Analysis & Commentary
3 Egyptians Killed in Recent Predator Strike in North Waziristan
Friday's Predator airstrike in North Waziristan killed three Egyptians closely linked to the Haqqani Network. The son of the "Blind Sheikh," the leader of the Egyptian Islamic Group who is serving a life prison sentence in the US for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, may have been one of those killed.
Afghan Security Forces Kill 3 ISAF Troops in South, East
An Afghan soldier killed two British soldiers on a military base in southern Afghanistan today, while a policeman killed an ISAF soldier in the east. The Afghan soldier was killed by ISAF troops, who opened fire on the attacker.
Afghan Soldier and Teacher Kill 2 ISAF Soldiers in South
An Afghan soldier and a teacher opened fire on NATO troops in Kandahar province today, killing two soldiers before being killed in return fire. Afghan security personnel have killed seven International Security Assistance Force soldiers in the past 10 days, while the Taliban have killed six ISAF troops during the same time period.
Afghan Taliban Announces New ‘Political Office’ in Qatar
The Taliban announced today that it is opening a "political office" in Qatar. According to a translation of the Taliban's message by the SITE Intelligence Group, the office is intended to "spread understanding with the international community."
Afghan Troops Ramp Up Attacks on Western Trainers, Threatening Allied War Effort
“It’s sort of a catch-22,” said Bill Roggio, the editor of Long War Journal, a Web site that closely tracks the Afghan war. “Our plan is to turn the country over to the Afghans, which means training them to take over. But they’re killing the guys we have doing the training.”
Ambassador Crocker Objects to Strategic Retreat
Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the State Department’s man in Kabul, is clearly concerned about a premature drawdown of American and Western forces from Afghanistan.
Assessing Afghanistan
The strategic impact of the Afghan massacre.
Blind Sheikh’s Son Killed in US Airstrike in Afghanistan
The son of the 'Blind Sheikh,' the spiritual leader of the Egyptian Islamic Group who is in a US jail for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, was killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan, according to a statement released today by the terror group.
COIN is Dead. Long Live COIN?
On a warm August afternoon, two dozen US and Afghan soldiers trudged through sticky corn fields to the village of Majiles in the contentious district of Sabari in Khost province, Afghanistan.
Delaware’s Afternoon News with Allan Loudel
US soldier kills 16 Afghan civilians in rampage.
Don’t Stay the Course
In this tense campaign season, al-Qaeda is very much in the front of the Obama administration’s mind. In fact, administration officials can’t remind you often enough that Barack rubbed out Osama — which you may see as a no-brainer...
Ex-Gitmo Detainee Killed in Afghanistan
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) announced today that a "combined Afghan and coalition security force" had killed "a key affiliate of the al Qaeda network during a security operation in Jalalabad district, Nangarhar province." The deceased "insurgent leader" has been identified as a a former Guantanamo detainee named Sabar Lal Melma.
Fixing Afghanistan was a Noble Project that Became a Noble Failure
This was a bad week for Afghanistan optimists. First, the British media leaked a classified U.S. report — based on thousands of interrogations of Taliban and former Taliban militants — concluding that the Taliban are set to retake Afghanistan with Pakistan’s assistance
Fox 5 Morning News
Pakistan is cancelling its attendance at an international conference in protest over an attack by NATO forces that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead.
France Threatens Withdrawal After Afghan Soldier Kills 4 French Troops
Less than a day after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops in Kapisa, France has suspended its training mission with Afghan troops and has threatened to end its mission in Afghanistan if the issue is not properly addressed.
Guantanamo Recidivism Rate Climbs Higher
During a joint hearing of the Senate and House intelligence committees yesterday, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified that the recidivism rate for former Guantanamo detainees has risen to an estimated 27 percent.
Haji Maki Khan Added to U.S. Terror List
Haji Mali Khan is the most recent top Haqqani operatives to be captured and on the official terror list. According to the State Department, Mali Khan “is a Haqqani Network commander who has overseen hundreds of fighters, and has instructed his subordinates to conduct terrorist acts.”
Happening Now
The growing problem of US Troops in Afghanistan receiving fire from Pakistan.
Haqqani Network Commmander Killed in Airstrike on Pakistan Border
Special operations forces killed a senior Haqqani Network commander in an airstrike in Afghanistan along the Pakistan border. The commander was linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
How Many al Qaeda Fighters are in Afghanistan Again?
Today's announcement by ISAF of the killing of al Qaeda "associate" Sabar Lal Melma in Nangarhar is interesting not only because of his status as a former detainee at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility [see Thomas Joscelyn's excellent writeup here], but also because of this interesting admission buried at the end of the portion of the press release
