AL-QAEDA’S OPERATIONAL COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN PROMISES EXPANSION OF WAR INTO NORTHERN PROVINCES Pakistan’s Geo-TV has released a video interview with al-Qaeda’s operational commander in Afghanistan, the Egyptian militant Mustafa Abu al-Yazid (a.k.a. Shaykh Sa’id). With a rifle by his side, Abu al-Yazid gave the Arabic-language... MORE

Reacting to the latest decline in jihadi operations in Iraq in particular and in the world in general, a jihadi forum has discussed the need to reevaluate mujahideen tactics. The main posting is entitled “Towards a New Strategy to Resist the Occupier” (tamkeen.iraqserve.com, June 6).... MORE

LIBYAN ISLAMIC FIGHTING GROUP TO RENOUNCE VIOLENCE FROM PRISON? As part of a dialogue and reconciliation process, imprisoned leaders of Al-Jama’ah al-Islamiyah al-Muqatilah (The [Libyan] Islamic Fighting Group - LIFG) appear ready to renounce political violence (Al-Sharq al-Awsat, July 6). Although the LIFG was closely... MORE

Jihadi internet forums have picked up on recent British and American warnings about possible al-Qaeda terror attacks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). One forum post, entitled “Is al-Qaeda overlooking the United Arab Emirates,” dismissed the suggestion that al-Qaeda is overlooking the UAE because al-Qaeda... MORE

HEKMATYAR TELLS PAKISTANI TALIBAN TO STAY OUT OF AFGHANISTAN Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a veteran Afghan rebel and leader of the Hezb-i-Islami Party, has issued a statement asking members of the Pakistani Taliban to refrain from crossing the border to join the jihad in Afghanistan. The statement... MORE

Concerned about the future of al-Qaeda in Iraq due to the killing and arrests of its prominent leaders, jihadi forum participants have discussed the second generation of al-Qaeda (hanein.info, June 7). In the same context, other forum chatters discussed al-Qaeda’s recruitment of young children as... MORE

TALIBAN CLAIM ARGHANDAB OCCUPATION A DIVERSION AND DEMONSTRATION OF STRENGTH Last week’s apparent attempt by the Taliban to occupy the Arghandab district of Kandahar province perplexed many observers. Following the successful raid and breakout of prisoners from Kandahar Prison on June 13, the large-scale operation... MORE

AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN AGREE TO IMPLEMENT BIOMETRIC SECURITY ON BORDER The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to adopt a high-tech method to address the ongoing problem of suspects wanted for terrorism and other crimes crossing their mutual border. At a June 8 meeting... MORE

The news of the security pact currently under negotiation by Baghdad and Washington that would allow the U.S. forces to stay in the country beyond the expiry of the UN mandate in December 2008 has generated swift reaction from Shia Iraqis (al-Jazeera, June 5). The... MORE

In an interview in the May edition of the jihadi al-Fursan magazine of the Islamic Army of Iraq (IAI), the military leader of IAI, Abu al-Abbas al-Baghdadi, discussed the group’s military situation, the reasons for the decline in jihadi operations and current efforts to develop... MORE