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June 4, 2010 Turkey’s Two-Faced Aid For Gaza From the fury with which Turkey's leaders are demanding carte blanche access for aid to Gaza, you might suppose the Turkish government had exhausted every available route for pouring its own... June 3, 2010 Al Qaeda operative killed in South Waziristan strike A senior al Qaeda operative and a Taliban commander were killed in last week's airstrike in Pakistan's lawless tribal agency of South Waziristan. The Al Fajr Media Center, a ji... June 3, 2010 The Muslim Brotherhood’s Flotilla Western press accounts have enumerated the many left-wing human rights activists who were... June 3, 2010 Inside Shell’s Iran Game Royal Dutch Shell resumed its gasoline shipments to Iran, International Oil Dailyreported this morning. The company got back into business with the Iranian regime after a six-month hiatus.... June 3, 2010 Beyond Strategery Is it possible to defeat an enemy we don't understand? That is only one of the questions that ought to occur to anyone reading President Obama's new National Security Strategy (NSS). Ad... June 3, 2010 Inside Iran’s Shell Game Royal Dutch Shell resumed its gasoline shipments to Iran, International Oil Daily reported this morning. The company got back into business with the Iranian regime after a six-month hiatus.... June 3, 2010 Thanks To The Flotilla, Iran Off The Hook Again It is crucial to understand the broader strategic context of Monday's events. The Gaza convoy was organised by IHH, a Turkish Islamist "charity" with links to al Qaida and Hamas. It... June 2, 2010 The Gaza Flotilla Decoy for Iranian Missiles to Hezbollah? "De-Blockading" Hamas? At first glance, the takeover by the Israeli Navy of the "humanitarian flotilla" heading towards Gaza is just one more of the disputed crises between Israel and its foes. As in all previous incidents, the spiral of... June 2, 2010 Strengthening America What can be done to advance American strength? The list is long and the mission is urgent. It starts with this: Strengthening America must become a priority. That is not the case at present as an... June 2, 2010 Newly minted Taliban shadow governor in Afghan north captured Map of Afghanistan's provinces. Click map to view larger image. Afghan and Coalition forces leveled another blow at the Taliban's top leadership in the northern province of Baghlan. A joint Afghan and Coalition force captured the Taliban's newly appointed shadow governor of Baghlan during a May 31 raid in the Baghlan-i-Jadid district "after intelligence information revealed insurgent activity," the International Security Assistance Force stated in a press release on its website. The shadow governor of Baghlan, whose name was not provided by ISAF, was captured "as he prepared to leave for Pakistan." One of his associates were killed and an undisclosed number were captured during the raid. The joint Afghan-Coalition special operations forces have put pressure on the Taliban to quickly promote new leaders, ISAF said. "This capture marks the third time in as many weeks that the Taliban have had to replace named shadow governors for Baghlan province because of Coalition operations," the press release stated. The unnamed captured shadow governor spent only two days as the top leader for Baghlan. His predecessor, Mullah Rohullah, was killed in a Coalition airstrike on May 29. Rohullah was appointed the shadow governor of Baghlan in early May. Background on the Taliban's shadow government and the situation in the North The Taliban establish shadow or parallel governments in the regions they control or where the Afghan government is weak. These shadow governments fill the void by dispensing sharia justice; mediating tribal and land disputes; collecting taxes; and recruiting, arming, and training fighters. The Taliban have established shadow governments throughout Afghanistan, with provincial and militarily leaders appointed to command activities. In January 2009, the Taliban claimed to be in control of more than 70 percent of Afghanistan's rural areas and to have established shadow governments in 31 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. Over the past two years, the security situation in the northern provinces of Baghlan and neighboring Kunduz has deteriorated. The Taliban and allied terror groups maintain safe havens in Baghlan and Kunduz, and control large portions of the provinces. Two districts in Baghlan province - Baghlan-i-Jadid and Burka - are under the control of the Taliban. Of the seven districts in Kunduz province, only two are considered under government control; the rest of the districts - Chahara Dara, Dashti Archi, Ali Abab, Khan Abad, and Iman Sahib - are considered contested or under Taliban control, according to a map produced by Afghanistan's Interior Ministry in the spring of 2009 [see LWJ report, "Afghan forces and Taliban clash in Kunduz," and Threat Matrix report, "Afghanistan' s wild-wild North"]. The Taliban's top leadership in the north has been hit hard over the past year, however. Afghan intelligence captured the shadow governor of Samangan province on May 20. Afghan officials claimed the shadow governor of Kunduz province was killed on April 26. Pakistani intelligence reportedly detained the shadow governors of Kunduz and Baghlan in February. And in September 2009, police detained the shadow governor of Bamyan province. June 2, 2010 Hamas Refuses Humanitarian Aid CNN reports: Israel has attempted to deliver humanitarian aid from an international flotilla to G... June 2, 2010 Germany Turns a Blind Eye to Radical Islam Just as the danger of homegrown political Islam is on display in the United States with the attempted Times Square bombing--the third attempted attack in six months--Germany seems to be recoiling... June 2, 2010 Assad May Be Cruising For A Bruising If Damascus continues to arm Hezbollah, would the Israelis strike against Syria? Despite Israel’s past track record of overlooking Syrian malfeasance, there is reason to think the equation... June 1, 2010 Afghan commandos retake eastern district from the Taliban Map of Afghanistan's provinces. Click map to view larger image. Afghan commandos, backed by Coalition advisers and air support, have retaken a district in eastern Afghanistan that had been captured by the Taliban last weekend. More than 200 Afghan commandos 'assisted by a small contingent of coalition partners' retook the district of Barg-e-Matal in Nuristan province yesterday, the International Security Assistance Force said in a press release. The district was recaptured just two days after Afghan police abandoned Barg-e-Matal as part of a 'tactical retreat' to avoid civilian casualties. The operation to retake the district began early on May 31, when Coalition air support engaged the Taliban with 'precision-guided airstrikes on known insurgent locations near Barg-e-Matal,' ISAF stated in a press release. 