FDD's Long War Journal

NSA

White House: US government wouldn’t force reporters to destroy computers

Security forces arrested the General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohammed Badie, overnight. Following Badie’s arrest, the MB appointed Mahmoud Ezzat as the group’s temporary leader. The army announced the arrest of 11 terrorists, two of whom are Palestinian, in the Sinai.

Israel

Shin Bet officials believe there are at least 15 Salafi groups, some of which are affiliated with al Qaeda, currently operating in the Sinai. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met in Jerusalem. Israeli official Tzipi Livni said Israel will make “dramatic decisions” for peace.

Egypt

Insight: Egypt’s political strife puts Christians in peril

Treasury designates al Qaeda leader, madrassa

The US Treasury Department today designated al Qaeda’s leader in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces, as well as the Ganj Madrassa in Peshawar, Pakistan. The madrassa is “controlled” by an al Qaeda facilitator who also serves the Taliban and recruits for Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Russia

Security forces claimed to have killed nine suspected Islamist militants during a raid in the city of Buinaksk in Dagestan. Among those killed was a prominent militant leader, Bammatkhan Sheikhov. The militants were linked to number of killings, including the murder of the imam of the main mosque in Buinaksk.

Somalia

Shabaab militants have begun looting Doctors Without Borders (MSF) facilities in southern Somalia. The medical aid organization announced that it is pulling out of the country after 22 years, after rampant abductions and attacks on its staff members. Its withdrawal comes in the midst of Somalia’s struggle to contain a polio outbreak.

Nigeria

Boko Haram leader Abubaker Shekau is believed to have died in Cameroon, according to the Nigerian military. A senior officer said Shekau was gravely wounded in a military raid on June 30, and that a video of Shekau released on Aug. 13 was “dramatized by an imposter to hoodwink the sect members to continue with […]

Pakistani authorities reportedly raid al Qaeda communications center

Al Qaeda was said to be operating a “high tech communications center” out of a house in a residential suburb of Lahore.

Libya

Unidentified assailants rammed the last vehicle of a three-car convoy in which EU ambassador Nataliya Apostolova was traveling, as the convoy left the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli for the ambassador’s residence. The gunmen threatened and beat the vehicle’s driver and stole items from the car. Police did not intervene. The Libyan navy said it will […]

Belgium

Authorities in the Flemish cities of Antwerp and Vilvoorde discontinued welfare benefits for some 29 Belgian jihadists in Syria. The authorities had found that the jihadists were accessing their government benefits through banks in Turkey. In April the federal prosecutor’s office said it was aware that 33 persons from Antwerp and Vilvoorde had traveled to […]

France

Interior Minister Valls played down reports of a recent al Qaeda threat to European railways, saying French intelligence has found no evidence to support the alleged threat, but added that France is vigilant. Even though intelligence indicated no specific threat to France, but perhaps a general threat in northern Europe, France stepped up policing on […]

Report provides insight on Israeli view of Salafi jihadists in Sinai

Israeli intelligence agencies differ over the number of Salafi jihadists operating in the Egyptian Sinai, but they recognize a serious threat. One group, Gaza-based Jaish al Islam, is reportedly offering training camps for global jihadists.

Afghanistan

Officials in Farah claimed that 72 Taliban fighters and 11 members of the Public Protection Forces were killed in a major clash on the Ring Road. Four policemen were killed in an IED attack in Kapisa. The president’s office denied it sacked the attorney general for conducting talks with the Taliban.

Iraq

The government executed 15 Iraqis, including two women, and an Egyptian, for terrorism-related charges. Security forces killed a senior al Qaeda leader in Babil and captured another in Diyala. Al Qaeda killed an Awakening leader and his three-year-old niece in an attack in Kirruk.

Afghanistan

Target killing of education officials continue in Afghanistan

Libya

Kerry Clears Benghazi Officials Clinton Punished

Syria

Battalions of the Tajamo’ Alwiyat wa Shuhada’ Souriya, Haraket Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiya, Suqour al-Sham, and Al Nusrah Front said they will launch a series of attacks on checkpoints in the Ariha area of Idlib province. “Persons close to” the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed that a missing Catholic priest is still alive, […]

Saudi Arabia

The Foreign Minister said Egypt is fighting terrorism, and criticized Western condemnation of the Egyptian military government’s crackdown on Islamists. He said Arab and Muslim nations will step in to help Egypt financially if Western countries cut aid in protest against the crackdown. King Abdullah has promised to stand by Egypt, and has condemned the […]

China

Guardian Chief – UK Had Newspaper Disks Destroyed

NSA

Britons Question Whether Detention of Reporter’s Partner Was Terror-Related

United Arab Emirates

Allies Thwart America in Egypt

Shabaab urges Egyptian Muslims to ‘pick up arms and defend yourself’

In a series of tweets posted to its official Twitter account today, Shabaab denounced the Egyptian army as “Jewish both in dialogue and deed.” In addition, the group called on Egyptian Muslims to “pick up arms and defend yourself.”

Jihadi ideologue calls on Egyptian Muslims to prepare for ‘the coming war’

In response to recent events in Egypt, jihadi ideologue Abu Sa’ad al ‘Amili has called on Egyptian Muslims to prepare for “the coming war” by establishing “secret hideouts and bases” and gathering weapons to target the “heads” of the enemy.

NSA

Encrypted computer files seized from David Miranda ‘were from US whistleblower’

Israel

Israeli authorities recently thwarted a stabbing attack aimed at derailing the restart of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. A new report from Israel’s National Security Council warned that Israelis and Jews may be the target of attacks in the coming weeks. These threats emanate from Iran and Hezbollah as well as from al […]

Egypt

At least 24 policemen were executed today by Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula. Shortly after the attack, the Rafah crossing with Gaza was closed. Judiciary sources suggested that former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak could be freed from prison this week. Authorities announced the arrest of three individuals wanted in connection with recent attacks in […]