Taliban storms police bases in western Afghanistan
At least 42 Afghan police and soldiers were killed during Taliban attacks in the troubled district of Bala Buluk in Farah province. Security in Farah remains tenuous.
Monthly Archives: May 2018
ISIS claims its ‘soldiers’ are responsible for prison riot in Indonesia
The Islamic State claims that its “soldiers” were responsible for a prison riot south of Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday. A police spokesman was quick to dismiss the group’s statements, images and a video purportedly shot at the scene. Instead, he blamed the clash on a fight over food.
Analysis: Islamic State ramps up attack claims in Somalia
The Islamic State has claimed several attacks inside Somalia in the past month, further outpacing the past two years in claimed attacks in the country. While the Islamic State has had a difficult time establishing a foothold inside the country, its claimed operations paints a picture of its areas of operation and types of operations it conducts.
Taliban activity in Ghazni City highlights deteriorating security in Afghanistan
Resolute Support has classified the the capital of Ghazni province as government control, yet it is clearly contested, and has been for some time. In Ghazni city, the Taliban collects taxes, dispenses justice, kills security personnel, and lives openly in one neighborhood.
Taliban overruns another district in the Afghan north
The Taliban overran the district of Tala Wa Barfak in the northern Afghan provinces of Baghlan. Two others have been seized by the Taliban in the past two weeks.
ISIS targets elections in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya
Since late April, the Islamic State has claimed a string of operations targeting elections in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. The group’s spokesman, Abu al-Hasan al-Muhajir, threatened Iraq’s upcoming election on May 12 and the jihadists are carrying out operations accordingly.
Islamic State continues to battle Assad regime, allies
Since mid-April, the Islamic State and the Assad regime have been engaged in an intense battle in the southern neighborhoods of Damascus. ISIS claims to have killed or wounded hundreds of Assad’s soldiers, but its figures cannot be independently verified. Meanwhile, the so-called caliphate continues to fight the Syrian government and its allies in other areas as well, including in eastern Syria.
‘Desperate’ Taliban ‘has lost ground,’ Pentagon spokesperson wrongly claims
The Taliban is neither “desperate” nor is it “losing ground” in Afghanistan. Pollyanish press briefings cannot paper over the fact that things are currently not going well.
Afghan forces recapture northern district from Taliban
Afghan forces recaptured Kohistan district in the remote northern province of Badakhshan two days after it fell to the Taliban.
Analysis: Conflict within a conflict in Mali’s northern Menaka region
Intercommunal eye for an eye killings have been increasing in the past week with dozens of Tuaregs and Fulani being killed on both sides of the Mali-Niger border. The massacres come in the backdrop of ongoing counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.
Taliban overruns district center in northeastern Afghanistan
The Taliban overran the district of Kohistan in the remote northeastern province of Badakhshan last evening after laying siege to it for several days.
Hezbollah chief’s censored speech reaffirms group as Tehran’s arm in Lebanon
In March, a state-affiliated Iranian media outlets published a speech by Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah that it shouldn’t have. The speech, which was quickly retracted, was meant for internal distribution, thus making it a valuable document.
Taliban contests 2 new Afghan districts
Two districts, one in Paktika and another in Badakhshan, that were previously assessed by Resolute Support as influenced by the government of Afghanistan are now at risk.
At least two dozen killed in Nigeria suicide bombings
Yesterday’s suicide bombing continues to prove the residual threat of jihadist violence in northeastern Nigeria.
Mattis claims Taliban ‘cannot win at the ballot box’
Yet again, senior American officials display a stunning level of ignorance about the Islamic State and the Taliban. Elections are antithetical to jihadists’ belief of religious rule.
Taliban control of Afghan districts remains unchanged despite increased US military pressure
The Taliban continue to maintain its grip on half of Afghanistan despite US military’s reinvigorated effort to force the group from its strongholds.