Taliban spokesman denies new emir rejected peace talks [updated]
Zabihullah Mujahid said that an audiotape attributed to Mullah Haibatullah in which he supposedly rejected peace talks was not authentic or official Taliban propaganda.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
Pakistani Taliban faction mourns death of Mullah Mansour
“With regret the Muslim world has lost a great mentor,” Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokesman Ihsannullah Ihsan said, referring to Mansour. He urged “the Mujahideen and all Muslims” not to grieve too long, and to “focus on fighting” their enemies.
Taliban names Mullah Haibatullah as new emir
Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s top judicial officer, is the Taliban’s new emir. Siraj Haqqani, the Taliban’s military commander, remains one of the Taliban’s top two deputies. Mullah Mohammad Yaqoub, Mullah Omar’s eldest son, has been elevated to serve as a deputy to Haibatullah.
Baluchistan province is a primary hub for Afghan Taliban
Baluchistan province has long been a major hub for the Afghan Taliban, replete with training camps, madrassa, mosques, and command and control centers. If the US does decide to step up attacks against the Taliban in Baluchistan, there is no shortage of targets.
State Department refuses to admit that Mullah Mansour was killed inside Pakistan
“How could you fire something out of the sky and blow something up and kill people and not know what country it’s in? ,” a reporter responded incredulously to a State Department spokesman’s claim that the government didn’t know whether the US killed Taliban emir Mullah Mansour in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
Pakistan protests US airstrike on Mansour as ‘a violation of sovereignty’
Pakistan has officially protested some US drone strikes in the past, typically when a so-called “good Taliban” leader is targeted. However Pakistan has occasional protested strikes that have targeted al Qaeda and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan.
US confirms Mansour killed, vows no change in combat strategy
The White House confirmed the death of Taliban emir Mullah Mansour today, two days after the group’s top leader was targeted in an unmanned airstrike in Baluchistan province.
Afghan intelligence agency says Taliban emir Mansour is dead
The National Directorate of Security claimed that Taliban Mullah Mansour died in yesterday’s airstrike but the US has yet to confirm his death.
US targeted Taliban emir Mullah Mansour in unprecedented Pakistan drone strike
Mullah Mansour was targeted in an airstrike in Baluchistan province. If Mansour is confirmed killed, one of his likely successors is Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani Network who is closely tied to al Qaeda.
US adds Islamic State branches in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen to list of terrorist organizations
There are now eight Islamic State branches throughout the world designated by the US as terrorist entities – Khorasan, or Afghanistan and Pakistan; the Caucasus; the Egyptian Sinai; Algeria; and Nigeria.
Sadr’s ‘Peace Brigades’ prepares for Mosul offensive
Muqtada al Sadr, the radical Shia cleric who battled US forces during the Iraqi occupation, is preparing his militia to participate in an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State. The US military has insisted that Iranian-backed militias will not fight in Mosul.
Taliban offensive in north stresses Afghan military
Afghan forces have been stretched thin attempting to fight the Taliban on multiple fronts. Forces are often shifted from one theater to another to take back ground from the Taliban, but once the military pulls back, the areas fall back under Taliban control.
Syrian rebels deny Hezbollah’s military commander killed in ‘artillery shelling’
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights disputed Hezbollah’s findings, claiming that it did not observe any artillery attacks on the airport, and its sources within the Syrian military and rebel groups in the city denied shelling the airport. It is likely that Israeli warplanes killed Mustafa Badreddine.
US launched 4 airstrikes against AQAP at end of April
CENTCOM said that AQAP “remains a significant threat to the region, the United States and beyond” and “has a destabilizing effect on Yemen.” The airstrikes appear to have targeted AQAP as the UAE launched its offensive to dislodge AQAP from the city of Mukallah.
US kills Islamic State’s military emir for Anbar province
Abu Wahib has been waging jihad in Iraq for more than a decade. He fought for al Qaeda in Iraq, was imprisoned and escaped during an al Qaeda assault on a prison in 2014, and is responsible for the Islamic State’s successes in Anbar province.
Taliban claims to have ‘thousands of fully armed martyrdom seekers’
The Afghan Taliban said it would give “top priority” to government agencies involved in the execution of jihadist prisoners and claimed it has “thousands of fully armed martyrdom seekers” at its disposal who are “awaiting to take revenge.”
2 Romanian soldiers killed in insider attack in Afghanistan
The attack, where Afghan forces turn on NATO personnel, is the first of its kind recorded in Afghanistan in more than a year.
Taliban denies shadow governor for Kandahar killed by Afghan forces
The Ministry of Interior claimed it killed Haji Lala, the shadow governor of Kandahar and his deputy Ahmad Shah. The Taliban said its shadow governor and deputy for Kandahar are alive, and those identified by the MoI do not serve as the leaders of the province.
Islamic State claims dozens of troops killed in suicide assault in western Anbar
The Islamic State has suffered significant setbacks in Anbar over the past six months and in some areas has pulled back to conduct guerrilla attacks against Iraqi security forces, tribal fighters, and the Shiite militias that have filled the security vacuum.
US military searches for Kabul Attack Network members
The unusual public call for information from USFOR-A follows the deadly suicide assault on a security installation in Kabul that took place on April 19.
Syrian jihadist group Sham al Islam appoints new leader
The jihadist group, founded by former Guantanamo Bay detainees, is listed by the US government as a specially designated global terrorist entity, and is known to operate a training camp in Syria.
Pakistani Taliban faction kills 7 policemen guarding polio vaccination team
“This attack is part of ongoing attacks against security forces and police,” the spokesman for Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said. “We believe the fighting will continue until we achieve the goal of implementing the Islamic system in Pakistan.”
Taliban kills dozens in suicide assault in Kabul
The Taliban targeted a unit that is responsible for providing security for Afghan officials in a coordinated suicide assault in the Afghan capital. NATO’s commander claimed the Taliban won’t face security forces on the battlefield, ignoring the fact that the Taliban is openly engaging Afghan forces on multiple fronts.
Taliban destroys Afghan army helicopter in IED attack at military base
The Taliban planted an IED on the landing pad at a remote military base in Kunar. The Afghan government had previously claimed the helicopter was damaged in an “emergency landing,” but the Taliban recorded the attack on video.
Taliban name Afghan spring offensive after founder and first emir Mullah Omar
A main goal of “Operation Omari” will be “clearing the remaining areas from enemy control and presence,” according to the Taliban.
Senior Islamic State Khorasan leaders defect to Taliban
Several members of the Islamic State Khorasan Provinces’ “central council” as well as other senior and mid-level leaders based in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar have broken their oath to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and have rejoined the Taliban.
Taliban: Mullah Zakir denies reports he called for negotiations with the West
Since Mullah Mansour was appointed the Taliban’s new emir in July 2015, the Taliban has consistently said that Zakir, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee and senior military commander, has been a member of the Quetta Shura. Zakir formally swore allegiance to Mansour late last month.
US military kills 2 Swedish Islamic State fighters in Iraq
Khalid Ostman Timayare was the deputy emir of the Anwar Awlaki brigade, while Harris Cary Saneen “was “a trusted member of the cadre of foreign fighters,” the US military said.
Taliban appoints Mullah Omar’s brother, son to key leadership positions
Mullah Manan was named the head of the Taliban’s Preaching and Guidance Commission, while Mullah Yacoub is a member of the Quetta Shura and commands military operations in 15 provinces. Omar’s kin previously opposed the Taliban’s new leadership.
Pakistan claims senior TTP commander captured 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.