Hezbollah ‘trainer’ killed during fighting in northern Iraq
Hezbollah, which helped establish Shia terror groups in Iraq beginning in 2005, said that Ibrahim al Hajj, a trainer, was killed while “performing his jihadi duties” in Tal Afar.
Search Results for: Iran
Hamas
Larijani Says Iran Gave Hamas Its Rocket Know-How .
IAEA
Iran eliminates sensitive stockpile under interim nuclear deal: IAEA
Islamic State storms Camp Speicher, routs Iraqi forces
The large military base was attacked two days after the retreat of the Iraqi military and allied militias following their failure to recapture Tikrit.
United States
The US agreed with other world powers and Iran to a four-month extension of the deadline for reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear program, but said it will continue to enforce remaining sanctions. The agreement gives Iran access to $2.8 billion in frozen assets. Adam Dandach a.k.a. Fadi Fadi Dandach of Orange County, Calif., was […]
IRGC
Iranian Commanders on Front Line of Iraq’s Fight
Australian Islamic State suicide bomber attacks Shia shrine in Baghdad
The Baghdad Division of the Islamic State claimed that Abu Bakr al Australi detonated his vest at a Shia mosque in the Shorja district.
Abdullah Azzam Brigades launches rocket attacks from Gaza
The Abdullah Azzam Brigades has claimed responsibility for three rocket attacks on Israel since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge.
US advisers give dark assessment of state of Iraqi military
At least four divisions from the Iraqi Army have dissolved, and the remaining force is suspect.
Islamic State routs Iraqi armored column in Anbar
Several M1A1 tanks and M113 armored personnel carriers were destroyed. The ambush highlights the deteriorating state of the Iraqi security forces.
Iraq
The government is sending 4,000 Shia militiamen to serve in Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar. Human Rights Watch said the Iraqi military executed 255 prisoners to retaliate for Islamic State murders. Secretary of Defense Hagel said the US is not coordinating military operations in Iraq with Iran or Russia.
Al Qaeda ally calls for statement on Islamic State’s caliphate
Hani Sibai, a longtime ally of Ayman al Zawahiri, has called on al Qaeda to issue a statement regarding the Islamic State’s announced caliphate.
Taliban seize district in central Afghanistan, launch suicide assault in Kandahar
A district center in Ghor province was overrun by hundreds of Taliban, while the group sent more than a dozen fighters to attack the governor’s compound and police headquarters in Kandahar City.
Iraq
Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the emir of the Islamic State who is now called Caliph Ibrahim, gave a sermon at the “Grand Mosque” in Mosul. The Iraqi military claimed the sermon was faked. An Iranian colonel is confirmed to have been killed while fighting in Samarra. Prime Minister Maliki relieved the commanders of Iraq’s ground […]
Lebanon
An Omani member of Fatah was sentenced to life in prison. Police searched for a car bomb in Beirut. The Iranian ambassador said his country is willing to help Lebanon fight terrorism. Authorities are seeking to prosecute the operators of an alleged Twitter account of the Free Sunnis of Baalbek Brigade, which recently threatened attacks […]
France
French firms look to conquer Iran
Iraqi troops, insurgents battle for Tikrit
Reports indicate that Iraqi forces have withdrawn from much of the city after heavy fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham and allied Baathists.
Pakistani military kills local Taliban leader, captures al Qaeda bomb expert
The military said the Taliban commander is known as “Commander Umer” but did not name the al Qaeda explosives expert.
United States
US military advisers opened a joint operations center in Baghdad to assist the Iraqi military repel the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham. The State Department said Syrian military action in Iraq would not be helpful, but that Iran “could play a constructive role” in Iraq. The White House called for […]
Analysis: A protracted struggle ahead for Iraq
While Sunni Iraqi support of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham is not monolithic, the central government’s security forces are unlikely to decisively uproot the terrorist organization from the more distant provinces of Iraq anytime soon.
Al Nusrah Front
Iran rejects US action in Iraq as militants push east
ISIS seizes border crossing in western Anbar
The town of Al Qaim and its border crossing have fallen under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham after Iraqi troops fled their posts.
Ansar al Islam claims attacks against Iraqi military, police
Ansar al Islam, a jihadist group founded in northern Iraq in September 2001, has claimed a number of attacks against the Iraqi government since the rebel offensive began earlier this month.
ISIS ‘a transnational jihadist group’
Thomas Joscelyn discusses Iraq, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, its goals to establish a caliphate and current offensive in Iraq, the destabilizing influence of Iran, and the West’s lack of strategy to deal with jihadism.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham’s quiet war minister
Little is publicly known about the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham’s war minister. But he was appointed in April 2010 and the war ministry he leads has been in charge of planning the group’s operations in the past.
Analysis: ISIS, allies reviving ‘Baghdad belts’ battle plan
The Islamic State of Iraq appears to be using the same plan it implemented in 2006, when it seized Baghdad’s surrounding “belts” and launched attacks into the capital.
United States
President Obama said his administration is looking at ways to help Iraq respond to the ISIS advance, but stated that any US military action is contingent on a workable political plan by the Iraqis. The White House said no US ground troops would be involved in Iraq. Three planeloads of Americans, mostly civilian contractors, were […]
Syria
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham clashed with regime forces in Raqqah; and in Hama, in Berri in eastern Reef Hama. The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front battled regime forces in Homs, Hama, Reef Dimashq, and Latakia. The Islamic Front also clashed with regime forces in Idlib and Deir Izzour. The […]
Member of Taliban’s elite Supreme Shura among 5 transferred to Qatar
Two court decisions provide insights into the career of Khairullah Khairkhwa, who is one of the five senior Taliban leaders recently transferred to Qatar in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Turkey
A Syrian passenger left hand grenades in a bag on a bus bound for Istanbul. Turkey and Iran are planning to sign at least six new economic and political agreements. Turkey designated the Al Nusrah Front a terrorist organization on June 3.