US claims 10,000 Islamic State fighters killed since start of air campaign
If true, US intelligence assessments on the strength of the Islamic State are grossly underestimated.
Author Archives: Bill Roggio
US said to have killed ‘foreigners’ in drone strike in Pakistan
The strike took place in the Shawal Valley in Pakistan’s Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan. The US continues to launch drone strikes in Pakistan, but the counterterrorism operation does not stray beyond the tribal areas.
US support for Iranian-backed Shiite militias ‘should not alarm us,’ General Allen says
US officials and generals continue to downplay the involvement of Iranian-backed Shiite militias in offensives in Iraq, and their dominance of the Popular Mobilization Committee.
Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar leader accuses Islamic State of creating ‘fitna’ between jihadist groups
Salahuddin al Shishani also accused the Islamic State of attempting to assassinate him after his failed attempt to mediate a dispute between the group and al Qaeda’s branch in Syria.
Iranian-backed militias lead Iraqi counteroffensive to retake Ramadi
Iranian-supported militias, including Hezbollah Brigades, a US-listed Foreign Terrorist Organization, are advancing against the Islamic State east of Ramadi. The US is providing air support.
Islamic State breaks Iraqi defensive line outside of Habbaniyah
According to Iraqi police and tribal officials, the defensive line that was established outside of Habbaniyah with the help of the US has been breached.
‘Iraqi forces not driven from Ramadi, they drove out of Ramadi’
The US military is issuing bizarre spin about events in both Iraq and Syria.
Islamic State seizes Syrian city of Palmyra
The jihadist group may destroy ancient ruins in the city, as it has done in Mosul and elsewhere. The Islamic State is now said to control half of Syria.
Islamic State, Shiite militias square off east of Ramadi
The Islamic State is attacking Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shiite militias that have regrouped at Habbaniyah, the last major city between Ramadi and Fallujah.
‘Strategy to defeat Islamic State is working,’ US Department of Defense claims
The poorly timed DoD report was issued the same day that the Islamic State took control of the government center, and two days before all of Ramadi, including the Anbar Operations Command and the large military base there, were overrun.
US drone strike kills 6 jihadists in North Waziristan
The attack, which took place the Shawal Valley, a terrorist haven, is just the sixth recorded inside Pakistan this year. The US launched 117 drone strikes in Pakistan at the peak of the campaign in 2010.
US Special Operations Forces kill Islamic State commander in Syrian raid
US troops killed Abu Sayyaf, a military and financial leader in the Islamic State, during an attempt to capture him at the Al Omar oil field in eastern Syria. His wife, Umm Sayyaf, was captured.
Islamic State advances on ancient Syrian ruins of Palmyra
Islamic State advances on ancient Syrian ruins of Palmyra
43 killed in attack on bus carrying Ismailis in Karachi
43 killed in attack on bus carrying Ismailis in Karachi – Pakistan
Taliban kill 14, including 9 foreigners, in Kabul hotel attack
The Taliban claimed credit for today’s attack and said it was carried out by a single fighter. The jihadist group denounced the hotel for promoting “lasciviousness and indecency.”
US military denies it targeted Islamic State’s deputy emir in airstrike on mosque
Iraq’s Ministry of Defense claimed that Abu Alaa al Afari and a large number of Islamic State fighters were killed in a coalition airstrike that targeted a mosque. CENTCOM denied it launched a strike on a mosque.
Taliban claims it shot down Pakistani helicopter, displays ‘SAM-7’
The Taliban’s propaganda cannot be independently verified. The Pakistani government claims the Mi-17 crash, which resulted in the death of the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines and five others, was caused by a technical malfunction.
3 jihadist groups merge with Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan
Matiur Rehman, who has served as a senior al Qaeda leader and the operations chief for Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, brought three Pakistani jihadist groups into the fold of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan.
Muqtada al Sadr threatens to ‘unfreeze the military wing,’ attack US interests
“If America persists” in advocating for a Sunni and Kurdish state outside of Iraq, “then it will cease to exist,” the Iranian-backed cleric threatened.
Taliban touts success in Kunduz offensive
A Taliban video shows its fighters inside military bases; seized Humvees, weapons and ammunition; and Afghan security personnel who were captured during the jihadist group’s weeklong offensive in Kunduz.
Islamic State beheads, shoots 15 Yemeni soldiers
Four soldiers were beheaded and 11 more were shot in the head. The executions draw a stark contrast between the Islamic State’s and al Qaeda’s strategies.
Iraqi forces overpowered at Baiji refinery
Iraqi forces overpowered at Baiji refinery
Taliban gains pull US units back into fight in Afghanistan
Taliban gains pull US units back into fight in Afghanistan
Coalition Debates Expanding ISIS Fight – NYTimes.com
Coalition debates expanding Islamic State fight
Islamic State promotes training camp in eastern Afghanistan
The camp is named after Ustad Yasir, a senior Taliban commander who was killed in an internal purge in 2012. The camp’s name is further evidence that the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province is comprised of marginalized Taliban commanders.
Taliban launch offensive in northern Afghan province
Thousands of Taliban fighters are said to have attacked multiple districts in the northern province of Kunduz. The chief of the provincial council claimed that the Taliban control two-thirds of Kunduz.
Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemeni capital, ships shell Aden-residents
Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemeni capital, ships shell Aden-residents
Syrian jets pound insurgent-held town: monitor
Syrian jets pound insurgent-held town: monitor
Somalia’s al Shabaab kills three officials, former lawmaker in Mogadishu
Somalia's al Shabaab kills three officials, former lawmaker in Mogadishu
Nigerian soldiers retreat from mined Boko Haram stronghold
Nigerian soldiers retreat from mined Boko Haram stronghold