The Afghan Taliban continues to claim that there are no foreign terror groups operating inside their country, despite all evidence to the contrary. The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan has an extensive footprint in Afghanistan.
The Haqqani Network, an integral part of the Taliban whose leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is the Taliban’s deputy emir and minister of the interior, is reported to have facilitated the negotiations.
With increased muscle, backing and resources, the TTP – which sent thousands of fighters into Afghanistan to help the Afghan Taliban conquer the country over the summer – can now refocus its efforts on its insurgency in order to overthrow the Pakistani state.
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan highlights the often overlooked relationship between the Afghan Taliban, its Pakistani brothers, and al Qaeda, and Pakistan’s complicity in propping up terror networks.
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan counters the Pakistani military’s claims that Operation Zarb-e-Azb has succeeded in defeating jihadists of all stripes in North Waziristan.
The Pakistani military seems eager to declare victory and put an end to Zarb-e-Azb, even though the jihadists networks based there have not been dismantled.
Pakistani Taliban claims attack on Rawalpindi imambargah, three killed
The group said “Shahidullah Shahid” is a nom de guerre used by all spokesmen and that former spokesman Shaykh Maqbool was not a member of the group when he defected.
“Jaamat-ul-Ahrar deals with itself and does not take orders from TTP leadership,” the group’s spokesman told The Long War Journal.
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan said it ejected Muawiya for responding positively to the government’s offer of peace, but Muawiya said he operates independently. He is likely correct.
Fazal Saeed Utezai dropped out of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, but he’s still an enemy commander.
Long-delayed U.S. aid is finally on its way to Ukraine as Russia presses forward near Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar. A look inside those battles.
Israel redeployed its Nahal brigade from Gaza, replacing it with two reserve brigades that have been undergoing training. The movement comes as the IDF continues to carry out numerous daily airstrikes in Gaza and as Hamas seeks to increase its presence in northern Gaza. Additionally, Hamas released a hostage video of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
Hezbollah carried out a drone attack on northern Israel, setting off sirens along twenty miles of Israeli coastline. The Israel Defense Forces said air defenses were activated to intercept the threats. Hezbollah said they had carried out the attack in response to the IDF killing a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit.
Violent explosions hit the Kalsu base in Iraq, amid speculation of Israeli involvement; no party has claimed responsibility. Recent attacks on US soldiers in Syria and Iraq, after a hiatus, may signal a resurgence of violence against US presence, as Iraqi factions debate approaches towards US withdrawal.
Bill is back and leaning on co-host Joe Truzman to help him piece together the events of last week. They revisit Iran’s historic strike on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory strike in Isfahan, Iran — including what targets they hit, what message they wanted to send by hitting them, and whether this was the right move. They contemplate whether Israel’s relatively tempered response is indicative of U.S. restraint and if Israel will continue to go after IRGC-QF targets.
They also discuss reports of an attack on an Iranian-backed militia outside of Baghdad as well as allegations of Hezbollah Brigade forces launching an attack on U.S. forces in Syria.
Another co-host takeover (“Freaky Friday edition”): Behnam is joined by his friend, former FDD colleague, and top expert on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ali Alfoneh, now with The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. They discuss this week’s historic conflagration between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel.
An IDF military division conducted a training exercise to prepare for a potential conflict in the north. The 91st division, which is responsible for the northern border of Israel, led the drill that ended on April 15 with the division commander then meeting with the heads of local communities. On April 19, reports said Israel carried out an airstrike near Isfahan inside Iran.
The Israel Defense Forces carried out strikes on 25 targets in Gaza over the course of April 18 and 19. In addition, the IDF launched more operations to secure a corridor of control across Gaza south of Gaza City. The IDF said it had eliminated more than 1,000 terrorists in recent raids. Humanitarian aid transfers by trucks are increasing in southern and northern Gaza.
Iran-backed militias and proxies are threatening Jordan’s security.
The Islamic Republic’s disorganized messaging on Israel tensions reflects its fear of public backlash, revealing internal coordination gaps and anxiety over criticism
Hezbollah launched drones at northern Israel on April 16 and 17 during two days of escalation in northern Israel as the IDF eliminated two Hezbollah commanders and Hezbollah carried out attempted attacks on IDF bases.
In a special co-host takeover, Behnam and Joe discuss the Islamic Republic’s unprecedented attack on Israel this weekend.
The Chief of Staff for the Israel Defense Forces spoke to Israeli air force personnel at the Nevatim base in southern Israel on April 15, praising them for their defense against the attack by Iran. Israel is considering its options for responding to the Iranian attack. In addition, Israel’s Minister of Defense held discussions about upcoming operations in Rafah.
Bill is joined by LWJ’s Seth Frantzman just after the six-month mark of Israel’s defensive war in Gaza resulting from the October 7 attack by Hamas. They discuss Seth’s latest visit to border communities in Israel and whether there’s a realistic timeline for still-evacuated citizens to return, disturbing reports that Hamas has apparently lost track of which hostages are dead or alive, and Tehran’s possible response to Israel’s April 1 assassination of an IRGC-QF commander in Damascus as we enter day ~seven of bracing for an imminent Iranian attack against Israel within 24-48 hours.
Ukraine’s parliament finally passed a bill aimed at redressing its manpower shortage. But Kyiv’s lack of urgency has given Russia an opportunity to make gains.
The Israel Defense Forces carried out raids in Gaza into Nuseirat and Shujaiya. The new policy of precision raids reflects a developing phase of operations in Gaza which pairs pinpoint raids with increased humanitarian support for Gaza. The IDF is also constructing a new northern crossing into Gaza for aid to reach northern Gaza.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant noted Israel’s challenges in Gaza on the humanitarian front, saying that aid has increased in phases and he supports increasing the amount of aid and number of crossings into Gaza for the aid. In addition, he praised the US-Israel relationship and discussed how Hamas has ceased to exist as a military organization in many parts of Gaza.
Israel killed a senior IRGC officer in Syria. Iran, and possibly Hezbollah will avenge him – but without undermining their broader objective of rescuing Hamas and its partners in Gaza.
Tehran is threatening new attacks in the Middle East after the April 1 Israeli airstrike in Damascus that killed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander responsible for smuggling weapons to Lebanon. Analysis of Iranian-backed attacks and U.S. responses in recent months makes clear that a U.S. failure to hit back hard will simply invite more Iranian attacks and risk more American casualties.