'The airstrikes were requested by local officials and ANSF [Afghan National Security Force] commanders,' ISAF said. 'Extreme care was given to validating the targets, which were under surveillance for an extended period of time. The operation was launched in response to significant insurgent activity in the area during the previous week. The precision strikes were designed to degrade enemy positions, command and control, and staging/caches sites in the area.' The airstrikes were followed by an air assault by Afghan commandos, who linked up with more than 400 local police in the region, The Associated Press reported. No Taliban casualties were reported in the airstrikes or the subsequent commando operation to retake the district. "This successful operation by Afghan forces will return governance to Barg-e-Matal," said Zemarai Bashary, the Ministry of Interior spokesman. "This operation shows the improved planning and operational capabilities of our joint forces in response to serious incidents even in the most remote locations of Afghanistan." The crisis in Nuristan began on May 25, when a large Taliban force estimated at between 300 to 500 fighters attacked the district center. Afghan officials said the Taliban were supported by Pakistani, Chechens, and other Central Asian fighters. Pakistani Taliban leader Mullah Qari Fazlullah, who is known to shelter and operate in Nuristan, is said to have led the attack. Fazlullah was later reported killed, but the Taliban denied the report and said he was not involved in any fighting in Nuristan. The Barg-e-Matal district is a known Taliban transit area to and from the northern Pakistani district of Chitral. Last summer, the Taliban took control of Barg-e-Matal for several months after a similar attack. US and Afghan forces were deployed to the region to help local Nuristanis eject the Taliban, but the forces later withdrew. Barg-e-Matal borders the district of Kamdesh, which has been under Taliban control since US forces withdrew from combat outposts last fall after an attack by a large Taliban and al Qaeda force. The withdrawal of US forces from the outposts in Nuristan and neighboring Kunar province has provided the Taliban with major propaganda victories. The Taliban released propaganda tapes showing large-scale assaults on the US outposts followed by scenes of the Taliban occupying the abandoned bases. Weapons and ammunition that had been hastily abandoned by US and Afghan forces were displayed by the Taliban in the tapes. ISAF withdrew forces from remote districts in Nuristan and neighboring Kunar province as part of its new counterinsurgency plan that emphasizes securing major population centers over rural areas. According to ISAF commanders, the remote provinces of Nuristan and Kunar will be dealt with after more strategic regions in the south, east, and north have been addressed. The outposts in Nuristan and Kunar were initially created in 2006 as part of a plan to establish a string of bases to interdict Taliban fighters and supplies moving across the border from Pakistan. But the plan was not completed, because US forces were diverted to the south in Kandahar after the Taliban began launching increasingly sophisticated attacks. Previous LWJ reports on the fighting in Barg-e-Matal: May 29, 2010: "Taliban take control of district in Nuristan" May 28, 2010: "Nuristani Taliban commander denies Fazlullah killed" May 27, 2010: "Mullah Fazlullah reported killed in Afghanistan" May 26, 2010: "Pakistani Taliban assault district center in Nuristan" June 1, 2010 On the Death of Mustafa Abu Yazid The death of Mustafa Abu Yazid (aka Sheikh Saeed al Masri), who was killed in an airstrike e... June 1, 2010 Pakistani military ends operation in Arakzai The Pakistani military has called an end to an operation in a Taliban-dominated tribal area in the northwest. The Pakistani Army announced the cessation of operations in Arakzai as General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), visited troops in Arakzai and Kurram today, and said Arakzai is now cleared of the Taliban. "COAS' visit to Arakzai Agency marks the successful conclusion of operations in the Agency," a press release at the Inter-Services Public Relations stated. "Return of IDPs [internally displaced persons] is excepted to start shortly. He appreciated the professional conduct of the operation which has cleared the Agency of terrorists." The military's declaration of victory in Arakzai took place seven weeks after it claimed the Taliban was "fleeing" Arakzai and was on the verge of defeat. Since the operation began on March 21, the Pakistani military has claimed that 1116 Taliban fighters have been killed in Arakzai, while in fact, only 25 soldiers have been killed, according to Pakistani press reports compiled by The Long War Journal. The military has claimed that 286 Taliban casualties were killed since May 23, when 70 fighters were said to have been killed in a series of airstrikes. The military also claims to have destroyed more than 100 Taliban training camps, safe houses, and other facilities, according to Geo News. US military and intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal are skeptical of the Pakistani military claims of success in Arakzai, and said the reports of Taliban casualties are greatly inflated. "You can bet that the Pakistani military hasn't killed 45 Taliban fighters for every one of their soldiers killed," one official said. The Pakistani military has mixed civilian casualties with Taliban casualties, the official continued. "You can bet the vast majority of those killed in Arakzai are civilians and not Taliban," the official said. The Pakistani military is known to rely on air and artillery strikes to pound the Taliban and continue to level villages in indiscriminate attacks. The Taliban's top