Taliban, Afghan forces battle for control of Helmand’s capital
The Taliban has advanced on Lashkar Gah from the north and south, and is trying to squeeze Afghan forces in the city center. Lashkar Gah is in danger of falling to the Taliban.
Tag Archives: Afghanistan
Taliban advances on Herat City
The Taliban is fighting inside Herat City, has seized control of a key district, and has taken control of the road that connects the provincial capital with the airport.
Taliban battles Afghan military for control of Kandahar City
The Taliban’s rural insurgency strategy is clearly seen in Kandahar province, where the provincial capital of Kandahar City is now under direct threat of falling under Taliban control.
Half of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals under threat from Taliban
The Taliban directly threatens 17 of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals, while 18 of the provinces are under direct threat of falling under Taliban control, according to an assessment by FDD’s Long War Journal.
Ep. 53 — The Taliban and al Qaeda advance as U.S. completes withdrawal
Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss President Biden’s latest defense of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Despite the jihadists’ significant advances since May 1, the president remains steadfastly committed to completing the American retreat. Powered by RedCircle Take a look around the globe today and you’ll see jihadists fighting everywhere from West Africa to Southeast […]
Taliban advances as U.S. completes withdrawal
The Taliban and al Qaeda advanced throughout Afghanistan after President Biden announced the withdrawal of American and NATO forces on Apr. 14.
Taliban squeezes Afghan government by seizing key border towns
The Taliban’s strategy of seizing rural districts has not only allowed it to surround major cities and put pressure on population centers, it has also enabled it to squeeze the Afghan government’s revenue from goods crossing the border.
Taliban assaults northern provincial capital
The Taliban entered Qala-i-Naw, the provincial capital of Badghis, stormed the city’s prison and freed inmates, and briefly seized control of the governor’s office and the police and National Directorate of Security headquarters before government forces counterattacked.
Afghanistan at risk of collapse as Taliban storms the north
The importance of the Taliban’s northern thrust cannot be understated. If the Taliban can deny Afghanistan’s government and its backers their base of power, Afghanistan is effectively lost.
Taliban doubles number of controlled Afghan districts since May 1
The Taliban’s multiyear strategy of gaining influence in the rural districts to pressure the population centers is paying dividends.
Ep. 52 — Mapping the Taliban’s Offensive
Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss the Taliban’s massive offensive in Afghanistan. The campaign demonstrates, once again, that the “peace process” is a Western delusion. They also discuss how Bill’s map of the Taliban’s gains has evolved over time. Powered by RedCircle Take a look around the globe today and you’ll see jihadists fighting everywhere […]
Kunduz province in danger of falling to the Taliban
The Taliban has gone on the offensive in northern Afghanistan and is on the verge of taking control of Kunduz province if Afghan security forces cannot stay the siege of Kunduz City. Kunduz is one of eight provinces in danger of falling to the Taliban before U.S. forces are scheduled to completely withdraw in September. […]
Taliban enters Kunduz City, seizes control of more than 20 districts
The Taliban took control of nine districts in Takhar and is fighting inside Kunduz City. The Afghan military has so far been unable to halt the onslaught, particularly in the north, where the Taliban has the momentum and is dictating the pace of the fighting.
Taliban takes control of 30 districts in past six weeks
In the six weeks since the May 1 deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan, the Taliban has seized control of 32 additional districts, their reach spanning half of the country’s 34 provinces.
Ep. 51 — How the U.N. assesses al Qaeda and ISIS
Edmund Fitton-Brown joins hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio to discuss his team’s most recent report on Afghanistan. Fitton-Brown is a former British diplomat. He is currently coordinator of the U.N. Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban. Powered by RedCircle Take a look around the globe today […]
Taliban seizes eight districts in the past week
The disbursed locations of the Taliban attacks will force the already strained Afghan military to divide its forces if it wants to retake the districts.
Ep. 50 — The Unknowns
Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss the basic epistemological problems that plague analyses of al Qaeda nearly 20 years after 9/11. Powered by RedCircle Take a look around the globe today and you’ll see jihadists fighting everywhere from West Africa to Southeast Asia. They aren’t the dominant force in all of those areas, or […]
UN report on Taliban controlled and contested districts tracks with LWJ data
The United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team reports that as of April 2021, the Taliban contests or controls “an estimated 50 to 70 per cent of Afghan territory” and exerts “direct control over 57 per cent of district administrative centres.” LWJ’s analysis of the security situation is very similar.
Afghan military targets Al Qaeda’s network in Helmand
The Afghan military targeted Al Qaeda’s network in four different districts in Helmand province over the past month. Al Qaeda was operating a “training center” and fighting alongside the Taliban.
Analysis: Predicting the coming Taliban offensive
Taliban will continue to wage its war against a weakened Afghan government to resurrect its Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. A look at how the Taliban may attempt to achieve this goal now that U.S. forces, which were unable to prevent the Taliban from seizing key rural districts, will soon be gone.
Taliban overruns district in central Afghanistan
With the fall of Dawlat Shah, the Taliban now control one of Laghman’s five districts, and contest the other four. The Taliban is laying the groundwork for a potential siege of Kabul, which likely would take place if the Taliban could first secure the south and east.
Taliban has ‘surrounded’ five Afghan provincial capitals
FDD’s Long War Journal has assessed that 17 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces are under direct Taliban threat.
Ep. 49 — Al Qaeda tries to capitalize on conflict between Hamas and Israel
Hosts Tom and Bill discuss recent statements by al Qaeda concerning the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Al Qaeda has commented on Palestinian issues often, but otherwise has had little to do with the situation. Bill also discusses his updated map of the war in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has steadily made gains. Powered by […]
Taliban control in Afghanistan expands significantly since 2018
The number of Afghan districts controlled and contested by the Taliban has nearly doubled since early 2018. With the withdrawal of U.S. airpower and special operations forces, the Taliban is poised to take over large regions of the country.
Taliban overruns district in central Afghanistan
The security situation in Wardak province and neighboring Logar is dire. A potential battle for control of Kabul will likely begin in Wardak and Logar.
Taliban takes control of two districts in Afghan north
The move presages a coming Taliban offensive, which the goal is to reestablish its Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by force.
Ep. 48 — What happens in Afghanistan doesn’t stay in Afghanistan
Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss President Biden’s to withdraw U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. It’s understandable that he doesn’t want any more Americans to die there, but the Afghans continue to fight a global jihadist threat. Powered by RedCircle Take a look around the globe today and you’ll see jihadists fighting everywhere from […]
Taliban demands U.S. withdraw forces by May 1 deadline
The Taliban demanded that all U.S. forces leave by May 1. It has threatened to resume attacks on U.S. forces if they do not leave by the date agreed upon in the Doha Accords.
Taliban pushes Osama bin Laden truther conspiracy theories
The Taliban denied that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S. and questioned whether he was killed by U.S. soldiers in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011.
Analysis: Al Qaeda continues to operate throughout Afghanistan
Based on reports from Al Qaeda, the United Nations, and press reports, the terror group and its allies are operating in 21 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.