Ayman al-Zawahiri

June 19, 2024 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab advertises creation of “special forces” unit

In a newly released video, Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s branch for East Africa, announced and advertised the creation of its new so-called ‘special forces’ unit. The new unit also has its own specific training...

June 12, 2024 | Will Selber |

Analysis: Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani becomes a statesman

Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani in Hajj. pic.twitter.com/TGlhRiPbR9— Muhammad Jalal (@MJalalAf) June 7, 2024 ...

June 11, 2024 | Bill Roggio |

U.S. offers $5 million reward for member of Al Qaeda’s top leadership council

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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...

May 3, 2024 | Bill Roggio |

Architect of Doha agreement wrongly claims: ‘Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has been dismantled’

Zalmay Khalilzad, the former Special Repressive for Afghanistan Reconciliation and the key architect of the Doha Agreement which aided the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, claimed that Al Qaeda’s...

April 17, 2024 | Clifford D. May |

Listening to our enemies

Our intelligence agencies must be allowed to do that

March 18, 2024 | Bill Roggio |

Pakistani military, Afghan Taliban exchange fire along the border

The Afghan Taliban launched attacks across the border into Pakistan on Monday in response to Pakistani military airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan. The Pakistani military, which helped the Afghan Taliban...

February 1, 2024 | Bill Roggio |

Al Qaeda opens 8 new training camps, 5 madrasas, and a facilitation network to Iran in Afghanistan

Al Qaeda opened eight new training camps, five madrasas, a weapons depot and safe houses in Afghanistan that are used to facilitate the movement of its members to and from Iran. Additionally, “the relationship...

November 14, 2023 | Bill Roggio |

Go-to-Zero: Joe Biden’s Withdrawal Order and the Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan

October 18, 2023 | Bill Roggio |

U.S. offers $5 million reward for Shabaab’s deputy emir

The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Abukar Ali Adan, the deputy leader of Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch in...

October 15, 2023 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab hosts massive pro-Palestine protests in southern Somalia

A few days after publicly supporting the Hamas-led invasion of Israel, Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s branch for East Africa, hosted massive pro-Palestine protests in its strongholds in southern Somalia’s...

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...

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....

July 21, 2023 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban again denies TTP presence in Afghanistan

The Taliban continues to claim that there are no foreign terror groups operating inside Afghanistan, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. The latest denial came this week when the Taliban was pressed...

July 1, 2023 | Bill Roggio |

Fact Check: President Biden’s claim Al Qaeda is not in Afghanistan is demonstrably false

President Joe Biden claimed that Al Qaeda is not in Afghanistan and the U.S. has received help from the Taliban in eliminating the terror groups presence in the country. However, a recent report by the...

June 13, 2023 | Bill Roggio |

Al Qaeda actively operating training camps in 5 Afghan provinces

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan following the U.S withdrawal in Aug. 2021, Al Qaeda has established training camps in five Afghan provinces, as well as safe houses and other infrastructure across...

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...

April 23, 2023 | Bill Roggio |

Biden White House’s deadly Afghanistan withdrawal symptoms lets foes flourish

A classified Pentagon assessment a US airman posted on the Discord server network indicates the Islamic State is ensconced in Afghanistan and plotting attacks across the globe. The leaked doc highlights...

April 13, 2023 | Bill Roggio, Caleb Weiss

U.S. adds Al Qaeda leader in Syria to list of global terrorists

The U.S. State Department added Sami al-Uraydi, a senior leader of Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists. State’s Rewards for Justice program previously offered...

February 14, 2023 | Bill Roggio, Caleb Weiss

UN reports veteran al Qaeda leader likely back in action in Afghanistan

A new report from the United Nations’ Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team asserts that Abu Ikhlas al-Masri, a veteran al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, is likely active again in the country’s...