Taliban Archives

Osama Bin Laden’s Files: Letters to the ‘Commander of the Faithful’

Thomas Joscelyn | March 3, 2016

Newly released documents from Osama bin Laden’s compound reveal that al Qaeda was skeptical about statements issued in Mullah Omar’s name. As of early 2010, bin Laden apparently was not communicating regularly with Omar. Letters from later that same year show, however, that bin Laden likely did begin corresponding with Omar. Bin Laden argued in one letter that the West had been weakened by the war in Afghanistan and the mujahideen simply needed to be patient.

Afghan forces raid another Taliban ‘prison’ in Helmand

Bill Roggio | February 29, 2016

The presence of Taliban prisons in Helmand highlights the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Helmand, where Afghan forces are losing ground to the jihadist group.

Pakistan is ‘very cooperative and very engaged in the fight against terrorism,’ Secretary Kerry tells Congress

Bill Roggio | February 25, 2016

“The government itself, the military has been very cooperative and very engaged in the fight against terrorism,” Secretary of State John Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, despite Pakistan’s continuing support of the Taliban and other jihadist groups.

Islamic State ‘Khorasan province’ advertises training camp

Bill Roggio | February 23, 2016

The Islamic State promotes it capabilities as it continues to fight an uphill battle to gain supporters in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the main Taliban factions and al Qaeda still have the upper hand.

US drones target jihadist ‘hideouts’ in Pakistan’s tribal areas

Bill Roggio | February 22, 2016

The attack took place in the tribal agency of Kurram, where the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network is known to have moved its base of operations.

Afghan Army abandons another district in Helmand

Bill Roggio | February 21, 2016

In addition to Musa Qala, the Afghan National Army withdraw from its base in Now Zad. Afghan officials said both districts are now fully under the control of the Taliban.

Afghan military abandons district in Helmand

Bill Roggio | February 20, 2016

The Afghan Army commander in charge of the fighting in Helmand characterized the Army’s withdrawal from Musa Qala as a redeployment of forces.

Taliban, Islamic State clash in eastern Afghanistan

Bill Roggio | February 13, 2016

The Taliban and al Qaeda have a vested interest in halting the spread of the Islamic State in Paktika, given the province’s importance to the two jihadist groups.

Treasury designates head of al Qaeda’s eastern zone in Afghanistan

Thomas Joscelyn | February 10, 2016

Nayf Salam Muhammad Ujaym al Hababi, also known as Farouq al Qahtani, has been added to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists. Hababi, a senior al Qaeda leader, has been heavily involved in both the insurgency in Afghanistan and in plotting terrorist attacks in the West. He has also worked with the Taliban.

Senior Taliban leader dies of cancer

Bill Roggio | February 9, 2016

Mullah Hassan Rahmani, a member of the Taliban’s Quetta Shura, had previously opposed the appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as the jihadist group’s new emir. Rahmani reconciled with Mansour just weeks before his death.

US strikes Pakistani Taliban faction in eastern Afghanistan

Bill Roggio | February 3, 2016

The US is reported to have killed 18 Taliban fighters from Sajna Mehsud’s Taliban faction in an airstrike in an area in Paktika province known to serve as a safe haven for several terrorist groups, including al Qaeda.

Senior al Qaeda ‘hidden commander’ thought killed by US in 2014

Bill Roggio | February 1, 2016

Abu Dujana al Basha is a son-in-law and trusted aide to Ayman al Zawahiri and is known as the “hidden commander” for his organization behind the scenes, including the establishment of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. Al Qaeda has not officially confirmed Basha’s death.

Taliban claim to not ‘use our soil to harm others’ is patently false

Bill Roggio | January 25, 2016

The Taliban’s actions do not match its words, as it continues to shelter, support, and encourage al Qaeda.

Pakistan again puts Jaish-e-Mohammed leader under ‘protective custody’

Bill Roggio | January 16, 2016

Masood Azhar, the Jaish-e-Mohammed emir, has been placed under house arrest and in protective custody at least three other times in the past.

