Ahmad Shah Massoud

August 15, 2023 | Bill Roggio |

Two years after U.S. withdrawal, the Taliban enjoys an iron-fisted grip on Afghanistan

Two years ago on this day, the Taliban marched into Kabul and triumphantly seized back control of Afghanistan. Two weeks later, on Aug. 30, 2021, the last U.S. soldier left the country. Since the U.S....

September 30, 2021 | Alireza Nader, Navid Mohebbi

Tehran views the rise of the Taliban with both glee and suspicion

The regime in Iran initially welcomed the triumph of the Taliban over the central government in Kabul, celebrating the humiliation of the U.S., their common foe. While Shiite Iran and the Sunni Taliban...

September 8, 2021 | Bill Roggio, Thomas Joscelyn

Taliban’s government includes designated terrorists, ex-Guantanamo detainees

The Taliban has announced the formation of an “interim government” to rule over Afghanistan. The Taliban’s regime will be known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. This is entirely unsurprising....

August 21, 2021 | Cleo Paskal, Bill Roggio

US is being servile to the Taliban: Bill Roggio

‘Amrullah Saleh needs support immediately. The US isn’t going to provide that aid. Washington’s primary concern is evacuation of personnel, and it will not risk antagonizing the Taliban.’

August 18, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

After fall of Kabul, resistance to Taliban emerges in Panjshir

The Taliban’s lightning offensive, which began immediately after President Joe Biden’s announcement of withdrawal on April 14, 2021, has resulted in a near total takeover of Afghanistan. However, resistance...

July 5, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Afghanistan at risk of collapse as Taliban storms the north

Afghanistan is at risk of complete collapse after the Taliban has made dramatic gains in recent days, striking at the heart of the Afghan government’s base of power in the north while seizing control...

March 19, 2019 | Thomas Joscelyn, Bill Roggio

Why the Taliban should be required to renounce al Qaeda in any deal with US

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November 28, 2018 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Trump Once Called the Taliban Five ‘Killers.’ Now He’s Negotiating With Them

Negotiating with terrorists won’t bring peace to Afghanistan.

December 19, 2014 | Thomas Joscelyn

The Uruguay Six

On Sunday, December 7, a U.S. military medical aircraft landed in South America, to deliver six jihadists from the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay to Uruguay. For more than a dozen ye...

June 13, 2014 | Thomas Joscelyn

Their 9/11 Role

One of the five senior Taliban leaders transferred to Qatar in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl played a key role in al Qaeda’s plans leading up to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks....

February 10, 2014 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

The Arab Spring and Al-Qaeda’s Resurgence

Chairman McKeon, Ranking Member Smith, distinguished members of the committee, it is an honor to appear before you to discuss the state of al-Qaeda, its affiliates, and associated groups. My test...

February 3, 2014 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross |

The Arab Spring and Al-Qaeda’s Resurgence

Download the full testimony (PDF). Chairman McKeon...

January 22, 2014 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross |

Obama’s Kobe Bryant-Al Qaeda Flap

A long New Yorker profile of President Obama provides a g...

October 8, 2013 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

The Next Breeding Ground for Global Jihad

When President Obama declared that Syrian dictator Bashar Assad must "step aside" two years ago, many believed that it was only a matter of time before the U.S. intervened on behalf of the rebels...

July 18, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Global al Qaeda: Affiliates, Objectives, and Future Challenges

Chairman Poe, Ranking Member Sherman and members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the threat posed by al Qaeda. We have been asked to “examine the nature of...

March 4, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal |

Ansar al Sharia Tunisia Launches New Website

Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, the al Qaeda-linked extremist group responsible for the Sept. 14, 2012 assault on the US Embassy in Tunis, has launched a new website. The group advertised the impending...

February 11, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Ansar al Sharia Tunisia Calls for Islamist Solution to Political Crisis

The assassination of a prominent opposition leader has sparked a political crisis in Tunisia. Chokri Belaid, a politician who had spoken out against the ruling Islamist Ennahda party and Salafist...

January 31, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Ansar al Sharia Tunisia Honors Senior al Qaeda ‘Martyrs’

Ansar al Sharia Tunisia has honored two deceased senior al Qaeda leaders on its Facebook page this week. The first is Said al Shihri, an ex-Guantanamo detainee who cofounded al Qaeda in the Arabi...

January 15, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Ansar al Sharia Tunisia Releases Video of Freed Benghazi Suspect

Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, an extremist group headed by a UN-designated terrorist with longstanding ties to al Qaeda, has released a video of one of the key suspects in the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist...

January 9, 2013 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Learning From the Soviets: How to Withdraw From Afghanistan

The New York Times bungles history in predicting the upcoming departure of U.S. troops.