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Islamic State defector in Yemen apologizes to al Qaeda
In a video released earlier this month, an Islamic State defector known as Antar al Kindi claims to expose the group’s “lies.” Al Kindi apologizes to Ayman al Zawahiri and other al Qaeda leaders. The video is part of an ongoing propaganda battle between the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
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US officials ‘strongly suspect’ Iranian-backed militia of kidnapping 3 Americans in Baghdad
The League of the Righteous, which has threatened Americans in Iraq and also carried out several kidnappings, is the prime suspect. The Shiite militia has denied any involvement in the abduction of the three Americans.
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Shabaab releases photos from captured African Union base
Despite contradictory claims made by Kenya, the photo report appears to confirm a large number of Kenyan troops were killed in the attack.
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US transfers Egyptian Guantanamo detainee who became a ‘highly prolific source’
Tariq Mahmoud Ahmed Al Sawah, an Egyptian held at Guantanamo since 2002, has been transferred to the Government of Bosnia. Despite compiling a lengthy dossier as an expert bomb maker on behalf of al Qaeda, US officials recommended that he be transferred. Al Sawah became a prolific source on al Qaeda and other detainees during his time in custody, and Joint Task Force – Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) concluded that his fellow jihadists may seek retribution if he tried to rejoin their ranks.
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The Islamic State’s obsession with al Qaeda and the Taliban
The 13th edition of the Islamic State’s Dabiq magazine is filled with anti-al Qaeda and anti-Taliban arguments. Previous editions of Dabiq included similar attempts to undermine al Qaeda’s and the Taliban’s jihadist credentials.
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Suicide team sent by Pakistani Taliban faction assaults university
The attack was claimed by Khalifa Umar Mansour, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan’s leader for Peshawar and Darra Adam Khel, who is also responsible for attacking a military school in Peshawar in 2014 and an airbase near the same city in 2015.
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US citizen pleads guilty to supporting al Qaeda-allied group in Syria
An American citizen, Amin al Baroudi, pleaded guilty to violating US sanctions by providing “tactical equipment” to Ahrar al Sham, which is allied with al Qaeda’s arm in Syria.
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Pakistan again puts Jaish-e-Mohammed leader under ‘protective custody’
Masood Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed emir, has been placed under house arrest and in protective custody at least three other times in the past.
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AQIM takes Australian couple hostage in northern Burkina Faso
The Al Qaeda group continues to take Western hostages throughout the Sahara and the Sahel.
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Al Qaeda’s hotel siege ends in West Africa
Despite a French-led counterterrorism mission throughout the Sahara and Sahel, Al Qaeda has been able to retain the ability to launch attacks in Mali and increasingly in neighboring countries.
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Al Qaeda attacks hotel in Burkina Faso
The Al Qaeda groups continue to strike at popular hotels throughout West Africa.
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Shabaab overruns African Union base in southern Somalia
Despite being pushed out of several of its urban and rural strongholds, the Al Qaeda branch continues to prove its potency in the capture of the African Union base.
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State Department lists Islamic State’s ‘Khorasan Province’ as Foreign Terrorist Organization
The US has treated the Islamic State Khorasan Province as a terrorist organization long before officially listing it. Four senior Khorasan Province leaders have been killed in US airstrikes over the past year.
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Islamic State launches suicide assault in Indonesia’s capital
Indonesian police have linked the attack to a jihadist based in Syria. Two jihadists factions in Indonesia, Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid and Mujahidin Indonesian Timur, have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State.
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Al Qaeda releases 3 new messages from Ayman al Zawahiri
Al Qaeda has released two audio messages and a written statement from Ayman al Zawahiri in the past day. Two of the messages contain condemnations of Saudi Arabia. The third focuses on Southeast Asia.
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Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber detonates at polio vaccination center
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan said that a “Special Unit” from the Mujahideen Special Group “successfully targeted” and killed Pakistani security forces guarding the vaccination center. The Taliban has targeted the anti-polio drive in the past, accusing it of being a vehicle of Western intelligence services.