leaders in Arakzai still remain free, US officials also noted. "Not a single senior leader of the myriad of groups in Arakzai have been killed or captured," a military intelligence official said. The Pakistani military has targeted the Taliban in Arakzai, Khyber, and South Waziristan over the past several months, and claimed to have defeated the Taliban during operations in Swat, Bajaur, and Mohmand over the past year. The Taliban still control large swaths of territory in these tribal agencies, while al Qaeda and allied groups maintain a safe haven in North Waziristan. The Pakistanis have rebuffed US pressure to target the Taliban and al Qaeda based in North Waziristan. Some of the most deadly Taliban groups operate from Arakzai, and many of the suicide and military attacks carried out in Pakistan have originated from this tribal agency [see list]. The Taliban terror alliance in Arakzai has taken credit for some of the most lethal terror attacks inside Pakistan, including suicide attacks in Islamabad and terror-military assaults in Lahore and Peshawar. These groups often cooperate in attacks, and leaders and members may be affiliated with several groups. Major Taliban groups based in Arakzai Akhunzada Aslam Farooqui is the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan in the Arakzai tribal agency. Farooqui took control of the Taliban after Hakeemullah Mehsud was promoted to lead the entire Taliban movement in Pakistan' s tribal areas and in the northwest. Farooqui was described as the "patron-in-chief" of the Taliban in Arakzai and a "close friend of Mullah Mohammad Omar" back in 2001. At the opening of Operation Enduring Freedom, Farooqui promised to have 12,000 tribesmen to battle US forces in Afghanistan and offered support such as sanctuary and weapons and ammunition. He claimed to lead 7,000 Taliban fighters. Fedayeen-e-Islam: Formerly led by Hakeemullah Mehsud, the Fedayeen-e-Islam has taken credit for multiple terror assaults and suicide attacks throughout Pakistan. The group is made up members of the Pakistani Taliban, the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and other Islamist terrorists from Pakistan. It is based in Arakzai and South Waziristan. Senior leaders of the Fedayeen-e-Islam include Qari Hussain Mehsud, a former senior deputy to Baitullah who trains child suicide bombers. Qari Mohammed Zafar, who was killed in a US Predator airstrike in North Waziristan this year; Asmatullah Moaviya, another senior aide to Baitullah who was reportedly arrested in Mianwali in Punjab province; and Rana Afzal. Lashkar-i-Jhangvi: An anti-Shia terror group that has integrated with al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan's tribal areas, the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has an extensive network in Pakistan and serves as the muscle for terror attacks. Commander Tariq Group: This group is considered the most powerful outfit in Arakzai and is based in Darra Adam Khel. Commander Tariq Afridi is the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan in Khyber, as well as in regions in Peshawar, Kohat, and Hangu. Afridi was named the terror group's commander of Khyber in November 2009. Afridi is also the leader of the Commander Tariq Afridi Group. This Taliban outfit is considered the most powerful terror group in Arakzai, and is based in Darra Adam Khel. The Tariq Afridi Group also conducts attacks on Pakistani security forces in Arakzai, Kohat, and Hangu. His fighters were responsible for closing down the Kohat Tunnel twice in 2008. In early 2009, the Commander Tariq Afridi Group claimed the murder and beheading of Polish geologist Piotr Stanczak. In early 2010, operating under the guise of an outfit named the "Asian Tigers," the group was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of former ISI officer and jihadist sympathizer Khalid Khawaja. Omar Group: Based in Darra Adam Khel, this major Taliban group has conducted attacks in the regions around Peshawar. Ghazi Force: This group is named after Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, the brother of former Red Mosque leader Maulana Abdullah Aziz. Ghazi was killed when Pakistani troops assaulted the Red Mosque in July 2007. The Ghazi force runs a terror training camp in Guljo in Hangu and has conducted suicide attacks in Islamabad. The group is led by Maulana Niaz Raheem, a former student of the Red Mosque. Abdullah Azzam Brigade: This shadowy group appears to be made up of Taliban members from the Commander Tariq Group who merged with some Arakzai-based elements of Ayman al Zawahiri's Egyptian Islamic Jihad. A spokesman named Amir Muawiya, who is also a leader in the Commander Tariq Group, said that the Abdullah Azzam Brigade was behind a terror assault in Peshawar. June 1, 2010 Hamburg Mosque Hosts Pro-Iran Event BERLIN – The Imam Ali Mosque in Hamburg hosted a conference last week supportive of the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and with the participation of advocates of revolution... June 1, 2010 Welfare Despair Northern Europeans' anger at their southern cousins may be justifiable. An already stressed yet lethargic eurozone had to absorb the full shock of Greece's public debt in the full knowl... June 1, 2010 The ‘Peaceful’ Jihad in America Most Americans don't realize that jihad is about much more than terrorism. Even the terrorists don't blow up buildings for the sake of blowing up buildings. There is method in... June 1, 2010 An Islam of Their Very Own Well, at least he had it half right. For John Brennan, President Obama’s al-Quds lovin’ counterterrorism guru, that’s a significant improvement. Last week, Brennan inte... May 31, 2010 Gaza Terror Flotilla Gaza’s Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has got the bloody propaganda triumph he was preparing for when he told followers last week that whatever came of the Gaza “aid” floti... May 31, 2010 Senior Taliban commander killed in Kandahar Map of the Afghanistan's 121 "key districts" and the measure of public support for the government and the Taliban, from the US Department of Defense. Click map for full view. Coalition and Afghan forces killed one of the top two Taliban commanders in the strategic southern province of Kandahar during a raid yesterday. A top military commander named Haji Amir and "several of his fighters" were killed Sunday morning in "a precision air strike" in the Taliban-controlled district of Panjwai in Kandahar, the International Security Assistance Force said in a press release. Amir, who is also known as Haji Agha, was killed in an airstrike after he and his security detail stopped at a farm in the village of Zangabad. Intelligence assets had tracked Amir "for several days." ISAF considers Amir to be "one of the two most senior Taliban leaders in Kandahar province." The current shadow governor of Kandahar is said to be Mohibullah Akhundzada, a US intelligence official told The Long War Journal. Amir was recently in Pakistan to plan the Taliban's counteroffensive in Kandahar and returned in April to lead his forces against Afghan and Coalition troops. The Taliban's top council, the Quetta Shura, is thought to be based in the Pakistani city of Quetta in Baluchistan province. US military intelligence officials told The Long War Journal that Amir is a top military commander in the province. He is known to operate in the Taliban stronghold districts of Panjwai, Dand, and Zhari. Amir escaped from Afghan custody during the 2008 jailbreak at the Sarposa Prison in Kandahar City. Scores of Taliban commanders and fighters, as well as criminals, were sprung from the prison during the coordinated assault by suicide bombers and armed squads who overpowered the prison guards. The Taliban have denied reports that Amir is dead and claimed no top leaders have been killed or captured in the past week. US and Afghan special operations forces have been conducting raids against the Taliban's top leaders and operatives in Kandahar to prepare the battlefield for an upcoming offensive that seeks to wrest control of the province from the Taliban. The US has placed great importance on the need to secure Kandahar, which is considered the ideological and spiritual home of the Taliban. Two brigades of the additional troops surging into Afghanistan are slated to deploy in Kandahar in the upcoming months. But a Department of Defense survey of the situation in key districts in Afghanistan paints a grim picture of public support for the government in the south. In Kandahar and Helmand, the two provinces considered to be the key to the Taliban's power in the south, the majority of the population is considered to be ambivalent toward the Afghan government and the Coalition, or sympathetic to or supportive of the Taliban. Of the 11 of Kandahar's 13 districts assessed earlier this year, one district (Kandahar City) supported the government, three districts were considered neutral, six were sympathetic to the Taliban, and one supported the Taliban. Of the 11 of Helmand's 13 districts assessed, eight of the districts were considered neutral, one was sympathetic to the Taliban, and two supported the Taliban. The US has indicated that it will begin turning over security to the Afghan Army and police by July 2011 and that it will also start to withdraw its forces from the country at that time. May 31, 2010 P.S. ‘ Iran Now Has Fuel for 2 Nuclear Weapons While the world is focused on bloodshed aboard a Turkish ferryboat manned by sympathizers of the terrorists of Hamas, the real crisis looms like Godzilla rising from the sea. In its latest... May 31, 2010 Top al Qaeda leader Mustafa Abu Yazid confirmed killed in airstrike in North Waziristan A banner from As Sahab announcing the death of top al Qaeda leader Mustafa Abu Yazid. Al Qaeda has announced that its top leader in Afghanistan and chief financial official... May 31, 2010 Europe’s Topsy-Turvy Sense of Balance The European reaction to the Israeli Navy's interception of the flotilla containing pro-Palestinian "peace" activists en route to the Gaza Strip today adheres to the standard Pavlovian respo... May 31, 2010 Taking Paintballs to a Gunfight Ron Ben Yishai reports for the Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot that the commandos attempting to halt the flotill... May 31, 2010 Jenin on The High Seas If Israel truly had wanted to “massacre” the Hamas sympathizers and fellow travellers aboard a six-ship Gaza-bound flotilla, the operation would not have been complicated. The Israeli... May 31, 2010 The Terror Finance Flotilla The Turkish organizers of the Gaza Strip-bound flotilla that was boarded this morning by Israeli commandos knew well in advance that their vessels would never reach Israeli waters. That's be... May 30, 2010 The Gaza Flotilla: Showboating for Hamas What’s the latest fetish shared by all of the following? Noam Chomsky, George Galloway, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), UNRWA and Code Pink. Why of cours... May 30, 2010 Top link between al Qaeda and Taliban thought killed in US Predator strike in Khyber A Taliban commander who is serves as key link to al Qaeda and carried out the assassination of a former Pakistani prime minister is said to have been killed in a US predator strike in Khyber in mid-May. The commander, Ebad-ul-Rehman, is thought to have been killed in a May 15 airstrike in the Tirah Valley in the Khyber tribal agency along with his brother, Yousaf, eight Uzbek fighters, and three Taliban fighters, The News reported. Two civilians, a woman and a child, were also said to have been killed in an attack that targeted a Taliban compound and training camp. The strike was the first by the US in Khyber. Pakistani intelligence officials said they are certain Rehman is dead, but do not have positive confirmation, The News reported. "The rest 5 per cent confirmation can only be obtained through DNA testing and we do not have access to the body," an official told the Pakistani news agency. US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal would not confirm Rehman's death. Rehman, who is also known as Farooq Chatan, exemplifies the new bread of jihadist that is being cultivated in Pakistan's northwest, US military intelligence officials told The Long War Journal. Rehman, who rose in the Taliban ranks in the northwestern district of Malakand, serves as a key link between the Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda. Although he was a Taliban commander, Rehman also was a key adviser to Abu Ubaidah al Masri, al Qaeda's former external operations chief. Ubaidah fell ill from complication with hepatitis and died in early 2008. Rehman is said to have served on the shura, or main council, for Ubaidah's external operations, along with other Taliban fighters. Ubaidah was ordered by Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda's top council, the Shura Majlis, to assassinate former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto after her return to Pakistan in October 2007. Ubaidah is said to have tasked Rehman with organizing the cells and coordinating the Bhutto's murder. Rehman received operatives and logistical support from Baitullah Mehsud, the former leader of the Pakistani Taliban, and the so-called Punjabi Taliban. Bhutto was eventually killed in a shooting and suicide attack on Dec. 27, 2007. Bhutto's assassination highlights integration of the Pakistani Taliban with al Qaeda The assassination of Bhutto was part of al Qaeda's plan to draw in the various Taliban and allied jihadist groups into open war again the Pakistani state, US intelligence officials told The Long War Journal. Al Qaeda openly declared war against the Pakistani state immediately after the Pakistani Army launched an assault against the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, in Islamabad in July 2007. The Red Mosque was run by two radical clerics who attempted to impose sharia, or Islamic law by force in the capital. More than a hundred people were killed in the assault, including one of the two senior clerics, which inflamed the jihadist groups. Al Qaeda immediately capitalized on this anger and led the charge in declaring war against the Pakistani state. The first declaration of war was made on Aug. 1, 2007 by Abu Yahya al Libi, a top ideologue and propagandist for the group. "Go to battle together in order to be rid of this infidel tyrant [then President General Pervez Musharraf] and remove his heretic secular rule," al Libi told the Pakistani people. "May you pound away at his fragile army, at his swarms of intelligence miscreants and the fortresses of his unbelieving control. Take example from your neighbors, the brave people of Afghanistan." Ayman al Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second in command, repeated al Libi's call for the Pakistani people to overthrow the state several times. In February 2009, Zawahiri compared the Pakistani Taliban battle against the government to the Afghan Taliban's fight against Coalition and Afghan forces, and said the groups were fighting for the same causes. "Your brothers in the Taliban are not fighting to liberate Afghanistan only, but also the Taliban in Pakistan are carrying out jihad to purge Pakistan from the United States and its agents in the Pakistani Government and army," Zawahiri said. Al Qaeda's overarching strategy to consolidate the disparate Pakistani jihadist groups under a single banner has largely proven successful, intelligence officials said. The formation of the Punjabi Taliban is pointed to as a major victory for al Qaeda. The Punjabi Taliban includes members and factions of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI). Some top leaders and operatives of the Punjabi Taliban include Qair Saifullah Akhtar, the leader of HUJI; Ilyas Kashmiri, the operational commander of HUJI; Rashid Rauf, a senior leader in JeM; Matiur Rehman; a top leader in LeJ; and Qari Zafar, the slain former military leader of LeJ. Many of these leaders and operatives are also senior al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan. Kashmiri is the chief of al Qaeda's military wing, the Lashkar al Zil; Rauf is a top operational leader in al Qaeda's external operations network; and Matiur Rehman is a top operational leader who is said to manage al Qaeda's "Rolodex" of fighters who have passed through training camps and safe houses. The Punjabi Taliban have pooled their resources and contacted to execute brazen, deadly attacks inside Pakistan against military, intelligence, police, government, and civilian targets in Pakistan's major cities. One attack even took place against Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. The Punjabi Taliban, like the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which is led by Hakeemullah Mehsud, is seen as being closely allied to al Qaeda. Both Taliban groups have embraced al Qaeda's tactics, including suicide attacks and armed terror assaults. May 29, 2010 Coalition kills Taliban’s shadow governor in Afghanistan’s Baghlan province Map of Afghanistan's provinces. Click map to view larger image. Coalition and Afghan forces killed the Taliban's shadow governor for the province of Baghlan, dealing yet another blow to the group's leadership network in the north. Mullah Rohullah, the shadow governor for Baghlan, was killed after a joint Coalition and Afghan force called in "precision air strikes" against two vehicles transporting Taliban fighters in the Baghlan-i-Jadid district. Rohullah's convoy was identified by human "intelligence sources," the International Security Assistance Force stated in a press release that highlighted his death. The joint Coalition and Afghan ground force then engaged additional Taliban fighters "who were heavily armed with a heavy machine gun, multiple rocket propelled grenades, automatic rifles, hand-grenades, ammunition, and communications equipment." The Taliban fighters attacked the joint force, but were defeated. ISAF did not provide a total number of Taliban fighters killed in the engagement. Rohullah was appointed the shadow governor for Baghlan in early May, Afghan officials told Pajwhok Afghan News. As Shadow governor, Rohullah "was responsible for organizing and directing attacks against Coalition forces" and "was in constant contact with Kunduz and Pakistani Taliban senior leaders, providing updates and receiving guidance," ISAF stated. Rohullah has been the target of Coalition and Afghan efforts to dismantle the top Taliban leadership network in the north. Afghan police had thought they killed Rohullah during a raid in Baghlan on May 20, but ISAF never confirmed the report. The Taliban establish shadow or parallel governments in the regions they control or where the Afghan government is weak. These shadow governments fill the void by dispensing sharia justice; mediating tribal and land disputes; collecting taxes; and recruiting, arming, and training fighters. The Taliban have established shadow governments throughout Afghanistan, with provincial and militarily leaders appointed to command activities. In January 2009, the Taliban claimed to be in control of more than 70 percent