Abdul Haq al-Turkistani

July 9, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Syria’s Terrorism Delisting Should Not Mean a Free Pass

“I promised to remove all barriers stopping you from rebuilding your country, and very soon, you will finally be able to do so,” President Donald Trump wrote in a letter to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa...

July 7, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Trump Shouldn’t Delist Syria Without Conditions

The inclusion of Syria on the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list is important leverage the U.S. should not give up easily.

June 4, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi |

U.S. Must Apply Strict Conditions Before Lifting Syria’s Terrorism Designation

“The lifting of sanctions is the primary step toward revitalizing the Syrian economy,” Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa told President Donald Trump during a phone call on May 31.  In...

May 7, 2026 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Syria’s Accommodation of Foreign Jihadists Backfires

The Syrian government’s effort to integrate foreign fighters into its armed forces may be unraveling. On May 5, Syrian authorities arrested 16 Uzbek fighters following a standoff with armed members...

July 11, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Ahmed Al-Shara’s Foreign Jihadist Problem

The man President Donald Trump hailed as a “tough guy” who will bring stability to Syria is empowering extremists tied to Al Qaeda.

June 30, 2025 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban denies Afghanistan is a haven for terrorists

In response to a US Congressional hearing that discussed the security situation in South and Central Asia, the Taliban denied that foreign terror organizations are operating in Afghanistan. The Taliban...

May 22, 2025 | Bill Roggio, Ahmad Sharawi

Syrian military integrates Al Qaeda-linked terror group into its ranks

The new Syrian government is integrating a Central Asian terrorist group that is part of Al Qaeda’s network into its military, despite the objections of US President Donald Trump. The head of this terror...

May 20, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Trump Tells Syria to Expel Foreign Fighters, But Sharaa Gives Them Army Divisions

“Tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria,” President Donald Trump told interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh on May 14 — just after lifting all U.S. sanctions on Syria. Yet on May 18, Syria’s...

May 16, 2025 | Ahmad Sharawi |

Trump presses Sharaa on foreign fighters as jihadists rise in Syria’s new army

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump held talks with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a designated terrorist by both the US and the United Nations and the former head of Syria’s...

December 14, 2024 | Bill Roggio |

Turkistan Islamic Party uses video from Syria to encourage jihad in China

The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), an Al Qaeda branch that fights under the banner of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), used a propaganda video from Syria to encourage Muslims to wage jihad in China. Hayat Tahrir...

December 12, 2024 | Bill Roggio |

Hayat Tahrir al Sham’s terror network in Syria

On December 8, 2024, rebel forces deposed the regime of Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al Assad, after the insurgents stormed through much of the country, retaking various regional capitals and culminating...

June 8, 2024 | Bill Roggio, Caleb Weiss

Al Qaeda leader calls foreign fighters to Afghanistan

In the latest issue of pamphlets released by al Qaeda’s central as-Sahab media entitled “This is Gaza: A War of Existence, Not a War of Borders,” Sayf al-Adl, believed to be al Qaeda’s current...

September 11, 2023 | Bill Roggio |

On eve of 9/11 Anniversary, U.S. officials continue to downplay Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan

On the eve of the 22nd anniversary of Al Qaeda’s deadly attacks on New York and Washington, American intelligence officials further minimized the terror group’s safe haven in Afghanistan and its...

April 27, 2023 | The LWJ Editors |

FDD’s Long War Journal’s response to Zalmay Khalilzad’s Twitter thread

In a brief Twitter thread responding to a recent article from The Washington Post, Zalmay Khalilzad, one of the key architects of the 2020 Doha Agreement that set the stage for the collapse...

November 22, 2022 | Joe Truzman, Caleb Weiss

Jihadis issue vague threats against World Cup

In online statements, both al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and al Qaeda’s general command issued vague threats against the FIFA World Cup and its host Qatar. Islamic State supporters have additionally...

July 19, 2022 | Bill Roggio |

Ayman al Zawahiri is alive; Taliban and Al Qaeda “remain close,” UN reports

Ayman al Zawahiri, the head of Al Qaeda who served as Osama bin Laden’d deputy on 9/11, “is confirmed to be alive” and is “communicating freely,” according to a report from the United Nations’...

June 16, 2022 | Bill Roggio |

Turkistan Islamic Party leader celebrates Eid in Afghanistan

Abdul Haq al Turkistani, the head of the Al Qaeda and Taliban-linked Turkistan Islamic Party, celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday in Afghanistan. Abdul Haq’s public presence in Afghanistan directly contradicts...

April 29, 2020 | Thomas Joscelyn |

How China’s Repressive Policies Could Fuel the Jihad

The CCP’s harsh treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang could very well drive more people into the arms of both al-Qaeda and ISIS.

September 11, 2019 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Ayman al-Zawahiri defends 9/11 hijackings in anniversary address

Ayman al-Zawahiri defends the 9/11 hijackings in a video released on the 18th anniversary of al-Qaeda’s most devastating attack. The production, released by al-Qaeda’s As Sahab propaganda arm, is titled...

March 18, 2019 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Turkistan Islamic Party head decries Chinese occupation

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