Recent Appearances...

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Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Ayman al Zawahiri	Ayman al Zawahiri	Gamaa Islamiya	Africa North				20060214	Link
	Ayman al Zawahiri	al-Qaeda	Afghanistan-Pak-India	Egyptian	At Large	Second in Command	20051027	Link
Ayman al-Zawahiri	Ayman al-Zawahiri	Jamaat al-Jihad al-Islami	Africa: North				20040421	Link
	Ayman al-Zawahiri	Al-Tawhid wal Jihad	Africa North				20060327	Link
	Ayman al-Zawahiri	Egyptian Islamic Jihad	Terror Networks				20011011
	Ayman al-Zawahiri	Muslim Brotherhood	Britain				20050712
	Ayman al-Zawahiri	al-Gamaa al-Islamiya	Africa North				20020615
	Ayman al-Zawahiri	Fath-e-Islam	Afghanistan				20020830
	Ayman al-Zawahiri	al-Qaeda	Terror Networks	Egyptian	At Large	Second in Command	20040111
	Ayman al-Zawahiri	Learned Elders of Islam	Terror Networks				20031123

-Obits-

AQAP announces the death of its emir Khalid Batarfi

2024-03-11

[Twitter]

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announces the death of its emir Khalid Batarfi. pic.twitter.com/yvzlcAiWg2
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) March 10, 2024

Le Monde adds:

Batarfi had appointed his successor back in February 2020, following the death of his predecessor, Qassim al-Rimi, in a US dronezap or Yemen.

Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
has announced the death of its leader Khalid Batarfi and named a successor, SITE Intelligence Group reported Sunday, March 10. The monitoring service said Batarfi's body was shown in footage released by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000...
(AQAP) in a burial shroud and wrapped in a flag bearing the jihadist group's name.

"God took his soul while he patiently sought his reward and stood firm, immigrated, garrisoned, and waged jihad," SITE quoted an AQAP veteran as saying of Batarfi in the nearly 15-minute video. There were no immediate details of the time or cause of Batarfi's death. He was believed to be in his 40s.

The United States considers al-Qaeda's Yemen branch the most dangerous faction of the global jihadist network, and the State Department designated Batarfi in 2018 a "global terrorist". SITE said the group had named its new chief Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, who last appeared in a video released in February 2023 urging Sunni rustics to join AQAP.

The Sunni bad boy group thrived in the chaos of years of war since 2014 between Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
s. AQAP has carried out operations in Yemen against both the Huthis and government forces.

It has also carried out sporadic attacks abroad, including on the offices of the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo
...Pix/Hebdo2.pngA lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
in 2015 and a 2019 mass shooting at a US naval base in Florida, in which a Saudi Air Force officer killed three American sailors.

Update from the Times of Israel at 2:15 p.m. ET:

Khalid al-Batarfi had a $5 million bounty on his head from the US government over leading the group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula over years that saw him imprisoned, freed in a jailbreak, and governing forces in Yemen amid that country’s grinding war.

Though believed to be weakened in recent years due to infighting and suspected US drone strikes killing its leaders, the group known by the acronym AQAP has long been considered the most dangerous branch of the extremist group still operating after the killing of founder Osama bin Laden.

Al-Qaeda released a video showing al-Batarfi wrapped in a white funeral shroud and al-Qaeda’s black-and-white flag. Terrorists offered no details on the cause of his death and there was no clear sign of trauma visible on his face. Al-Batarfi was believed to be in his early 40s.

In the announcement, the group said Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki would take over as its leader. The US has a $6 million bounty on him, saying al-Awlaki “has publicly called for attacks against the United States and its allies.”

Why is the new guy worth 20% more than the dead one was?

Estimates provided to the UN put AQAP’s total forces as numbering between 3,000 and 4,000 active fighters and passive members. The group raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops,

…how very tawdry and commonplace…

as well as smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies, and ransom operations, according to the UN.

…smuggling weapons and ransom operations being the usual occupations of Yemeni lads when they’re feeling feisty. Currency counterfeiting is a bit more technical than they usually get up to, but every group contains at least a few eager to learn and better themselves…

Under al-Batarfi, AQAP fell further under the influence of al-Qaeda fighter Saif al-Adel, now believed to lead the terror group after the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri in a US drone strike in Afghanistan in 2022. That came as Yemen has been locked in a war between the Houthi rebels, who hold the capital, Sanaa, and a Saudi-led coalition backing the country’s exiled government based in Aden.

“Since 2020, Saif al-Adel has been able to convince al-Batarfi of his strategic approach, focused on confronting Western states and their allies in Yemen — the Saudi-led coalition, the Aden-based government, the United Arab Emirates and its allies — rather than confronting the Iranian-backed Houthi movement,” a 2023 report by the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies said.

Al-Adel is believed to be in Iran, part of a longtime al-Qaeda presence in the Islamic Republic. That’s long been denied by Tehran but backed up by documents seized in the 2011 US raid in Pakistan that killed bin Laden, who orchestrated the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.

