Iranian military involvement in the battle for Aleppo
Iran has announced casualties coinciding with the latest battles for Aleppo, reflecting its deep military involvement in Syria.
Search Results for: TTP
US State Department lists Jamaat-ul-Ahrar as terrorist group
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has been behind numerous deadly attacks inside Pakistan and is closely allied with the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda. In 2014 it celebrated al Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks on the US and said it would fight until an Islamic caliphate “is established in every nook and corner of the world,” it concluded.
US targeted AQAP operatives in 4 airstrikes in July
The US military justified the strikes by noting that AQAP remains a “significant threat” to the United States and its allies.
Taliban denies Helmand’s shadow governor killed in US airstrike
The Taliban, via one of its official spokesmen, quickly issued a denial that its shadow governor and military commander in Helmand were killed in an airstrike. The Afghan government has a spotty track record when reporting on the deaths of Taliban commanders.
US airstrikes target Islamic State stronghold in Libya
The US announced today that it has carried out airstrikes in support of local fighters who are trying to dislodge the Islamic State from the Libyan city of Sirte. After initially advancing in May and early June, an offensive launched by the “Solid Structure” operations room ground to a halt, which likely prompted the US to assist with air support.
Shabaab strikes police department headquarters in Mogadishu
The attack on the Criminal Investigation Department in Mogadishu is the second complex suicide assault by al Qaeda branch in East Africa in the past week.
Analysis: Deterring Gulf States from backing the new Al Nusrah Front
Washington should take a series of steps to stop nations from supporting the newly rebranded version of Al Nusrah Front in Syria.
Transcript of Abu Muhammad al Julani’s speech
A transcript of Abu Muhammad al Julani’s remarks yesterday shows that his statement has been misconstrued in the press.
Analysis: Al Nusrah Front rebrands itself as Jabhat Fath Al Sham
Abu Muhammad al Julani announced that Al Nusrah Front has been rebranded as Jabhat Fath Al Sham. Many have read into Julani’s statement as a formal disassociation with al Qaeda. But Julani didn’t actually say that, as his language was intentionally ambiguous. While sitting next to a longtime al Qaeda veteran from Egypt, Julani did not explicitly say that his group has broken from al Qaeda.
Iranian general inspects the Golan Heights
Iranian media reported on July 27 that the IRGC Basij chief inspected Quneitra in the Golan Heights by the demarcation with Israel.
Iraq’s prime minister establishes Popular Mobilization Forces as a permanent ‘independent military formation’
The Iraqi Prime Minister’s order will establish Iraq’s own IRGC, institutionalizing Tehran’s influence in the country. This development follows similar trends in Iran and Lebanon.
Terrorists in Normandy swore allegiance to Baghdadi before attacking church
The Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency released a video purportedly showing the two terrorists responsible for yesterday’s assault on a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, France. One of the two, identified as Abu Jalil al Hanafi, swears allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi on behalf of himself and his comrade. The Islamic State has also released a profile of Mohammad Daleel, the jihadist who blew himself up in Ansbach, Germany on July 24. The biography indicates that Daleel was a veteran of the jihad in Syria.
Shabaab claims former MP involved in Mogadishu suicide attack
Shabaab says that the former MP was one of the drivers in yesterday’s double suicide car bombing near an African Union base.
Attacks in France and Germany claimed by Islamic State propaganda arm
The Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency has claimed responsibility for two attacks in Europe. One of them occurred on July 24 in Ansbach, Germany, when a terrorist blew himself up outside of a music festival. The other occurred at a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, France this morning. Both “operations” were carried out “in response to calls to target nations in the coalition fighting the Islamic State,” Amaq said.
Islamic State claims suicide bombings at Kabul protest
According to the Amaq News Agency, two “fighters of the Islamic State” executed the attack on the Hazara protesters in Afghanistan’s capital.
