ISIS fighter from Kosovo praises jihad in Syria
German intelligence estimates that more than 1,000 Europeans, including 150 Muslims from Kosovo, are fighting against the Assad regime in Syria.
Category Archives: Long War Journal
Suspected ‘Black Widow’ suicide bomber kills 6 in southern Russia
Islamist militants affiliated with the Caucasus Emirate appear determined to wreak havoc in advance of Russia’s planned Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Ansar Jerusalem claims responsibility for car bombing in Ismailia
In a statement released to jihadist forums today, Ansar Jerusalem claimed responsibility for the recent car bombing near a military intelligence building in Ismailia. The attack follows previous warnings that it would continue to target locations tied to Egypt’s security apparatus.
ISIS uses 8 suicide bombers in complex attack in western Iraq
The ISIS has not had difficulty in recruiting and deploying suicide bombers to conduct complex assaults in either Iraq or Syria.
IMU claims suicide attack against US forces in Afghanistan
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan remains active against Coalition forces in northern Afghanistan.
ISIS photos show children training at ‘al Zarqawi Cubs Camp’
The ISIS images are similar to videos and photographs of child training camps in Pakistan’s tribal areas that are run by the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, the Turkistan Islamic Party, and the Islamic Jihad Union.
Senior al Qaeda leader and former US detainee killed in drone strike in 2012
Hassan Ghul served as Osama bin Laden’s emissary to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, and later disclosed key information that led to the killing of bin Laden. The US captured Ghul in Iraq in 2004 and transferred him to Pakistan in 2006, where he was freed one year later, only to rejoin al Qaeda.
Free Syrian Army continues to fracture as more units defect
Sixty-six units in the south split from the FSA and the Syrian National Coalition. One of the brigades has fought with the Al Nusrah Front in the past.
Jihadists assassinate governor in key Afghan province
The attack is similar to other assassinations, such as those that killed Ahmed Shah Massoud and Burhanuddin Rabbani, that were carried out by al Qaeda and the Taliban.
ISAF soldier killed in latest insider attack in eastern Afghanistan
The attack took place in Paktika province, a stronghold of the Haqqani Network. There have been four such attacks against ISAF personnel in less than a month.
Report highlights al Qaeda affiliates’ role in Syrian atrocities
A new report by Human Rights Watch says that al Qaeda’s affiliates and their extremist allies committed atrocities in Latakia, Syria in August. The two al Qaeda affiliates in Syria and their close allies led the rebel offensive in Latakia as well.
US grabs Pakistani Taliban commander from Afghan intel
Latif Mehsud, a top deputy to Hakeemullah Mehsud, the emir of the al Qaeda-linked Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, is said to have been captured by US forces while being escorted by the NDS after conducting a meeting to exchange Afghan prisoners for cash.
Norwegian authorities looking for Westgate massacre suspect
The subject of the investigation is a Norwegian citizen of Somali origin who was allegedly involved in the planning and execution of the deadly attack at a Nairobi mall last month.
Ansar al Sharia Libya denounces capture of top al Qaeda operative
Ansar al Sharia Libya has issued a statement saying “we must seek to release the captive brother” Abu Anas al Libi, who was seized by US forces on Oct. 5.
Ansar Jerusalem claims credit for suicide bombing of South Sinai Security Directorate
The Salafi jihadist group has claimed the Oct. 7 suicide attack against the South Sinai Security Directorate in el Tor, which is at least the second suicide bombing it has carried out.
US justifies Somalia raid under AUMF, which Obama seeks to repeal
The US Navy SEALs raid that targeted a Shabaab leader known as Ikrima was justified under the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force. President Obama has called for the repeal of the AUMF, and support to do so is gaining in Congress.
State Department designates longtime Zawahiri subordinate
The State Department designated Muhammad Jamal and the Muhammad Jamal Network (MJN) as terrorists. Jamal established connections to al Qaeda’s senior leadership, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Afghan Taliban support Pakistani branch, spokesman claims
Shahidullah Shahid, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan’s senior spokesman, also said that Mullah Fazlullah is operating from the northeastern Afghan province of Kunar.
‘Core’ al Qaeda member captured in Libya
A senior al Qaeda operative, Abu Anas al Libi, was captured in Tripoli, Libya. Al Libi has served al Qaeda since the 1990s. According to a report published by the Library of Congress in August 2012, he was the “builder of al Qaeda’s network in Libya.”
Senior ISAF member killed in green-on-blue attack in southern Afghanistan
In the third insider attack on Coalition forces since Sept. 21, a senior member of the International Security Assistance Force has been shot and killed in southern Afghanistan.
Shabaab claims it ‘repelled’ raid by Western special operations forces
Shabaab claimed that its fighters stopped a Western-led nighttime raid from the sea in the costal town of Barawe. The US special operations forces killed a top al Qaeda and Shabaab leader in Barawe four years ago.
Danish Salafist leader said to have been killed in Syria
A martyrdom video for Kaldet til Islam leader Shiraz Tariq has surfaced, indicating that he died fighting with jihadist forces in Latakia last month.
Sinai jihadists threaten to kill anyone found aiding Egypt’s security forces
Al Salafiyya al Jihadiyya threatened to kill anyone found aiding Egyptian security forces currently operating in the Sinai. The jihadist group also offered those aiding the security forces a chance to repent.
Pakistan hands over suspected green-on-blue killer for trial
The difficult work of bringing green-on-blue killers to justice moves a step forward with the recent transfer of a rogue ANA soldier from Pakistan to Afghanistan. In the process, Coalition authorities are faced with the problems of Taliban influence and safe havens in Pakistan.
Al Qaeda’s affiliates continue joint operations in Syria
Reporting from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights shows that al Qaeda’s two affiliates inside Syria continue to collude despite a leadership dispute that became public in April.
Taliban commander Mullah Fazlullah claims credit for assassinating Pakistani general
The Taliban released video of the attack that killed Major General Sanaullah Niazi, the Army commander for Swat. Fazlullah said negotiations with the government are merely “a component of war.”
Haqqani Network said to name successor to Mullah Sangeen
Bilal Zadran is said to have replaced Mullah Sangeen Zadran, who is thought to have been killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan in early September.
Pakistan condemns latest drone strike in North Waziristan
Today’s attack in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan is the second by the US in two days. The strike took place in Datta Khel, a known hub of al Qaeda activity.
Al Nusrah Front, Free Syrian Army seize border crossing to Jordan
Al Qaeda’s Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant teamed up with the Free Syrian Army’s Yarmouk Brigade to take control of the Daraa border crossing to Jordan.
US drones target Haqqani Network in North Waziristan strike
Three Haqqani network fighters were killed in the attack, which took place in the same town where Mullah Sangeen Zadran is rumored to have been killed in another drone strike earlier this month.