Latest HeadlinesNew jihadist leader in Dagestan denounces Islamic State defectors
February 16, 2015
By A newly released video features Said Arakanskiy, the leader of Vilayat Dagestan. Arakanskiy was appointed to that position late last year after his predecessor defected to the Islamic State.
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21 Egyptian Christians executed in Islamic State video
February 15, 2015
By The Islamic State has released a video showing the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christian workers who were kidnapped in Libya. The lead fighter in the video seeks to intimidate Italy, saying his organization will conquer Rome. The group is also using the beheadings to portray al Qaeda's leaders as being soft in their pursuit of jihad.
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Islamic State 'province' in Libya claims capture of town
February 15, 2015
By One of the Islamic State's so-called provinces in Libya claims to have captured the town of Nawfaliyah. The group has also assaulted several buildings in Sirte, reportedly taking control of the local radio and television stations.
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Islamic State takes over large portions of town near key airbase in Anbar
February 13, 2015
By After months of besieging al Baghdadi in Iraq's Anbar province, the Islamic State was able to take over large swaths of the town. Additionally, at least eight jihadists attacked the Al Asad airbase where US Marines are stationed.
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New issue of 'Dabiq' features interview with widow of Paris gunman
February 13, 2015
By The issue includes an interview with Hayat Boumediene, the girlfriend of Amedy Coulibaly, the jihadist who killed a policewoman and attacked a kosher market in eastern Paris on Jan. 9.
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Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan suicide assault team attacks Peshawar mosque
February 13, 2015
By Despite the fracturing of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan in 2014, the jihadist group is still capable of plotting, organizing, and executing deadly operations such as today's assault in Peshawar.
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New Al Nusrah Front video features interview with leader, military gains in Syria
February 13, 2015
By An audio recording of Abu Muhammad al Julani, the emir of the Al Nusrah Front, introduces a newly-released video produced by the group. The video highlights Al Nusrah's purported military gains and ends with a clip of Ayman al Zawahiri calling for jihadist unity.
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AQAP seizes Yemeni military base in Shabwa
February 12, 2015
By Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took control of the base and captured several soldiers in Shabwa province as the Shia Houthis tighten their grip on the capital and the US and Britain shutter their embassies.
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Ansar al Sharia Libya leader met with Osama bin Laden, followed his 'methodology'
February 11, 2015
By Before his own death on Jan. 31, Harith al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, recorded an audio eulogy for the leader of Ansar al Sharia Libya, Mohammed al Zahawi. Nadhari noted that Zahawi had met with Osama bin Laden in the mid-1990s.
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US military confirms it killed Islamic State, Shabaab leaders in airstrikes
February 11, 2015
By Mullah Khadim was the Islamic State's deputy emir for Khorasan province while Yusu Dheeq was the head of Shabaab's Amniyat. The US continues to rely on airstrikes as the core of its effort to defeat jihadist groups worldwide.
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Islamic State al-Khans'aa Brigade publishes manifesto for women
February 10, 2015
By The document, which is broken into three parts and was recently translated by the Quilliam Foundation, is a piece of propaganda claiming to describe life under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's 'caliphate,' while also trying to recruit female supporters.
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State department designates German rapper turned Islamic State 'operative'
February 9, 2015
By The State Department today announced that Denis Cuspert has been added to the US government's list of specially designated global terrorists.
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Rebel coalition in Syria mourns al Qaeda official killed in US airstrike in Yemen
February 9, 2015
By The Ansar al Din Front in Syria has released a statement mourning the death of Harith al Nadhari, a sharia official in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula who was killed in a US drone strike on Jan. 31. The statement is further evidence that Ansar al Din is, at a minimum, closely allied with al Qaeda's international network.
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US kills Islamic State's deputy emir for 'Khorasan province' in airstrike: report
February 9, 2015
By Mullah Abdul Rauf Khadim was a senior Taliban leader before joining the Islamic State and being appointed the deputy emir of Khorasan province.
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Jihadists mourn slain AQAP sharia official
February 6, 2015
By Jihadists aligned with al Qaeda's international network mourned the death of Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari, a senior AQAP sharia official, shortly after AQAP confirmed that he had been killed in a US drone strike.
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Analysis: The Islamic State claims Jordanian airstrikes killed an American hostage
February 6, 2015
By The Islamic State claims that an American hostage was killed during Jordanian airstrikes earlier today. However, the statement could very well be a propaganda ploy, at least in part.
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More LWJ Headlines: |
Threat MatrixA blog by The Long War Journal. Pentagon spokesman portrays Guantanamo recidivism as a good thing
February 11
The death of Mullah Khadim, who was released from Guantanamo eight years ago, is "another great example" of jihadists who "return to the battlefield and to the fight at their own peril," according to Admiral Kirby.
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Iyad Ag Ghaly reportedly in the Kidal region of Mali
February 10
Iyad Ag Ghaly, the reclusive leader of the Malian jihadist group Ansar Dine, is purported to be living freely in the Kidal region of Mali. A journalist for the German publication Der Spiegel met with the jihadist leader and his lieutenants.