State Department lists Islamic State’s ‘Khorasan Province’ as Foreign Terrorist Organization

Bill Roggio | January 14, 2016

The US has treated the Islamic State Khorasan Province as a terrorist organization long before officially listing it. Four senior Khorasan Province leaders have been killed in US airstrikes over the past year.

Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber detonates at polio vaccination center

Bill Roggio | January 13, 2016

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan said that a “Special Unit” from the Mujahideen Special Group “successfully targeted” and killed Pakistani security forces guarding the vaccination center. The Taliban has targeted the anti-polio drive in the past, accusing it of being a vehicle of Western intelligence services.

US charges American citizen with conspiring to kill soldiers in Afghanistan

Bill Roggio | January 7, 2016

Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, a member of al Qaeda’s paramilitary force in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was involved in a double suicide attack in Khost, Afghanistan in 2009.

Ghana falsely claims 2 former Guantanamo detainees were ‘cleared of any involvement’ in terrorism

Thomas Joscelyn | January 7, 2016

Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration said in a statement that it has accepted two Guantanamo detainees who “have been cleared of any involvement in terrorist activities, and are being released.” But that is not true. Neither one of the detainees was “cleared” by President Obama’s Guantanamo Review Task Force. One of the two was previously deemed a “high risk” by Joint Task Force – Guantanamo.

US soldier killed while fighting the Taliban in Helmand

Bill Roggio | January 5, 2016

The reintroduction of US and British forces in Helmand has not prevented the districts of Nowzad, Musa Qala, and Sangin from falling to the Taliban.

Afghan forces raid Taliban ‘jail’ in Helmand

Bill Roggio | January 2, 2016

While the operations against the Taliban prisons in Nahr-i-Sarraj and Now Zad highlight potential capabilities of Afghanistan’s Special Security Forces, they also emphasize the worsening security situation in Helmand province.

‘Voice of the Caliphate’ radio broadcasts anti-Taliban propaganda in Afghanistan

Thomas Joscelyn | December 31, 2015

The Islamic State’s so-called Khorasan “province” has set up a radio station to broadcast propaganda in Afghanistan. Officials have tried to jam its signal, but the station is also disseminating its content online via multiple platforms.

Taliban kills 6 coalition troops in suicide attack at Bagram

Bill Roggio | December 21, 2015

“Six Resolute Support service members died as a result of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack in Bagram, Afghanistan,” the international coalition confirmed. Bagram is a high priority target for the Taliban.

Taliban controls or contests nearly all of southern Afghan province

Bill Roggio | December 21, 2015

Sangin district is the latest to fall under the Taliban’s control. The Taliban now controls five of Helmand’s 13 districts, and contests another seven.

Taliban lose control of district in southern Afghanistan, gain another in northeast

Bill Roggio | December 18, 2015

Afghan security forces claimed it ejected the Taliban from the Khanashin district center in southern Helmand province, while the Taliban claimed it seized control of Marawara in Kunar.

Pentagon report on Afghanistan excludes al Qaeda’s pledge to the Taliban

Bill Roggio | December 18, 2015

The failure to mention al Qaeda’s renewed oath to the Taliban in the military’s latest report on Afghanistan is no accidental omission.

US continues to push for negotiations with Taliban despite direct ties to al Qaeda

Thomas Joscelyn & Bill Roggio | December 17, 2015

The Pentagon’s latest report on Afghanistan pushes for reconciliation with the Taliban, but makes no mention of Mullah Mansour accepting an oath of allegiance from al Qaeda’s Ayman al Zawahiri.

US military insists al Qaeda is “concentrated” in Afghan east and northeast

Bill Roggio | December 16, 2015

The US military continues to claim that al Qaeda is “primarily concentrated in the east and northeast” of Afghanistan, despite a major operation two months ago that targeted the jihadist group at two established training facilities in Kandahar province in the southeast.