Ramzi bin al-Shibh

July 20, 2021 | Thomas Joscelyn |

U.S. transfers Guantánamo detainee who allegedly led forces at Tora Bora

The U.S. State Department announced on July 19 that Abdul Latif Nasir, a detainee held at Guantanamo since 2002, had been transferred to his native country of Morocco. Nasir’s transfer from Guantánamo...

June 2, 2014 | Thomas Joscelyn

Five of the Most Dangerous Taliban Commanders in U.S. Custody Exchanged for American Captive

The Obama administration announced today that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held by the Taliban for several years, has been freed from his captors. Reading the stories of his newfound...

May 22, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn

Assessing the Threat to the Homeland from al Qaeda Operations in Iran and Syria

Chairman King, Ranking Member Higgins and members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the threat posed by al Qaeda’s operations inside Iran and Syria. These ar...

August 3, 2012 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Egypt Requests Release of al Qaeda Explosives Expert

The Egyptian government has requested the release of a top al Qaeda explosives expert from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, according to...

June 21, 2012 | Thomas Joscelyn The Weekly Standard |

Pakistan’s New Al Qaeda Detainee and Iran

Pakistani officials have reportedly captured Naamen Meziche, an al Qaeda operative with an extensive dossier. Meziche plays a significant role in an article (“...

June 20, 2012 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal |

Pakistan Detains al Qaeda Operative Tied to Multiple Plots

An al Qaeda operative connected to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and a Mumbai-style plot against Europe has been reportedly detained in Pakistan. The operative, a French-Algerian named Naa...

March 26, 2012 | Benjamin Weinthal, Thomas Joscelyn

Al Qaeda’s Network in Iran

Revelations from a German courtroom.

February 17, 2012 | Thomas Joscelyn |

British Intel Concerned About Iran-Al Qaeda

Members of British intelligence are concerned about the possibility of Iran and al Qaeda teaming up in a plot against the West, perhaps in a joint attack against the 2012 Olympic Games in London....

January 30, 2012 | Bill Roggio, Thomas Joscelyn

Strategic Retreat

The war on terror is far from over. Why are we coming home?

January 19, 2012 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal |

Leaders of German al Qaeda Cell Living in Iran

In early October 2010, US forces launched a drone airstrike against a militant compound in North Waziristan, Pakistan. The intent of the strike was to kill members of a German al Qaeda cell that...

December 20, 2011 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Taliban Seek Freedom for Dangerous Guantanamo Detainees

The Obama administration is considering repatriating some Guantanamo detainees to Afghanistan as part of a diplomatic effort to engage the Taliban,...

December 20, 2011 | Thomas Joscelyn

Fantasyland Peace Talks with the Taliban

The Obama administration is still pursuing negotiations with the Taliban, even if it doubts a viable negotiating partner sits across the table. And, as part of this ad hoc diplomatic eff...

September 30, 2011 | Thomas Joscelyn The Weekly Standard

Awlaki’s Death a Delayed Counterterrorism Success

Anwar al Awlaki has reportedly been killed in an airstrike in Yemen, bringing an end to the life of one of al Qaeda’s most effective recruiters. Awlaki had an especially s...

May 16, 2011 | Thomas Joscelyn

Reasonable Suspicion

 In reality, however, the answer to Musharraf’s question was not so straightforward. Whether motivated by an American threat or the billions of dollars it received in U.S. aid, Pakista...

February 23, 2011 | The Long War Journal

Judge Finds Gitmo Detainee was No ‘Gucci jihadist’

In an opinion released to the public on Feb. 18, DC District Judge Ricardo Urbina denied Guantanamo detainee Mashour Abdullah Muqbel al Sabri's petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Al Sabri...

October 2, 2010 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

More Ties Between al Qaeda Plotter And 9/11 Hamburg Cell Revealed

The man at the heart of the plot to launch Mumbai-style attacks in Europe has ties to at least four members of al Qaeda's infamous Hamburg terrorist cell. Ahmad Siddiqui, who was ca...

August 12, 2010 |

A Mosque is Closed in Germany

On Monday, German authorities announced that they closed down the Taiba mosque in Hamburg. The mosque achieved infamy as home to several of the 9/1...

April 27, 2010 | Bill Roggio Long War Journal

US-born cleric Awlaki “proud” to have taught al Qaeda operatives

An American-born Muslim cleric who is a senior member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has admitted to training two terrorists who carried out attacks against the US over the past six months....

April 30, 2009 | Clifford D. May

Torture TV

When I was asked to appear on The Daily Show, the news-with-views edgy-comedy TV program, I was reluctant. The issue: whether “enhanced interrogation techniques” used to pry informati...

January 17, 2007 |

Windsurfing to Guantánamo

Five years ago this month, an American facility was opened in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba to house the most dangerous combatants captured in the global war against Militant Islamism. To commemora...