Mehsud faction rejoins the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan
The Khalid Mehsud Group, which commands Taliban fighters in South Waziristan, has rejoined the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan after breaking away in 2014.
Tag Archives: Taliban
Pakistani Taliban faction showcases training camp, suicide attacks
The video, from Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a powerful faction of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, highlights the training of suicide bombers and an assault on a Pakistani military base that took place last November.
Afghan government ‘has lost territory to the insurgency’
An estimated 15 percent of Afghanistan’s districts have slipped from the government’s control since the fall of 2015, SIGAR reported. The assessment is based on figures provided by the US military.
LeJ, Pakistani Taliban likely behind deadly Pakistan bombing
While the operational tempo of jihadist groups based in Pakistan has decreased significantly, they are still capable of executing horrific attacks and remain a major threat to the Pakistani state.
Afghan Taliban seek ‘to establish an Islamic state on earth’
While promoting its Al Farouq Training Camp, a speaker said that Taliban’s ultimate goal is the establishment of a global Islamic state.
Taliban remains on defensive over bombing that killed 5 UAE dilomats
In what looks to be an act of desperation to distance itself from the attack, the jihadist group has now issued three separate statements of denial of involvement.
Taliban eulogizes Pakistani cleric with al Qaeda ties
Mawlana Salimullah Khan was also the president of Pakistan’s largest confederation of Deobani seminaries and schools. His son and grandson were deported from the United States for immigration violations after the FBI linked them to an al Qaeda plot in California.
Taliban denies role in killing of UAE diplomats
The Taliban has good reason to deny involvement in this attack, as it has used the UAE to fundraise and gather support for jihadists based in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Afghan officials call for Taliban ‘safe zone’
General Abdul Raziq, the chief of police for Kandahar who has battled the Taliban for years and has been the target of numerous assassination attempts, is pushing the idea of a “safe zone” for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Taliban kills dozens in double suicide attack in Kabul
In its statement claiming credit for today’s attack, the Taliban said that “both of the attackers were from the Martyr Battalion of Islamic Emirate.” The Taliban has deliberately targeted first responders in the past.
Russia’s new favorite jihadis: The Taliban
Russia is openly advocating on behalf of the Taliban, arguing that the jihadist group should be considered a bulwark against the Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan. But the Taliban is a bigger threat to Afghan security than Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s men, the organization remains closely allied with al Qaeda and its own extremism should not be downplayed.
Taliban assaults member of parliament’s home in Kabul
In the past, the Taliban has assassinated key political and military leaders in an attempt to destabilize districts and provinces coveted by the group.
US military: 250 al Qaeda operatives killed or captured in Afghanistan this year
The US has killed or captured approximately 250 al Qaeda and al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent leaders and members in Afghanistan in 2016. US officials have downplayed the extent of al Qaeda’s presence in the country for years. After the raids this year, US intelligence should prepare a fresh assessment.
Former Taliban interior minister swears allegiance to emir
The Taliban bring another influential wayward commander back into the fold. Mullah Abdul Razaq Akhund served as the Taliban’s interior minister and chief of police in Kabul. He also served as a member of the Quetta Shura and was an adviser to Mullah Omar.
Taliban rejects peace talks, emphasizes alliance with al Qaeda in new video
A new video from the Taliban features several images and clips of al Qaeda leaders, further demonstrating that the two remain firmly allied more than 15 years after the 9/11 hijackings.
Taliban feature 2 training camps in latest propaganda
The Taliban said 100 mujahideen have graduated from its Khalid bin Walid Camp and 50 more from its branch, the Abu Dujana Camp. The Taliban claimed that the Khalid bin Walid Camp has 12 branches throughout Afghanistan.
Al Qaeda’s general command comments on ‘martyrdom’ of senior figure in Afghanistan
Al Qaeda’s general command has released a statement commenting on the “martyrdom” of Faruq al Qahtani and others. They were killed in an American airstrike on Oct. 23 in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden’s files show that Qahtani was tasked with establishing new safe havens for al Qaeda in Afghanistan in 2010, if not earlier.
Taliban claims to overrun district center in Kandahar
The claim cannot be independently verified, but Ghorak district has been hotly contested and Taliban has overrun it in the past. Security in Kandahar province also appears to be deteriorating.
Islamic State suicide bomber kills dozens at Kabul mosque
The attack is the second of its kind in the Afghan capital by the Islamic State in the past six weeks.
Taliban deny shadow governor killed in raid
The Taliban denied reports that Mullah Attaullah was killed by police forces. The Afghan government has a spotty track record when reporting on the deaths of Taliban commanders.
Clapper: US collects and analyzes more intelligence on jihadi groups now than ever
During a congressional hearing earlier today, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified that “violent extremism” — that is, jihadism — demands more intelligence collection and analysis now “than at any other point in history.”
Taliban claims it downed second Afghan helicopter
Afghan officials confirmed a helicopter encountered problems in Logar province, but said it “made a hard landing due to technical problems.”
Bagram suicide bomber reconciled with Afghan government in 2008
The Taliban suicide bomber who killed two American soldiers and two contractors at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan’s central province of Parwan on Nov. 12 had joined the Afghan government’s “peace process” and reconciled in 2008.
Taliban, Islamic State both claim to have shot down helicopter in central Afghanistan
The Taliban and the Islamic State have issued competing claims for attacks in Afghanistan in the past. The Taliban has had some success in shooting down US and Afghan military helicopters.
Taliban suicide bomber kills 4 in attack inside Bagram Air Base
The base has been the focus of high-profile Taliban and jihadist attacks in the past. Resolute Support did not say how a Taliban suicide bomber was able to penetrate security at Bagram Air Base.
Taliban claims suicide assault on German consulate
The Taliban claimed that it attacked the German consulate to avenge those killed in an airstrike in Kunduz, but another consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif was targeted in a similar assault earlier this year. That attack highlights the interlinking web of jihadist networks.
Taliban kills 2 US soldiers in Kunduz
The US soldiers were operating as part of Resolute Support’s “train, advise and assist mission.”
Analysis: US military assessment of Taliban control of Afghan districts is flawed
The US military’s estimate does not explain how the Taliban is able to support multiple concurrent offensives across the country and threaten five provincial capitals. Additionally, the military claims that only 3 of Helmand’s 14 districts are threatened by the Taliban.
Taliban overruns military base in Uruzgan
A Taliban spokesman released a video of an interview of fighters from the base. Like the recent ambush in Helmand’s capital, the Taliban fighters clearly are not concerned about either a counterattack or airstrikes.
Islamic State, Pakistani Taliban claim suicide assault in Quetta
Islamic State’s Khorasan province and the Karachi faction of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan both claimed credit for the attack on a police academy in Quetta that killed more than 60 cadets. Pakistani officials claimed the suicide assault was executed by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Almi.