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.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio & Alexandra Gutowski
US continues to disrupt Shabaab’s attack campaign
In the past six months, US forces have thrice interdicted Shabaab car bombs and prevented imminent attacks against civilians in the Somalia capital, Mogadishu.
Afghan mission releases district-level assessments
The Afghanistan watchdog was finally able to release the military’s own district-level assessment, allowing for a direct comparison with our data. The Taliban currently controls 37 districts, contests 200, and claims to control two more.
US continues to disrupt Shabaab in Jilib, Somalia
The United States attacked al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia in the southern town of Jilib, a recurring strike location and known Shabaab safe haven.
US strikes Shabaab in central Somalia
The location of last weekend’s strike highlights the geographical range of US operations against Shabaab, and the scope of the al Qaeda branch’s insurgency.
American forces kill senior al Qaeda leader in Libya
The US military announced that it killed Musa Abu Dawud, a high-ranking al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb leader in Libya, in an airstrike last weekend. Dawud is an established jihadist who has been in the fight with the GSPC and AIQM for at least three decades.
US strikes Shabaab south of Somalia’s capital
US forces conducted nine strikes in Somalia this year, all of which have targeted al Qaeda’s affiliate in the country.
LWJ Exclusive: US quietly continues Yemen air campaign
The US military has launched 22 airstrikes against al Qaeda int he Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State’s Yemeni branch, a spokesman told FDD’s Long War Journal.