Taliban claim suicide assault on Jalalabad police HQ
The Taliban suicide assault team stormed a police headquarters and killed the district chief and nine policemen while fighting off Afghan forces for six hours.
Category Archives: Long War Journal
‘American’ jihadist in Syria pictured with dangerous ISIS commanders
Abu Muhammad al Amriki is seen posing in photographs with a violent local ISIS commander known as Abu Abdurahman al Iraqi and Omar al Shishani, a Chechen leader.
New Ansar al Sharia in Egypt claims more than a dozen shooting attacks
According to the group, its fighters targeted 28 security personnel in three of Egypt’s governorates. A group under the same name appeared in early March with a founding statement.
Islamic Caucasus Emirate confirms death of emir Doku Umarov
Umarov was rumored to have been killed late last year, but his death has not been confirmed by the Islamic Caucasus Emirate until now.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula releases 12th issue of Inspire magazine
AQAP’s latest edition of Inspire magazine purports to show jihadists how to make car bombs similar to the one used by Faisal Shahzad, who was responsible for the failed May 2010 bombing in Times Square.
Al Nusrah Front names training camps after top al Qaeda leaders
The Al Nusrah Front videos from the Abu Ghadiya and Ayman al Zawahiri camps are reminiscent of others released by al Qaeda from the network of training centers in Afghanistan during the 1990s.
Ansar Jerusalem confirms deaths of 2 members, including founder
In its first eulogy statements in over two months, Ansar Jerusalem confirmed the deaths of two of its members. The two jihadists were the 18th and 19th named members whose deaths have been confirmed by the group.
Review board rules against Guantanamo detainee
Earlier this month, a review board responsible for evaluating the status of Guantanamo detainees determined that a Yemeni held in Cuba since early 2002 should remain in custody. According to a leaked threat assessment, the detainee was slated to be a hijacker on 9/11 before al Qaeda canceled his part of the operation.
Al Nusrah Front, Free Syrian Army launch joint operation
Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria teamed up with the the Liwa al Ummah to overrun Syrian Army positions in the city of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province.
Palestinian terror groups launch dozens of rockets and mortars at Israel
Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed to have fired 130 rockets and mortars. Israeli officials said the figure was only 60, however. At least three of the rockets fired yesterday were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.
Saudi Arabia accuses 8 of aiding and financing al Qaeda
Saudi Arabia charged eight defendants with providing weaponry and financial funding to al Qaeda in support of terrorist operations inside and outside the kingdom.
US drones kill local AQAP commander and bodyguard
The strike killed a local al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula military commander known as Moajab bin Aziz, as well as his bodyguard. The US has launched four drone strikes in Yemen since the beginning of March.
9/11 recruiter reportedly freed in Syria
Mohammed Zammar, who recruited al Qaeda’s Hamburg cell, has reportedly been freed inside Syria. His freedom was negotiated by Ahrar al Sham, an al Qaeda-linked group.
US drones kill 4 AQAP commanders and fighters in central Yemen
The Yemeni media identified the two AQAP commanders killed in last night’s strike in Marib province as Ebad Mobarak Al Shabwani and Ja’afar Mohammad Jaber Al Shabwani.
Al Qaeda-affiliated groups claim credit for joint attack on Hezbollah
The Abdullah Azzam Brigades and the Al Nusrah Front in Lebanon have claimed credit for joint rocket attacks on Hezbollah “strongholds” in Hermel, Lebanon. The attacks are part of the spillover from the war in Syria.
Syrian nuns held by Al Nusrah Front fighters are freed
Negotiations over the release of a group of kidnapped nuns were complicated by factors including the alleged involvement of Free Syrian Army fighters in the kidnapping.
Dane, Uzbek among 30 suicide bombers eulogized by ISIS
Of the 30 suicide bombers who were identified, the noms de guerre of 24 of them indicate that they were from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Russian-speaking jihadists execute Syrians in Aleppo
Jihadists from either the Al Nusrah Front or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham carried out the execution. A mentally ill man is said to have been among those to be killed.
Head of al Qaeda ‘Victory Committee’ in Syria
Sanafi al Nasr heads al Qaeda’s “Victory Committee” and has relocated to Syria. He has become a vocal critic of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) and has been allied with ISIS’ main jihadist rivals, including the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria.
US drones kill al Qaeda operative who fought in Iraq
An al Qaeda commander in northern Yemen known as Ali Juraym was killed in the strike. He previously fought for al Qaeda in Iraq.
Israeli navy intercepts Iranian weapons shipment headed for Gaza
Today’s operation marks at least the fourth time since 2002 that Israel has publicly announced that its forces had intercepted a sea-based Iranian weapons smuggling attempt.
ISIS suicide assault team strikes government complex in Samarra
A Tunisian known as Abu Anas al Tunisi was a member of the three-man suicide assault team that targeted a government complex in Samarra.
US kills 3 AQAP operatives in Yemen drone strike
An al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader is said to have been targeted in the strike. Three AQAP operatives, including a wanted commander, are reported to have been killed.
Ahrar-ul-Hind suicide assault team attacks courthouse in Islamabad
The jihadist splinter group has vowed to continue attacks in Pakistan regardless of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan’s negotiations with the government.
Pakistani Taliban announce ceasefire with government
The announcement took place the same day that 11 tribal policemen and civilians were killed in attack that targeted a polio vaccination team in Pakistan’s northwest.
Ansar al Sharia Tunisia deputy leader reportedly in Syria
Kamel Zarrouk is said to have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham after fleeing security forces in Tunisia.
Syrian troops, Hezbollah fighters kill foreign jihadists in ambush
More than 170 Islamist fighters from the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front are reported to have been killed in an ambush outside of Damascus. “Most of them [were] Saudis, Qataris and Chechens,” Syrian television claimed.
Al Nusrah Front emir issues ultimatum to ISIS
Muhammad al Julani gave the ISIS five days to come to an agreement or face a concerted effort to “banish it” from both Syria and Iraq.
Islamic Front official posts pictures of al Qaeda’s top representative in Syria
Hassan Abboud has posted a series of pictures of himself with Abu Khalid al Suri, al Qaeda’s top operative in Syria until his demise this past weekend. Al Suri was a founding member of Ahrar al Sham, which Abboud leads.
Senior Taliban commander gunned down in North Waziristan
Asmatullah Shaheen Bhittani, a senior leader who was appointed interim emir for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan after Hakeemullah’s death, has been gunned down in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan.