Slain Syrian Official Supported al Qaeda in Iraq
On July 18, a bomb killed at least three top officials from Bashar al Assad's crumbling regime. Among them was Assef Shawkat, the deputy defense minister and former head of Syrian military i...
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Blowback in Syria
On Wednesday, July 18, a bomb killed at least three top officials from Bashar al Assad’s crumbling regime. Among them was Assef Shawkat, the deputy defense minister and former head of Syria...
Op-eds
Jordanian Jihadist Killed in Fighting in Eastern Afghanistan
A Jordanian jihadist was killed while battling Coalition and Afghan forces in the eastern Afghan province of Ghazni, a known stronghold of al Qaeda. A brief statement on the death of Abu...
Op-eds
Al Qaeda Fighters Moving From Iraq to Syria: Report
Hoshiyar Zebari, Iraq's Foreign Minister, went on the record to say that some members of al Qaeda in Iraq are moving into Syria to wage jihad....
Op-eds
4 AQAP Fighters Killed in Drone Strike in Southern Yemen
The US killed four people, including two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters, in a drone airstrike in southern Yemen. The unmanned Predators or Reapers fired missiles at a vehicle...
Op-eds
Abdullah Azzam Brigades Names Leader, Advises Against Attacks in Syria’s Cities
The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an al Qaeda-linked terror group that operates throughout Middle East, has named its leader for the first time and said it supports the Syrian revolution. The...
Op-eds
Abu Zubaydah and Iran
At the Washington Free Beacon, Bill Gertz has a piece about Jose Rodriguez, the former chief of the CIA’s Counte...
Op-eds
Obama’s Way of War
Is Barack Obama a warrior president? Not in the British tradition, of course, which gave us Winston Churchill, with his crazy cavalry charge against Sudanese spears, or the more cerebral Harold M...
Op-eds
Declassify Intelligence that Led to Bin Laden
Jose Rodriguez, the former head of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center and National Clandestine Service, has made quite a splash in the past couple of days. Building on arguments in his new b...
Op-eds
Treasury: Iranian Intelligence Supporting al Qaeda
The US Treasury Department today designated the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) "for its s...
Op-eds
British Intel Concerned About Iran-Al Qaeda
Members of British intelligence are concerned about the possibility of Iran and al Qaeda teaming up in a plot against the West, perhaps in a joint attack against the 2012 Olympic Games in London....
Op-eds
Report: New Leader of al Qaeda Network in Iran Named
A notorious Kuwaiti terrorist named Muhsin al Fadhli has reportedly taken over leadership of al Qaeda's network inside Iran. Sky News...
Op-eds
World War
Speaking at the Pentagon on January 5th, President Obama proclaimed: “Even as our troops continue to fight in Afghanistan, the tide of war is receding.” He could not be more...
Op-eds
Algerian Court Sentences Ex-Gitmo Detainee to 3 Years in Prison
An Algerian court sentenced an ex-Guantanamo detainee to three years in prison on Monday for his involvement with an extremist group. Prosecutors had sought a 10-year prison sentence for Nadji Ab...
Op-eds
Ansar al Islam Names New Leader
The al Qaeda-linked Ansar al Islam released a statement announcing the name of its new leader. The Iraqi terror group also announced that it would fly a new flag. In a statement released...
Op-eds
The Death of al Qaeda: Fawaz Gerges Edition
Few forms of writing are consistently less satisfying than “five myths” pieces. The genre, by its nature, tends toward shallow analysis and the propagation of conventional wisdom unde...
Op-eds
Adbullah Azzam Brigades Denies Responsibility for Damascus Suicide Attacks
The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an affiliate of al Qaeda in Iraq that operates throughout the Middle East, has denied all involvement in the recent suicide attack in the Syrian capital that killed 4...
Op-eds
Fantasyland Peace Talks with the Taliban
The Obama administration is still pursuing negotiations with the Taliban, even if it doubts a viable negotiating partner sits across the table. And, as part of this ad hoc diplomatic eff...
Op-eds
Taliban Seek Freedom for Dangerous Guantanamo Detainees
The Obama administration is considering repatriating some Guantanamo detainees to Afghanistan as part of a diplomatic effort to engage the Taliban,...
Op-eds
US Designates Hamas Operative Linked to Iran, al Qaeda
Today the US State Department added Muhammad Hisham Muhammad Isma'il Abu Ghazala, a Hamas operative who is linked to Iran and al Qaeda and fought with Ansar al Islam in Iraq, to the list of...