US targets ‘senior leader’ for Shabaab in southern Somalia
The US has launched multiple airstrikes and raids against Shabaab’s leadership cadre over the past decade.
Tag Archives: Al Qaeda
Afghanistan
Around an invisible leader, Taliban power shifts
Captured Shabaab official previously identified as group’s ‘chief of intelligence’
Somali officials have reportedly captured Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, who has been identified by the State Department as Shabaab’s “chief of intelligence.” The UN has said that another Shabaab official held that role.
Pakistan
Pakistan judge issues arrest warrant for Abdul Aziz
US targets emir of Punjabi Taliban in pair of drone strikes in North Waziristan
Asmatullah Muawiya is said to have been targeted in one of the two strikes that took place today in Shawal area of North Waziristan in Pakistan.
Al Qaeda
US prepares to ramp up transfers from Guantanamo
4 Gitmo detainees transferred to Afghanistan are veteran insurgents, files allege
On Dec. 20, the Defense Department announced the transfer of four Afghans to their home country. Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) deemed all four to be “high” risks to the US, its interests and allies. All four are veteran insurgents, according to JTF-GTMO.
Al Qaeda
UN removes former Somali warlord from sanctions list
Al Qaeda condemns Pakistani Taliban’s attack on Peshawar school
The spokesman for al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has released a statement condemning the Pakistani Taliban’s attack on a Peshawar school earlier this week, calling it “un-Islamic.”
US drones strike in jihadist stronghold in North Waziristan
The Pakistani military claimed it “cleared” the Datta Khel area in September 2014 as part of operation Zarb-e-Azb. The US has launched seven drone strikes in Datta Khel since then.
Egyptian jihadists thank State Department for ‘blessing’ of terrorist designation
Ajnad Misr says in a statement that the US is the real “terrorist” organization, and claims to be fighting a “global system” that seeks to thwart the revolution in Egypt. The group’s rhetoric is similar to al Qaeda’s.
Islamic State
US backed talks between jihadi clerics and ISIS in effort to save hostage’s life
State Department designates Egyptian jihadist group, ex-Gitmo detainee
The State Department today added Ajnad Misr, an Egyptian jihadist group, and Ibrahim Rubaish, a senior al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) official, to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists.
The Peshawar attack: sickening, but no surprise
Pakistan’s refusal to sever ties with the so-called “good Taliban” has allowed groups like the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan to fester.
Afghanistan
US Seeks to Use Letters Found in Bin Laden Raid in Terrorism Trial
Al Qaeda
Pakistan arrests suspected South Asian al Qaeda commander
Afghanistan
From Florida to al Qaeda: terror group’s external operations chief spent last years at Iran-Pakistan-Afghan border
Al Nusrah Front
Finances of jihad: How extremist groups raise money
Afghanistan
Ex-CIA Directors: Interrogations Saved Lives
Al Qaeda
Senate Panel Faults CIA Over Brutality and Deceit in Interrogations
Al Qaeda
Guantanamo 6 ‘will enjoy complete freedom’ in Uruguay
6 Guantanamo detainees transferred to Uruguay were part of al Qaeda’s network, files allege
Intelligence cited in leaked Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) threat assessments link the six recently transferred Guantanamo detainees to Abu Zubaydah and al Qaeda.
Pakistani Taliban confirms death of al Qaeda leader Adnan Shukrijumah
Muhammad Khurasani said that “the impure apostate Pakistani military martyred Sheikh Adnan Shukrijumah” on Dec. 6.
Afghanistan
US General Has Misgivings as Afghanistan Mission Ends
Al Qaeda
A Sikh Principal, Too English for a Largely Muslim School in Birmingham
Al Qaeda commander reported killed in drone strike in Pakistan
The ongoing targeting of al Qaeda commanders in Pakistan’s tribal areas refutes past claims by US officials that al Qaeda is “decimated” and that only two relevant leaders remain.
Al Nusrah Front claims use of UN vehicle in suicide bombing
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, released photos purporting to show its use of a United Nations vehicle in a suicide bombing against regime positions in southern Syria.
Representative of Ayman al Zawahiri reportedly captured in Turkey
Abd al Baset Azzouz, an al Qaeda operative who served as Ayman al Zawahiri’s representative in Libya, was captured in Turkey in mid-November. Azzouz is reportedly being investigated for his possible ties to the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi.
Pakistani army kills senior al Qaeda commander tasked with attacking the West
Pakistan claimed it killed Adnan Shukrijumah in a raid in South Waziristan. Shukrijumah, who was wanted by the US, was al Qaeda’s operations chief for North America.
Afghanistan
US moves ahead with plan for extra troops in Afghanistan until allies finalize plans