The Taliban claims that two recently captured Haqqani operatives had recently met with members of the “Taliban Five” in Qatar. The Taliban Five is a group of senior Taliban leaders who were exchanged for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl earlier this year.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released a statement once again calling on jihadists in Syria to unite against their common enemies, especially the US. AQAP and other jihadists are portraying the US-led bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria as part of a “Crusade” against Muslims.
Sheikh Imran Ali Siddiqi, a senior official in al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), was killed in a US drone strike earlier this month. After 9/11, Imran founded Harkat-ul-Mujahideen al-Almi (HUMA), an al Qaeda-linked group thought to be responsible for an attack on the US Consulate in Karachi and other Western interests.
Abdullah Azzam Brigades leader Sirajeddine Zurayqat has called on Sunnis in Lebanon to fight against Hezbollah. Zurayqat’s call to arms was posted on his official Twitter account. His anti-Iran, anti-Hezbollah messaging is consistent with the Al Nusrah Front’s propaganda campaign.
The Al Nusrah Front has announced that a Lebanese soldier, Mohammed Antar, has defected to the jihadist group. Al Nusrah has released a photo and video of Antar, which are part of the organization’s ongoing propaganda campaign against Iran, Hezbollah, and the Lebanese government.
A new video posted by Ansar al Sharia Libya features Wissam Bin Hamid. American officials once considered Bin Hamid an ally in Benghazi, but he stood idly by as the US Mission and Annex were overrun on the night of Sept. 11, 2012.
The Al Nusrah Front continues to use its Lebanese hostages in its propaganda campaign against Iran and Hezbollah.
A senior al Qaeda leader known as Sanafi al Nasr has tweeted that Muhsin al Fadhli was killed in the bombing raids in Syria last week. Both Nasr and al Fadhli are part of the so-called “Khorasan group.” Al Fadhli may have been killed, but his death has not been confirmed. And there are sound reasons to treat Nasr’s tweets with skepticism.
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), the newest branch of al Qaeda’s international network, has released a nine-page statement giving its version of the attacks on two Pakistani frigates on Sept. 6. AQIS claims that all of the operatives, except one, were “serving officers in the Pakistani Navy.”
Abu Muhammad al Julani seeks to undermine public support for airstrikes in Syria by arguing that citizens in the West, and not just their rulers, will pay the price for the war. Julani also discusses Al Nusrah’s fight against Hezbollah and urges jihadists not to join the West in the fight against the Islamic State.
A senior al Qaeda official known as Abu Dujana al Basha urges jihadists not to join the Islamic State, a former branch of al Qaeda that was disowned by al Qaeda’s senior leaders in February.
One of the first reported casualties of the US-led bombing campaign earlier this week was an Al Nusrah Front commander known as Abu Yusuf al Turki. He had been training al Qaeda snipers in Syria. He was previously suspected of plotting to attack the 2004 NATO summit in Turkey.
The threat posed by al Qaeda remains today. The “Khorasan group” is merely al Qaeda in Syria.
The Treasury Department targeted six al Qaeda financiers and facilitators yesterday. Their work spans the globe, covering more than 10 nations from the Middle East to Southeast Asia.
An al Qaeda leader known as Sanafi al Nasr is a part of the so-called “Khorasan group,” which was dispatched to Syria by Ayman al Zawahiri. Like another member of the group, Nasr was once the head of al Qaeda’s Iran-based network.
Four of the al Qaeda operatives designated by the State Department have supported the jihad in Syria. One of them may be tied to a key leader in the so-called “Khorasan Group,” which was planning attacks in the West. A fifth al Qaeda veteran designated today was sent to Libya by Ayman al Zawahiri in 2011.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has posted a series of photos purportedly showing sites struck by the US.
Jihadists on Twitter have posted pictures of Al Nusrah Front locations struck in the US bombing campaign in Syria. The strikes are aimed at the so-called Khorasan group, which has been planning attacks against the US and its interests, as well as a number of other targets. Jihadists claim that al Qaeda veterans have been killed in the bombings.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has threatened to kill a second Lebanese hostage. The group has already executed a Lebanese soldier who had been held in its custody since August.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has repeatedly threatened to kill a Lebanese soldier in its custody this week. In a tweet earlier today, the group said that the soldier was the “first casualty” in its stalled negotiations with the Lebanese military.
Testimony to the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats on the threat posed by Islamist foreign fighters returning home to Europe.
AQAP and AQIM have issued a joint statement encouraging the jihadists in Syria to unite in the face of the American-led opposition. However, the statement should not be read as an indication that they are breaking ranks from al Qaeda. The two groups also offer their condolences for the Ahrar al Sham leaders who were killed earlier this month.
AQIS has claimed two attacks in Pakistan. On Sept. 2, the group assassinated a Pakistani officer. An AQIS spokesman claims that the group attempted to take over a docked Pakistani ship on Sept. 6 and fire missiles at American warships.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, explained its decision to release more than 40 UN peacekeepers in a video released earlier this week. The group disputes published reports saying that it demanded to be taken off the UN’s list of designated terrorist organizations. And it says the hostages were freed in compliance with sharia law.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has released a statement honoring the Ahrar al Sham leaders killed in yesterday’s explosion. Al Nusrah says they were among the “best” of men and leaders.
Several influential al Qaeda members have used their Twitter feeds to mourn the slain leaders of Ahrar al Sham and the Islamic Front. The jihadists were killed in an explosion earlier today. One well-connected jihadist, who appears to be an al Qaeda media operative, claimed that the head of the Islamic Front had been in communication with Ayman al Zawahiri.
The Islamic Front announced today that more than one dozen of its senior leaders were killed in a car bombing in Idlib. Among the slain leaders is Hassan Abboud, who was the leader of Ahrar al Sham and the head of the Islamic Front’s political office. Abboud was especially close to Ayman al Zawahiri’s representative in Syria.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has released an English-language pamphlet highlighting its activities throughout the month of August. The publication focuses on the group’s military operations, including targeting Assad’s forces and Hezbollah fighters, as well as its social work.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has congratulated its “brothers” in al Qaeda for creating a new branch in the Indian subcontinent. AQAP offers “special congratulations” to “our Sheikh and good Emir,” Ayman al Zawahiri.
Less than one week after Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in an American airstrike, Shabaab has named a new leader and publicly reaffirmed its allegiance to al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri.