’idi’s death has not been confirmed. He has led AQAP’s forces in a number of key battles and once claimed that his group has trained “thousands” of Sunnis. In December, Bala’idi was seen congratulating his fighters after they overran the town of Jaar.
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US strikes Pakistani Taliban faction in eastern Afghanistan
The US is reported to have killed 18 Taliban fighters from Sajna Mehsud’s Taliban faction in an airstrike in an area in Paktika province known to serve as a safe haven for several terrorist groups, including al Qaeda.
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Over 100 female suicide bombers used in West Africa since June 2014
As the jihadist group continues its rampage in northeastern Nigeria and into neighboring states, the Islamic State’s West African province continues to utilize women and girls as suicide bombers. The use of females makes it easier for the jihadist group to conduct these attacks.
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AQAP provides social services, implements sharia while advancing in southern Yemen
AQAP has taken control of Azzan, a town in Yemen’s southeastern Shabwa province. The jihadists have captured significant territory in southern Yemen since early 2015. AQAP’s front group, Ansar al Sharia, has launched a new social media campaign to promote its governance efforts, implementation of sharia law and provision of services in the areas under the jihadists’ control.
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Ansar al Sharia Libya relies on al Qaeda ideologues to guide followers
More than three years after the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, Ansar al Sharia tells its followers to learn from the teachings of slain al Qaeda ideologues. The group’s radio station regularly broadcasts lectures by al Qaeda leaders who have been killed in US airstrikes.
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Senior al Qaeda ‘hidden commander’ thought killed by US in 2014
Abu Dujana al Basha is a son-in-law and trusted aide to Ayman al Zawahiri and is known as the “hidden commander” for his organization behind the scenes, including the establishment of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. Al Qaeda has not officially confirmed Basha’s death.
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Al Nusrah Front chief proposed rebel unity plan
The head of the Al Nusrah Front, Abu Muhammad al Julani, proposed a merger with several other jihadist groups in Syria earlier this month. According to an al Qaeda member who has a popular Twitter feed, the plan fell through when some Ahrar al Sham leaders pushed for Al Nusrah to publicly disassociate itself from al Qaeda.
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Islamic State joins others in training children for jihad in Afghanistan
Teen-aged boys are shown training at the “Cubs of the Caliphate Camp,” which is likely located in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.
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Taliban does not want ‘a share of the power’
“The Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan] has not readily embraced this death and destruction for the sake of some silly ministerial posts or a share of the power,” the Taliban stated.
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Ansar Dine highlights attack on Tuareg separatists in Mali
The attack last month comes as tensions between Ansar Dine, a Tuareg al Qaeda group, and several Tuareg separatist groups in northern Mali have escalated.
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Shabaab showcases attacks in Kenya in new video
The video, which was focused on the legality of providing protection and killing the non-believers, features two undated ambushes on Kenyan security forces. Additionally, the video also calls for attacks on Israelis.
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Taliban claim to not ‘use our soil to harm others’ is patently false
The Taliban’s actions do not match its words, as it continues to shelter, support, and encourage al Qaeda.
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Before Paris attack, Islamic State terrorists committed grisly executions
The Islamic State has released a new video (titled “Kill Them Wherever You Find Them”) featuring the terrorist team responsible for the Nov. 13, 2015 coordinated attacks in Paris. Some of the jihadists address the camera before or after committing grisly executions that were broadcast in previous videos.
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Taliban demands prisoners released, sanctions removed before joining peace negotiations
In the past, the Taliban has adeptly manipulated the West’s desire for peace negotiations to extract concessions at little to no cost.
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Shabaab targets popular Mogadishu beach resort
The jihadist group has long targeted hotels in Mogadishu, as they are popular with governmental and African Union officials and foreigners.
