Despite a dispute between the emirs of the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the two al Qaeda branches are jointly fighting against their Kurdish enemies.
Tunisian officials have accused a longtime jihadist, who fought in Iraq, of being involved in two high-profile assassinations. The Tunisian government also alleged that some of the perpetrators “belong to Ansar al Sharia.”
Both groups claimed credit for overrunning the Syrian military and Hezbollah in Khan al Asal, a town where chemical weapons are reported to have been used in the past.
Hamza al ‘Awni said that on the ground, the ISIL and the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, another al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, are “without differences.”
The Taliban and al Qaeda-linked group said the attack was executed to avenge the death of Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan’s deputy emir, who was killed in a US drone strike in May.
Bulgarian authorities today revealed the names and photos of two Hezbollah operatives believed to have been part of the Burgas terror attack last July. The two men are thought to be living in southern Lebanon.
Maulana Asim Umar, a Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda propagandist, is featured in a new message disseminated by As Sahab. Umar calls on Indian Muslims to take part in the “global jihad” and emphasizes the importance of the fight in Syria.
American and Egyptian passports belonging to Amiir Farouk Ibrahim, who was born in Pennsylvania, were among a number of travel documents found after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant abandoned a base in northern Syria.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant attacked prisons in Abu Ghraib and Taji. More than 500 al Qaeda operatives and leaders escaped from Abu Ghraib, while the assault in Taji was repelled.
European Union foreign ministers today reached a unanimous decision to designate the military wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. In the past, the terror group has denied that Hezbollah has separate political and military wings.
A video has emerged showing the al Qaeda-linked jihadist group training five burka-clad women on pistols, assault and sniper rifles, machine guns, and grenade launchers.
The video was released by the Muhajireen Army, but is credited to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria.
The Justice Department charged Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the leader of al Qaeda’s al Mua’qi’oon Biddam, or Those Who Sign in Blood Brigade, with eight terrorism-related charges.
Israeli authorities today filed an indictment against Wael Abu Reda, a Palestinian who has purportedly committed a plethora of security offenses during his time in a number of Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas’ al Aqsa Defenders.
Testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, on al Qaeda, the nature of the group’s central command and its relationship with its affiliates, and the future challenges the West faces in battling the terror organization.
Jihadists operating in the Sinai who are linked to Ramzi Mowafi, a former physician for Osama bin Laden, have reportedly been arrested. Mowafi, also an explosives expert, is said to be the head of al Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s mufti confirmed that Said al Shihri, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, was killed in a drone strike.
Abu Khalil al Madani, a member of al Qaeda’s shura council, has appeared in his first video since 2008. After the loss of key propagandists in drone strikes in 2012, al Qaeda has begun to feature new leaders in its messaging.
“A brigade of Mujahedeen from Burma, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan” purportedly have launched operations in Burma. Photographs of scores of armed jihadists in military uniforms have appeared on a jihadist website.
Two unidentified militants were killed while riding a motorcycle in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan. The strike is just the second in Pakistan this month.
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan has sent experts in warfare and information technology to Syria to establish a base, aid in joint operations, and monitor the fighting there.
Six days before the Taliban opened their de facto embassy in Qatar, the group published a defense and justification of suicide bombings.
The 313 Brigade shares the same name as an al Qaeda military formation that is based in Pakistan.
Just one day after the formal transfer of security responsibility to Afghan forces in Regional Command South, an Afghan soldier opened fire on ISAF troops, killing one and injuring at least two more.
Al Salafiyya al Jihadiyya denounced the Egyptian army for firing on protesters in the city of el Arish in North Sinai last Friday. In addition, a statement posted to jihadist forums announced the establishment of the Brigades of Abdullah Azzam in Egypt.
This LWJ report examines al Qaeda’s activities in Turkey, providing a detailed look at its targets, plots, and attacks. These activities suggest that the al Qaeda threat in Turkey persists and is concentrated on targeting Western interests, including those of the US.
A review of social media accounts tied to John Nuttall and Amanda Korody reveals that they were likely watching jihadist videos online. In one online comment, Nuttall said he wished he “was with the Mujahideen.”
Abu Saif al Jaziri is an al Qaeda “paramilitary commander”; Maulana Akhtar Zadran is from the same tribe as Mullah Sangeen, who works closely with al Qaeda and is thought to be holding the only US soldier who has been captured in Afghanistan.
In Uruzgan, a suicide bomber wearing a police uniform detonated at a dining facility, killing 12 policemen. In Kandahar, a suicide bomber killed a border police commander.
The younger brother of al Qaeda’s emir issued a statement on July 2 saying that a confrontation inside Egypt would favor the country’s jihadists. How Salafi jhadists respond to the ongoing crisis remains to be seen.