Latest Briefs
Jordan Arrests al-Qaeda Member in Sting Operation
Jordanian authorities announced on May 23 the arrest of a suspected member of al-Qaeda in Iraq in a sting operation launched by its General Intelligence Department (GID) and the 71st counter-terrorism battalion of Jordan's special forces (al-Ghad, May 24). Ziyad Khalaf Karbouli (also known as... MORE
Bin Laden Clears Moussaoui and Guantanamo Detainees of 9/11 Involvement
On May 24, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden issued a speech via an audio file presented by the "al-Sahab Foundation for Media Production," which has issued authentic statements from al-Qaeda in the past. The statement was posted and then quickly circulated around forums such as... MORE
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Al-Zarqawi's Aide Captured, Pro-U.S. Leader of Karabila Tribe Assassinated Kassim al-Ani, a senior aide to al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was apprehended in Baghdad on May 28. Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Kassim al-Mosawi informed the media of the capture, calling al-Ani one of the most... MORE
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Mullah Dadullah Evades Capture Once Again On May 19, General Rahmatullah Raufi, an Afghan army commander in the south, announced the possible capture of Mullah Dadullah, one of the Taliban's key military leaders, during an operation in Kandahar province (PakTribune, May 22). After the announcement,... MORE
Killing of Turkish Judge May Inspire Further Attacks by Religious Radicals
Turkish authorities continue to search for clues to last week's deadly shooting attack by Alparslan Arslan that claimed the life of Turkish Council of State Judge Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin and seriously wounded five of his colleagues in Turkey's highest administrative court. Arslan, who himself is... MORE
New Reports Allege Foreign Fighters in Iraq Returning to Europe
Recent pronouncements by a Spanish judge who has led high-level inquiries into al-Qaeda in Spain, Baltazar Garzon, and the head of France's domestic security service, Pierre de Bousquet, imply that Iraqi foreign fighters are already returning to Europe to re-establish or establish new networks to... MORE
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TURKISH AUTHORITIES UNCOVER PKK BOMB-MAKING TACTICS Turkish authorities recently uncovered an active plot by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to acquire cellular phones for use in remote-controlled bomb explosions (Yeni Safak, May 8). The operation involved PKK operatives placing false employment advertisements in newspapers in... MORE
Philippine Forces Apprehend Three Abu Sayyaf Militants
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) recently announced the capture of three members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG); all three were wanted in conjunction with their roles in the 2001 kidnapping of some 20 vacationers at the Dos Palmas dive resort on the... MORE
Taliban Establish Control on the Fringes of Afghan Cities
After demonstrating their strength through increasing suicide bombings, car bomb attacks, kidnappings and ambushes, insurgents in Afghanistan have now taken a step forward in an attempt to weaken the Afghan government. The new step is their complete control over Afghan districts. This process began three... MORE
Al-Zawahiri’s Bid to Stir Rebellion in Pakistan
The appearance on video of al-Qaeda's Ayman al-Zawahiri at the end of April issuing a call to rebellion in Pakistan—the second recording of the al-Qaeda leader in a matter of weeks—forces attention back to this important arena for the jihadist program. On April 29, the... MORE