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Uighur jihadist group trains with elite unit
Katibat Ghuraba al Turkistan, a smaller predominately Uighur jihadist group in northwestern Syria, recently trained with the elite Malhama Tactical thereby not only raising its credentials, but also its battlefield prowess.
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Analysis: New pattern of Iran-backed assassinations abroad?
Recent assassinations and terrorist plots in Europe suggest that Iran may have resumed its policy of assassinations abroad.
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Taliban overruns military bases in Uruzgan’s capital and Faryab
The Taliban continues to press its successful attacks on the Afghan security forces even as they withdraw from more remote areas to defend more populous areas.
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Taliban, Pakistani military mourn death of extremist cleric
The Afghan Taliban, Pakistani Taliban and Pakistani military have all honored Maulana Sami ul-Haq, a influential and radical cleric who was stabbed to death. Haq’s madrassa has been a breeding ground for the Taliban and other jihadist groups in the region.
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US military continues to spin a Taliban victory against Islamic State as its own
The US military’s repeated attempts to spin the Taliban’s victory in Jawzjan as its own only serves to demonstrate just how eager it is to manufacture successes in Afghanistan when they are few and far between.
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Afghanistan watchdog: Government control lowest ever
Since the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) began tracking district control three years ago, Afghan government controlled or influenced districts has declined 16% to 55.5%. In the same period, insurgent control/influence rose 5.5% and contested districts increased 11%.
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Half of Afghan population living in districts outside government control
Some 41 percent of the Afghan population resides in a contested district and more than nine percent reside in a Taliban controlled district, according to a new study by FDD’s Long War Journal.
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AFRICOM continues to strike Shabaab strongholds
Kunyo Barrow, where the most recent strike took place, is located in the Jubba River Valley, a stronghold of the al Qaeda affiliate.
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Analysis: Baradar’s release from Pakistani custody unlikely to impact Afghan peace talks
While many officials and analysts are hopeful that Baradar can influence negotiations between the US and the Taliban, it is highly unlikely that he will be able to influence the current crop of Taliban leaders, who have waged a successful insurgency and control more ground in the country since any point during the war.
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JNIM official warns competing militia groups in northern Mali
The jihadist leader’s speech, while new, continued previous mantras used by JNIM and its predecessor organizations against the various armed militias operating in northern Mali.
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US and partner nations seek to disrupt Iran-Taliban nexus
The Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) designated nine individuals who are undermining the Afghan government. The nine include six Taliban leaders, two officials in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and a narcotics trafficker based in Pakistan.
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General Raziq’s assassin trained at a Taliban camp
The US military and Resolute Support have yet to identify Raziq’s assassin as a member of the Taliban, let alone acknowledge that he trained in a Taliban camp.
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It’s a ‘religious duty’ to oppose Afghan elections, Taliban says
The Taliban has a released a series of statements threatening the Afghan elections this week. The statements are attributed to three different commissions within the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which operates as a shadow government throughout much of the country.
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US continues to expose Islamic State’s global financial network
Since early September, the US has issued terrorist designations for Islamic State moneymen operating around the globe, from the Caribbean to East Africa. The designations highlight the diverse sources the so-called caliphate uses to fund its insurgency and terrorist operations.
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US offers reward for information on 2 senior AQAP leaders
The US State Department announced today that it is offering rewards for information on two senior AQAP leaders: Qasim al-Raymi and Khalid al-Batarfi. Both men attended al Qaeda’s training camps in pre-9/11 Afghanistan before assuming leadership roles in Yemen.
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Taliban attacks meeting attended by General Miller, kills Kandahar police chief
General Miller, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was present at the meeting but was not wounded. The the governor of Kandahar and the head of the province’s National Directorate of Security were among those killed. The assassination of Raziq is a major blow to the Afghan government. He was arguably the most powerful player in the Afghan south and a stalwart ally of the US, and he may not be easily replaced.
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IRGC appoints new chief for construction arm
Saeed Mohammad is the first IRGC-KAA commander who does not have a military background, who also falls in line with a trend of appointments of younger managers at top positions in the IRGC, unlike the current commanders whose formative years were in combat during the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988.
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AFRICOM kills 60 Shabaab fighters in largest strike in Somalia since 2017
A large concentration of Shabaab fighters a significant distance from its typical support zone in Jubba River Valley demonstrates the Al Qaeda affiliate’s resilience across Somalia.
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Analysis: Jihadists in Syria react to Sochi agreement
Hay’at Tahrir al Sham (HTS), the most powerful jihadist organization in Idlib province, has finally issued a statement addressing the agreement reached between Turkey and Russia last month. HTS vows to continue waging jihad, and warns that it doesn’t trust Russia’s “intentions,” but does not directly repudiate the Sochi accord.
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Shabaab attacks Somali force in southern Somalia
This is the third time in the past month that US forces have conducted defensive airstrikes following Shabaab attacks.
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Taliban claims to have captured 2 Afghan districts
While the Taliban’s claim of controlling districts in Samangan and Paktika cannot be independently verified, the group has proven to be accurate when reporting on the status of districts.
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Taliban confirms meeting with US delegation in Doha
The Taliban says its representatives met with an American delegation in Doha on Oct. 12. The group says that members of the “Political Office” of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” stressed that the “presence of foreign forces” is “the greatest obstacle obstructing true peace and solving problems.” The Taliban’s overall leader previously blessed “direct dialogue” with the Americans, so long as the talks focused on an American withdrawal.
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Shabaab executes alleged spies in southern Somalia
Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, has executed a number of alleged spies this week. The group accused them of working for American, British and Somali intelligence. At least some of Shabaab’s claims are dubious, however.
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Scores of Taliban recruits train at Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah Training Camp
Scores of Taliban recruits train in broad daylight at the Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah Training Camp.
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France blames Iranian intelligence for attempted bombing, but questions remain
Last week, French officials declared that they had conclusively identified Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) as the party behind a foiled bombing attempt in Paris in late June. A key question, however, remains unanswered: which senior Iranian official gave the order?
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Taliban calls for attacks to disrupt Afghan elections
The US wants the Taliban to lay down its arms and recognize the legitimacy of the Afghan government. The State Department has even encouraged the group to “turn their bullets and bombs into ballots” and “vote.” But in a new statement, the Taliban again rejects Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections, saying it is a “demand of our faith” that they be “prevented from taking place.”
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Former Egyptian officer turned al Qaeda loyalist reportedly captured in Libya
The Libyan National Army (LNA) claims to have captured Hisham al-Ashmawy, a former Egyptian officer who defected to the jihadists’ cause. Ashmawy has been accused of orchestrating jihadist operations in both Egypt and Libya. The Egyptian government alleges that he has been involved in a series of terrorist attacks targeting officials.
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Taliban assaults district center south of Kabul
Taliban has been active in the eastern Afghan provinces of Wardak, Paktia, and Ghazni over the past several days and killed the chief of police for Sayyidabad district.
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Al Qaeda branch claims IED attack on Tunisian soldiers
The IED claim is the group’s first since July and just the second attack claim of the year for the small Tunisian Al Qaeda wing.
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JNIM portrays its fight as part of Al Qaeda’s global jihad
As JNIM rallies its members and supporters against France and Mali, it depicts the fight with the two countries as part of al Qaeda’s wider global jihad.
