Taliban takes control of two districts in Afghan north
The move presages a coming Taliban offensive, which the goal is to reestablish its Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by force.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Taliban demands U.S. withdraw forces by May 1 deadline
The Taliban demanded that all U.S. forces leave by May 1. It has threatened to resume attacks on U.S. forces if they do not leave by the date agreed upon in the Doha Accords.
Taliban pushes Osama bin Laden truther conspiracy theories
The Taliban denied that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. and questioned whether he was killed by U.S. soldiers in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011.
Analysis: Al Qaeda continues to operate throughout Afghanistan
Based on reports from Al Qaeda, the United Nations, and press reports, the terror group and its allies are operating in 21 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.
As U.S. seeks peace, Taliban celebrates its jihadist training camps
The Taliban continues to promote its training camps that pump out jihadist fighters who indiscriminately attack Afghan civilians, soldiers and police.
NDS kills Al Qaeda commander in eastern Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security killed an Al Qaeda commander and a Taliban leader during a recent operation in the eastern province of Paktika. The two supported Al Qaeda’s operations in the east and planned and supported high profile attacks.
Taliban threatens to ‘continue its Jihad’ if U.S., NATO forces remain in Afghanistan
After President Biden said it would be difficult for the U.S. to leave Afghanistan by May 1, 2021, the Taliban threatened to “continue its Jihad and armed struggle against foreign forces.”
Taliban celebrates 2002 battle in which it defended Al Qaeda
The Taliban’s celebration of Mullah Saif ur Rahman Mansoor and the battle of Shahi Kot is a reminder of the Taliban’s enduring relationship with Al Qaeda.
Latest U.S. proposal for ending Afghan conflict runs counter to Taliban beliefs
The plan called for the current Afghan constitution to serve as the framework for a future constitution, elections, and power sharing, all of which have been flatly rejected by the Taliban in the past.
Afghan security forces withdrawing from checkpoints, bases
Nearly forty percent of the police checkpoints across Afghanistan have been shut down. The Afghan Army abandoned a military base in Badghis, giving the Taliban full control of a district.
Taliban calls for ‘the declaration’ of the ‘Islamic Emirate’
The Taliban called for the return of its Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as it denounced the Afghan government as a “corrupt and illegitimate regime.”
Taliban falsely claims: ‘There are no Al Qaeda operatives present in Afghanistan’
The Taliban cannot be trusted to live up to any agreement when it won’t admit that Al Qaeda remains in Afghanistan, under its protection
U.S. designates Iraqi PMF chairman for human rights violations
Falih al-Fayyadh, the Chairman of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces and the former National Security Advisor to the Iraq’s Prime Minister, was identified as a member of an “Islamic Revolutionary Guard Force Qods Force supported crisis cell” that supported attacks on protesters in 2019.
Afghan Air Force kills 15 Al Qaeda operatives in Helmand
Afghan security forces continue to target Al Qaeda as the Taliban promises that it won’t allow allow foreign fighters to attack the West, even though the Taliban claims Al Qaeda doesn’t exist inside Afghanistan.
U.S. and Afghan forces target Al Qaeda in the south
Despite the repeated targeting, killing, and capturing of Al Qaeda leaders and operatives, the Taliban maintains that the terror group does not operate in Afghanistan.
Veteran Al Qaeda leader killed in western Afghanistan
Mohammad Hanif was involved in the 2002 assassination attempt on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and the suicide attack on the U.S. Consulate in Karachi that same year. He was killed in Farah province. But the Taliban somehow continues to maintain that Al Qaeda isn’t in Afghanistan.
Taliban kills 24 soldiers, capture 6 in attack in Afghan west
The Taliban continues to press its offensive nationwide. Over the past 48 hours, the Taliban has launched strikes in 24 of the country’s 36 provinces.
Taliban kill 47 policemen in northern Afghan province
Takhar province’s deputy chief of police is among 47 security personnel killed overnight in the restive northern province. Taliban attacks persist throughout the country.
Taliban assaults Helmand capital as U.S. officials plead for a ‘reduction in violence’
U.S. officials continue to maintain that the Taliban committed to a “reduction in violence” as part of the withdrawal agreement. The deal says no such thing, and the Taliban continues to mount attacks.
Taliban parades forces in Logar province
In Logar province, a large Taliban convoy that carried the Taliban’s shadow governor paraded through a town unopposed by Afghan and Coalition forces.
Analysis: Don’t trust estimates of Al Qaeda’s strength in Afghanistan
The U.S. government, military, and intelligence services have provided inaccurate assessments of Al Qaeda’s strength in Afghanistan for more than a decade. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo continued that tradition by recent regurgitating that Al Qaeda has fewer than 200 fighters in the country. This estimate, like previous ones, should not be trusted.
Analysis: A ‘Tired’ Taliban talking point
American politicians, military leaders, and reporters have been claiming that the Taliban is “tired,” “desperate,” “war weary” and other such statements for the past decade and a half. Yet the Taliban keeps fighting.
Taliban secured release of wife of senior AQIS leader
The Taliban’s demand of the release of the wife of slain Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent leader Asim Umar is curious, as the group maintains that Al Qaeda does not have a presence in Afghanistan.
Anas Haqqani extols virtues of his ‘Legendary Father’ on Taliban’s official website
Anas Haqqani’s paean to his father is further evidence that he holds an important position in the Taliban.
Taliban refuses to negotiate with ‘Kabul administration’ it does not recognize as legitimate
The U.S.-Taliban withdrawal deal legitimized the Taliban’s refusal to recognize the Afghan government – and more ammo to continue walking the hard line it has drawn in refusing to engage directly in talks with the government.
Taliban parades fighters as 400 more prisoners are freed
The Taliban is displaying its military might as Afghan government has agreed to release the final batch of 400 prisoners demanded by the Taliban.
Taliban tells fighters group is ‘on the threshold’ of ‘pure Islamic government’
The Taliban has been very clear that it will not compromise on its objective of resurrection of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and will continue to wage jihad until its objective is realized. Yet U.S., NATO, and Afghan leaders continue to view intra-Afghan talks in which the Afghan government cannot attend as the solution.
Taliban again promotes its Badakhshan training camp
The Taliban previously stated that the Abu Ubaidah Ibn Jarrah Training Center was located in Badakhshan province. Members of the Turkistan Islamic Party have trained at a Taliban camp in the province.
Taliban suicide bomber hits Afghan military convoy
The Taliban continues to use the signature terror tactic of Al Qaeda and other jihadist groups despite signing a deal with the U.S. that facilitates the withdrawal of American troops from the country.
UN sanctions emir of the Pakistani Taliban
Muft Noor Wali Mehsud’s Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which remains allied with Al Qaeda, has stepped up small scale operations against Pakistani security forces in both North and South Waziristan over the past several months.