Just days after reportedly killing eight Islamist militants, Egyptian authorities carried out another major operation in the Sinai, which allegedly left 30 dead or wounded. The latest operation also comes in the wake of an assassination attempt on Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim.
Salafi jihadists in the Gaza Strip recently held a rare public demonstration in the Gaza Strip denouncing the Assad regime as well as the Egyptian military’s takeover. In addition to numerous al Qaeda black flags, demonstrators held pictures of Bashar al Assad and Abdel Fattah el Sisi with text calling the two leaders “murderers and killers.”
According to the New York Times, videos posted online suggest “cooperation” between al Qaeda’s Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, and a Free Syrian Army brigade in an assault on Malula earlier this week. Separately, Ahrar al Sham condemned the prospect of Western intervention in Syria.
The senior Haqqani Network commander and a Lashkar al Zil explosives expert are said to be among those killed in yesterday’s strike in North Waziristan.
Today’s strike is the second in Pakistan in six days. The Haqqani Network continues to operate freely in North Waziristan even though the group is closely allied with al Qaeda.
A new statement by al Salafiyya al Jihadiyya denied the existence of al Qaeda in the Sinai as an organization, and accused the Egyptian army of lying about recent operations. The group noted the alleged arrest of Adel Mohammed Ibrahim and recent airstrikes, which Egyptian authorities claimed had killed at least eight militants.
In a new statement, Ansar al Sharia claims it is organizationally independent, but confirms its “loyalty” to al Qaeda. The Tunisian government claimed last week that the group is closely linked to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Egyptian forces today carried out a number of strikes on jihadist positions in the Sinai, killing at least eight militants. In addition, recent arrests in the Sinai have tied the MSC in Jerusalem to the recent killing of more than 20 policemen.
The fighting forced the closure of the Torkham-Jalalabad road in Nangarhar, a key route from Afghanistan that is used to ferry NATO supplies from Pakistan. Dozens of trucks carrying fuel and supplies for NATO forces were destroyed.
The terror group’s spokesman claimed the attack was carried out to avenge yesterday’s US drone strike that is said to have killed four members of the Turkistan Islamic Party.
A new audio message from an ISIL spokesman denounced the Muslim Brotherhood as being worse than secularists. In addition, the spokesman called on Egyptian Muslims to wage ‘jihad’ against the army.
The strike in Pakistan is the first reported in the country in more than a month. The Turkistan Islamic Party fighters were allied with Hafiz Gul Bahadar, who is considered by the Pakistani government to be a “good Taliban.”
Kaid al Dhahab, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s emir in in the central province of Baydah, is said to have been killed in the first US drone strike in Yemen in nearly three weeks.
Three major clashes between the Taliban and Afghan security forces have been reported on the Herat-Kandahar highway over the past two weeks.
The Tunisian government has labeled Ansar al Sharia a terrorist organization. The group’s leaders, including Seifallah ben Hassine, have longstanding ties to al Qaeda and terrorism. Ben Hassine has been identified as the “mastermind” of the Sept. 14, 2012 attack on the US Embassy in Tunis.
An indictment unsealed yesterday alleges that Nigerian citizen Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi is a member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula who aided in the production of Inspire magazine and was given money to recruit other Nigerians.
Members of the suicide assault team penetrated security at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Ghazni. A Taliban suicide bomber also struck in the provincial capital of Helmand.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant announced that it would coordinate with other Syrian rebel groups, including the Free Syrian Army, to take revenge for a chemical weapons attack last week in the capital that is said to have killed more than 300 people.
The attack takes place just days after the governor of Kapisa said that the Taliban, HIG, and the Haqqani Network are in control of large areas of the province.
In two new messages, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula official Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari denounced the recent crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and praised the actions of jihadists throughout the region and beyond.
The Egyptian army’s spokesman claimed that 78 militants have been killed in recent operations in the Sinai. The remarks come a day after a Sinai-based jihadist group, which had previously said it would not target the army, threatened attacks against Egyptian security personnel.
Overnight the IAF carried out a strike on a “terror site” located south of Beirut. The strike comes a day after four rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, in an attack claimed by the Abdullah Azzam Brigades.
The Afghan military claimed Qari Zia Rahman was killed in an airstrike in Kunar, but the report is not confirmed. The wanted al Qaeda and Taliban commander has been reported killed in the past.
The Treasury Department issued designations against four Hezbollah operatives for their role in a variety of terror activities across the Middle East. At least one of those designated is a member of Hezbollah’s Political Council.
Mohamed Lahbous, a member of the al Qaeda-linked Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, was listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist for his involvement in kidnapping, weapons smuggling, and armed attacks in Algeria.
The US Treasury Department today designated al Qaeda’s leader in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces, as well as the Ganj Madrassa in Peshawar, Pakistan. The madrassa is “controlled” by an al Qaeda facilitator who also serves the Taliban and recruits for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Israeli intelligence agencies differ over the number of Salafi jihadists operating in the Egyptian Sinai, but they recognize a serious threat. One group, Gaza-based Jaish al Islam, is reportedly offering training camps for global jihadists.
In response to recent events in Egypt, jihadi ideologue Abu Sa’ad al ‘Amili has called on Egyptian Muslims to prepare for “the coming war” by establishing “secret hideouts and bases” and gathering weapons to target the “heads” of the enemy.
Over 20 policemen were killed in the latest attack by Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula. The attack comes amid an ongoing crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and calls by extremists to wage “jihad” against the army.
Mohammed al Zawahiri was arrested in Egypt. He became a well-known figure in post-Mubarak Egypt and openly advocated al Qaeda’s ideology. He has numerous reported ties to terrorists and helped incite the Sept. 11, 2012 US Embassy protest in Cairo.