2 French suicide bombers used in Islamic State assault on Haditha
Haditha is one of the few towns in Anbar that have resisted the Islamic State’s onslaught in Anbar province.
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Islamic State breaks Iraqi defensive line outside of Habbaniyah
According to Iraqi police and tribal officials, the defensive line that was established outside of Habbaniyah with the help of the US has been breached.
Nearly all of Osama bin Laden’s files should be released
Earlier today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a set of files recovered from Osama bin Laden’s compound. These are but a fraction of the files that should be released to the public.
Islamic State, Shiite militias square off east of Ramadi
The Islamic State is attacking Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shiite militias that have regrouped at Habbaniyah, the last major city between Ramadi and Fallujah.
Veteran jihadist served al Qaeda for 17 years, ‘martyred’ in Syria
In a video recorded prior to his death, a jihadist known as Abu Hafs al Masri explained that he served al Qaeda for 17 years and had lived with Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders. Al Masri was a senior leader in Ahrar al Sham in Syria when he was “martyred” in late March.
Islamic State overruns Anbar Operations Command, takes full control of Ramadi
The 8th Brigade headquarters also appears to have fallen. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Iraqi forces in the Fallujah-Ramadi corridor are in complete disarray and are withdrawing from Habbaniyah and other areas.
Izzat Ibrahim al Douri emerges in new audiotape
The audio, which features Al Douri discussing recent events, refutes reports that he was killed last month in the Hamrin Mountains.
US reportedly kills Ansar al Sharia official in drone strike in Yemen
A US drone strike reportedly killed Ma’moun Abdulhamid Hatem, an AQAP and Ansar al Sharia official who supported the Islamic State, yesterday in Yemen. His purported death has not been confirmed by the group.
Syria
US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi to discuss Syria and other issues. The Assad regime arrested its intelligence chief over suspicions of a coup attempt. “At least 40 rebels and 32 government troops” were killed as regime forces pushed to reinforce 250 government troops besieged near Jisr […]
Fighting at Iraq’s Baiji oil refinery is ‘flowing in the wrong direction’
Iraqi and US military officers have warned that the facility is close to falling to the Islamic State. The Iraqi government and Iranian-backed Shiite militias are sending reinforcements to besieged troops.
Muqtada al Sadr threatens to ‘unfreeze the military wing,’ attack US interests
“If America persists” in advocating for a Sunni and Kurdish state outside of Iraq, “then it will cease to exist,” the Iranian-backed cleric threatened.
An al Qaeda front group in Syria
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.”
Islamic State beheads, shoots 15 Yemeni soldiers
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.
Terrorism in Africa: The Imminent Threat to the United States
Testimony to the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence on the threat posed by jihadist groups in Africa.
Islamic State releases video of recent battles near Ramadi
Footage shows the jihadist group battling Iraqi Security Forces in the Al Sufiyah area of Ramadi. The area is said to be “75 percent” cleared, but fierce fighting is still ongoing.
Islamic State captures dam, overruns base in western Iraq
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.
Al Nusrah Front, allies launch new offensives against Syrian regime
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.
Lebanese Army defector portrayed as ‘martyr’ in Al Nusrah Front video
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.
Jihadists claim wanted al Qaeda operative killed in Syria
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.
Hezbollah Brigades deploys fighters to Ramadi
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.
AQAP announces death of sharia official in US drone strike
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.
Islamic State overruns Iraqi Army headquarters near Thar Thar
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.
Islamic State assaults Baiji oil refinery
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.
Islamic State launches assault on Ramadi
The Islamic State makes a push in Anbar’s capital and takes control of a district as Iraqi forces and Shiite militias are reportedly preparing an offensive in the western province.
Al Qaeda takes control of eastern Yemeni city
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took control of Mukallah as President Hadi continues to lose his grip on the country.
Jordan closes border crossing as rebels, Al Nusrah Front advance
Fighters from the Free Syrian Army, the Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, Jaysh al Islam and other groups overran the Nasib border crossing between Syria and Jordan. The anti-Assad forces have made gains in southern Syrian in recent weeks.
Shiite militias, Iraqi troops enter central Tikrit
Militias that US military commanders claimed to have quit the fight have entered Tikrit.
Jihadist coalition captures checkpoints around city of Idlib
Photos and videos posted on social media show that Jaysh al Fateh, a coalition of several jihadist groups, has captured a number of Syrian regime checkpoints surrounding the city of Idlib.
US continues to insist airstrikes support Iraqi forces, not Shiite militias
US military commanders are ignoring the presence of Shiite militias in the Tikrit operation, despite the fact that they make up more than two-thirds of fighting force.
Saudi Arabia begins Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen
Saudi Arabia and other regional allies began an air campaign in Yemen targeting Houthi rebel positions throughout the country.