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.
Tag Archives: Afghanistan
Ep. 33 – A Conversation with H.R. McMaster
LTG (ret.) H.R. McMaster joins hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio to discuss his new book, his career in the U.S military and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Powered by RedCircle Take a look around the globe today and you’ll see jihadists fighting everywhere from West Africa to Southeast Asia. They aren’t the dominant […]
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.
Generation Jihad Ep. 28 – Our Review of the Outpost
Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn review The Outpost, a new movie based on a book by CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Generation Jihad Ep. 27 – Counting Al Qaeda
Senior U.S. officials claim there are fewer than 200 al Qaeda members in Afghanistan. Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn explain why that estimate, like all others before it, isn’t credible.
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.
Generation Jihad Ep. 23 – Joe Biden Can’t End the Jihad
Nor can President Trump. Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss former VP Joe Biden’s intent to “end” the “forever wars.”
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.
Generation Jihad Ep. 21 – An ISIS Jailbreak in Afghanistan
ISIS orchestrated an assault on the main prison in Jalalabad earlier this month. Afghan officials immediately accused the Taliban of planning the attack.
Islamic State claims prison raid in eastern Afghanistan
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a prison assault in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. The facility reportedly holds about 1,500 inmates. It’s not clear how many were freed.
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.
Taliban suicide team strikes NDS headquarters in Afghan city
The attack belies U.S. officials’ claims that the Taliban has not been fighting in Afghanistan’s cities.
Taliban attempts to cover up images posted by an Uzbek jihadist group in Afghanistan
The Taliban denies that an Uzbek jihadist group, Katibat Imam al-Bukhari (KIB), operates in Afghanistan. The Taliban falsely asserts that photos recently posted by the KIB were “falsified by anti-peace circles.”
Uzbek jihadist group claims capture of Afghan militiamen
Katibat Imam al-Bukhari, a Taliban-loyal Uzbek group that operates in both Afghanistan and Syria, again promotes its Afghanistan operations. This comes as the Taliban has attempted to deny the presence of foreign fighters inside the country.
Taliban again denies Al Qaeda is in Afghanistan
This time, the Taliban denied a Department of Defense report that Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent cooperates with the Taliban by claiming AQIS isn’t inside the country.
Pakistan a ‘safe haven’ for ‘terror groups’: U.S. State Department
Pakistan remains a “safe haven” for a host of regional terror groups, including the Afghan Taliban and its integral subgroup, the Al Qaeda linked Haqqani Network, according the the State Department’s newly released Country Reports on Terrorism 2019.
Generation Jihad Ep. 15 – Don’t Call It Nation-Building
Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio explore how President Trump’s rhetoric on Afghanistan and other post-9/11 conflicts changed from 2017 to 2020.
Analysis: Taliban is caught in a lie by denying Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan
The Taliban’s denial of Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan means that one of the two groups are not telling the truth. Either Al Qaeda has crafted an elaborate scheme to pretend it fights in Afghanistan alongside the Taliban, or the Taliban is lying, and Al Qaeda has fought there for decades and remains to this day.
Taliban ramps up attacks after ending unilateral ceasefire
Over the past week, the Taliban has killed or wounded more than 420 Afghan security personnel during attacks across Afghanistan. This buries claims by Afghan officials who claimed the Taliban agreed to extend its Ei-ul-Fitr ceasefire.
Taliban denounces ‘deviant beliefs,’ including ‘satanic western and disbelieving ideologies’
the Taliban continues to make it clear that it won’t accept anything less than a return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. In a recent video, it extols the virtues of jihad while it denounces “deviants … who who are trained in the poisonous deviant beliefs of atheism, communism, secularism, democracy, and other satanic western and disbelieving ideologies.”