Please support The Long War Journal

More than twelve years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, The Long War Journal remains committed to providing detailed coverage of al Qaeda, its branches, and its allies. Unfortunately, the threat from al Qaeda and like-minded jihadists has not been eliminated. Instead, the threat has evolved and become even more complex. If in 2001 you were to tell Osama bin Laden that a decade later he would be gone, but groups fighting in al Qaeda’s name had spread throughout Africa and the Middle East, then the al Qaeda master would have been very happy indeed.

Despite the persistent threat of al Qaeda-style jihadism, The Long War Journal remains one of the few news websites in the world, if not the only one, dedicated to providing daily in-depth reporting and analysis on this issue. Most news coverage is cyclical, broadly based on the current political environment, and constrained by limited publication space. Many publications cannot, therefore, cover terrorism-related issues with the consistency and detail that is required for such a complicated topic.

These are the reasons why we hope you will consider supporting The Long War Journal as we launch a fundraiser to support the continuation and expansion of our efforts.

It has been more than a year since we have asked for your support. New donations will help us cover the costs of maintaining a daily news website. We are also earmarking a portion of donations for a website redesign that will improve the readership experience and enhance access to The Long War Journal‘s archive of information on jihadist groups and terrorism trends. We are also seeking to enlist new contributors who are capable of adding to our coverage.

You can read more about our campaign, and donate by credit card or by check here.

While there is much work left to be done, we are proud of our accomplishments. None of the following, which are just some of our accomplishments, would have been possible without your support:

Banned in Pakistan – Our relentless coverage of Pakistan’s duplicity in the fight against the Taliban, al Qaeda, and their allies, has led the Pakistani government to ban access to The Long War Journal, starting in the summer of 2012. We were first alerted to the ban when several prominent journalists told us they could not access the site from Pakistani soil.

Groundbreaking coverage of the US drone campaign – The Long War Journal was the first publication to document the US drone campaign, maintaining a comprehensive database of strikes including which jihadists had been targeted. While other publications and think tanks have attempted to duplicate our coverage, The Long War Journal remains the preeminent source for understanding the unmanned airstrikes. In a profile published in February 2013, The Huffington Post described The Long War Journal as the “go-to source for drone coverage.”

Influencing the debate in Washington and within government – Our nonpartisan reporting has led both Democrats and Republicans to ask for our help in understanding the current threat environment. In the past sixteen months we have testified before Congress six times, covering everything from the war in Syria and the rise of al Qaeda groups in North Africa to emerging threats to the US Homeland. In addition, our analyses are heavily cited throughout the US military and intelligence community.

Original reporting and analysis on emerging threats – In the past twelve months, we have broken dozens of stories that have advanced the public’s understanding of al Qaeda and associated movements. For example, The Long War Journal was the first publication to accurately identify al Qaeda’s top leaders in Syria, revealing formerly secret details about their activities.

A go-to source for the media – Top publications around the world, from The New York Times to The Times of India, regularly rely upon and cite our website. In any given month, all of the top US-based publications may cite our reporting and analysis. In 2013 alone, The Long War Journal was cited by or made appearances in the media more than 300 times.

Thank you for your support now and throughout the years.

Bill Roggio

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.