Both the US State Department and the UN have designated Ali Ouni Harzi as a terrorist. The UN designation notes Harzi’s alleged role in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, whereas the State Department does not.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have issued eulogies for Hammam Attiyah, who led Ajnad Misr until his death earlier this month. Little is known about Attiyah, but the eulogies are a significant indication that Ajnad Misr operates as part of al Qaeda’s international network.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s emir, Abdulmalek Droukdel, has released an audio message praising the head of the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, for working with other Islamist and jihadist groups to capture the city of Idlib.
Ansar al Sharia Libya now operates a radio station in Benghazi and several Twitter feeds. The group is at war with General Khalifa Haftar’s forces, but is promoting its governance efforts even while in the thick of battle. While a senior sharia official has defected to the Islamic State, there is no indication the group as a whole has followed suit.
Ugandan authorities have reportedly arrested Jamal Kiyemba, an ex-Guantanamo detainee, in connection with the assassination of a top counterterrorism prosecutor late last month.
Shabaab terrorists raided a university in Kenya. According to initial reports, more than 70 people have been killed and dozens more wounded. The gunmen reportedly attempted to separate Muslims from non-Muslims during the assault.
Fighters from the Free Syrian Army, the Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, Jaysh al Islam and other groups overran the Nasib border crossing between Syria and Jordan. The anti-Assad forces have made gains in southern Syrian in recent weeks.
Abu Muhammad al Julani, the leader of the Al Nusrah Front, said the jihadist coalition that took control of Idlib should remain united. He also stated that the jihadists should avoid “terrorizing” the people in order to build more popular support.
The Jaysh al Fateh coalition has captured the city of Idlib, or much of it. Propaganda photos posted online show jihadist groups, including the Al Nusrah Front, controlling government buildings and key facilities.
Photos and videos posted on social media show that Jaysh al Fateh, a coalition of several jihadist groups, has captured a number of Syrian regime checkpoints surrounding the city of Idlib.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has released another video showing its fighters using American-made TOW missiles in the battle for the city of Idlib.
The State Department has added Aliaskhab Kebekov (also known as Ali Abu Muhammad al Dagestani), who heads the Islamic Caucasus Emirate, to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists. State notes that Kebekov has proclaimed his organization’s “structural subordination” to al Qaeda.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, and its allies have formed a coalition of groups to go on the offensive in Idlib. One of the coalition’s first propaganda videos features Al Nusrah fighters firing an American-made TOW missile on a Syrian regime target.
The Islamic State’s attacks on Houthi civilians are part of a deliberate strategy. AQAP tries to avoid such operations, but the permissibility of deliberately killing Shiite civilians is still debated in jihadist circles.
Twenty of the victims were visiting from Western nations and elsewhere, which the Islamic State referred to as “Crusader countries.”
In a new audio speech, the Islamic State’s spokesman, Abu Muhammad al Adnani, accepts the pledge of allegiance made by Boko Haram’s leader earlier this month.
Recently released letters recovered in Osama bin Laden’s compound reveal that key Pakistani leaders, including the brother of Pakistan’s current prime minister, sought out negotiations with al Qaeda. Pakistan intelligence also communicated with al Qaeda leaders through jihadist intermediaries to discuss a possible truce.
Boko Haram’s leader, Abu Bakr Shekau, has pledged allegiance to the emir of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.
Abu Hamam al Suri, an al Qaeda veteran who has served as a senior military commander in the Al Nusrah Front, was reportedly targeted in Syria. There are conflicting accounts concerning his fate.
Al Qaeda’s general manager, Atiyah Abd al Rahman, believed there was “good” in the 2011 Arab uprisings. And he discussed with Osama bin Laden how to send al Qaeda operatives around the globe to take advantage of the situation. The Libyan “brothers” were especially anxious to wage jihad in their home country.
Documents recovered in Osama bin Laden’s compound reveal that Nasser bin Ali al Ansi, a senior Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) official, was appointed as one of al Qaeda’s deputy general managers. It is highly likely that he continues to serve in that role underneath Nasir al Wuhayshi, who is both AQAP’s emir and al Qaeda’s global general manager.
Divisions between Boko Haram and rival Ansaru have become more pronounced over the past several weeks.
One of the Islamic State’s so-called “provinces” in Libya has claimed responsibility for two suicide attacks in the Libyan town of Qubba earlier today. The group says the attacks were retaliation for the airstrikes carried out in nearby Derna.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s (AQIM) Uqba bin Nafi Battalion has claimed credit for an attack that killed four members of Tunisia’s National Guard. The group remains loyal to AQIM despite some claims that it had defected to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s Islamic State.
A newly released video features Said Arakanskiy, the leader of Vilayat Dagestan. Arakanskiy was appointed to that position late last year after his predecessor defected to the Islamic State.
The Islamic State has released a video showing the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christian workers who were kidnapped in Libya. The lead fighter in the video seeks to intimidate Italy, saying his organization will conquer Rome. The group is also using the beheadings to portray al Qaeda’s leaders as being soft in their pursuit of jihad.
One of the Islamic State’s so-called provinces in Libya claims to have captured the town of Nawfaliyah. The group has also assaulted several buildings in Sirte, reportedly taking control of the local radio and television stations.
An audio recording of Abu Muhammad al Julani, the emir of the Al Nusrah Front, introduces a newly-released video produced by the group. The video highlights Al Nusrah’s purported military gains and ends with a clip of Ayman al Zawahiri calling for jihadist unity.
Before his own death on Jan. 31, Harith al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, recorded an audio eulogy for the leader of Ansar al Sharia Libya, Mohammed al Zahawi. Nadhari noted that Zahawi had met with Osama bin Laden in the mid-1990s.
The State Department today announced that Denis Cuspert has been added to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists.