• Al Qaeda veteran reportedly killed in Idlib

    Abu Khallad al-Muhandis, an al Qaeda veteran, was reportedly killed in a mysterious explosion in Idlib, Syria earlier today. Muhandis’s jihadi career covered Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. He was also detained inside Iran for a time.

    Al Qaeda veteran reportedly killed in Idlib
  • Wanted al Qaeda leader warns of Turkish influence on jihad in Syria

    Al Qaeda Telegram channels have shared a statement attributed to Saif al-Adel. He writes that the jihadis modify their military program to take into account Turkey’s influence.

    Wanted al Qaeda leader warns of Turkish influence on jihad in Syria
  • UN: Iran-based leaders ‘have grown more prominent’ in al Qaeda’s global network

    A report by the United Nations includes new details concerning the dispute between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and al Qaeda’s senior leaders, including the role played by two veteran operatives living in Iran. The UN’s member states say that HTS is still in “contact” with al Qaeda’s leadership despite their heated disagreements, and that al Qaeda has even reinforced HTS with “military and explosives experts” sent from Afghanistan.

    UN: Iran-based leaders ‘have grown more prominent’ in al Qaeda’s global network
  • Analysis: 2 wanted al Qaeda leaders operate in Iran

    On Aug. 8, the State Department announced that it had increased its reward for information concerning the whereabouts of two veteran al Qaeda leaders: Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah and Saif al-Adel. Although State didn’t explain the move, there is evidence that the two al Qaeda managers were operating inside Iran as of 2017.

    Analysis: 2 wanted al Qaeda leaders operate in Iran