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Islamic State ‘province’ claims attack on Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad
The Islamic State’s Wilayat Khorasan says that three jihadists attacked the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan earlier today. At least two of them detonated suicide belts.
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American charged with supporting Shabaab, serving in ‘specialized fighting force’
The Department of Justice announced today that an American named Maalik Alim Jones has been charged with supporting Shabaab, al Qaeda’s regional branch in East Africa. Jones was allegedly a member of Shabaab’s Jaysh Ayman unit, which is responsible for launching attacks against Kenyan forces.
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US questioned Kuwait’s ability to deal with Guantanamo detainee for good reason
A Guantanamo detainee who was transferred to Kuwait in 2006 had quickly returned to the battlefield. He killed 13 Iraqi soldiers in a suicide truck bomb at a combat outpost in Mosul, Iraq in 2008.
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‘High risk’ Guantanamo detainee transferred to Kuwait
On at least three separate occasions in the past, US officials, including President Obama’s own Guantanamo Review Task Force, recommended that Fayez al Kandari remain in US custody. Kandari also lost his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Joint Task Force – Guantanamo deemed him a “high risk” to the US, its interests and allies.
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Islamic State releases photos from captured Libyan town of Bin Jawad
The Islamic State’s Libyan “province” has released images from the captured town of Bin Jawad. The jihadists have likely operated in the town for months, but they only declared complete control of it earlier this week after launching a new offensive. The photos and a short video released by an Islamic State-affiliated “news” agency are intended to advertise the jihadists’ control of Bin Jawad.
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US charges American citizen with conspiring to kill soldiers in Afghanistan
Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, a member of al Qaeda’s paramilitary force in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was involved in a double suicide attack in Khost, Afghanistan in 2009.
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Ghana falsely claims 2 former Guantanamo detainees were ‘cleared of any involvement’ in terrorism
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration said in a statement that it has accepted two Guantanamo detainees who “have been cleared of any involvement in terrorist activities, and are being released.” But that is not true. Neither one of the detainees was “cleared” by President Obama’s Guantanamo Review Task Force. One of the two was previously deemed a “high risk” by Joint Task Force – Guantanamo.
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Hezbollah responds to Israeli assassination of commander
Despite the exchange of threats between Israel and Hezbollah, the latest attack in the Shebaa Farms does not indicate a large-scale confrontation is on the horizon.
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YPG claims to have killed nearly 6,000 enemy fighters in 2015
The Kurdish YPG (or People’s Defense Units) has released a summary of its operations for 2015. The YPG claims to have killed nearly 6,000 “enemy” fighters, most of whom likely belonged to the Islamic State, while losing just 680 of its own members in combat. The statistics provided by the YPG imply a kill ratio of nearly 9 to 1, which obviously seems high.
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US soldier killed while fighting the Taliban in Helmand
The reintroduction of US and British forces in Helmand has not prevented the districts of Nowzad, Musa Qala, and Sangin from falling to the Taliban.
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Islamic State ‘province’ releases photos from raids on Libyan oil facilities
The Islamic State’s Libyan “province” has released photos documenting yesterday’s assault on an oil facility in the port town of Al Sidr.
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Islamic State’s Libyan ‘province’ launches new offensive
The Islamic State’s Libyan “province” claims to have captured the town of Bin Jawad on the Mediterranean coast. The group also launched attacks on oil facilities in two of Libya’s ports.
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Afghan forces raid Taliban ‘jail’ in Helmand
While the operations against the Taliban prisons in Nahr-i-Sarraj and Now Zad highlight potential capabilities of Afghanistan’s Special Security Forces, they also emphasize the worsening security situation in Helmand province.
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Jaish-e-Mohammed suspected in assault on Indian airbase
The assault on the airbase is thought to have been executed by Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based jihadist group with close ties to al Qaeda. Jihadists reportedly said they were going to avenge a Jaish-e-Mohammed operative who was executed for his role in the 2001 assault on India’s Parliament.
