AQAP claims double suicide attack at military base in Hadramout
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed credit for the double suicide attack today that killed at least five soldiers at the First Military Command base in Hadramout province.
Category Archives: Long War Journal
Al Qaeda commander reported killed in drone strike in Pakistan
The ongoing targeting of al Qaeda commanders in Pakistan’s tribal areas refutes past claims by US officials that al Qaeda is “decimated” and that only two relevant leaders remain.
Representative of Ayman al Zawahiri reportedly captured in Turkey
Abd al Baset Azzouz, an al Qaeda operative who served as Ayman al Zawahiri’s representative in Libya, was captured in Turkey in mid-November. Azzouz is reportedly being investigated for his possible ties to the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi.
AQAP murders 2 hostages, including an American, during US rescue attempt
Forty special operations troops assaulted an al Qaeda compound in the southern province of Shabwa in an attempt to free American photojournalist Luke Somers.
Pakistani army kills senior al Qaeda commander tasked with attacking the West
Pakistan claimed it killed Adnan Shukrijumah in a raid in South Waziristan. Shukrijumah, who was wanted by the US, was al Qaeda’s operations chief for North America.
Caucasus Emirate attacks police, press in Chechen capital of Grozny
Dozens of fighters fanned out across the Chechen capital and attacked police and other government targets. The Press House was set ablaze.
AQAP threatens to execute American hostage
In its latest video, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula threatened to kill American hostage Luke Somers if the US does not meet AQAP’s demands within three days.
AQAP claims bombing of Iranian ambassador’s residence in Yemen
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed credit for a car bombing this morning outside the Sana’a residence of Iran’s new ambassador to Yemen.
US airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan target Pakistani Taliban
Mullah Fazlullah, the emir of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, was the target of one of the three recent strikes in Nangarhar province.
Sinai jihadists take credit for killing American
Wilayat Sinai (formerly known as Ansar Bayt al Maqdis) has taken credit for killing an American in August. The statement was released on Twitter with an accompanying picture of the American’s identification cards.
Islamic State supporters advertise Sinai as jihadist destination
The Islamic State’s supporters are encouraging young jihadist recruits to travel to the Sinai. According to one online jihadist, the Islamic State’s expansion into the Sinai and throughout North Africa will facilitate the “liquidating” of the Jews.
Taliban assault Camp Bastion, storm foreign guest house in Kabul
The Taliban and Afghan security forces have been fighting inside Camp Bastion for three days. Hostages may have been taken in the attack in Kabul.
Jihadists tout training camps for children in Iraq and Syria
The Islamic State, the Al Nusrah Front, the Islamic Front, and Junud al Sham have been showcasing camps in Iraq and Syria that are used to indoctrinate and train children to wage jihad.
Pakistan condemns drone strike that targeted ‘good Taliban’ and foreign fighters
Members of the Haqqani Network, the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group, and “Uzbeks” are reported to have been killed in an attack in the Shawal Valley.
AQAP publishes biography of American jihadist Samir Khan
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released a biography of American AQAP operative and Inspire Magazine founder Samir Khan, who was killed in a US drone strike on Sept. 30, 2011.
Haqqani Network launched suicide attack at soccer game, Afghan intel claims
The accusation is made as the US has extended the combat mission in Afghanistan for one year.
More jihadist training camps identified in Iraq and Syria
Four new training camps in Iraq and Syria, three of them operated by the Islamic State, have been identified, including one used by a so-called jihadist “special forces” unit. The Long War Journal has identified 46 jihadist training camps in Iraq and Syria.
Ex-Gitmo ‘poet’ now recruiting for the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost was once held at Guantanamo. Today, he is recruiting for the Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Dost claims he had a vision at Guantanamo predicting the coming caliphate.
5 transferred Gitmo detainees served al Qaeda, leaked files allege
The Defense Department announced the transfer of five Guantanamo detainees yesterday. According to leaked threat assessments prepared by Joint Task Force Guantanamo, all five served al Qaeda. Four of the five were deemed either “high” or “medium to high” risks.
AQAP rejects Islamic State’s ‘caliphate,’ blasts group for sowing dissent among jihadists
Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, directly responds to a Nov. 13 speech by the Islamic State’s Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Nadhari says that Baghdadi’s caliphate is illegitimate and criticizes him for trying to split the jihadists’ ranks around the world.
AQIS announces death of 2 senior leaders in US operation
Adil Qudoos was a former major in the Pakistani Army; Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, planner of the 9/11 attacks, was arrested at Qudoos’ home in 2003. The second jihadist leader, Dr. Sarbaland, served as a surgeon and senior propagandist for al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.
Jihadist group ‘Soldiers of Egypt’ claims responsibility for attack on police near university
Ajnad Misr, the “Soldiers of Egypt,” claimed today’s bombing of a police post near Helwan University in Cairo. The group has repeatedly targeted security personnel at universities.
US launches drone strike in North Waziristan
Nine of the 19 drone strikes in Pakistan this year have occurred in the jihadist hub of Datta Khel in North Waziristan.
UN recognizes ties between Ansar al Sharia in Libya, al Qaeda
The United Nations has added the Ansar al Sharia chapters in Benghazi and Derna to its al Qaeda sanctions list, explicitly recognizing their ties to each other, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and other al Qaeda-linked groups.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb video features French, Dutch hostages
In a newly-released video, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb shows French hostage Serge Lazaervic and Dutch captive Sjaak Rijke. The two men claim to be in poor health, appeal to their governments and family for their release, and mention the prisoner exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Analysis: Islamic State snuff videos help to attract more followers
Brutal beheading videos attract young militants to the Islamic State. But the group’s leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi has struggled to recruit established jihadists.
Islamic State releases new execution video, purportedly kills American
The Islamic State has released a new execution video highlighting the mass beheadings of Syrian soldiers captured by the group. An Islamic State executioner also claims to have killed Peter Kassig, an American who was kidnapped in Syria late last year.
US airstrike targets al Qaeda in Syria
The US military’s airstrikes in Syria show that there is no firm dividing line between al Qaeda’s so-called Khorasan Group and the Al Nusrah Front, which is al Qaeda’s official branch in the country.
Sinai-based jihadist group rebranded as Islamic State’s official arm
A new video has been posted online by jihadists claiming to be the Islamic State’s official arm in the Sinai. The Sinai jihadists were formerly part of Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, but are now marketing themselves as the Islamic State’s representatives.
Iraqi forces, Iranian-supported militias report success in Baiji
The League of the Righteous, a Shiite militia that is responsible for killing hundreds of US soldiers in Iraq between 2006-2011, helped Iraqi forces take control of Baiji. The US provided air support.