Jaysh al Fateh, a jihadist-led coalition of several groups that includes al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, overran several more towns and villages in the province of Idlib in the past few days. The coalition is consolidating its hold on the province after running Assad’s forces out of the city of Idlib in March.
The attack took place in a section of Pakistan’s tribal agencies where the the US is concentrating its drone campaign in North Waziristan.
Five of the eight strikes that have taken place in Pakistan so far this year have targeted jihadists operating in the Shawal Valley, which spans both North and South Waziristan.
Al Jazeera aired the second part of its interview with Abu Muhammad al Julani earlier this week. Julani again made it clear that Al Nusrah is a part of al Qaeda and referenced Ayman al Zawahiri’s “directives” following the beginning of the Arab revolutions in late 2010 and early 2011.
The new propaganda film focuses on several Balkan fighters, as well as the events in the Balkans in the 1990’s. The video is just the latest attempt to showcase foreign fighters within its ranks.
In late May, the Islamic State’s so-called “Khorasan province” released a video threatening the Taliban. Multiple press reports say the two sides have repeatedly fought one another since the beginning of the year. Still, the Islamic State’s presence in the region is likely much smaller than the network operated by the Taliban, al Qaeda, and their allies.
Simply because Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and his representatives are endorsing the Popular Mobilization Committee or Iranian-supported militias such as the Iman Ali Brigade doesn’t make them any less radical.
Several al Qaeda ideologues have issued a fatwa saying it is “compulsory” to fight the Islamic State in Aleppo. The edict was issued after the Islamic State seized towns and villages from other rebel groups in the province.
If true, US intelligence assessments on the strength of the Islamic State are grossly underestimated.
Fighting between the Islamic State and other rebel factions, including Al Nusrah, remains ongoing in northern Aleppo province. The US has accused the Assad regime of enabling the Islamic State’s advance in the area with airstrikes. The Turkish president has said an opposition journalist who leaked video purporting to show Turkey supplying arms to Syrian rebels […]
The video features footage from recent fighting near the town of Karmah, just northeast of Fallujah.
The strike took place in the Shawal Valley in Pakistan’s Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan. The US continues to launch drone strikes in Pakistan, but the counterterrorism operation does not stray beyond the tribal areas.
Government forces are facing an ammunition shortage as they continue to battle Islamist militias in Benghazi, according to a spokesman. As oil output plummets and its currency devalues, “”Libya is on the verge of economic and financial collapse,” according to a UN envoy. The Islamic State has “effectively taken over” Sirte.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed two recent terrorist attacks against UN forces in Mali. According to the 2015 Small Arms Survey report, jihadist groups in Mali are increasingly armed and equipped, and could rival the firepower of the Malian military.
Boko Haram conducted a string of terrorist attacks between May 29 – 31; a series of bombings and rocket attacks killed at least 42 people in northeast Nigeria. A “flood of refugees” estimated at “more than 18,000” has fled to Chad in the face of the jihadist group’s campaign.
The Islamic State has seized towns and villages in Aleppo province, provoking a counterattack from several rebel organizations. The “caliphate’s” move may have been timed to disrupt its jihadist rivals’ advances in northern Syria.
The attacks targeted a UN base and a UN convoy, which included the heads of the UN’s military and police forces in Mali, near the city of Timbuktu. The claims come after conflicting reports from a Mauritanian news agency that first reported Al Murabitoon claimed the attacks.
Qods Force commander Major General Qassem Soleimani was also photographed in Baghdad with Popular Mobilization Committee chief Abu Mahdi al Muhandis and Imam Ali Brigade leader Shebl al Zaydi. The images contradict US official’s claims that Iran and its Shiite militia proxies are not involved in the Anbar counteroffensive.
Commander Jassem Nouri is likely a member of Qods Force, the external operations branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Qods Force. He was advising Shiite militias, such as Hezbollah Brigades, who are engaged in fighting in Iraq’s Anbar province.
According to SOHR, an Assyrian fighter captured and beheaded an Islamic State jihadist in an act of revenge in Hasakeh province. A newly released video purports to show Turkish intelligence operatives arming Syrian rebels. Jaysh al-Fatah took the city of Ariha, giving the group almost complete control over Idlib province. The US-led coalition conducted four airstrikes in Syria […]
US officials and generals continue to downplay the involvement of Iranian-backed Shiite militias in offensives in Iraq, and their dominance of the Popular Mobilization Committee.
Earlier this week, Al Jazeera aired the first part of its interview with Abu Muhammed al Julani, who is the emir of the Al Nusrah Front. Julani stressed that his organization is “committed” to Ayman al Zawahiri’s “orders,” thereby dispelling erroneous reports that his group was going to “break” with al Qaeda.
Jihadists, including al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, have claimed victory in the battle for the town of Ariha. The town was one of the last regime-controlled areas in the province of Idlib.
Salahuddin al Shishani also accused the Islamic State of attempting to assassinate him after his failed attempt to mediate a dispute between the group and al Qaeda’s branch in Syria.
Said Arif, an al Qaeda veteran, has reportedly been killed in an airstrike in Syria. Jihadists on social media have identified Arif as a senior figure in Jund al Aqsa, an al Qaeda front group.
The Pakistani Taliban has released a lengthy statement rejecting Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s claim to be the new caliph. The group praises Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, as well as deceased al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his successor, Ayman al Zawahiri.
Members of Boko Haram raided the village of Pambula-Kwamda in Adamawa state and “hacked 10 people to death.” Unidentified gunmen attacked Iorza village in Benue state, killing at least 30.
The former Afghan Taliban shadow governor for Badakhshan province appears in a new propaganda video featuring recent clashes in Warduj District. Taliban fighters show off captured Afghan army and police vehicles and eulogize the jihadist leader who was killed last summer.
The capturing of the Iraqi side of the Al Waleed border crossing comes just days after the jihadist group captured the Syrian side.
Iranian-supported militias, including Hezbollah Brigades, a US-listed Foreign Terrorist Organization, are advancing against the Islamic State east of Ramadi. The US is providing air support.