A rebel group in Kidal in northern Mali captured an al Qaeda operative known as Meherig Jafar and transferred him to Malian security forces. Jafar is believed to be a deputy to Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a senior leader in the al-Murabitoon Brigade, which is separate from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb but loyal to al […]
Islamic State’s Twitter silence raises questions
Grand Mufti al Ghariani appeared at a pro-Libya Dawn demonstration in Tripoli, after returning from several months in London and a stopover in Qatar; British authorities were reportedly planning to arrest him for inciting violence and murder. Three men were murdered in Benghazi; Islamist forces are suspected. Local residents in Benghazi repelled Ansar al Sharia […]
Moderate Muslims’ quandary about Islamic State
How Philippine UN troops defied orders, opened fire and escaped the Al Nusrah Front
Seven soldiers were injured in a clash with religious extremists near a national guard station in Douz in Kaybelie following the arrest of an extremist. Security forces arrested five Salafists in a raid on a mosque in Douar Hicher in Mandouba; and two more in Meknassi in Sidi Bouzid who had explosives, military uniforms, and […]
Kerry plays down hopes of imminent anti-Islamic State coalition
The Interior Ministry announced the arrest of seven members of an Islamic State recruiting cell that operated in Fez, Outat El Haj, and Zayou and that was also planning attacks against Morocco. The cell, said to be headed by a “teacher,” had sent several fighters to Syria and Iraq.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, explained its decision to release more than 40 UN peacekeepers in a video released earlier this week. The group disputes published reports saying that it demanded to be taken off the UN’s list of designated terrorist organizations. And it says the hostages were freed in compliance with sharia law.
President Obama’s strategy for confronting the Islamic State in Syria depends on empowering moderate Syrian rebels to take over areas once they are liberated. The problem is, ‘moderate’ rebels untainted by links to Islamist groups such as al Qaeda’s Al Nusrah Front seem to be nonexistent.
The military claimed to have killed as many as 150 Boko Haram fighters who had tried to storm Konduga, about 12 miles outside of the Borno capital of Maiduguri, repelling an advance by “hundreds” of militants. Four soldiers were injured in the three-hour battle, and vehicles, weapons, and ammunition were seized from the militants. The […]
Opponents say Obama will need ground troops against Islamic State
Extremist threat hangs over key Tunisia elections
Beating Islamic State will be much harder than Iraq or Afghan wars, officials say
US Pins Hope on Syrian Rebels With Loyalties All Over the Map
The local forces dilemma for Obama in Syria and Iraq
Russia fears the eastward spread of ‘jihadist cancer’
The CIA now estimates that the Islamic State has between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters in Syria and Iraq. Ryan Crocker, former ambassador to Syria and Iraq, said the US currently has no clue who the non-Islamic State opposition is in Syria. Retired Gen. John R. Allen has been chosen to coordinate the military effort against […]
How Will US Anti-Jihadist Plan Affect Syria?
UN Envoy Calls for ‘Total Ceasefire’ in Libya
The Assad regime warned that any action in Syria without its approval would be regarded as aggression, but offered to work with any country fighting the Islamic State in Syria or Iraq. UN mediator Stefan de Mistura met with President Assad. The Al Nusrah Front released the 45 Fijian UN peacekeepers it kidnapped two weeks […]
The US destroyed two Islamic State machine gun emplacements and a bunker in two airstrikes near the Mosul Dam. The Iraqi military claimed it killed nine Islamic State fighters and three leaders in airstrikes south of Baghdad and north of Mosul.
The Army defused a 100-kilogram car bomb in a vehicle parked near a military checkpoint in Arsal; the Army had targeted jihadists in the area the night before. At least four Hezbollah fighters were killed in fighting against jihadists in a Bekaa Valley town. A Hezbollah official claimed that the group is coordinating with both […]
Five al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters, including a Saudi and an individual who shares the nom de guerre of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s emir for Mahfad, are reported to have been killed in the first drone strike since mid-August. Seven civilians were killed in bombings in Amran.
Forces from the Islamist Libya Dawn coalition are said to be bulldozing homes in the Warshefana area, where clashes are ongoing. As Operation Dignity forces backed by Tebu and Arab militias are preparing an assault on Islamist positions in Benghazi, the forces of Ansar al Sharia and Benghazi’s Revolutionary Shura Council are said to be […]
The Islamic Front identified Sheikh Hashim al Sheikh, who is also known as Abu Jaber, as the new emir of al Qaeda-allied Ahrar al Sham.
Arab Nations Vow Help to Fight ISIS ‘as Appropriate’
Syrian National Coalition backs US intervention against ISIS
US wins Arab support for Syria/Iraq military campaign
Five AQAP fighters, including a Saudi and an individual who shares the nom de guerre of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s emir for Mahfad, are reported to have been killed in the first drone strike since mid-August.