Ayman al-Zawahiri

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...

January 12, 2023 | Bill Roggio, Caleb Weiss

State places $10 million bounty on Kenyan Shabaab commander

Just a few days after placing a similar bounty on Maalim Ayman, the head of Shabaab’s Kenyan military wing, the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program is now also offering $10 million for...

January 6, 2023 | Bill Roggio, Caleb Weiss

U.S. offers $10 million bounty for top Shabaab military commander

The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program announced today that is offering a $10 million bounty for information leading to the capture and prosecution of Maalim Ayman, a Shabaab military...

December 31, 2022 | Bill Roggio |

U.S., India must seek common ground to combat Pak-backed terror

If Pakistan is not a state sponsor of terrorism, then the phrase has no meaning.

December 16, 2022 | David Adesnik, John Hardie

FDD’s Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: The Year in Review

November 28, 2022 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban ends ceasefire with Pakistani government, vows ‘revenge attacks’ across the country

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan has officially ended its six month-long ceasefire with the Pakistani government. Mufti Muzahim, the “Minister of Defense” of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan...

November 21, 2022 | |

Iran Caught Again Trying to Kill Israeli Civilians Abroad

Georgia’s state security announced last Tuesday the arrest of a Pakistani national affiliated with al-Qaeda and of two Iranian nationals who attempted to murder a prominent Israeli in the capital of Tbilisi. An Israeli media report, citing an unnamed Israeli security official, said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force orchestrated the assassination attempt, which sought to target Israeli-Georgian businessman Itzik Moshe. Georgian security alleged the would-be attacker received weapons from Iranian citizens living in the country via drop-offs and hideouts.

November 10, 2022 | Joe Truzman, Bill Roggio

Taliban meets with Hamas during high-level talks in Turkey

Last month, Taliban spokeman Zabihulla Mujahid and a delegation of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan officials visited Turkey and met with various foreign officials including senior members of Hamas. The Taliban’s...

October 27, 2022 | Caleb Weiss |

Analysis: Al Qaeda ideologue calls for jihad in Sudan, provides guidelines

Earlier this month, Bayt al Maqdis, a jihadi publishing house believed linked to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), released a book compiled of various letters written by the ideologue Abu Hudhayfah...

September 7, 2022 | Jonathan Schanzer |

Are al Qaeda and Iran really at odds?

The debate about the Islamic Republic's collaboration with al Qaeda is far from over