US kills four Islamic State terrorists in Libya strike
The United States has conducted three counterterrorism strikes in Libya in 2018.
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Exclusive: CENTCOM reveals scope of Yemen air campaign
CENTCOM released the dates and general locations of the last 18 counterterrorism strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Since early 2017, the military has provided few details on the Yemen air campaign, typically only providing an aggregate number and scant information on high-value target strikes.
US kills 27 Shabaab terrorists in rare northern Somalia strike
A strike that far north, particularly with such a high casualty count, demonstrates the alarming geographic span of Shabaab’s insurgency in the country. In 2018, the US has hit Shabaab targets nearly 1,000 miles apart.
Taliban operations span the entire country, Afghan Interior Ministry confirms
The Taliban are operating in all regions of Afghanistan and casualties among Afghan police have increased, according to the Ministry of Interior. This directly contradicts overly optimistic assessments by both Resolute Support and the Pentagon.
US strikes Shabaab again outside Mogadishu
The strike killed 12 Shabaab terrorists.
Islamic State claims its soldier killed 3 in Liège, Belgium
The Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency has issued a short statement claiming that the assailant who conducted the attack in Liège, Belgium yesterday was one of the group’s soldiers. Amaq did not provide any descriptive information about the attacker, whom authorities have identified as a criminal on temporary leave from prison.
Jihadists attack Afghan interior ministry in Kabul
A team of jihadists assaulted Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior in Kabul earlier today. It is the latest in a string of attacks inside the Afghan capital this year. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State’s Khorasan “province” are able to hit targets inside the city.
US forces hit Shabaab outside Somali capital
On Wednesday, US forces conducted an airstrike 15 miles southwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu against al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa.
US Military reviews possible civilian casualties in Yemen, Somalia
Two regional combatant commands acknowledged reports of civilian casualties in recent operations.
CENTCOM releases some Yemen strike information, but gaps remain
The US military has conducted 27 counterterrorism strikes in Yemen in 2018, but has only provided complete information on two. One of the strikes hit an AQAP training camp in Hadramout.
Foreign fighters in Turkistan Islamic Party call on Westerners to migrate to Syria
The foreign fighters include one Canadian and three French-speaking militants. The latter bunch likely belong to Omar Diaby’s Firqatul Ghuraba, a French jihadist outfit in Syria.
US military kills ‘dual-hatted’ AQIS leader in eastern Afghanistan
Hazrat Abbas served as a leader for both al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. AQIS was formed to unite disparate jihadist factions to fight under the banner of the Afghan Taliban.
Authorities say ISIS-linked family conducted suicide bombings at Indonesian churches
According to authorities, an ISIS-linked family carried out suicide bombings at three churches in the Indonesian city of Surabaya earlier today. The bombings came just days after other ISIS-affiliated militants conducted a prison riot south of Jakarta. ISIS has long targeted Christians, among many others. The group previously ruled that suicide attacks aimed at churches were an acceptable way to attain “closeness to Allah.”
Analysis: Islamic State ramps up attack claims in Somalia
The Islamic State has claimed several attacks inside Somalia in the past month, further outpacing the past two years in claimed attacks in the country. While the Islamic State has had a difficult time establishing a foothold inside the country, its claimed operations paints a picture of its areas of operation and types of operations it conducts.
Taliban overruns district center in northeastern Afghanistan
The Taliban overran the district of Kohistan in the remote northeastern province of Badakhshan last evening after laying siege to it for several days.
Taliban contests 2 new Afghan districts
Two districts, one in Paktika and another in Badakhshan, that were previously assessed by Resolute Support as influenced by the government of Afghanistan are now at risk.
Taliban control of Afghan districts remains unchanged despite increased US military pressure
The Taliban continue to maintain its grip on half of Afghanistan despite US military’s reinvigorated effort to force the group from its strongholds.
State urges Taliban yet again to ‘run for office’
US officials should stop debasing themselves by issuing facile calls for peace. The Taliban has no intention of joining a political process and as it has stated numerous times, its goals are the expulsion of US and foreign forces, the overthrow of the Afghan government, the re-establishment of the of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the imposition of its harsh brand of Sharia.
Taliban camp in Baghlan emphasizes tenuous security situation in Afghan north
The video highlights the worsening security situation in the Afghan north, including Baghlan, where 12 of the province’s 14 districts are contested and one is controlled by the Taliban.
In Helmand, Taliban dominates security situation
The Taliban currently controls seven of Helmand’s 13 districts and contests the other six, according to date compiled by LWJ.
Taliban forces hundreds of schools in Kunduz to close
The closure of the schools highlights the Taliban’s grip on the province, where all of the districts are currently contested.
As Senate probes Yemen role, US quietly continues strikes
The military has not produced detailed press releases for any strikes this year, continuing 2017’s limited transparency.
US continues to disrupt Shabaab’s attack campaign
In the past six months, US forces have thrice interdicted Shabaab car bombs and prevented imminent attacks against civilians in the Somalia capital, Mogadishu.
Afghan mission releases district-level assessments
The Afghanistan watchdog was finally able to release the military’s own district-level assessment, allowing for a direct comparison with our data. The Taliban currently controls 37 districts, contests 200, and claims to control two more.
Taliban overruns Afghan district, kills governor
The district of Khwaja Omari was previously considered to be one of the more secure areas in Ghazni, which is a hotbed for the Taliban and other foreign jihadist groups such as al Qaeda.
US-led coalition says ‘much work remains to defeat’ to ISIS
The US-led coalition said in a statement that “much work remains to defeat” Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s organization in Iraq and Syria. The statement is at odds with the White House’s view that ISIS has been “almost completely destroyed.”
US continues to disrupt Shabaab in Jilib, Somalia
The United States attacked al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia in the southern town of Jilib, a recurring strike location and known Shabaab safe haven.
US strikes Shabaab in central Somalia
The location of last weekend’s strike highlights the geographical range of US operations against Shabaab, and the scope of the al Qaeda branch’s insurgency.
Foreign Podicy
Foreign Podicy is a podcast project of FDD, focusing on the consequential foreign policy and national security issues facing the US and its allies. Each episode features discussions with policy and subject matter experts from both inside FDD and beyond. Foreign Podicy is hosted by FDD’s Founder and President Cliff May, and looks to publish at […]
American forces kill senior al Qaeda leader in Libya
The US military announced that it killed Musa Abu Dawud, a high-ranking al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb leader in Libya, in an airstrike last weekend. Dawud is an established jihadist who has been in the fight with the GSPC and AIQM for at least three decades.