Mujahideen
Taliban routs Afghan forces in western Afghan district
The Taliban has routed an Afghan National Army company and a border police force while pressing its offensive in the western Afghan district of Bala Murghab in Badghis province. Bala Murghab distri...
Op-eds
2 al Qaeda leaders reject proposed military council in Syria
Two al Qaeda leaders in Syria have rejected an alleged proposal that would reorganize jihadists and Islamists under a new military council. Abu Hammam al-Shami and Dr. Sami al-Uraydi, both of whom...
Op-eds
Hezbollah Fundraising Underscores its Financial Crisis
Hezbollah is ramping up its grassroots fundraising efforts with an intensive online outreach campaign aimed at making its revenue streams more resistant to U.S. pressure. The campaign indicates t...
Op-eds
Druze Clues
Co-written by Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi The market for extremism has been so disrupted by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also known as ISIS) and its penchant for extraordinary...
Op-eds
How Will We Know?
One might think that after the last Iraq war Democrats would be wary of allowing intelligence to dictate policy. Yet that is effectively what Barack Obama has done with the Joint Comprehensive Pl...
Op-eds
The Islamic State’s African Long Con
In the long run, Boko Haram’s decision to pledge its allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) — and the IS’s subsequent ...
Op-eds
Taliban Video Highlights Training Camp, Operations in Kunar
The "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the official name of the Taliban, released a video that showcases its operations and a training camp in the remote northeastern pr...
Op-eds
Pakistani Military Claims 910 ‘Terrorists,’ 82 Soldiers Killed in North Waziristan Operation
The Pakistani military claimed that 910 "terrorists" and 82 soldiers have been killed since it launched an operation against the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and...
Op-eds
The Enemy of My Enemy is Not Necessarily My Friend
In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan received a group of Afghan Mujahadeen in the White House. The US president sought to arm these fighters to resist an Afghan incursion by their mutual enemy:...
Op-eds
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...
Legislative Testimonies
The Arab Spring and Al-Qaeda’s Resurgence
Download the full testimony (PDF). Chairman McKeon...
Legislative Testimonies
Major Hasan’s ‘Martyrdom’
At Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009, 13 American military men and women were killed and more than 30 wounded by a man who proudly regarded himself as a “...
Op-eds
Our ‘Bar the Door’ Strategy
I like bipartisanship as much as the next guy. Still, the Washington Post...
Op-eds
See No Evil
During his speech at the National Defense University on May 23, President Obama sought to reassure Americans that they are “safer” because of the administration’s “efforts...
Op-eds
Salafi Jihadist Supporters Protest Hamas’ Arrest Campaign
By David Barnett Supporters of Salafi jihadists in the Gaza Strip are increasing their protests against Hamas both online and in public as some Salafi jihadists...
Op-eds
Chechen Commander Leads Muhajireen Brigade in Syria
A commander from the Russian Caucasus known as Abu Omar al Chechen is a key leader in the Muhajireen Brigade, a jihadist group that fights alongside the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Leva...
Op-eds
Al Qaeda in Mali Sought to Hide Foreign Designs
A "confidential letter" from Abdelmalek Droukdel, the emir of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, to his fighters in northern Mali shows that the group sought to use the country to wage a global jih...
Op-eds
Prominent al Qaeda Leader Killed in Drone Strike in 2012
Al Qaeda announced the death of Abd el Kader Mahmoud Mohamed el Sayed, a longtime senior jihadist leader and military commander who was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan sometime in the spring...
Op-eds
Mohammed al Zawahiri Threatens West, Condemns Mali Intervention
Within the past few days, Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri, has threatened France and the West while condemning the intervention in Mali. The younger Z...