Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat

April 20, 2023 | Caleb Weiss |

Analysis: Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb encourages its Sahelian wing to continue fighting the Islamic State

In a newly released video, Abu Yasir al-Jaza’iri, a senior ideologue within al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), sends a message of encouragement to AQIM’s Sahelian wing, the Group for Support of...

April 28, 2015 | Thomas Joscelyn

“Terrorism in Africa: The Imminent Threat to the United States”

Download full testimony here ...

May 12, 2014 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Successes and Failures of the U.S. and NATO Intervention in Libya

Download the full written testimony here (PDF). Ch...

May 8, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn

Disconnecting the Dots in Benghazi

Nearly eight months after terrorists killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya, the Obama administration still has not explained who, exactly, was responsible....

April 3, 2013 | Bill Roggio The Long War Journal

MUJAO Leader Says Belmokhtar is Alive

The leader of the al Qaeda-linked Movement for Tawhid [Unity] and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) has contradicted reports that wanted jihadist military commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar was killed in Ma...

March 4, 2013 | The Long War Journal

Chadian Forces Claim Raid Killed Top Algerian Jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar

By LWJ Staff Chadian military forces in Mali claimed to have killed fugitive al Qaeda affiliate Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the...

February 21, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal |

Ex-Guantanamo Detainee Reportedly Killed in Syria

A former Guantanamo detainee named Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane has reportedly been killed while fighting in Syria. T...

January 21, 2013 | Bill Roggio The Long War Journal

Belmokhtar Claims Algerian Raid, Slaying of Hostages for al Qaeda

Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the head of the jihadist brigade that launched the deadly suicide assault on the In Amenas gas facility in southeastern Algeria, has claimed the attack in al Qaeda's name...

January 18, 2013 | Thomas Joscelyn

Al Qaeda Commander Suspected in Algerian Attack

It should come as no surprise that a notorious jihadist named Mokhtar Belmokhtar is ...

January 17, 2013 | Bill Roggio, Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Al Qaeda-Linked Group Claims Credit for Kidnappings in Algeria

A notorious al Qaeda commander named Mokhtar Belmokhtar has claimed credit for kidnapping more than 40 foreign nationals at a BP oil field in eastern Algeria today, according to...

November 21, 2012 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

From al Qaeda in Italy to Ansar al Sharia Tunisia

Two convicted members of an al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Italy are now senior members of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia. The pair, Sami Ben Khemais Essid and Mehdi Kammoun, were arrested in 20...

June 15, 2011 | World Defense Review

Criminal Networks in West Africa: An Emerging Security Challenge

On April 30, Sidi Ould Sidna, a.k.a. Abou Jendel, an al-Qaeda-linked militant who was escaped earlier in the month from the courthouse in Nouakchott, Mauritania, where he was being tried for the...

June 14, 2011 | World Defense Review

Thinking about Terrorism and Other Security Challenges in Africa

In last week's column, surveying developments in the former Somalia, Sudan, the Maghreb and Sahel, Nigeria and West Africa, and the rest of the continent, I concluded that "Through the c...

June 14, 2011 | National Review Online |

A Year@War

Successes and setbacks.

June 14, 2011 | Dr. J. Peter Pham World Defense Review

Milestone in Partnership to Counter Terrorism in the Sahel

By Dr. J. Peter Pham Last Saturday, military personnel from the Unites States and thirteen African and European countries wrapped up a joint military exercise in the Malian capi...

June 14, 2011 | World Defense Review

The War on Terrorism in Africa: Assessment and Prospects

The end of one year and the beginning of another is a good time both to take stock of where we have been and to look ahead at the paths we are likely to take and the battles which we will have to...

June 13, 2011 | Journal of International Security Affairs

Securing Africa

 On February 6, 2007, President George W. Bush launched a major evolution in American military posture when he formally announced that he had directed the Pentagon to establish a new unified...

April 25, 2011 | Bill Roggio The Long War Journal |

Gitmo Docs Link Pakistani, Iranian, and Yemeni Intelligence Agencies to al Qaeda

A classified document used by military and intelligence officials in the determination of a Guantanamo detainee's linkages to al Qaeda and associated movements lists the intelligence service...

February 10, 2011 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Italian judge Orders Former Gitmo Detainee Freed

An Italian judge ordered a former Guantanamo detainee released from jail on Monday. The former detainee, a Tunisian named Adel Ben Mabrouk, had been convicted of terrorism-related charges....

February 1, 2011 | Thomas Joscelyn The Long War Journal

Italian Court Convicts Former Gitmo Detainee of Terrorism Charges

A former Guantanamo detainee transferred to Italy in late 2009 was convicted of terrorism-related charges on Monday. Mohamed Ben Riadh Nasri, who is originally from Tunisia, was convicted "of cri...