Top Expert on Al Qaeda Victim of Budget Cuts
Marc Lynch extols the work of Radio Free Europe analyst Daniel Kimmage "on al-Qaeda's internet operations, including his definitive study of Iraqi insurgent media (with Kathleen Ridolfo) and his more recent report on al-Qaeda's internet media production network. There are very few people inside or outside the government who have worked harder or thought more deeply about how jihadists ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on May 9, 2008 10:38
AQI Leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri Arrested UPDATE: Mistaken Identity
The Iraqi government claims to have arrested Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in the northern city of Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday. Mohammed al-Askari said the arrest of al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was confirmed to him by the Iraqi ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on May 8, 2008 16:11
Combating Al Qaeda in Pakistan
David Ignatius notes that al Qaeda has "all but disappeared" from Afghanistan and "is on the run" in Iraq and thinks we can draw lessons from these facts. First, al-Qaeda isn't a permanent boogeyman; it's losing ground in Iraq and Afghanistan because of U.S. counterinsurgency tactics, especially the alliances we have built with tribal leaders and the aggressive use ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on May 5, 2008 09:30
U.S. Airstrike Kills Top Qaeda Agent in Somalia
We have killed the head of Shebab, the top al Qaeda militia in Somalia. Aden Hashi Ayro, one of Al Qaeda’s top agents in East Africa and the leader of the Islamist comeback in Somalia, was killed Thursday morning by an American airstrike, according to American and Somali officials. Mr. Ayro was one of the most feared and notorious figures in Somalia, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on May 1, 2008 07:41
Al Qaeda Getting Stronger
Al Qaeda is getting stronger, mostly in Pakistan, a new State Department report states. Al-Qaida has rebuilt some of its pre-Sept. 11 capabilities from remote hiding places in Pakistan, leading to a jump in attacks last year in that country and neighboring Afghanistan, the Bush administration said Wednesday. Attacks in Pakistan doubled between 2006 and 2007 and the number of fatalities quadrupled, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on April 30, 2008 12:14
What Makes Iraq’s Islamists Special?
Bernard Finel, weighing in on the "Two Iraq Wars" debate, makes an interesting point: The fact is that there are many Islamist insurgencies around the world — Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon, Pakistan, Thailand, Philippines, etc. All of them are potential locations for AQ to establish a safe haven… indeed, they have already established one in Pakistan. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on April 18, 2008 10:41
Iraq or Afghanistan: On the Horns of a False Dilemma
Joe Biden is getting plaudits from the Leftosphere for asking Ryan Crocker a really dumb question in yesterday's hearings. Here's the video: The transcript: BIDEN: Mr. Ambassador, is Al Qaeda a greater threat to US interests in Iraq, or in the Afghan-Pakistan border region? CROCKER: Mr. Chairman, al Qaeda is a strategic threat to the United States wherever it is-- BIDEN: Where is ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on April 9, 2008 08:36
U.S. Striking Al Qaeda Targets in Pakistan
The United States is stepping up its attacks on al Qaeda targets in Pakistan, largely without coordination with that country's government. The United States has escalated its unilateral strikes against al-Qaeda members and fighters operating in Pakistan's tribal areas, partly because of anxieties that Pakistan's new leaders will insist on scaling back military operations in that country, according to U.S. officials. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on March 27, 2008 06:54
McCain Says Terrorists May Try to Influence Election
John McCain say al Qaeda might try to influence the November election to keep him from winning. Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Friday he fears that al Qaeda or another extremist group might attempt spectacular attacks in Iraq to try to tilt the U.S. election against him. There's probably a "Barack Hussein Obama" joke in there somewhere ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on March 14, 2008 15:30
Afghanistan Al Qaeda Commander Killed
A top al Qaeda commander has been killed. One al-Qaida's top commanders in Afghanistan and a key liaison with Taliban, Abu Laith al-Libi, was killed according to a Web site used by militant groups. "We congratulate the Islamic nation for the martyrdom of the sheik, the lion, Abu Laith al-Libi," said the banner which appeared in a section of ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on January 31, 2008 14:12
McCain’s Secret Plan to Capture Bin Laden (Updated)
Apparently, John McCain has confided to reporters that he has a secret plan to capture Osama bin Laden.So Washington Wire was wondering, what does McCain know that President Bush and the Pentagon don’t about how to sweep up America’s most elusive enemy. “One thing I will not do is telegraph my punches. Osama bin Laden will be the last to know,” ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on January 29, 2008 10:54
Huckabee and Al Qaeda Oppose Guantánamo
The ACLU is encouraging people to wwear orange tomorrow in a show of support for closing down the detention facility at Guantánamo. I always find these things silly, even when I support the cause, but at least give the ACLU credit for picking a fashion statement that would stand out rather than the ridiculous "wear denim to support cause ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on January 10, 2008 16:50
Terror on the Run?
Ralph Peters argues that the year that was may have marked the beginning of the end of Islamist terrorism as a global force. The greatest media story of 2007 was the one you never read (unless you read The Post): The year was a strategic catastrophe for Islamist terrorists - and possibly a historic turning point in the struggle against ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on January 2, 2008 15:06
Bhutto Was to Reveal Musharraf Fixing Elections
Benazir Bhutto was murdered just hours before handing over a report that President Pervez Musharraf was planning to rig the upcoming election, Saeed Shah reports for McClatchy Newspapers. The day she was assassinated last Thursday, Benazir Bhutto had planned to reveal new evidence alleging the involvement of Pakistan's intelligence agencies in rigging the country's upcoming elections, an aide said Monday. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on January 1, 2008 10:18
Most Saudis Oppose al Qaeda
A recent survey of Saudi Arabian adults finds a complicated view of America, terrorism, and freedom. Most Saudi Arabia citizens interviewed in a poll oppose terrorism and want closer ties with the United States. But many Saudis remain opposed to making peace with Israel, according to what researchers call an unprecedented survey of the kingdom. Ten percent of Saudis have ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on December 18, 2007 08:43