of Afghanistan's rural areas and to have established shadow governments in 31 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. Over the past two years, the security situation in the northern provinces of Baghlan and neighboring Kunduz has deteriorated. The Taliban and allied terror groups maintain safe havens in Baghlan and Kunduz, and control large portions of the provinces. Two districts in Baghlan province - Baghlan-i-Jadid and Burka - are under the control of the Taliban Of the seven districts in Kunduz province, only two are considered under government control; the rest of the districts - Chahara Dara, Dashti Archi, Ali Abab, Khan Abad, and Iman Sahib - are considered contested or under Taliban control, according to a map produced by Afghanistan's Interior Ministry in the spring of 2009 [see LWJ report, "Afghan forces and Taliban clash in Kunduz," and Threat Matrix report, "Afghanistan' s wild-wild North"]. The Taliban's top leadership in the north has been hit hard over the past year. Afghan intelligence captured the shadow governor of Samangan province on May 20. Afghan officials claimed the shadow governor of Kunduz province was killed on April 26. Pakistani intelligence reportedly detained the shadow governors of Kunduz and Baghlan in February. Also, in September 2009, police detained the shadow governor of Bamyan province. May 29, 2010 Taliban take control of district in Nuristan Map of Afghanistan's provinces. Click map to view larger image. The Taliban have seized control of a district in the northeastern province of Nuristan after several days of heavy fighting. Afghan police have abandoned the district center of Barg-e-Matal as fighting took place in the main town, Afghan political and police officials said. The Taliban now claim they are in control of the district and have boasted that their forces have raised the Taliban banner over the district center. Afghan officials maintain they conducted a "tactical retreat" today from the district center in Barg-e-Matal after the fighting threatened nearby civilians. "Since the district headquarters is inside the village in a crowded location we had to make a tactical retreat to avoid casualties to civilians" Jamaludin Badr, the governor of Nuristan, told AFP. The Taliban control key facilities in Barg-e-Matal, said Mohammad Gul Himat, an Afghan border police commander. "Taliban have control over their radio facility which means Taliban have captured the district," Himat told AFP. The fate of the Afghan policemen defending the district center is not known. It is unclear if they were killed, captured, or fled the scene of the fighting. The Taliban issued two releases on the fighting in Nuristan on its website, Voice of Jihad. On the website, the Taliban claimed to have "seized complete control of the district" and "captured four military posts blocking off all the routes to the district center." Both releases included crudely photoshopped images of a white Taliban flag flying over a fighting position built by US forces. The clashes in Barg-e-Matal began on May 25, when a large Taliban force estimated at between 300 to 500 fighters attacked the district center. Afghan police, backed by a lashkar, or militia of local Nuristani tribesmen, fought back. US air support was called in to aid in the fighting against the Taliban, but no US ground forces have been reported to have engaged in fighting in the area. Afghan officials claimed that Pakistani Taliban leader Mullah Qari Fazlullah led the initial assault in Barg-e-Matal, and later claimed he was killed. But Mullah Munibullah, the Taliban's military commander for Nuristan, denied that Fazlullah led the attack and said he was not killed in the fighting. Munibullah said only Afghan Taliban were involved in the fighting. But General Qaseem Payman, the provincial police chief for Nuristan, insisted that "a large number of Pakistani and Chechen rebels" were seen fighting in Nuristan. And in the past, Munibullah has admitted to working closely with al Qaeda and other South and Central Asian jihadist groups. Payman said the Taliban suffered heavy losses in the battle for Barg-e-Matal despite their success in overrunning the district center. "In the last one week battle between our forces and the Taliban, two policemen were killed and few others were wounded, but the Taliban suffered heavy casualties," Payman told Quqnoos. "Around forty-five Taliban fighters were killed and dozens of others were wounded." The Barg-e-Matal district is a known Taliban transit area to and from the northern Pakistani district of Chitral. Last summer, the Taliban took control of Barg-e-Matal for several months after a similar attack. US and Afghan forces were deployed to the region to help local Nuristanis eject the Taliban, but the forces later withdrew. Barg-e-Matal borders the district of Kamdesh, which is under Taliban control since US forces withdrew from combat outposts last fall after an attack by a large Taliban and al Qaeda force. Previous LWJ reports on the ongoing fighting in Barg-e-Matal: May 28, 2010: "Nuristani Taliban commander denies Fazlullah killed" May 27, 2010: "Mullah Fazlullah reported killed in Afghanistan" May 26, 2010: "Pakistani Taliban assault district center in Nuristan" May 29, 2010 The Risks of Gitmo Transfers The New York Times has now published its take on th... May 29, 2010 Spinning the Gitmo Task Force’s Report An email news alert sent out by the Washington Post on Friday evening reads: "Few Guantanamo detainees had significant roles, official review concludes." This makes it sound as if most o... May 28, 2010 Ignoring al Qaeda’ s ideology is a threat to US national security In preparation for the publicizing for the new National Security Strategy by the Obama Administration, Mr John Brennan, White House Advisor on Counter Terrorism said the President' s strategy "is absolutely clear about the threat we face." From such an announcement... May 28, 2010 Nuristani Taliban commander denies Fazlullah killed Mullah Munibullah, the Taliban's military commander for Nuristan province. A top Taliban commander in eastern Afghanistan denied that a wanted Pakistani Taliban leader was killed in fighting in the region. Mullah Munibullah, the Taliban's military commander for Nuristan, denied that Mullah Fazlullah, the Taliban leader of the district of Swat in Pakistan, was killed during clashes