US confirms Shabaab emir Godane killed in airstrike
‘Removing Godane from the battlefield is a major symbolic and operational loss to al-Shabaab,” the Pentagon’s spokesman said. But jihadist groups have withstood the loss of top leaders in the past.
Category Archives: Long War Journal
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent incorporates regional jihadist groups
Usama Mahmoud, AQIS’s spokesman, openly stated that the group “was formed by the gathering of several jihadi groups that have a long history in jihad and fighting.”
Taliban suicide assault team targets NDS headquarters in Ghazni
Fourteen security personnel and 19 heavily armed Taliban fighters were killed and another 154 people were wounded during the coordinated attack.
Al Qaeda opens branch in the ‘Indian Subcontinent’
Ayman al Zawahiri announced the establishment of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. The group is led by a former Taliban leader known as Asim Umar.
Pakistani military claims 910 ‘terrorists,’ 82 soldiers killed in North Waziristan operation
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar’s spokesman described the military press release and subsequent reporting in the Pakistani media as “nothing but complete lies,” and claimed that jihadists had moved out of the area long before the operation began.
Islamic State executes American reporter, threatens Brit
The Islamic State followed through on its threat to behead Steven Joel Sotloff if the US did not end airstrikes. The jihadist group said David Cawthorne Haines, a British hostage, is next.
US airstrikes in Amerli supported deadly Shia terror group
The League of the Righteous, which is responsible for killing hundreds of US soldiers, was part of the Iraqi force that liberated Amerli. The group is closely tied to Iran’s Qods Force and three of its leaders are Specially Designated Global terrorists.
US targets Shabaab’s leadership in southern Somalia
Shabaab emir Ahmed Abdi Godane and several senior leaders of the group are rumored to have been at a Shabaab camp when it was targeted by a US airstrike.
Al Nusrah Front announces detention of 45 UN peacekeepers
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has announced its responsibility for the detention of 45 UN peacekeepers in Syria. The group claims its actions are justified because the UN supposedly works “against Muslims.”
Senior IMU leader captured by ISAF in 2011 now leads fight in northern Afghanistan
In 2011, ISAF captured Qari Bilal, who was serving as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan’s top leader in Afghanistan. He was subsequently released by the Afghan government, and is now commanding more than 300 jihadist fighters in Kunduz.
Islamic Front and Al Nusrah Front promote ‘liberation’ of border crossing
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, and the Islamic Front, a coalition of several rebel groups, are using their social media pages to highlight their involvement in the rebels’ assault on the Quneitra border crossing.
Ansar Jerusalem beheads 4 Egyptians accused of being Israeli ‘spies’
A little more than one week after the Islamic State released a video featuring the beheading of an American photojournalist, Ansar Jerusalem has released a video online showing four Egyptian civilians being executed in the same manner. The video marks an escalation in the tactics Ansar Jerusalem is willing to broadcast in its propaganda.
Analysis: Boko Haram focuses on seizing territory
Boko Haram is seeking to hold territory in northeastern Nigeria. In a recent video, Boko Haram’s leader declared that his jihadists rule over the town of Gwoza as a “state among the Islamic states.” This was widely interpreted to mean an Islamic caliphate, but that does not appear to be the case.
Islamic State documents takeover of Syrian airbase
After taking control of Tabqa in Raqqah province, Islamic State fighters executed Syrian soldiers, and captured at least three MiG fighter aircraft as well as a large quantity of weapons systems and munitions.
Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar forms in northwestern Pakistan
The new group includes Taliban factions from the tribal agencies of Mohmand, Bajaur, Khyber, and Arakzai, and the districts of Charsadda, Peshawar, and Swat.
Boko Haram’s new caliphate
In its ongoing offensive, Boko Haram has taken control of parts of northern Nigeria, establishing what its leader Abubakar Shekau calls a “caliphate” in the group’s latest video release.
Al Nusrah Front video features captured members of Lebanese security forces
The Al Nusrah Front is using hostages from Lebanon’s security forces in its anti-Hezbollah propaganda. Al Nusrah, an official branch of al Qaeda, is attempting to pressure Hezbollah into withdrawing its forces from Syria.
Islamic State fighters assault last Syrian stronghold in Raqqah
Islamic State fighters are reported to be in control of large areas of the Tabqa military airport, the last major stronghold for the Syrian military in Raqqah province.
Treasury designates 2 ‘key’ al Qaeda financiers
The Long War Journal first exposed one of the two, a jihadist known as Sanafi al Nasr, as a senior al Qaeda operative in March. Al Nasr is a senior al Qaeda leader who relocated from Pakistan to Syria last year. Treasury reveals that he previously served as the head of al Qaeda’s Iran-based network.
Al Nusrah Front attempts to thwart Islamic State’s advances north of Aleppo
A video released by the Al Nusrah Front features three fighters shortly before they head off to fight the Islamic State’s jihadists, who have advanced on rebel positions north of Aleppo.
US posts rewards for 5 Haqqani Network leaders
Siraj Haqqani’s reward is raised to $10 million, putting it in the top tier of wanted terrorist leaders. Rewards of $5 million were posted for four other Haqqani leaders.
US adds Taliban hawala, owner, and commander to terrorist list
The Treasury designation added the Pakistan-based Basir Zarjmil Hawala and its owner Haji Abdul Basir, along with a Taliban commander known as Qari Rahmat to the US government’s list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
US launched raid in Syria to rescue American hostages held by Islamic State
The raid failed to rescue “a number of American hostages held in Syria” by the Islamic State, the Department of Defense’s spokesman said today.
Islamic State beheads American reporter
James Wright Foley, a journalist who was captured in Syria by the Islamic State in November 2012, was executed on camera. The Islamic State threatened to kill another captive American reporter if the US military does not halt its air campaign against the jihadist group in northern Iraq.
Islamic State repels Iraqi military’s 3rd attempt to retake Tikrit
Iraqi forces broke off their advance on Tikrit after taking heavy fire from Islamic State fighters based in and around the capital of Salahaddin province.
US government adds Gaza-based jihadist ‘umbrella’ group to terrorist designation lists
The US government today added the Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC) to the foreign terrorist organization list and labeled the group a specially designated global terrorist entity.
US airpower supports Peshmerga, Iraqi forces to retake Mosul Dam
President Obama expanded the US military mission in Iraq to include protecting “critical infrastructure” and supporting Iraqi Army and Peshmerga offensive military operations in northern Iraq.
US adds Islamic State, Al Nusrah Front leaders to list of global terrorists
Abu Muhammed al Adnani is the Islamic State’s controversial spokesman. Said Arif is a seasoned jihadist who has traveled to several battlefields and is now with the Al Nusrah Front in Syria.
Quetta airbase attacks carried out by Pakistani Taliban, IMU
The spokesman for Omar Khalid Khorasani, the leader of the Taliban in Mohmand, said the Quetta airbase attacks were executed with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
AQAP seeks to capitalize on anti-Israeli sentiment in new English-language magazine
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released a new English-language magazine titled, “Palestine, betrayal of the guilty conscience.” As in past AQAP publications, the magazine includes instructions for building pressure cooker bombs and car bombs.