The military’s claim that the US troops who participated in the operation were military advisers and not engaged in a combat mission is implausible, given the involvement of Delta Force operators. One US soldier was killed.
Officials continue to whitewash the role that Iranian-backed Shiite militias play in Iraq’s offensive against the Islamic State. The US continues to provide airstrikes to these militias, which are Iranian clients responsible for killing hundreds of American soldiers and remain hostile to the US.
An opinion piece originally published at The New York Times. As the Taliban expands its influence in Afghanistan, al Qaeda has re-emerged as a force in the country. More US forces, and not less, are required to turn the tide.
While the locations of the Shaykh Abu Omar al Baghdadi and Shaykh Abu Musab al Zarqawi camps are unknown, they are likely situated in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, where the jihadist group has established a presence.
The Afghan Taliban claimed it overran the district center of Ghoryan in the western province of Herat. Afghan forces later retook the district. Thirteen districts have fallen to the jihadist group in the past several weeks.
Torek Agha is “a long-standing Taliban member [who] has been central to spearheading brutal military attacks and raising millions of dollars to support the Taliban’s ruthless acts of terrorism,” Treasury stated.
After launching an operation to recapture the central Iraqi city of Baiji last week, Iraqi troops and Shiite militias retook the oil refinery, the city center, and several districts. The city has exchanged hands multiple times in the past. The US military continues to provide airstrikes that support the Iranian-backed militias.
The jihadist group continues to fight for control of the northwestern Afghan province of Faryab, where two other districts fell to the Taliban over the past 10 days.
The photo comes just days after Soleimani was spotted in Latakia addressing Iranian and Syrian troops. The Syrian regime also relies on Shiite militias from Iraq and elsewhere, which are often trained and advised by the Iranian Qods Force.
The Department of Defense confirmed that the senior al Qaeda strategist, who was dispatched years ago by al Qaeda from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region to Syria, was killed in an airstrike on Oct. 15. Nasr’s death is a blow to al Qaeda.
Online jihadists are claiming that an al Qaeda leader known as Sanafi al Nasr has been killed in an airstrike in Syria. Nasr’s death is not confirmed and he has been reported dead before. The latest claims come from al Qaeda members who apparently knew Nasr and interacted with him online.
Jalaluddin, the former mufti for Khorasan Province, rose thought the jihadist ranks in the Afghan-Pakistan region and was mentored by Sheikh Aminullah, an influential Taliban leader and al Qaeda facilitator, before defecting to the Islamic State. He taught at the Ganj Madrassa, which is listed by the US as a terrorist facility.
The district of Bala Buluk fell to the jihadist group after more than a week of fighting. The fate of dozens of policemen who were surrounded for days is unknown.
The Uighur jihadist group plays a role in assisting Al Qaeda in northwestern Syria.
The Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) in Derna claims to have captured a top Islamic State leader in Libya. The MSC has been battling the Islamic State in Derna since June, but appears to have the upper hand in the jihadists’ infighting.
Abu Muhammad al Julani, the head of al Qaeda’s Al Nusrah Front in Syria, addresses Russia’s intervention in an audio message. Julani calls for reprisal attacks against Russians and says the jihadists must strike Shiite villages in order to extract concessions from Bashar al Assad’s regime.
The Taliban admitted earlier today that its forces have withdrawn from the center of Kunduz city. The group still controls all of the surrounding districts, however, meaning the city center is still under threat. While the Taliban portrayed its decision to withdraw as being somewhat altruistic, Amnesty International has accused the group of committing various crimes during its multi-day siege.
The Philippines-based jihadist group is notorious for taking Western hostages in southeast Asia.
The US military’s raid on two large al Qaeda camps in the Shorabak district of the Kandahar province highlights al Qaeda’s significant footprint in Afghanistan more than 14 years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
While Tunisia has made claims the Uqba bin Nafi battalion has been defeated, the al Qaeda group remains a threat to the country’s security.
The Taliban control or contest a belt of districts in the south spanning from Farah to Helmand, Uruzgan, and now Kandahar, and may use this to threaten Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand, or Kandahar city.
The video showing an attack on Nigerian troops in Borno state was released as the jihadist group killed over 30 in suicide attacks in neighboring Chad.
The Iraqi military claimed it targeted Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the emir of the Islamic State, as he was traveling to meet with other commanders of his organization at a location on the border with Syria. The fate of Baghdadi, who has been reported killed or wounded several times in the past, is unknown.
The Free Syrian Army’s Southern Front, Al Nusrah Front and Ahrar al Sham all claimed to have captured the so-called UN Hill from the Assad regime earlier today. The Southern Front previously rejected collaboration with Al Nusrah Front.
The Islamic State has issued a statement claiming to have captured several key towns north of the city of Aleppo. The group’s campaign in Aleppo province had stalled until Russia began targeting some of its opposition, including Free Syrian Army units.
Brigadier General Hossein Hamedani is the third senior Iraqi military adviser who has been killed in the Syrian-Iraqi theater since the beginning of the year.
This map serves to illustrate approximate Taliban control or contested districts in Afghanistan. Red indicates a contested district, while black indicates a district under the control of the Taliban and its allies. Map created by Caleb Weiss, Bill Roggio, and Patrick Megahan for The Long War Journal. Map last updated on Oct. 6, 2015. The […]
The Taliban said it seized control of the districts of Garziwan and Pashtun Kot in Faryab. The fall of the two districts took place just one week after the Taliban attempted to seize control of Maimana, the provincial capital.
Despite being pushed out of its major urban strongholds, the al Qaeda branch continues to be a potent threat inside Somalia.
The Islamic State’s “Aden-Abyan Province” claimed responsibility for four suicide bombings in Aden earlier today. The attackers targeted forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to Yemeni soldiers. The operations were a departure for the Islamic State, which has usually targeted civilian facilities in Yemen.