• Generation Jihad: Ep. 5 – Banned in Pakistan

    Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss how the Daniel Pearl affair highlights deeper problems within Pakistan. After all, FDD’s Long War Journal is banned in Pakistan, while many jihadists are not.

    Generation Jihad: Ep. 5 – Banned in Pakistan
  • U.S. military buries press release that would announce killing of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent’s emir

    The U.S. military has suppressed a press release announcing the death of Al Qaeda In the Indian Subcontinient’s emir for three months as his presence with the difficult. Asim Umar, his courrier to Ayman al Zawahiri, his staff, and even his wife were embedded with the Taliban in Helmand province when he was killed.

    U.S. military buries press release that would announce killing of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent’s emir
  • Trump caves to Pakistan on Afghanistan

    Trump’s acquiescence to Pakistan, which has backed the Taliban’s deadly insurgency in Afghanistan, occurs less than two years after he accused Pakistan of providing “safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror”. Trump also said Pakistan returned billions of dollars in US aid with “nothing but lies & deceit.”

    Trump caves to Pakistan on Afghanistan
  • Female Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber hits hospital

    The Taliban has used female suicide bombers in the past. Years ago, a wanted commander known as Qari Zia Rahman established training camps to indoctrinate women and young girls to carry out the gruesome attacks.

    Female Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber hits hospital
  • Pakistan again arrests Lashkar-e-Taiba emir Hafiz Saeed

    Pakistan is a state where those who push the bounds of what is acceptable to the military and Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, including jihadists, politicians, journalists, and activists, end up missing or are found murdered. Pakistan has weathered nearly two decades of international condemnation over Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, yet he and his terrorist entities have not only survived, but thrived.

    Pakistan again arrests Lashkar-e-Taiba emir Hafiz Saeed
  • Pakistan charges 13 Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders under Anti-Terrorism Act

    If history is any guide, Laskahr-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed and his cadre will dodge the charges and continue to provide support to a wide range of terrorist groups, including al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban.

    Pakistan charges 13 Lashkar-e-Taiba leaders under Anti-Terrorism Act
  • US Citizen Pleads Guilty to Recruiting for Lashkar-e-Taiba

    An 18-year-old man from North Texas has pleaded guilty to charges that he conspired to actively recruit for the Pakistani-backed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), according to a release from the Department of Justice last week.

    US Citizen Pleads Guilty to Recruiting for Lashkar-e-Taiba
  • UN sanctions Islamic State’s Khorasan province, as jihadists claim operations in Kashmir and Pakistan

    On May 14, the UN Security Council added the Islamic State’s so-called Khorasan province to its list of sanctioned terrorist entities. The group has recently rebranded operations in Kashmir and Pakistan as the work of supposedly new “provinces.”

    UN sanctions Islamic State’s Khorasan province, as jihadists claim operations in Kashmir and Pakistan
  • Khalilzad flip flops on Pakistan, Taliban’s relationship with al Qaeda

    In his testimony to Congress in July 2016, Zalmay Khalilzad called for designating Pakistan a State Sponsor of Terrorism for its support of the Taliban, noted the enduring Taliban-al Qaeda alliance. Today he praises Pakistan for its desire for peace in Afghanistan and claims the Taliban will be an effective counterterrorism partner.

    Khalilzad flip flops on Pakistan, Taliban’s relationship with al Qaeda
  • Examining the Global Terrorism Landscape

    Bill Roggio testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and International Terrorism, and examines the global terrorism landscape.

    Examining the Global Terrorism Landscape
  • Pakistan claims to ‘crack down’ on Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Again.

    If the past is any guide, the efforts are merely eyewash to placate Western governments in the wake of major terror attacks emanating from Pakistani soil. Pakistan has claimed it has shut down JuD offices and detained its top leaders in the past, only to allow the offices to reopen and the leaders free months later.

    Pakistan claims to ‘crack down’ on Jamaat-ud-Dawa. Again.
  • Pakistan has ‘full-fledged plan’ to take out terrorist groups, while denying their existence

    For years, Pakistani officials and military commanders have denied the existence of terrorist groups operating on Pakistani soil, and concurrently claimed that they are taking action against the same non-existent terrorist groups.

    Pakistan has ‘full-fledged plan’ to take out terrorist groups, while denying their existence
  • US offers $1 million reward for information on Hamza bin Laden

    The State Department announced today that it is offering a $1 million reward for information on Hamza bin Laden’s whereabouts. Hamza is the genetic and ideological heir of al Qaeda’s founder and he has been groomed for a leadership position within the organization.

