Associated Press: The Taliban promised Washington during months of negotiations that the United States would never again be attacked from Afghan soil. Such a pledge would have included al-Qaida, which planned the 9/11 attacks from inside Afghanistan. Yet jihad, or holy war, and a shared history continue to bind the two militant groups, and there’s no
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 14, 2019 President Donald Trump says he can now confirm that Hamza bin Laden, the son of the deceased Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, has been killed by a military operation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. “The loss of Hamza bin Laden not only deprives Al-Qaeda of important leadership skills and
1TV: “If we left tomorrow, the Taliban cannot be trusted to take care of ISIS and Al Qaeda,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News. “They don’t have the capability. So when you ask our intelligence community…what would happen to America if we withdrew all of our forces. They tell us without any hesitation
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 21, 2019 The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) says that militants from the extremist group Islamic State (IS) have been amassing in northern Afghanistan, near its borders with former Soviet republics in Central Asia. FSB chief Aleksandr Bortnikov spoke on May 21 during a visit to Tajikistan, which
Al Jazeera: Comprising 15 percent of the population, the mostly Shia Muslim ethnic minority has long suffered targeted killings – The Hazara have long suffered oppression and persecution in Afghanistan. They are now often targeted by groups swearing allegiance to ISIL. In the 1990s, thousands were killed by al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. The Taliban declared them as “non-Muslims” during their rule from 1996
Ayaz Gul VOA News November 20, 2018 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan summoned Tuesday the top U.S. diplomat in the country to formally protest President Donald Trump’s allegations that Islamabad had sheltered al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, despite receiving billions of dollars in U.S. assistance. Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua told American charge d’affairs Paul Jones that Trump’s “baseless
Frud Behzan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 4, 2018 Elderly, ill, and partially paralyzed, the founder of one of Afghanistan’s most notorious and brazen extremist organizations had been out of the insurgency game for years. But Jalaluddin Haqqani leaves behind a legacy of deadly violence that threatens to live on for decades. Haqqani, whose death
Politico: While most senior Al Qaeda personnel “are trying to hide,” Gen. John Nicholson, the outgoing top commander in Kabul, said last year, the subgroup members are “more active” but are focused on training Taliban members who are fighting the Afghan government… The military insists it has never taken its eye off the Al Qaeda ball in
The Business Insider: Bin Laden’s family believes his youngest son, Hamza, has followed in his father’s footsteps by traveling to Afghanistan, where the US, Afghanistan’s national army, and NATO have been locked in a brutal war with Islamic militants since shortly after the Twin Towers were destroyed. Click here to read more (external link).
Madeeha Anwar VOA News May 16, 2018 WASHINGTON — Pakistan is the one country in the region that has done the most against terrorism, and no country can accuse Pakistan of not doing enough against terrorism and extremism, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Pakistan’s outgoing ambassador to the U.S., told VOA. “Al-Qaida, if you don’t hear about it