Presence of French special forces in Libya sets off controversy
A helicopter carrying three French soldiers crashed near Benghazi, Libya on July 17, killing the Frenchmen and their Libyan counterparts on board. A new jihadist front called the Benghazi Defense Brigades quickly claimed credit, saying its fighters downed the helo with a shoulder-fired missile. French President Hollande said it was an “accident.” Either way, jihadists and Islamists are now rattling their sabres at France.
Taliban seizes district in northern Afghanistan
The Taliban continues to make gains on the battlefield. A district in Kunduz province fell to the Taliban after four days of fighting.
Ex-Gitmo ‘poet’ and committed jihadist denounces Islamic State for attacks on civilians
Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost, who left the Islamic State late last year, claimed that Khorasan province became a tool of “regional intelligence agencies and started torturing innocent people.” He described the emir of Khorasan province as “illiterate” for approving attacks on civilians.
Treasury designates 3 senior al Qaeda members in Iran
The US Treasury Department designated three al Qaeda terrorists today. All three of them are based inside Iran. One of them has served as al Qaeda’s “Military Commission Chief” and was identified in Osama bin Laden’s files as part of a “new generation” of leaders.
Malian military base targeted in southern Mali
The assault is one of the largest on a Malian military base in recent years, and has left twice as many Malian soldiers dead as last year’s attack on the same base.
Teenager who terrorized German train appears in Islamic State video
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack on a train in the German city of Würzburg. Several people were wounded in the assault. Amaq News Agency, a propaganda arm of the so-called “caliphate”, released a video allegedly showing the attacker, a teenager identified as “Muhammad Riyad.” In the video, Riyad calls on all Muslims to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.
US troops ‘are a target for us,’ Iraq’s Muqtada al Sadr says
The radical Shia cleric responded to the US military deployment of an additional 560 troops to aid in the fight against the Islamic State by threatening to attack them.
Islamic State claims its ‘soldier’ carried out Bastille Day attack in Nice, France
The Islamic State’s propaganda arms have claimed responsibility for the July 14 attack in Nice, France, saying that a “soldier” of the so-called caliphate carried out a “unique operation.” The statements do not include any details about the terrorist that aren’t already widely known. Counterterrorism officials are still investigating the terrorist’s possible ties.
AQAP details ‘special forces’ training camp
The Hamza al Zinjibari training camp, which is named after a former senior leader of AQAP, is an extension of various historical al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan according to the group.
Lebanese Hezbollah training special Afghan Fatemiyoun forces for combat in Syria
An Iranian media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ran a report claiming Lebanese Hezbollah is training special forces of the Afghan Fatemiyoun Division for combat in Syria.
US kills Pakistani Taliban commander behind attacks on schools
The US killed Khalifa Umar Mansour, the commander of the Tariq Gidar Group who was responsible for attacks on Pakistani schools, in an airstrike in Afghanistan. The US listed his Taliban faction as a terrorist organization less than two months ago.
Shabaab reportedly recaptures southern port city
The jihadist group has again reportedly recaptured the strategic port city of Marka. However, African Union forces have denied that they have withdrawn from the city.
Abu Omar al Shishani killed south of Mosul, Islamic State says
Amaq News Agency, a propaganda arm of the Islamic State, reports that Abu Omar al Shishani has been killed south of Mosul. In March, Amaq denied that Shishani was killed in an American airstrike in Syria.
Ex-Gitmo detainee, Islamic State’s leader in Chechnya designated by State Department
The State Department has added a former Guantanamo detainee, Ayrat Nasimovich Vakhitov, to the US government’s list of designated terrorists. According to press reports, Vakhitov was recently arrested in connection with the terrorist attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. Also designated today is Aslan Avgazarovich Byutukaev, who leads the Islamic State’s forces in Chechnya.
Iraqi forces retake Q-West airbase south of Mosul
The Iraqi military’s takeover of Qayyarah Airfiled West, or Q-West, coincided with US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter’s visit to Iraq and the announcement that an additional 560 US troops will be deployed to aid in the Mosul offensive.