Allah

May 10, 2021 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Taliban leader boasts of security under his Islamic Emirate

On May 9, the Taliban released a statement attributed to its “Emir of the Faithful,” Hibatullah (Haibatullah) Akhunzada, who has been the overall leader of the group since 2016. Akhunzada claims victory...

May 10, 2021 | Michael Doran, Tony Badran

The Realignment

On Iran, Biden is finishing what Obama started. And his top advisers are all on board.

March 17, 2021 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban celebrates 2002 battle in which it defended Al Qaeda

The Taliban eulogized Mullah Saif ur Rahman Mansoor, its commander who led both Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters against U.S. forces at the battle of Shahi Kot in Paktia province in 2002. The celebration of...

February 10, 2021 | Thomas Joscelyn |

AQAP leader cites U.S. Capitol riot as evidence of America’s supposed decline

In a newly released video, Khalid Batarfi, the emir of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), cites the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Trump as evidence of America’s...

October 7, 2020 | Thomas Joscelyn |

The Failures of Operation Enduring Freedom

The chief aim in late 2001 should have been the swift destruction of al-Qaeda. That didn’t happen.

October 1, 2020 | Philip Kowalski |

Turkey Uses Medieval Score-Settling To Justify Its Hagia Sophia Conversion

Europe is now home to one of the world’s strangest paradoxes. The continent’s most prominent mosque, the Great Mosque of Cordoba, has served as a church since the year 1236. Meanwhile, Ankara in July converted Europe’s...

September 18, 2020 | Benjamin Weinthal |

Strip Qatar’s Homophobic Regime of the 2022 World Cup Now

There is no shortage of compelling reasons to relocate the 2022 FIFA World Cup from the small Gulf country of Qatar to another host nation. The frequently cited arguments range from Qatar bribing members...

August 9, 2020 | Aykan Erdemir |

The Battle of Hagia Sophia: Erdogan’s Conquest of the Turkish Republic

This will set a dangerous precedent, emboldening supremacists not only in Turkey but also in the Middle East and North Africa.

June 14, 2020 | Thomas Joscelyn |

U.S. reportedly targets 2 senior al Qaeda figures in airstrike in Syria

Two al Qaeda leaders were reportedly killed in a drone strike in Syria’s Idlib province earlier today, according to jihadists on social media. Pictures of the car carrying them were posted on Telegram...

May 20, 2020 | Thomas Joscelyn |

The Naval Air Station Pensacola Shooter Shows That Al-Qaeda Is Still a Significant Threat

We now know that Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani was working for AQAP.

May 13, 2020 | Thomas Joscelyn |

The Taliban Is Still the Main Driver of Violence in Afghanistan

Two recent attacks by ISIS only obscure that the Taliban is attacking the Afghan government daily.

May 4, 2020 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Analysis: The Islamic State’s ideological campaign against al-Qaeda

On April 29, the Islamic State’s “province” (wilayah) in Yemen released a lengthy video that is intended to undermine al-Qaeda’s ideological legitimacy within the jihadists’ ranks. The 50-plus...

April 24, 2020 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban lauds Mullah Omar for defending Osama bin Laden after 9/11

As the U.S. is relying on the Taliban to keep Afghanistan from being a haven for terrorists in the wake of an agreement between the two parties, the Taliban lauds Mullah Omar’s defense of Osama bin Laden...

April 6, 2020 | Thomas Joscelyn |

How Jihadists Are Reacting to the Coronavirus Pandemic

By calling it “divine retribution” and inviting Westerners to convert to Islam, for starters.

March 13, 2020 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Al-Qaeda lauds Taliban’s great ‘victory’ over America and allies

Al-Qaeda’s general command (or senior leadership) has released a three–page statement praising the Taliban’s “great victory” over America and its allies in Afghanistan. This triumph was enshrined...

January 20, 2020 | Aykan Erdemir |

Turkey’s elite unsure whether Soleimani was hero or war criminal

Underscoring the absence of any clear position, Erdogan’s spokesperson called on all sides to act with “common sense,” and the Turkish Foreign Ministry invited “restraint and discretion.”

January 20, 2020 | Thomas Joscelyn |

Al-Qaeda’s senior leadership praises jihadists in Mali and Somalia

Al-Qaeda’s senior management, or general command, has released a two-page statement praising the jihadists in Mali and Somalia. Al-Qaeda has strong branches in both East and West Africa, and the international...

October 29, 2019 | Clifford D. May |

The Battle of Baghdadi

A victory, to be sure, but Islamism goes marching on

October 1, 2019 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

The Israeli–Palestinian Struggle, Continued.

Whenever the Israeli–Palestinian question arises in Washington, an assumption inevitably precedes it:  the United States has an important and unique role to play in advancing peace between these two...

September 24, 2019 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban’s prime objectives: U.S. withdrawal, ‘establishment of an Islamic government’

The Taliban reiterated that its prime objectives in negotiations with the US is to get Coalition forces to withdrawal from Afghanistan and the “establishment of an Islamic government,” a thinly veiled...