Kurdish forces and fighters from the Free Syrian Army have seized a military base and a town just 30 miles north of the city of Raqqa, which is the seat of the Islamic State’s so-called “caliphate.” The losses are problematic for the Islamic State, which claims that its territorial rule is “remaining and expanding.”
In a newly released audio speech, Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al Adnani calls on his group’s rivals (including other jihadists) to “repent,” recognizes a new pledge of allegiance from the Caucasus, and urges Sunnis to fight Shiites throughout the Middle East.
The Pentagon said today that Ali Awni al Harzi, the first suspect publicly identified in the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, was killed in a US airstrike in Mosul, Iraq. Al Harzi and his brother have been working for the Islamic State as facilitators.
The Long War Journal has identified 117 training camps run by jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria. Almost half are operated by the Islamic State, while the other half are administered by the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, and its allies. Some facilities are no longer operational, while other camps likely exist, but are not publicized by the jihadists.
The suspected Boko Haram attacks in both Niger and Chad continue to demonstrate that the jihadist group is a threat to regional stability and not just Nigeria.
AQAP executed two men on a beach in Mukallah after accusing them of serving as spies for the US and Saudi Arabia. According to jihadists on social media, the two men helped locate AQAP leaders killed in drone strikes this year. The Long War Journal cannot independently verify these claims.
Sa’ad Emarati, a senior jihadist commander as well as a member of the “Khorasan Shura,” was executed for leaving the Islamic State and rejoining the Taliban.
The Islamic State has used the suicide assault to demoralize and strike fear into the hearts of Iraqi troops, and often uses five or more suicide bombers during a single attack.
According to multiple reports, the Islamic State’s province in Derna, Libya has lost ground to its jihadist rivals after fighting broke out last week.
Leading Iraqi political and religious leaders such as Prime Minister Haidar al Abadi and Grand Ayatollah Sistani have been reduced to cozying up to what John Allen, the US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition To Counter ISIL, or the Islamic State, described as the “extremist elements” of the Popular Mobilization Committee.
Earlier this week, one of the Islamic State’s “provinces” in Libya assassinated a veteran jihadist in Derna. The act sparked intense fighting between Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s followers and al Qaeda-allied jihadists in the city.
Iranian-backed militias, including Asaib al Haq and the Imam Ali Brigades, and Iraqi forces are said to control half of the central Iraqi city. Baiji has changed hands twice since the Islamic State launched its offensive in June 2014.
The Islamic State’s fighters in Libya say they have taken control of a power plant outside of the city of Sirte. The group has repeatedly targeted locations in Sirte since the beginning of the year, taking over significant parts of the city in the process.
The jihadist group, which has published pictures of BGM-71 anti-tank missiles before, again shows the usage of these weapons at Palmyra. Many of these systems have been employed by jihadist groups or have been used to assist jihadist groups.
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.
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.
The video features footage from recent fighting near the town of Karmah, just northeast of Fallujah.
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 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.
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.
Haditha is one of the few towns in Anbar that have resisted the Islamic State’s onslaught in Anbar province.
The fall of the strategic location means that the Syrian regime has lost control of all crossings with Iraq.
After taking the city of Tadmur, the Islamic State has released both photographs and videos from the highly strategic city.
According to Iraqi police and tribal officials, the defensive line that was established outside of Habbaniyah with the help of the US has been breached.
The US military is issuing bizarre spin about events in both Iraq and Syria.
The jihadist group may destroy ancient ruins in the city, as it has done in Mosul and elsewhere. The Islamic State is now said to control half of Syria.