Latest HeadlinesAl Qaeda's emir calls on Egyptian Salafi leader to continue revolution
December 13, 2012
By A video showing Ayman al Zawahiri calling on Hazem Salah Abu Ismail to restart the Egyptian revolution is circulating on Egyptian web sites. The video is actually a clip from al Qaeda's Oct. 24 video. Zawahiri urges Abu Ismail to work toward the implementation of sharia law.
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Syrian jihadists, including al Qaeda's Al Nusrah Front, form Mujahideen Shura Council
December 12, 2012
By The establishment of the Mujahideen Shura Council in Deir al-Zour is a step in the unification of jihadist groups in Syria. Syrian opposition groups rally around the Al Nusrah Front after the terrorist designation by the US.
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2 Somali Islamists arrested in suspected pipe bomb attack at Bonn train station
December 11, 2012
By Yesterday two known extremists were arrested after a bag containing explosive materials was found on a platform at the main train station in Bonn, Germany.
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US adds Al Nusrah Front, 2 leaders to terrorism list
December 11, 2012
By The US government called the Al Nusrah Front "a new alias" for al Qaeda in Iraq, and said Al Nusrah is under the direct control of the emir of the Iraqi terror group.
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Al Nusrah Front, foreign jihadists seize key Syrian base in Aleppo
December 10, 2012
By Foreign fighters, including an Uzbek commander, played a key role in taking the Sheikh Suleiman base outside of Aleppo. The base is thought to be involved in Syria's chemical weapons program.
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ISAF kills another al Qaeda commander in Kunar raid
December 10, 2012
By An al Qaeda leader known as Numan was killed during a raid in the Nari district on Dec. 4. Numan supported senior "insurgent leaders" and moved weapons and fighters into the province.
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US drone strike kills another al Qaeda commander in North Waziristan
December 9, 2012
By Mohammad Ahmed al Mansoor, a midlevel Pakistani al Qaeda commander, is reported to have been killed in the attack. He is the fourth mid-to-senior-level al Qaeda leader reported killed since the US stepped up strikes since the end of November.
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Egypt arrests al Qaeda-linked Benghazi suspect
December 8, 2012
By  Egypt has arrested Muhammad Jamal al Kashef (a.k.a. Abu Ahmed), a terrorist with direct, longstanding ties to al Qaeda's leadership. Some of the terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya were trained in his camps. He is also part of the jihadist network that incited protesters in Cairo earlier that same day.
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Al Qaeda religious leader thought killed in US drone strike
December 7, 2012
By  Khalid bin Abdul Rahman al Husainan, a senior religious scholar for al Qaeda who is also known as a Abu Zeid al Kuwaiti, is believed to have been killed in a recent drone strike in Pakistan.
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US adds West African group, 2 leaders, to terrorism list
December 7, 2012
By  The US government has added the al Qaeda-linked Movement for Tawhid [Unity] and Jihad in West Africa and two of its leaders to the list of global terrorists and entities. The group has named one of its units fighting in Mali after Osama bin Laden.
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Islamic State of Iraq denies its emir captured
December 7, 2012
By The al Qaeda political front said that Abu Bakr al Baghdadi al Husseini al Qurshi "is in the best state of being among his family and his brothers."
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Taliban assassination attempt injures Afghan spy chief
December 6, 2012
By Asadullah Khalid, the chief of Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security, was wounded in an attack at an NDS guesthouse today by a Taliban suicide bomber posing as a peace envoy.
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US drones kill 3 'militants' in North Waziristan strikes
December 6, 2012
By  The drones hit a compound near Mir Ali, an area known to shelter al Qaeda's military and external operations councils, as well as a host of regional terror groups.
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ISAF launches 2 raids targeting al Qaeda-linked commanders
December 5, 2012
By Special operations forces killed an al Qaeda leader in Kunar and captured an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan facilitator in Kunduz.
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Pakistani Taliban group denies targeting Mullah Nazir in suicide attack
December 4, 2012
By The top spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan denied his group was involved in the assassination attempt that targeted Mullah Nazir, an al Qaeda-linked Taliban leader in South Waziristan.
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Al Nusrah Front claims yet another suicide attack in Syria
December 4, 2012
By The suicide attack is the 50th in Syria in the past 12 months; 41 of them have been claimed by the Al Nusrah Front.
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Threat MatrixA blog by The Long War Journal. Al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria claims another suicide attack
December 13
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant said two of its suicide bombers attacked the Interior Ministry yesterday.
