• Treasury designates head of al Qaeda’s eastern zone in Afghanistan

    Nayf Salam Muhammad Ujaym al Hababi, also known as Farouq al Qahtani, has been added to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists. Hababi, a senior al Qaeda leader, has been heavily involved in both the insurgency in Afghanistan and in plotting terrorist attacks in the West. He has also worked with the Taliban.

    Treasury designates head of al Qaeda’s eastern zone in Afghanistan
  • Report: airstrike killed Taliban shadow governor Sheikh Dost Mohammed

    One of the most wanted Taliban commanders in eastern Afghanistan, Sheikh Dost Mohammed, was reportedly killed along with two other Taliban leaders in a US airstrike in the Ghaziabad district of Kunar province. The death of Dost Mohammed has been erroneously reported in the past.

    Report: airstrike killed Taliban shadow governor Sheikh Dost Mohammed
  • ISAF analysis shows Afghan violence remains worse than before surge

    During a speech last week, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that ISAF’s analysis of the Afghan insurgency shows that the level of violence has decreased in 2011 and 2012. That is true when compared to 2010, a peak year for violence. But the level of violence remains worse than prior to the surge.

    ISAF analysis shows Afghan violence remains worse than before surge