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Analysis & Commentary - Bill Roggio

Bill Roggio's Latest Mentions

21st April 2013 – The Long War Journal

US Drones Strike Again in Yemen, Kill 2 AQAP Operatives

Bill Roggio

The US launched a drone strike against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula today in central Yemen, killing two AQAP operatives. The strike is the third recorded in the country... more...

20th April 2013 – Cited by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, The Washington Post

Reduced Security Blamed for Taliban Attack

Bill Roggio

The Taliban fighters who blew up a half-dozen U.S. Marine fighter jets on a sprawling NATO base last fall were able to walk easily onto the encampment because patrols of the perimeter... more...

10th April 2013 – Cited by Bethany Matta, al Jazeera English

Uzbek Fighters Gain Support in Afghan North

Patrick Megahan, Bill Roggio

More than a decade ago, the people of the predominately Uzbek province of Takhar in the country's north fiercely resisted the Taliban's desire to impose Sharia on the region. Indeed, in January 2001, Taloqan... more...

7th April 2013 – Cited by Scott Shane, The New York Times

Targeted Killing Comes to Define War on Terror

Bill Roggio

In Pakistan, where the SEAL raid that killed Bin Laden sent Pakistani-American relations into a tailspin, drone strikes — though deeply unpopular — are tolerated by the security establishment. more...

7th March 2013 – Cited by Katie Glueck, Politico

10 Things to Know About Drones

Bill Roggio

Drones received nearly 13 hours of attention on the Senate floor Wednesday: the tools were the center of a filibuster delaying confirmation of CIA Director nominee John Brennan, as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)... more...

7th March 2013 – Quoted by Colin Randall, The National

Al Qaeda’s ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ List Confirms Its Propaganda Machine is Still Running

Bill Roggio

A hate list of 11 politicians, writers, cartoonists and polemicists accused of insulting Islam has been published by the Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula with a graphic description of them as... more...

6th March 2013 – Cited by Mark Hosenball, Reuters

Surge in English-Speaking Militants Worries US, European Officials

Bill Roggio

Increased use of English in videos by Islamic extremists and a rising flow of recruits from Europe to fight in Syria and on other battlegrounds is disturbing U.S. officials who fear some could return to Europe... more...

28th February 2013 – Cited by Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor

Report: UK Stripping Terrorism Suspects of Citizenship, US Killing Some of Them

Bill Roggio

From the UK, more fodder for the debate over the US drone assassination campaign and the acceptability of killing citizens: In early February, a leaked white paper from the Obama Justice Department caused a small stir... more...

26th February 2013 – Cited by Cora Currier and Justin Elliot, ProPublica

The Drone War Doctrine We Still Know Nothing About

Bill Roggio

The nomination of John Brennan to be CIA director has prompted intense debate on Capitol Hill and in the media about U.S. drone killings abroad. But the focus has been on the targeting of American citizens... more...

15th February 2013 – Cited by Michael Calderone, The Huffington Post

Bill Roggio’s The Long War Journal Becomes Go-To Source For Drone Coverage

Bill Roggio

If you turned to The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press or USA Today this month for coverage of the United States' drone war, now under the media’s microscope following John Brennan’s... more...

8th February 2013 – Cited by Kimberly Dozier, Associated Press

Lawmakers Test Legal Waters for Regulating Drones

Bill Roggio

The new notion is drawing concern from some in Congress who fear special courts would slow down the drone strikes — considered by some, including Brennan, as one of the most effective weapons in the war... more...

7th February 2013 – Cited by Kimberly Dozier, Associated Press

Brennan’s CIA Bid Chance to Strike Back at Critics

Bill Roggio

In answers to questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee before the hearing, Brennan said he was "aware of the program but did not play a role in its creation, execution, or oversight," and added... more...

5th February 2013 – Cited by Robert F. Worth, Mark Mazzetti, and Scott Shane, The New York Times

Drone Strikes’ Risks to Get Rare Moment in the Public Eye

Bill Roggio

American officials have never explained in public why the C.I.A. and the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command are carrying out parallel drone campaigns in Yemen. Privately, however, they describe... more...

24th January 2013 – Cited by The Associated Press

UN Expert Investigates US Drone Killings

Bill Roggio

A U.N. expert on Thursday launched a special investigation into drone warfare and targeted killings, which the United States relies on as a front-line weapon in its global war against al-Qaida. more...

15th January 2013 – Quoted by Michael Lipin, VOA

French Troops Take on Coordinated, Entrenched Islamists in Mali

Bill Roggio

French troops entering Mali to quell an Islamist insurgency face a tough battle against a well-coordinated coalition of militant groups. The militants have entrenched themselves in the West African nation... more...

14th January 2013 – Quoted by Brendan Kirby, AL.com

Alabama Native Omar Hammami Compares Ex-Allies to Hitler, and that Isn’t Even Worst Criticism

Bill Roggio

Since falling out of favor with his erstwhile brothers in arms in Somalia last year, Daphne native Omar Shafik Hammami’s steady diatribe on YouTube and Twitter has included warnings that his life is in danger. more...

10th January 2013 – Quoted by Greg Miller, The Washington Post

US Drone Strikes in Pakistan on Rise for 2013

Bill Roggio

The CIA has opened the year with a flurry of drone strikes in Pakistan, pounding Taliban targets along the country’s tribal belt at a time when the Obama administration is preparing to disclose its plans for... more...

10th January 2013 – Quoted by Stewart Bell, National Post - Canada

Al-Shabab Jihadist More Whiner Than Martyr

Bill Roggio

Since becoming the most prominent foreign fighter in the Somali armed Islamist group Al-Shabab, former Toronto pizza deliveryman Omar Hammami has turned into a remarkably whiny jihadist. more...

18th December 2012 – The Long War Journal

Shabaab Rebukes American Commander Omar Hammami

Bill Roggio

Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, has broken its nearly 12-month silence on Omar Hammami, the American commander who served with the terrorist group and has claimed his life was in danger... more...

17th October 2012 – Quoted by Dana Priest, The Washington Post

‘Mullah Radio’ Believed to be Behind Attack on Pakistani Schoolgirl

Bill Roggio

The Taliban leader who apparently ordered the assassination of a Pakistani schoolgirl last week may not be well-known outside the remote, picturesque Swat Valley. more...