kandahar Archives

Analysis: US seeks extradition of Bin Laden loyalist imprisoned in France

Thomas Joscelyn | January 18, 2018

The US is seeking the extradition of Christian Ganczarski from France, where he has been imprisoned since 2003. A French court convicted Ganczarski on terror-related charges for his role in the Apr. 11, 2002 suicide bombing at a synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia. The bomber called Ganczarski beforehand to receive his “blessing.” A newly-released indictment focuses on Ganczarski’s other ties to al Qaeda, including a plot targeting American interests in Australia.

Al Qaeda’s Kandahar training camp ‘probably the largest’ in Afghan War

Thomas Joscelyn | October 31, 2015

In an interview with the Washington Post, General John Campbell described an al Qaeda camp in southern Afghanistan as “probably the largest training camp-type facility that we have seen in 14 years of war.” The camp is one of two raided by joint US-Afghan forces in Kandahar earlier this month.

Jihadist group loyal to Taliban, al Qaeda claims to have captured Afghan district

Thomas Joscelyn & Bill Roggio | October 3, 2014

Both the Taliban and Junood al Fida, a jihadist group loyal to the Taliban and al Qaeda, have claimed that the Registan district in the southern Kandahar province has fallen to the jihadists. Afghan officials quickly denied the claim as “exaggerated.”

Afghan intelligence thwarts major attack against Kandahar City

LWJ Staff | May 26, 2013

Following weeks of surveillance work, Afghan intelligence officials intercepted an explosives-laden tractor late on May 25, effectively preventing a massive Taliban terror attack against Kandahar City. Tractors have been widely employed by insurgents as a means of transporting explosives and for vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.