FDD's Long War Journal

Al Qaeda

Hard-line Islam fills void in Pakistan™s flood response

US adds Ilyas Kashmiri to list of designated terrorists

The commander of al Qaeda’s Brigade 313 and the Lashkar al Zil has been added to the list of global terrorists. HUJI has also been named a terrorist organization.

State Department: Iran supports Taliban, Iraqi militants

The State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism for 2009 highlights, once again, Iran’s ongoing sponsorship of the Taliban and Iraqi militants.

Taliban, civilians reported killed during raid in eastern Afghanistan

More than 15 Taliban fighters, including two commanders, and upwards of 12 civilians, are reported to have been killed during a special operations raid in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.

Al Qaeda

Lahore, the Taliban’s new target; Ahmed Rashid losing faith in Pakistan’s future

Taliban suicide bomber strikes Afghan police in Kunduz

The Taliban claimed the attack that killed seven policemen in the contested northern province.

Al Qaeda

Pakistan in peril of succumbing to Iran-style Islamic revolution: Study

Former Gitmo detainee turned Taliban leader threatens Afghan elders

Abdul Rauf Khadim, a former Gitmo detainee, sent a handwritten note threatening Afghan tribal elders who cooperate with Coalition forces and the Afghan government. Khadim is one of two former Gitmo detainees who are part of Mullah Omar’s inner circle.

Afghanistan and Monday morning quarterbacking

This article from David Sanger in last weekend’s New York Times is a must read for those who believe that there were simple solutions to Afghanistan and ‘if we only had done this back in 2002 then everything would be fine.’ From the opening: If only we had been smart enough, the arguments went, the […]

Afghanistan

US Military in Afghanistan responds to Pakistan floods

Al Qaeda Brigade 313 website goes online

The website is linked to the Pakistan-based al Qaeda military formation that is commanded by Ilyas Kashmiri.

Afghan, US forces hunt al Qaeda, Taliban in northeast

Qari Zia Rahman was again the target of a raid in Kunar, while more than 30 Taliban fighters were killed in neighboring Nuristan.

A counterinsurgency conundrum in Salaam Bazaar

The destruction of a bazaar in the Now Zad district in Helmand province raises difficult questions about the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan.

Al Qaeda leaders play significant role in Shabaab

Al Qaeda leaders from Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan, and the United States hold top leadership positions in the Somali terror group.

United Kingdom

UK – Pakistan protest over PM comments

Al Qaeda prepares ‘an army of 12,000 fighters,’ threatens security forces

Mohammed Said al Umdah Gharib al T’aizzi, a senior military commander in southern Yemen, said the government is colluding with the US and will suffer for doing so.

Al Qaeda

Poll: Nearly 6 in 10 Pakistanis view US as enemy

Al Qaeda

David Cameron defends ‘frank’ comments about Pakistan

Analysis: Al Qaeda maintains an extensive network in Afghanistan

Al Qaeda has had at least 45 cells in 15 of Afghanistan’s provinces, and its operatives continue to launch suicide and other attacks.

Al Qaeda

Pakistani general denies terror links

India

India criticises Pakistan over WikiLeaks charges

Mullah Omar orders Taliban to attack civilians, Afghan women

Mullah Omar has ordered his Taliban forces to capture or kill Afghan civilians, including women, who cooperate with Coalition forces. Omar’s order directly contradicts the Taliban’s 2009 Code of Conduct, which called for limiting civilian casualties.

United Kingdom

‘Serious failings’ in UK visa controls for Pakistanis

Al Qaeda

Pakistan has its own battle to fight

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi

Pakistan – Former spy held by militants demands help

‘Rhetoric and Reality,’ and our understanding of the rule of law

Last month, Marc Lynch published a report for the Center for a New American Security, Rhetoric and Reality: Countering Terrorism in the Age of Obama. The report is a worthy contribution to public discussion of the Obama administration’s counterterrorism policies, outlining the early contours of the administration’s strategy and tracing its continuity with the Bush […]