In a tweet last month, Jund al Aqsa, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Syria, identified Adel Radi Saker al Wahabi al Harbi as its fallen military commander. Al Harbi was wanted by the US government, had previously served as the deputy leader of al Qaeda’s Iran network, and was a member of al Qaeda’s so-called “Khorasan Group.”
A Taliban video shows its fighters inside military bases; seized Humvees, weapons and ammunition; and Afghan security personnel who were captured during the jihadist group’s weeklong offensive in Kunduz.
Four soldiers were beheaded and 11 more were shot in the head. The executions draw a stark contrast between the Islamic State’s and al Qaeda’s strategies.
The new video shows the group’s role in the recent fighting at Jisr al Shughur. The Turkistan Islamic Party has long fought in Syria alongside the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria.
Testimony to the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence on the threat posed by jihadist groups in Africa.
As coalition forces have pushed Boko Haram from its former strongholds, the terrorist group has retained the ability to strike back. Its relatively new official ties to the Islamic State may enhance the group’s longevity, creating a more difficult security environment for Nigeria and its partners.
The camp is named after Ustad Yasir, a senior Taliban commander who was killed in an internal purge in 2012. The camp’s name is further evidence that the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province is comprised of marginalized Taliban commanders.
Thousands of Taliban fighters are said to have attacked multiple districts in the northern province of Kunduz. The chief of the provincial council claimed that the Taliban control two-thirds of Kunduz.
More than 120 Iraqi soldiers, including the commander of the 1st Iraqi Army Division, are reported to have been killed after the Islamic State took control of the Thar Thar dam and a military barracks.
The “Battle of Victory” coalition, which includes the Al Nusrah Front and several other jihadist groups, has declared victory in the city of Jisr Al Shughur. The battle for the city began several days ago and was the next step in the jihadists’ plans for conquering all of northwestern Syria. A highly influential al Qaeda-linked ideologue was reportedly wounded in the fighting.
The White House says that two hostages, including an American, were killed in a counterterrorism “operation” in January. The two perished in an attack that also killed Ahmed Farouq, a prominent al Qaeda leader. Declassified documents recovered in Osama bin Laden’s compound identified a jihadist by that name as an up and coming leader. Adam Gadahn, an American al Qaeda spokesman, was also killed in a separate operation.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, and its allies formed a new coalition to battle regime forces in the northern city of Jisr Al Shughur. The alliance is modeled after the coalition that took control of the city of Idlib late last month.
“Azm” will focus on the usual targets: Coalition and Afghan security personnel, and the Afghan government. The Taliban go through great pains to claim that it doesn’t target civilians.
The State Department announced today that two senior Shabaab officials, including the group’s emir or leader, have been added to the US government’s list of designated terrorists.
While the Taliban admitted its fighters beheaded Afghan troops, it placed the blame on the soldiers. According to the jihadist group’s ‘rules of engagement,’ the fighters should have shot, and not beheaded.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has released a video portraying Osama Mansur as a “martyr” for its anti-Iranian, anti-Hezbollah cause. Mansur served in the Lebanese Army before defecting to Al Nusrah.
Online jihadists are claiming that Adel Radi Saker al Wahabi al Harbi, who was designated a terrorist by the US Treasury Department in 2012, has been killed in Syria. Al Harbi previously served as the deputy head of al Qaeda’s Iran-based network.
Ali Abu Muhammad al Dagestani led the Islamic Caucasus Emirate during defections to the Islamic State. He openly stated his allegiance to Al Qaeda and the global jihadist group also provided him support.
The Pakistani Taliban, which has advertised the Mujahideen Special Group as its version of special forces, shows the fighters going through various stages of instruction.
The Foreign Terrorist Organization continues to promote attacks on American forces while fighting under the aegis of the Iraqi government and benefiting from US airstrikes against the Islamic State.
The explosion killed three civilians and left 16 wounded, including nine Nigerien UN peacekeepers. The group said that it was directly targeting Nigerien troops because of Niger’s president Mahamadou Issoufou’s response in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.
The statement highlights the close working relationship between al Qaeda and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and al Qaeda’s influence over the fellow jihadist group.
Both the US State Department and the UN have designated Ali Ouni Harzi as a terrorist. The UN designation notes Harzi’s alleged role in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, whereas the State Department does not.
Al Qaeda announced the death of sharia official Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish, who was killed in a drone strikein eastern Yemen. Rubaish is a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay who also served as an operational planner for the jihadist group.
The jihadist group has remained on the offensive in Anbar province despite its recent loss in Tikrit. Islamic State fighters have overrun two Iraqi Army bases in Thar Thar in the past month.
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent’s spokesman said that more than 50 of its members have been killed in strikes since June 2014.
Islamic State fighters penetrated the perimeter of the Baiji oil refinery complex, the largest in Iraq, after a suicide bomber thought to be from Afghanistan or Pakistan detonated outside the main gate.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have issued eulogies for Hammam Attiyah, who led Ajnad Misr until his death earlier this month. Little is known about Attiyah, but the eulogies are a significant indication that Ajnad Misr operates as part of al Qaeda’s international network.
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent confirmed that deputy emir Ustad Ahmad Farooq and shura member Qari ‘Imran were killed in separate strikes in January. Farooq was identified in Osama bin Laden’s documents as an up and coming al Qaeda leader.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s emir, Abdulmalek Droukdel, has released an audio message praising the head of the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, for working with other Islamist and jihadist groups to capture the city of Idlib.