The US has reversed its decision to avoid assisting Iranian-backed Shiite militias and is now providing direct air support in the battle for Tikrit. Many militia leaders and one militia fighting in Tikrit are on the US terrorism list.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, and its allies have formed a coalition of groups to go on the offensive in Idlib. One of the coalition’s first propaganda videos features Al Nusrah fighters firing an American-made TOW missile on a Syrian regime target.
US military advisors based at Al Anad Air Base have been withdrawn after AQAP briefly took control of a nearby city. The advisors were at the forefront in battling al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen.
The Islamic State’s attacks on Houthi civilians are part of a deliberate strategy. AQAP tries to avoid such operations, but the permissibility of deliberately killing Shiite civilians is still debated in jihadist circles.
The coordinated suicide assault is the first high-profile attack by the Islamic State inside Yemen.
Seven Pakistani Shiites who were killed while fighting for Bashar al Asad’s regime in Syria appear to have been recruited and trained inside Iran.
The Thar Thar area, where the attack took place, is key terrain between Anbar and Salahaddin provinces. The assault on the base comes as fighting has escalated in Anbar’s provincial capital of Ramadi.
At least 13 suicide bombers, including jihadists from Belgium, Australia, Uzbekistan, Chechnya, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia launched a coordinated assault on Anbar’s provincial capital.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps – Qods Force is backing the Fatemiyoun Brigade, a unit comprised of Shiite Afghans living in Iran. The leader of the Fatemiyoun Brigade has been pictured with Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani.
Several Shiite militias, which are supported by the Iranian Qods Force, and the Iraqi Security Forces have taken over several surrounding towns of Tikrit. These militias have published several photos and videos from these towns in recent days.
Shiite militias closely linked to Iran and Qods Force commander Qassem Suleimani have taken control of key towns surrounding the central Iraqi city.
US sees bigger test for Iraq after Tikrit battle.
An Iranian diplomat who has been held hostage since July 2013 has been freed and has returned to Iran. Iranian officials claimed he was freed in a military operation, but Yemeni officials claimed he was released as part of a prisoner swap. Houthis seized control of the National Dialogue headquarters in Sana’a and demanded former […]
The jihadist group taunted the Iraqi military and Iranian-backed Shiite militias for claiming to have taken territory outside of Tikrit.
The September 2007 Iraq Embed was sponsored by the Public Multimedia, Inc., and the generous readers of the The Long War Journal. Bill Roggio’s Embed in Iraq, September 2007 In September of 2007, Bill embedded with the US Army in Baghdad province, the city of Baghdad, and the Georgian Army in Wasit province. Bill spent […]
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Al Qaeda’s Leaders Despite reports that al Qaeda’s leaders have been scattered in Pakistan’s tribal areas and have been reduced to a mere handful in the region, the terror group maintains a deep bench of leaders capable of assuming leadership positions. This list does not include local and regional Pakistani and Afghan commanders who have […]
Al Qaeda’s general manager, Atiyah Abd al Rahman, believed there was “good” in the 2011 Arab uprisings. And he discussed with Osama bin Laden how to send al Qaeda operatives around the globe to take advantage of the situation. The Libyan “brothers” were especially anxious to wage jihad in their home country.
The Islamic State claimed that Abu Dawoud al Amriki executed a suicide attack against Iraqi troops and Iranian-backed Shiite militias as they massed in the central city of Samarra in preparation for the newly launched offensive in Tikrit.
The creation of the “Marg” militia appears to be a part of a growing trend of the re-arming of warlords and the defunct Northern Alliance as Afghans fear the resurgence of the Taliban and an increasing threat from the Islamic State.
Senior al Qaeda, Taliban, and allied jihadist leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 – 2017 Created by Bill Roggio Since 2004, the US has been conducting a covert program to target and kill al Qaeda and Taliban commanders based in Pakistan’s lawless northwest. The program has targeted top al Qaeda leaders, al Qaeda’s […]
A Turkish soldier and an Afghan civilian were killed in the blast. The attack on NATO’s envoy to Afghanistan takes place as rumors of peace talks between the Taliban, the Afghan government, and the US persist.
The Assyrians were kidnapped in the Al Hasakah province of Syria where the Islamic State is engaged in fierce fighting with Kurdish and Assyrian forces for control of the area.
Islamic State fighters overran an Iraqi military position near Amiriyat al Fallujah and seized a large cache of weapons even as a US drone was spotted flying overhead.
The strike is the third this year in the province of Shabwa, which known haven for AQAP and its leadership cadre. A previous attack in Shabwa killed Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari, one of the jihadist group’s senior ideologues.
Fighting began when regime forces launched an offensive to cut off rebel supply routes and break the siege of two Shiite towns.
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.
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.
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.
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.