US charges American citizen with conspiring to kill soldiers in Afghanistan
Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, a member of al Qaeda’s paramilitary force in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was involved in a double suicide attack in Khost, Afghanistan in 2009.
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Ghana falsely claims 2 former Guantanamo detainees were ‘cleared of any involvement’ in terrorism
Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration said in a statement that it has accepted two Guantanamo detainees who “have been cleared of any involvement in terrorist activities, and are being released.” But that is not true. Neither one of the detainees was “cleared” by President Obama’s Guantanamo Review Task Force. One of the two was previously deemed a “high risk” by Joint Task Force – Guantanamo.
Hezbollah responds to Israeli assassination of commander
Despite the exchange of threats between Israel and Hezbollah, the latest attack in the Shebaa Farms does not indicate a large-scale confrontation is on the horizon.
YPG claims to have killed nearly 6,000 enemy fighters in 2015
The Kurdish YPG (or People’s Defense Units) has released a summary of its operations for 2015. The YPG claims to have killed nearly 6,000 “enemy” fighters, most of whom likely belonged to the Islamic State, while losing just 680 of its own members in combat. The statistics provided by the YPG imply a kill ratio of nearly 9 to 1, which obviously seems high.
US soldier killed while fighting the Taliban in Helmand
The reintroduction of US and British forces in Helmand has not prevented the districts of Nowzad, Musa Qala, and Sangin from falling to the Taliban.
Islamic State ‘province’ releases photos from raids on Libyan oil facilities
The Islamic State’s Libyan “province” has released photos documenting yesterday’s assault on an oil facility in the port town of Al Sidr.
Islamic State’s Libyan ‘province’ launches new offensive
The Islamic State’s Libyan “province” claims to have captured the town of Bin Jawad on the Mediterranean coast. The group also launched attacks on oil facilities in two of Libya’s ports.
Afghan forces raid Taliban ‘jail’ in Helmand
While the operations against the Taliban prisons in Nahr-i-Sarraj and Now Zad highlight potential capabilities of Afghanistan’s Special Security Forces, they also emphasize the worsening security situation in Helmand province.
Jaish-e-Mohammed suspected in assault on Indian airbase
The assault on the airbase is thought to have been executed by Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based jihadist group with close ties to al Qaeda. Jihadists reportedly said they were going to avenge a Jaish-e-Mohammed operative who was executed for his role in the 2001 assault on India’s Parliament.
‘Voice of the Caliphate’ radio broadcasts anti-Taliban propaganda in Afghanistan
The Islamic State’s so-called Khorasan “province” has set up a radio station to broadcast propaganda in Afghanistan. Officials have tried to jam its signal, but the station is also disseminating its content online via multiple platforms.
Popular Mobilization Force threatened to persecute Christians celebrating Christmas in Baghdad
This month, the Popular Mobilization Force began harassing Christians in Baghdad by suggesting women wear the hijab, or veil, and instructing the minority not to celebrate Christmas.
US-led coalition targets Islamic State’s ‘external attack planners’ in airstrikes
A US military spokesman said earlier today that five members of the Islamic State’s external operations arm were killed in recent airstrikes. Some of the jihadists are believed to have ties to the terrorist cell that struck Paris on Nov. 13.
Uzbek group in Syria trains children for jihad
A video released by the Imam Bukhari Jamaat shows children training with various weapons, reading the Koran, practicing mathematics, and learning Sharia and Arabic.
Islamic State West Africa launches coordinated assaults in northeast Nigeria
The coordinated assaults are likely intended to show that the jihadist group is still able to mount such attacks, despite some claims to the contrary.
More Islamic State members reject governor of Yemen Province
Problems within the Islamic State’s Yemen Province continue to mount as three senior leaders, including two members of the province’s Security Committee and a member of the Preaching Committee, and 28 more fighters reject the group’s governor.
Baghdadi claims ‘infidel nations’ are afraid of ‘final war’
In a new speech, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi claims that all Muslims are confronted by an alliance that includes much of the rest of the world. And he says the Islamic State is “the spearhead in the conflict between the camp of belief and the camp of non-belief,” meaning all Muslims should rally to its cause.
Iraqi military retakes center of Ramadi from Islamic State
The loss of Ramadi is a major blow to the Islamic State, which seized the provincial capital and raised its flag over the government center on May 15 after launching a coordinated assault on Iraqi units stationed in the city.
Al Qaeda group strikes in northern Mali
The attacks on the Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad are likely an attempt to destabilize the movement and the region after several other Tuareg separatist movements signed a peace deal with the Malian government earlier this year.
Jihadists eulogize prominent rebel leader killed near Damascus
Al Nusrah Front and Ahrar al Sham have issued eulogies for Zahran Alloush, the leader of Jaysh al Islam, who was killed in an airstrike outside of Damascus on Dec. 25. Alloush portrayed himself and his organization as “moderate” in comparison to the Islamic State, but that was not an apt description for him.
AQAP leader says America is the ‘primary enemy’
In a lecture posted online, AQAP leader Qasim al Raymi explains why America is the jihadists’ “real” and “primary” enemy.
AQIM commander threatens France in audio statement
Abu Yahya al Hammam joins other Al Qaeda figures in Mali and the Sahara to have threatened France and its interests this year, including Iyad Ag Ghaly and a fighter from Al Murabitoon.
Divisions emerge within the Islamic State’s Yemen ‘province’
Seventy members of the Islamic State’s Yemen “province,” including three members of its sharia committee, its military emir, and its chief of general security, announced their “defection” from the group’s “governor.”
French special forces target Al Murabitoon in northern Mali
One month after the jihadist group conducted a terrorist attack in Mali’s capital killing over 20 people, the French military launched a four hour raid against Al Murabitoon reportedly killing several of its fighters in northern Mali.
Turkistan Islamic Party claims using US-made anti-tank missile in northwest Syria
If confirmed, the Turkistan Islamic Party is not the only jihadist group to have used the US-made anti-tank missiles. The Islamic State, Al Nusrah Front, and the Caucasus Emirate in Syria have all released propaganda showing its forces using the TOW missiles.
Israeli Air Force kills notorious Hezbollah commander in Syria
Israel carried out the assassination of Samir Quntar, a man who had become a symbol in Hezbollah for killing Israelis and was acting as one of its commanders in Syria.
Taliban kills 6 coalition troops in suicide attack at Bagram
“Six Resolute Support service members died as a result of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack in Bagram, Afghanistan,” the international coalition confirmed. Bagram is a high priority target for the Taliban.
Taliban controls or contests nearly all of southern Afghan province
Sangin district is the latest to fall under the Taliban’s control. The Taliban now controls five of Helmand’s 13 districts, and contests another seven.
Islamic State supporters show training camp in the Philippines
The video shows a rudimentary training camp in a forested area somewhere in the Philippines. It is unclear which group is shown training, but the video makes clear of its support to the Islamic State.
Pakistani Taliban says Islamic State leader Baghdadi ‘is not a Islamic Khalifa’
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan again rejected the Islamic State and said its emir, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, is illegitimate and his followers kill “innocent mujahideen.”
Taliban lose control of district in southern Afghanistan, gain another in northeast
Afghan security forces claimed it ejected the Taliban from the Khanashin district center in southern Helmand province, while the Taliban claimed it seized control of Marawara in Kunar.