    US offers $1 million reward for information on Hamza bin Laden
  • ‘Our soil is not used for carrying out terrorist attacks,’ Pakistan PM claims

    Khan’s claim that “our [Pakistani] soil is not used for carrying out terrorist attacks in other countries” is remarkably similar, if not identical to the Afghan Taliban’s false assurances that it won’t allow its territory to be used by terror groups.

    ‘Our soil is not used for carrying out terrorist attacks,’ Pakistan PM claims
  • Analysis: The costs of withdrawal from Afghanistan

    President Trump’s decision to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan will have consequences. The Taliban and al Qaeda will declare victory, while the US will find it harder to hunt terrorists throughout the region.

    Analysis: The costs of withdrawal from Afghanistan
  • Peace with the Taliban will not be peaceful

    The Taliban is more than happy to negotiate the terms of US withdrawal — but if and only if an accord is reached on its terms. Because if a so-called peace agreement can be reached, you can be sure it will be one that will not benefit the Afghan people, the US, or the region.

    Peace with the Taliban will not be peaceful
  • Taliban, Pakistani military mourn death of extremist cleric

    The Afghan Taliban, Pakistani Taliban and Pakistani military have all honored Maulana Sami ul-Haq, a influential and radical cleric who was stabbed to death. Haq’s madrassa has been a breeding ground for the Taliban and other jihadist groups in the region.

    Taliban, Pakistani military mourn death of extremist cleric
  • Analysis: Baradar’s release from Pakistani custody unlikely to impact Afghan peace talks

    While many officials and analysts are hopeful that Baradar can influence negotiations between the US and the Taliban, it is highly unlikely that he will be able to influence the current crop of Taliban leaders, who have waged a successful insurgency and control more ground in the country since any point during the war.

    Analysis: Baradar’s release from Pakistani custody unlikely to impact Afghan peace talks
  • US and partner nations seek to disrupt Iran-Taliban nexus

    The Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) designated nine individuals who are undermining the Afghan government. The nine include six Taliban leaders, two officials in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and a narcotics trafficker based in Pakistan.

    US and partner nations seek to disrupt Iran-Taliban nexus
  • Badness personified

    Jalaluddin Haqqani is dead. The terror network he created lives on.

    Badness personified
  • Pakistan continues to harbor Taliban, including al Qaeda-linked Haqqanis

    According to a new report by the State Department, the Afghan Taliban and its Haqqani Network are still “operating in Pakistan-based safe havens and threatening U.S. and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.” Pakistan has assisted the US in counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda. However, by refusing to move against the Taliban, including the Haqqanis, Pakistan is harboring al Qaeda’s most important allies in the region.

    Pakistan continues to harbor Taliban, including al Qaeda-linked Haqqanis
  • Al Qaeda is very much alive, and widely misunderstood

    AL Qaeda’s operatives are fighting in more countries around the world today than was the case on 9/11. And its leaders still want to target the United States and its interest and allies. The war they started is far from over.

    Al Qaeda is very much alive, and widely misunderstood
  • Taliban announces death of Jalaluddin Haqqani

    Jalaluddin fought the Soviets, served as the Minister of Frontiers during the Taliban rule of Afghanistan from 1996-2001, was a member of the Taliban’s Quetta Shura, or governing body, and father of Sirajuddin Haqqani, one of the Taliban’s two deputy emirs and overall military commander.

    Taliban announces death of Jalaluddin Haqqani
  • Analysis: Gen. Nicholson says US strategy in Afghanistan ‘is working,’ despite the facts

    At a Pentagon press conference, General Nicholson again gave a Pollyannish assessment of the state of Afghanistan. He claimed the peace process is working and the Taliban’s offensive is failing, and took credit for a Taliban victory over the Islamic State.

    Analysis: Gen. Nicholson says US strategy in Afghanistan ‘is working,’ despite the facts
  • Afghan forces target al Qaeda commanders in Helmand and Nangarhar

    The raids in Helmand and Nangarhar indicate that al Qaeda’s leaders are not focused on its survival. Al Mesri was focused on manufacturing IEDs to support the Taliban’s insurgency in Helmand, while Rahmatullah and his cohorts were operating in Nangarhar’s provincial capital.

    Afghan forces target al Qaeda commanders in Helmand and Nangarhar