Islamic State burns captured Jordanian pilot alive
First Lieutenant Mu’adh Yusuf al Kasasibah was burned alive in a cage by Islamic State fighters.
Category Archives: Long War Journal
Ansar al Sharia photos focus on governance efforts near Benghazi
Ansar al Sharia Libya released a set of propaganda photos in late January that are intended to demonstrate the group’s authority over areas in and around Benghazi. The photos purportedly show a police station and a convoy of security vehicles under the group’s control. However, forces loyal to General Haftar also claim to control much of the city.
Pakistani Taliban emir for Bajaur joins Islamic State
Maulana Abu Bakr, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan’s emir for Bajaur, swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the “caliph” of the Islamic State.
Islamic State beheads second Japanese hostage
The Islamic State has released a video purporting to have beheaded freelance journalist Kenji Goto Jogo after negotiations with Japan reportedly became “deadlocked.”
US drones kill 4 AQAP fighters in southern Yemen
The strike is the second this week, and is an indication that the US counterterrorism program in Yemen will continue despite the Houthi takeover of the capital.
Al Nusrah Front battles Western-backed rebels outside Aleppo
The Al Nusrah Front has taken the fight to the Hazm Movement in the areas surrounding Aleppo. Hazm is one of the few rebel groups to receive Western aid and arms in the Syrian war.
Islamic State’s Sinai ‘province’ claims simultaneous attacks on Egyptian military, police
The group’s attacks are likely its deadliest since it swore allegiance to the Islamic State last November.
Al Qaeda sharia officials address Caucasus defectors in joint statement
Sharia officials from both Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Al Nusrah Front, two official branches of al Qaeda, have signed a statement saying that the Islamic State’s ‘caliphate’ is invalid. The statement is addressed to the Caucasus jihadists who announced their allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in December.
Taliban claim insider attack at Kabul Airport that killed 3 US contractors
The commander of police at the airport confirmed that a guard killed the three contractors. The green-on-blue or insider attack is the first of its kind recorded so far this year.
Video shows Hezbollah Brigades convoy transporting American M1 tank
A video posted online shows the Iranian-backed Hezbollah Brigades, a designated terrorist organization, transporting an American-made M1 Abrams tank and other US military equipment in Iraq.
Analysis: Former US Marine killed by Islamic State’s Tripoli ‘province’
A former US Marine has been identified as one of the victims of yesterday’s attack on the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli, Libya.
Video shows Hezbollah Brigades convoy transporting American M1 tank
A video posted online shows the Iranian-backed Hezbollah Brigades, a designated terrorist organization, transporting an American-made M1 Abrams tank and other US military equipment in Iraq.
‘Foreigners’ among 7 jihadists killed in US drone strike in Pakistan
The strike took place in the Shawal Valley, a jihadist hub that spans both North and South Waziristan.
Islamic State is forced from Kobane
After months of fighting for control of the Syrian border town, the Islamic State has withdrawn from Kobane in the face of advances by Kurdish forces and Syrian rebels.
Islamic State appoints leaders of ‘Khorasan province,’ issues veiled threat to Afghan Taliban
The governor is a former leader in the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and his deputy is a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay and Taliban commander in Afghanistan.
Analysis: Islamic State sleeper cells a threat to Turkey
Turkey’s lax border policies backfire as the Islamic State threatens to bite the hand that feeds.
Islamic State’s ‘province’ claims responsibility for attack on hotel in Tripoli
Gunmen assaulted the Corinthia hotel in Tripoli early this morning. According to some accounts, a car bomb was detonated outside of the hotel during the attack.
Al Nusrah Front, Western-backed rebels overrun key regime base south of Damascus
The Al Nusrah Front and Ahrar al Sham fought side-by-side with Western-backed rebels in a battle to take a key Assad regime base in southern Syria.
Boko Haram takes key town in northern Nigeria, advances on Maiduguri
Boko Haram launched a series of attacks as it continued its campaign to take control of northeastern Nigeria. A number of villages came under fire within hours of an official visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry to Lagos.
US drone strike kills 3 suspected AQAP members
The strike is the first reported in Yemen in more than two and a half months, and takes place just days after reports that US counterterrorism efforts in the country have been “paralyzed.”
AQAP releases infographics detailing attacks
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released a report including two infographics that detail its attacks over the past three months. The group claims credit for 205 operations, including the massacre at Charlie Hebdo’s offices in Paris.
AQAP issues guidelines for suicide operations
Harith al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, sets forth six recommendations for suicide operations in a newly-released video.
Iranian political and military leaders laud Qods Force general killed in Syria
Political and Military elites of the Islamic Republic weigh-in on the death of Brigadier General Mohammad-Ali Allah-Dadi, the IRGC-QF member killed in Syria by an Israeli helicopter attack.Their commentary indicates a desire to establish deterrence, at least rhetorically, and tout their globalist message pertaining to the Islamic Revolution.
Family members claim leader of Ansar al Sharia in Benghazi has died
Mohamed al Zahawi’s family members have told the press that he has died due to wounds suffered in fighting last year. Zahawi has been the leader of Ansar al Sharia in Benghazi. Unconfirmed rumors of his death have circulated for months.
Analysis: Qatar embraces admitted al Qaeda operative
Qatar continues to celebrate the release of Ali Saleh Kahlah al Marri, an admitted al Qaeda sleeper agent, from a US federal prison last week. The prime minister of Qatar has even reportedly called al Marri to congratulate him.
Pakistan falsely claims it takes ‘immediate action’ against terror groups listed by the UN
Although numerous news outlets have reported that the Haqqani Network and Jamaat-ud-Dawa have been banned in Pakistan, no official announcement of the group’s status from the government or Ministry of Interior has been released.
Analysis: Freed former al Qaeda operative was part of intelligence dispute
The story of how Ali Saleh Kahlah al Marri was first identified and arrested became a key part of the dispute between Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the CIA. Al Marri, who was recently released from a US prison, admitted that he was an al Qaeda sleeper agent.
Analysis: Former al Qaeda operative freed, sent home to Qatar
Ali Saleh Kahlah al Marri, who served as an al Qaeda sleeper operative, has been released from an American prison and returned to Qatar.
Senior Qods Force general killed in suspected Israeli airstrike
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed that Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allah-Dadi was killed in an airstrike in Syria. He was assigned to help Hezbollah and Syria battle jihadist groups.
Hezbollah commanders killed in suspected Israeli airstrike
Jihad Imad Mughniyah, the son of the notorious founder and military and intelligence commander of Hezbollah up until his assassination in 2008, was among six Hezbollah operatives killed in a suspected airstrike in Quneitra, Syria.