along the border region. Munibullah said that while Fazlullah had been in the region, he was no longer there and would not have led a military attack regardless. "There is no truth in Afghan government claims and media reports that Maulana Fazlullah-led Pakistani Taliban attacked some posts of the Afghan army and police at Barg-e-Matal," Munibullah told The News. "I am military commander of Nuristan province and no such incident happened here." "It is almost impossible for an outsider like Maulana Fazlullah to raise a group of 300 militants in Nuristan and attack security posts," Munibullah continued in his interview with The News. "Except us, no other Taliban group can operate here. We have stopped attacking the Afghan army and police here in Nuristan after the US forces vacated their outposts. We signed agreement with the local tribesmen in which we promised them we would not fight against local forces." While Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda and other jihadist groups often take shelter with and fight with the Nuristani Taliban, they do not typically lead operations in the region, US intelligence officials told The Long War Journal. Afghan officials are now backing off initial claims that Fazlullah was killed in a clash with border police on May 25 along with six other fighters. Earlier that day, reports indicated that Fazlullah led a force estimated at between 300 and 500 Pakistani fighters in an assault on the district center in Barg-e-Matal. The Afghan police, backed by local Nuristanis, repelled the attack. Fazlullah controlled Swat in northwestern Pakistan from 2007 until May 2009, when the Pakistani military ousted the Taliban from the region after the group encroached on districts near Islamabad. In October 2009, Munibullah, along with Dost Mohammed, the shadow governor of Nuristan, led the Taliban and al Qaeda assault on Combat Outpost Keating in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan province. US troops withdrew from the base weeks later, allowing the Taliban to claim a propaganda victory. Munibullah admitted during an interview in 2007 that his forces operate closely with al Qaeda and other Central Asian jihadist groups. "We are all one now with a common enemy," Munibullah told NBC in the interview. "Everyone ' the Arabs, the Uzbeks, the Tajiks and the Chinese ' have all accepted Mullah Omar as the supreme leader and we all fight together." May 28, 2010 Former Gitmo Detainee Featured as Commander in al Qaeda Tape A videotape released by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) earlier this week says that a former Guantanamo detainee is now a commander within the terrorist organization. The... May 28, 2010 US kills 11 in Predator strike in South Waziristan The US killed 11 terrorists in airstrikes in Pakistan's lawless tribal agency of South Waziristan. The strike is the first in the tribal agency this year. The strike, which was carried out by unmanned Predators or the more deadly Reapers, targeted "militant hideouts" in the Nezai Narai area in South Waziristan, according to Geo News. It is unclear if the strike targeted al Qaeda, the Taliban, or allied Central Asian terror groups known to operate in the tribal agency. No senior al Qaeda or Taliban leaders have been reported killed at this time. The attack took place just one day after Philip Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, called for the CIA to end the strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas. Alston claimed the program is not subject to accountability that would exist under a program run by the US military. "With the Defense Department you' ve got maybe not perfect but quite abundant accountability as demonstrated by what happens when a bombing goes wrong in Afghanistan," Alston said in an interview with The New York Times. "The whole process that follows is very open. Whereas if the C.I.A. is doing it, by definition they are not going to answer questions, not provide any information, and not do any follow-up that we know about." Alston's comments follow criticisms of the CIA program earlier this year by the American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed a lawsuit against the the Defense Department, the State Department, and the Justice Department, demanding enforcement of its January request for information on the program. The US government has defended the air campaign in Pakistan, and insisted the program is in line with international laws of war and remains accountable to the US Congress. Background on US strikes in Pakistan Today's strike is the seventh reported inside Pakistan this month. So far this year, the US has carried out 38 strikes in Pakistan; all but two of the strikes this year, including today's, have taken place in North Waziristan. An airstrike on May 15 occurred in the Tirah Valley in tribal agency of Khyber. The US is well on its way to exceeding last year' s strike total in Pakistan. In 2009, the US carried out 53 strikes in Pakistan; and in 2008, the US carried out 36 strikes in the country. [For up-to-date charts on the US air campaign in Pakistan, see: "Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2010."] Unmanned US Predator and Reaper strike aircraft have been pounding Taliban and al Qaeda hideouts in North Waziristan over the past several months in an effort to kill senior terror leaders and disrupt the networks that threaten Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the West. [For more information, see LWJ report, "Senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004 - 2010."] Most recently, on March 8, a US strike in a bazaar in Miramshah killed a top al Qaeda operative known as Sadam Hussein Al Hussami. Hussami was a protg of Abu Khabab al Masri, al Qaeda's top bomb maker and WMD chief, who was killed in a US airstrike in July 2008. Hussami was a senior member of al Qaeda's external operations network, and was on a council that advised the suicide bomber who carried out the attack at Combat Outpost Chapman in Khost, Afghanistan. That attack killed seven CIA officials and a Jordanian intelligence officer. The slain intelligence operatives had been involved in gathering intelligence for the hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban leaders along the Afghan-Pakistani border. In early April, Siraj Haqqani, the leader of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani