Saif al-Adel

February 24, 2026 | Joseph Zacks |

It’s Time to Confront Afghanistan and Iran About Al-Qaeda

The al-Qaeda terror network operates with impunity out of Iran and Afghanistan. America must lean on both countries’ regimes to bring it to heel.

September 17, 2025 | Clifford D. May |

All wars must end

But 24 years after 9/11, the War on the West is still going strong

June 30, 2025 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban denies Afghanistan is a haven for terrorists

In response to a US Congressional hearing that discussed the security situation in South and Central Asia, the Taliban denied that foreign terror organizations are operating in Afghanistan. The Taliban...

June 17, 2025 | Bill Roggio |

Taliban denounces Israeli strikes on Iran

The Taliban has condemned Israeli strikes on Iranian soil, including the elimination of nuclear personnel, denouncing the attacks as “actions that flagrantly violate the core tenets of international law.” The statement, released by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on June 13, the day Israel struck Iran’s nuclear program, air defenses, ballistic missiles, military commanders, and other key targets, highlights the longstanding ties between the terror group and the Iranian regime.

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

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...

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...

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.

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.

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

September 2, 2022 | Bill Roggio |

Rare photo surfaces of top Al Qaeda leaders inside Iran

A recently surfaced photograph of three of Al Qaeda’s top leaders, including Saif al Adel – the man many believe to be the successor to emir Ayman al Zawahiri – shows that they were present in the...

August 10, 2022 | Clifford D. May |

The ‘forever war’ against the West

America wins a battle against al Qaeda, Israel against Islamic Jihad

August 1, 2022 | Bill Roggio |

U.S. kills Al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri in drone strike

Al Qaeda emir Ayman Zawahiri was confirmed killed in a U.S. drone strike in Kabul on Sunday in the first air strike conducted in Afghanistan since U.S. forces completely withdrew from country last year....

July 19, 2022 | Bill Roggio |

Ayman al Zawahiri is alive; Taliban and Al Qaeda “remain close,” UN reports

Ayman al Zawahiri, the head of Al Qaeda who served as Osama bin Laden’d deputy on 9/11, “is confirmed to be alive” and is “communicating freely,” according to a report from the United Nations’...

January 12, 2022 | Thomas Joscelyn |

What a New Report Tells Us About Al-Qaeda and ISIS

Both groups continue to evolve, and jihadism remains a major security concern.

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...