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Islamic State arm reportedly seizes Nigerian town
Islamic State West Africa reportedly seized the town of Baga in northeastern Nigeria earlier this week. The Nigerian military downplayed the jihadis’ advances, but it appears that ISWA seized the town, at least temporarily. And ISWA documented its spoils in a series of images released today.
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Taliban publicly rejects talks with Afghan government, again
The Taliban has again rejected reports saying that it is willing to talk with the Afghan government.
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Jihadis claim US-designated terrorist killed in Syria
Jihadis on social media claim that Abu Julaybib al-Urduni, an al Qaeda loyalist, has been killed in Syria. Abu Julaybib helped found Al Nusrah Front, but later had a falling out with Al Nusrah’s leader over the group’s “disassociation” from al Qaeda and other issues.
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JNIM claims ambush in Burkina Faso
The ambush marks one of the deadliest attacks inside Burkina Faso, which is part of the growing jihadist violence inside the country.
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Analysis: Military spokesman mocks Taliban video, but exposes US lack of understanding of the enemy
A since-deleted tweet by the spokesman for US Forces Afghanistan and Resolute Support Mission highlights a lack of seriousness and understanding about the threat posed by the Taliban.
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Taliban trains scores of ‘commandos’ at camp
The video is the latest in a string of Taliban propaganda that shows its fighters going through training.
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Analysis: The costs of withdrawal from Afghanistan
President Trump’s decision to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan will have consequences. The Taliban and al Qaeda will declare victory, while the US will find it harder to hunt terrorists throughout the region.
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Taliban denial of presence of foreign fighters in Afghanistan is absurd
The Taliban’s own statements and actions as well as Qaeda’s propaganda and operations easily disproves the Taliban’s denial that foreign fighters are in Afghanistan.
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Analysis: The Islamic State hasn’t been defeated
President Trump claimed earlier today that the Islamic State has been “defeated” in Syria. But an unknown number of the group’s top leaders, including presumably Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, remain alive. And there are likely thousands of fighters in both Syria and Iraq, where they operate as insurgents.
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Al Qaeda branch pressures governments for ransom payments
In a new video, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM, or the “Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims”) says it has decided “to discontinue the release and production of videos concerning the captives held by the group for undisclosed reasons.”
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Islamic State video purportedly shows fight with Shabaab
The Islamic State released its first video footage of a clash with Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia and East Africa.
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Taliban commander admits thousands of foreign fighters are embedded within group
In a startling admission, a senior leader in the Afghan Taliban told NBC News that “thousands” of foreign fighters are currently embedded in the group in Afghanistan. The admission is astonishing as the Taliban has attempted to obscure its relationship with al Qaeda, even though it slips up every now and then. FDD’s Long War Journal has maintained for the last eight years that US military and intelligence estimates of between 50 to 100 al Qaeda in Afghanistan (later modified to 200) have been woefully low. The Taliban leader, who has not been named, admitted this to NBC News as…
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US military strikes Shabaab “encampment,” killing scores of fighters
The strikes were launched to “prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks,” AFRICOM noted.
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Taliban confirms meeting with US in the UAE
The Taliban has confirmed that it is meeting with an American delegation in the UAE on Dec. 17. Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE are attending as well, according to the Taliban. There was no mention of the Afghan government in the Taliban’s statement.
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Islamic State claims clashes with Shabaab in Somalia
The Islamic State claims to have killed 14 members of Shabaab, al Qaeda’s arm in Somalia.
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AFRICOM hits Shabaab near Somali capital
The last three strikes against Shabaab have taken place in an area where foreign al Qaeda fighters have historically sheltered. AFRICOM has targeted Shabaab 40 times throughout Somalia in 2018.
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Islamic State issues statement on Strasbourg attack after shooter killed
The Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency released a short message claiming that the terrorist responsible for attacking the Strasbourg Christmas market was a “soldier” of the so-called caliphate. The message was disseminated online hours after Chérif Chekatt, who has been identified as the assailant, was shot dead by French police. Thus far, the Islamic State hasn’t provided any corroborating details.
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Islamic State unleashes suicide bombers in Hajin, Syria
In the past 24 hours, the Islamic State has conducted more than one suicide bombing against US-backed forces in Hajin, Syria. One Islamic State “martyr” blew himself up near the Hajin hospital, which became the scene of intense fighting earlier this week.
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Taliban overruns district in Farah after Afghan forces flee
The Taliban overran the district of Shib Koh in the western province of Farah today after Afghan security forces stationed there fled. Farah remains one of Afghanistan’s most troubled provinces.
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AQIM emir confirms death of jihadist commander in Mali
AQIM leader Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud has confirmed that Almansour Ag Kassam (Almansour Ag Alkassoum), an important jihadist who worked with several al Qaeda groups, was killed by France in November.
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AQIM leader mixes populism with jihadism in criticism of France
In a new audio message, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s emir, Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, tries to capitalize on popular discontent in France. He fuses populist economic arguments with his jihadist ideology to critique France’s intervention in Africa.
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Taliban attacks on Afghan forces undeterred by mounting US pressure
The attacks show that the Taliban continues to remain on the offensive and also provide a window into the accuracy of the Taliban’s reporting of its military operations.
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Ohio man allegedly inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, Islamic State
The Department of Justice announced yesterday that Damon M. Joseph, a 21-year-old man from Ohio, has been arrested and charged with planning an attack on one or two synagogues in Toledo. According to court documents, Joseph praised the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in late October. He was allegedly inspired by both the Islamic State and Anwar al-Awlaki.
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Online ‘news’ agency reposts oath of allegiance to Baghdadi amid suspensions
Nashir News Agency, which disseminates content on behalf of the Islamic State, reposted an oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The statement reaffirming the jihadis’ fealty to Baghdadi comes in the middle of a crackdown by Telegram, which has suspended dozens of Nashir accounts since the beginning of the month. The bay’ah statement is not new, as it has been circulated in the past.
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Global jihadists eulogize Jalaluddin Haqqani in Taliban video
A Taliban video eulogy for Jalaluddin Haqqani includes praise from three jihadists based in the UK and Syria: Hani al-Sibai, Dr. Abdullah al-Muhaysini and Sheikh Muslih al-Ulyani. Sibai is a well-known, pro-al Qaeda ideologue living in the UK. Muhaysini is a US-designated terrorist. Both Muhaysini and Ulyani operate in Syria.
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US-backed forces battle Islamic State for control of Hajin, Syria
The US-led coalition, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), says it was forced to strike a hospital in Hajin, Syria because it was being used by Islamic State fighters. US-backed forces have been battling the Islamic State for control of Hajin for weeks.
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Shabaab claims assassination of Somali generals
Shabaab killed two Somali generals who were leading a military offensive against the group in the Lower Shabelle region, south of Mogadishu.
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AQIM claims Tuareg youth killed in US airstrike
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has released a statement claiming that the victims of an American airstrike on Nov. 29 “were a group of Tuareg youth” and not members of the organization. US Africa Command previously said that 11 AQIM “terrorists” were killed and three vehicles destroyed in the “precision airstrike near Al Uwaynat, Libya.”
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US strikes target al Qaeda in Libya, Somalia
The US military hit al Qaeda’s branches in Somalia and Libya twice over the past several days, killing 20 fighters in strikes that appear to have targeted the groups’ military capacity.
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Islamic State continues its rampage in northeastern Nigeria
The Islamic State West Africa is progressing in its violent campaign against the Nigerian state in the northeast, as it continues to claim victories against the military.
