Tag Archives: Al Qaeda

Generation Jihad | The West’s greatest threat is still Al Qaeda

| February 10, 2026

In its latest report on the state of global jihad, the UN reveals that Al Qaeda is expanding but doesn’t mention one critical fact: the jihadist group’s leader is based in Iran. Bill Roggio is joined by his FDD colleague Edmund Fitton-Brown—who previously oversaw the UN’s sanctions and monitoring team that produces these assessments—to unpack what the report gets right, what it misses, and why Al Qaeda—not the Islamic State—remains the most dangerous long-term jihadist threat facing the West.

Islamic State Sahel fighters

Islamic State claims assault on airport in Niger’s capital

| February 1, 2026

The Islamic State has officially claimed last week’s assault on Niger’s Diori Hamani International Airport in the capital of Niamey, which also hosts the military Air Base 101. Niger claims the assault was repelled, with Russia’s Africa Corps mercenary group also taking credit for the defense.

US military strikes Islamic State in Syria

| January 11, 2026

US Central Command stated that the strikes were in “direct response to the deadly ISIS [Islamic State] attack on U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, on Dec. 13, 2025.” However, the Islamic State has not claimed credit for that attack, which was carried out by a member of the Syrian security forces that are largely comprised of Al Qaeda’s former branch in Syria and Al Qaeda-allied groups.

US strikes Islamic State in Nigeria

| December 26, 2025

President Donald Trump announced that US forces struck Islamic State targets in northwestern Nigeria on December 25 after the Nigerian government reportedly requested military action from the United States. The strikes took place in Sokoto State, which borders Niger and has been one of the scenes of jihadist expansion from the Sahel into Nigeria.

Generation Jihad | Fighting terror with terror

| December 19, 2025

According to the Taliban’s self-assessment (what could go wrong), Afghanistan is “stable” — but according to reality, it’s not. Terrorist groups still operate openly, Al Qaeda remains embedded, and the same extremists are now being trusted to “fight” other extremists. Bill Roggio and Edmund Fitton-Brown break down why outsourcing counterterrorism to jihadists is a fatal mistake — and why the so-called “peace of the Taliban” comes at an unbearable price: the erasure of half the country’s population and the return of Afghanistan as a global terror hub.

Noor Wali Mehsud

Analysis: Pakistan attempts to shift blame for TTP attacks toward India

| October 8, 2025

Pakistani officials blamed an attack in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that killed 11 Pakistani soldiers on the “Indian Proxy, Fitna al Khwarij.” However, the accusation is an attempt to redirect the responsibility for violence toward India and mask Pakistan’s role in the formation of and support for the Afghan Taliban and its spinoff, TTP.

CENTCOM logo

US kills Al Qaeda-linked ‘attack planner’ in Syria

| October 8, 2025

The US military killed Muhammad Abd al Wahhab al Ahmad, a “senior Al-Qaeda affiliated attack planner” who was a member of Ansar Islam. Ahmad was killed in Idlib province, the stronghold of the Syrian government, where Ansar Islam operates with the government’s approval.

Shabaab claims prison assault in Mogadishu

| October 5, 2025

Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch for East Africa, claimed yesterday’s assault on Somalia’s Godka Jilacow prison in Mogadishu. The facility is operated by Somalia’s national intelligence service, representing a major intelligence failure.

Generation Jihad | Shilling for Sharaa

| October 2, 2025

Ahmad Sharawi is back with Bill Roggio to discuss the ongoing spectacle of Syrian interim President and former Al Qaeda member Ahmed al Sharaa, from massacres whitewashed and sanctions lifted with no conditions to foreign fighters handed Syrian citizenship — in its rush to embrace him, is the West willfully ignoring Sharaa’s blood-soaked past?

Generation Jihad | SATC: Sharaa and the City

| September 24, 2025

Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa is in New York City this week, headlining the UN General Assembly (UNGA), fraternizing with world leaders, and meeting with senior Trump administration officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He was even hosted by a prominent think tank for a fireside chat with General David Petraeus, a self-described “fan.” Why is everyone so eager to embrace someone with a record of terror? Tom Joscelyn is back with Bill Roggio to unpack Washington’s stunning, but not surprising, amnesia.

UN report shows Islamic State and Al Qaeda exploiting post-Assad chaos in Syria

| August 1, 2025

On July 29, the United Nations Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team released its latest report detailing terrorist group activities around the world. The section on Syria discussed the most recent developments related to the resurgence of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, in addition to the difficulties of integrating various groups into the country’s military.

Al Qaeda and Allied Group safe houses in Afghanistan

Taliban denies Afghanistan is a haven for terrorists

| June 30, 2025

After US Congressman Bill Huizenga said, “Afghanistan has once again become a hotbed for terrorists looking for safe harbor,” the Taliban’s spokesman denied the presence of terrorist organizations despite evidence that Al Qaeda and other terror groups are operating in the country.

Trump presses Sharaa on foreign fighters as jihadists rise in Syria’s new army

| May 16, 2025

President Donald Trump met with Syrian interim President Ahmad al Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda leader, and urged him to expel foreign jihadists from Syria. However, Sharaa has instead promoted several of these fighters to top military positions, including figures tied to Hayat Tahrir al Sham and Al Qaeda. While Damascus has taken limited, symbolic actions, such as suspending promotions and arresting select fighters, it continues to delay meaningful compliance with US conditions for sanctions relief.

Shabaab fighter

Shabaab mounts coordinated assault north of Mogadishu

| March 3, 2025

Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch for East Africa, has mounted considerable attacks over the last few weeks in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle and Hiraan regions just north of Mogadishu. The group’s offensive is attempting to reverse much of the federal government’s gains during the government’s counter-Shabaab offensive between 2022 and 2023.

CENTCOM logo

US military kills Al Qaeda facilitator in Syria

| February 23, 2025

A US airstrike killed Wasim Tahsin Bayraqdar, who US Central Command (CENTOM) identified as “a senior leadership facilitator” for Hurras al Din. The strike is the third against the Al Qaeda branch since President Donald Trump took office.

Somalia flag

US, UAE conducting airstrikes in northern Somalia

| February 5, 2025

The United States and the United Arab Emirates are conducting airstrikes in northern Somalia in support of Puntland’s military offensive against the local Islamic State branch. Tracking UAE’s strikes in particular, however, is difficult.