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Boko Haram brings war to Niger, senior Chadian general wounded
February 8
Boko Haram has attacked Niger for the first time. Fierce counterattacks by Chadian and Nigerian forces reportedly killed over 100 Boko Haram fighters. A Chadian general was also wounded in the battle.
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AQAP releases audio message featuring Ibrahim al-Rubaysh
February 5
In a recently released audio message, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ideologue Ibrahim al-Rubaysh addresses demonstrations against the Charlie Hebdo attack and calls for more attacks against the West.
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Hundreds killed as Chadian military overruns Boko Haram strongholds
February 4
Chadian forces crossed the border and stormed several towns held by Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. Fierce fighting has reportedly killed hundreds of insurgents over the past week. Battles continue in several strategic towns in the Lake Chad area.
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Islamic State launched attack near Amiriyat al Fallujah
February 3
The Islamic State has published photos from fighting in Zawbaa near Amiriyat al Fallujah. Recent press reports suggest the jihadist group has launched a renewed offensive on the town.
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Coalition kills Islamic State 'chemical weapons engineer'
January 31
Abu Malik was associated with al Qaeda in Iraq and then the Islamic State for a decade before he was killed.
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Today In...LibyaIslamic State fighters reportedly took over two radio stations in Sirte; the group has also published photos of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians kidnapped in December and January in Sirte. The UN restarted negotiations between the country's warring parties. TunisiaThe army shelled terrorist "hideouts" in mounts Salloum and Samama in Kasserine. A Libyan National Army spokesman identified a Tunisian as the leader of Islamic State militants in Tripoli; Tunisia is one of the largest sources of jihadist fighters. NigeriaA female suicide bomber blew herself up in a market in Biu in northeastern Nigeria, killing at least seven people. Political violence has killed 58 people in the run-up to Nigeria's elections. A poll by Transparency International ranked the country's political leadership as the world's most corrupt. ChadBoko Haram conducted its first attack on Chadian territory, killing one soldier and wounding four others before being driven back from the village of Ngouboua. The jihadist group has pushed into Chad, Niger and Cameroon recently in its bid to expand its "caliphate." SyriaThe Islamic State claims in a propaganda magazine that the widow of the gunman who attacked a Paris supermarket is now in Syria with the group. The US struggles with an "intelligence gap" while trying to track Western foreign fighters; it is believed "more than 20,000 foreign fighters from more than 90 countries have gone to Syria." Regime forces and Hezbollah launched a major offensive in Southern Syria. SomaliaAt least 10 members of Shabaab were killed and scores more injured in a clash with AMISOM forces in Barawe town. The US will be providing 20 MRAPs to African Union peacekeepers in Somalia. A military court executed Ahmed Ismail Ali, "a senior Al Shabaab leader in Gedo region." The Somali National Army claims to have "taken new areas" from Shabaab in the in Bakol region. LibyaLibya reopened the Hariga oil port after the end of a strike by security forces. Libyan Special Forces recaptured a key military base in Benghazi from Islamist militias. Islamic State-allied jihadists staged a parade in Noufliya, which is "some 60km from the eastern oil port of Sidra." Libya is on track to exhaust its wheat reserves in two to three months. TunisiaTunisia arrested 32 Islamists for "planning terror attacks against buildings belonging to the country's Ministry of Interior, security posts and civilian targets." A general strike was declared at the country's two main border crossings with Libya in protest of excessive force by police. AlgeriaAlgeria announced the founding of a "national monitoring board" to combat religious extremism. Algeria reportedly declined to join the US-led coalition against the Islamic State after requests from the US and France. NigeriaThe Nigerian National Security Adviser promises that there will not be another election postponement due to security issues. A report states that Boko Haram has gathered fighters to attack again Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. SyriaThe US-led coalition conducted three airstrikes near near Kobani, Deir al-Zor and Raqqa in the past day. Kurdish forces have recaptured more than a third of villages ("128 of some 350") surrounding Kobane. Jordan has launched 56 airstrikes in retaliation for the death of Lt. Muath al-Kasasbeh, the pilot murdered by the Islamic State. The Syrian foreign minister said the Assad regime does not need Jordan's help to fight the jihadist group. "At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded" in a regime airstrikes near Damascus. The Islamic State has withdrawn some of its men and material from Aleppo. A humanitarian organization estimates that about 210,000 people have been killed since the start of the Syrian Civil War. SomaliaMembers of Shabaab shot and killed a member of Somalia's Federal Parliament in Mogadishu. Jihadists attacked a police station in Bossaso in Puntland; at least two of the attackers were killed and three others captured. A land mine targeting Turkish workers in Mogadishu killed one person. LibyaPro-government forces launched a new offensive to take Benghazi from Islamist militias; more than 40 people have been killed and dozens injured. The country's warring parties will resume UN-sponsored peace talks on Feb. 10. A strike by security personnel has closed Libya's last onshore oil export terminal. |
Bill Roggio is a regular guest on the John Batchelor Show from Monday through Friday to discuss the war. Check John's site for the time. Click here to listen live online at WABC.