Network, said that the effectiveness of US airstrikes in killing senior Taliban and al Qaeda leaders had 'decreased 90 percent" since the suicide attack on Combat Outpost Chapman. While other factors may be involved in the decreased effectiveness in killing the top-tier leaders, an analysis of the data shows that only two top-tier commanders have been killed since Jan 1, 2010, but seven top-tier leaders were killed between Aug.1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2009. [See LWJ report, "Effectiveness of US strikes in Pakistan 'decreased 90 percent' since suicide strike on CIA - Siraj Haqqani," for more information.] For the past few months, most US and Pakistani officials believed that Hakeemullah Mehsud, the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, had been killed in a Jan. 14 strike in Pasalkot in North Waziristan. But recently, after four months of silence on the subject, the Taliban released two tapes to prove that Hakeemullah is alive. On the tapes, Hakeemullah said the Taliban will carry out attacks inside the US. US strikes in Pakistan in 2010: ' US kills 11 in Predator strike in South Waziristan May 28, 2010 ' US airstrike kills 6 in North Waziristan May 21, 2010 ' US Predators carry out first strike in Khyber May 15, 2010 ' US pounds Taliban in pair of strikes in North Waziristan May 11, 2010 ' US airstrike kills 10 'rebels' in North Waziristan May 9, 2010 ' US airstrike kills 4 'militants' in North Waziristan May 3, 2010 ' US strike kills 8 Taliban in North Waziristan April 26, 2010 ' US airstrike kills 7 Taliban in North Waziristan April 24, 2010 ' US strikes kill 6 in North Waziristan April 16, 2010 ' US strike kills 4 in Taliban stronghold of North Waziristan April 14, 2010 ' US strike kills 5 Taliban in North Waziristan April 12, 2010 ' US strikes kill 6 in North Waziristan March 30, 2010 ' US strike kills 4 in North Waziristan March 27, 2010 ' US kills 6 in strike against Haqqani Network March 23, 2010 ' US strike kills 4 in North Waziristan March 21, 2010 ' US kills 8 terrorists in 2 new airstrikes in North Waziristan March 17, 2010 ' US Predator strike in North Waziristan kills 11 Taliban, al Qaeda March 16, 2010 ' US airstrike kills 12 in North Waziristan March 10, 2010 ' US airstrike in North Waziristan kills 5 Taliban fighters March 8, 2010 ' US hits Haqqani Network in North Waziristan, kills 8 Feb. 24, 2010 ' US airstrikes target Haqqani Network in North Waziristan Feb. 18, 2010 ' Latest US airstrike kills 3 in North Waziristan Feb. 17, 2010 ' US strike kills 4 in North Waziristan Feb. 15, 2010 ' US strikes training camp in North Waziristan Feb. 14, 2010 ' Predators pound terrorist camp in North Waziristan Feb. 2, 2010 ' US airstrike targets Haqqani Network in North Waziristan Jan. 29, 2010 ' US airstrike in North Waziristan kills 6 Jan. 19, 2010 ' Latest US airstrike in Pakistan kills 20 Jan. 17, 2010 ' US strikes kill 11 in North Waziristan Jan. 15, 2010 ' US airstrike hits Taliban camp in North Waziristan Jan. 14, 2010 ' US airstrike kills 4 Taliban fighters in North Waziristan Jan. 9, 2010 ' US airstrike kills 5 in North Waziristan Jan. 8, 2010 ' US kills 17 in latest North Waziristan strike Jan. 6, 2010 ' US airstrike kills 2 Taliban fighters in Mir Ali in Pakistan Jan. 3, 2010 ' US kills 3 Taliban in second strike in North Waziristan Jan. 1, 2010 May 28, 2010 70 killed in terror assault on Lahore mosques The Punjabi Taliban have taken credit for storming two mosques in Lahore and murdering more than 70 Pakistanis who belonged to a sect of Islam banned by the Pakistani government. Two squ... May 28, 2010 Honoring Neda Soltan’s Memory On June 1 Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki will enter the majestic halls of the European Parliament to appear before its foreign relations committee. When he does, what could be more f... May 28, 2010 United Nations Covers for Terrorist Buildup President Obama hosted Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the White House on Monday to talk about the growing threat that Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist group, poses to the Middle Ea... May 28, 2010 Hamas Ahoy! With a flotilla of "peace activists" steaming toward the blockaded Gaza strip, Israeli authorities have been worrying about a showdown turning into a public relations disaster. That's a sorr... May 27, 2010 Inside the Gitmo Task Force’s Final Report On January 22, President Obama's Guantanamo Review Task Force completed its final report, which outlined the administration's plan for the remaining detainees held at Guantanamo. The Ta... May 27, 2010 Mullah Fazlullah reported killed in Afghanistan An Afghan police commander claimed that his forces killed a top Pakistani Taliban leader during a clash in Nuristan province. The report has not been confirmed by US officials. M... May 27, 2010 The ‘Second Israel’ Halabja, Iraq - Twenty-two years ago, in this dusty town hard up against the mountainous border with Iran, Saddam Hussein's military used chemical weapons to murder 5,000 Kurdish men, women... May 27, 2010 Turkey’s Return to Africa In the end, neither the superabundant expressions of support voiced by donor nations for the ramshackle “Transitional Federal Government” (TFG) of Somalia nor that regime’s corr... May 27, 2010 Ballots and Bullets: The Tale of the Two Somalias Last week, Somalis marked the fiftieth anniversary of their achievement of independence from colonial rule. The contrasting manner in which two parts of the onetime Somali Democratic Republic obs... May 26, 2010 The Grand Jihad Sorry for the radio silence the last few days, but I’m delighted to report that my new book, The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America, is doing well — even though it o... May 26, 2010 Hakeemullah’ s pullout from North Waziristan an ‘excuse’ for Pakistan not to move The leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan has agreed to withdraw his forces along with some allied Punjabi Taliban fighters from North Waziristan in an effort to prevent a Pak... May 26, 2010 Pakistani Taliban assault district center in Nuristan A large Taliban force under the command of a wanted Pakistani leader attacked Afghan police in the northeastern province, sparking clashes that lasted for hours. An estimated 300...

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