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In Egypt, Ansar al Sharia Brigades posts hit list
December 12
An Egyptian group calling itself the Ansar al Sharia Brigades has reportedly posted a list of people to assassinate in the event that the Egyptian government collapses.
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Syrian National Coalition urges US to drop Al Nusrah terrorism designation
December 12
"We can have ideological and political differences with certain parties," the head of the Syrian National Coalition said, referring to al Qaeda's branch in Syria.
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Taliban suicide assault team attacks Pakistani police station
December 10
The Taliban said the attack was executed to avenge the death of Ibrahim Mehsud, the nephew of Baitullah Mehsud, the former emir of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan.
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Attacks kill Afghan officials in Laghman, Nimroz
December 10
Recent deadly attacks on key officials in western and eastern Afghanistan continue the Taliban campaign to undermine Afghan governance. Amid security challenges posed by the withdrawal of Coalition troops, violent attacks on women have increased in 2012.
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Hamas reportedly frees Jaish al Ummah leader in Gaza
December 10
On Sunday, Hamas reportedly released Abu Hafs al Maqdisi, a leader of a Salafi jihadist group known as Jaish al Ummah (Army of the Nation).
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Today In...MaliDiango Cissoko was sworn in as prime minister, just days after former prime minister Cheikh Modibo Diarra was forced to resign by the Malian military junta that overthrew the government in March. Captain Sanago, who led the coup, is said to oppose plans for foreign intervention in Mali. IraqThe central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government agreed on a plan to deescalate the situation in Kirkuk. A suicide bomber killed himself and two prisoners at an entrance to a prison in Baghdad. Security forces raided an al Qaeda media center in Mosul. SyriaRussia's deputy foreign minister said the Assad regime was losing control of Syria; NATO's Secretary General assessed that the regime was approaching collapse. The Syrian Army fired SCUD ballistic missiles at rebel positions for the first time. Two car bombs exploded southwest of Damascus, killing 24 people. SudanAuthorities accused Israel of using a vulture tagged with a GPS-equipped camera to spy on Sudan; the military claimed to have captured one such vulture in the Darfur region this month. An Israeli ecologist dismissed the claim, saying the equipment was regularly used for tracking wildlife. AlgeriaA leader from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's El Moulethemine Brigade reportedly turned himself in to authorities last week. The unnamed commander is reportedly wanted by INTERPOL. TunisiaSecurity forces investigating a Salafist group in El Kef found a large quantity of weapons and ammunition in a raid on a house in Tajerouine; two persons escaped during the raid, but a suspect linked to a recent Salafist arms trafficking incident was arrested. DenmarkThe Israeli ambassador advised Jews in Denmark to avoid wearing Jewish faith symbols in public in order to avoid harassment. Authorities have urged Jews to be especially cautious in Copenhagen's multiethnic Nørrebro district. RussiaRussia admitted for the first time that the forces of its ally Assad may lose to the Syrian rebels, and is making plans for the evacuation of thousands of Russians from Syria. Russia is concerned about the seizure of Syrian chemical weapons arsenals by "extremists." United StatesShaker Masri, an Alabama-born Chicago man, was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison. Masri had plotted to be a suicide bomber for al Qaeda or Shabaab in Somalia. Two Alabama men, Mohammad Abdul Rahman Abukhdair and Randy Wilson, were arrested in Georgia as they were planning to travel to Mauritania for jihad. Wilson is friends with Omar Hammami, a wanted American terrorist with Shabaab. CanadaCanada pledged an additional $15 million in humanitarian aid to help with the Syrian refugee crisis, but held back from granting official recognition to the Syrian National Coalition. Foreign Minister Baird said Canada first needed to see that all groups, such as Kurds, Christians, and Sunni and Shiite Muslims, are assured a place in Syria, and that extremists are excluded from the Coalition. North KoreaNorth Korea successfully launched a satellite into orbit, demonstrating North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile capability. NATO, UN, Russian, and Japanese leaders criticized the launch. IraqSecurity forces captured an al Qaeda commander near Mosul, four al Qaeda fighters in Fallujah, and three Ansar al Sunnah fighters in Kirkuk. A court sentenced three al Qaeda commanders and four fighters to death for kidnapping and executing 26 men in Anbar. News on the web |
The ANSF Order of Battle
A breakdown of the structure and units in the Afghan National Security Forces.
The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan
A look at the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan's top leaders.
The Quetta Shura
A look at the Afghan Taliban's top leaders, military councils, and committees.