Good to know.

Al-Batarfi’s ties to al-Adel had strained relations in AQAP, experts say. However, it has seen the terrorists become armed with bomb-carrying drones — something the Houthis now use to target shipping in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Very interesting — a hint that not only is Iran sheltering Al Qaeda’s top leaders, but supplying at least one of its key franchises as well.

AQAP “developed unmanned aerial systems capabilities, establishing a specialized drone unit, with operational training from the Houthis,” a UN report from January says.

That goes well beyond hinting. And the Houthis would only help their enemy on direct orders from Tehran.

“It prioritizes liberating its prisoners to replenish ranks; in September, the Houthis released several AQAP members and explosives experts.”

The Shiite Zaydi Houthis have previously denied working with AQAP, a Sunni extremist group. However, AQAP targeting of the Houthis has dropped in recent years while the terrorists continue to attack Saudi-led coalition forces.

Me and my brother against my cousin. Me and my cousin against the outside world.

Yemen’s history and tribal structure long has seen alliances rapidly shift, something its late strongman President Ali Abdullah Saleh referred to as “dancing on the heads of snakes.”

Al-Batarfi, born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, traveled to Afghanistan in 1999 and fought alongside the Taliban during the US-led invasion. He joined AQAP in 2010 and led forces in taking over Yemen’s Abyan province, according to the US.

In 2015, he was freed after an AQAP raid that saw the terrorists capture Mukalla, the capital of Yemen’s largest province, Hadramawt, amid the chaos of the war. A photo at the time showed al-Awlaki with a Kalashnikov rifle, posing inside a government palace there.

AQAP was later pushed out of Mukalla but has continued attacks and been the target of a US drone strike campaign since the administration of then-president George W. Bush.

In 2020, there had been claims that al-Bartafi had been detained, which later were denied. In 2021, he appeared in a video by the terror group and referred to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol as “only the tip of the iceberg of what will come to them, God willing.”

Link

Afghanistan

Resurgent al-Qaida training camps latest black eye from Biden Afghanistan withdrawal

2024-02-25

[JustTheNews] UN report claims al-Qaida now has eight training camps in Taliban-controlled country.

Two reports released just days apart are providing stark new evidence of the lasting consequences of President Joe Biden’s bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan and his administration’s dealings with the Taliban ever since.

The United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team reported late last month that the terrorist group al-Qaida, though weakened from its heyday in the early 2000s, has reconstituted as many as eight training camps and five religious training schools known as madrassas on Afghan soil under the Taliban’s rule while also increasing its propaganda operations and recruitment.

“The relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaida remains close, and the latter maintains a holding pattern in Afghanistan under Taliban patronage,” the report stated bluntly. “Regional States assess that the presence of Al-Qaida senior figures in the country has not changed and that the group continues to pose a threat in the region, and potentially beyond.”

You can read the full report here.

While the UN report blamed the Taliban for its hosting of al-Qaida, the Biden administration continued to send massive humanitarian dollars to the Afghan regime, in many cases through the UN and global charities, according to a separate report from an American watchdog.

John Sopko, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, reported a few days after the UN report was issued that the United States accounted for all but $300 million of the $2.9 billion in humanitarian aid sent to the Taliban since the withdrawal of American troops in August 2021. Most of it, he noted, came in cash.

“The U.S. is the largest international donor, having provided about $2.6 billion in funding for the UN, other PIOs, and NGOs operating in Afghanistan since August 2021,” the report noted. “More than $1.7 billion of that funding came from State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support humanitarian activities.”

You can read Sopko's report here.

Experts said the flow of cash to help the Taliban while it allows al-Qaida to flourish sends a dangerous message to bad actors, and much of it is routed through the very UN that issued the report.

“America is the biggest funder of this thing. So the United States taxpayer is disproportionately on the hook paying for these activities,” former Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates said recently.

And coupled with the billions in high-tech weaponry Biden left behind in Afghanistan, the dynamic is creating heartburn in Congress.

“This administration has a history of giving money to terrorist organizations, abandoning $80 billion worth of military equipment in Afghanistan so the Taliban can run around with our M4s and our Blackhawks, and all of our equipment. They have an American last agenda,” Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., told the Just the News, No Noise television show last week.

The Taliban, of course, claims it does not harbor al-Qaida and that the UN report was “propaganda.”

"There is no one related to al Qaeda in Afghanistan, nor does the Islamic Emirate allow anyone to use the territory of Afghanistan against others," the Taliban said in a statement.

But U.S. officials told Just the News they have significant intelligence of al-Qaida’s presence and reconstitution inside Afghanistan since the Taliban overthrew the democratically elected government as U.S. troops were withdrawing in 2021.

They noted that when U.S. drones killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2022, he was living inside a Taliban Cabinet member’s guest house in Kabul’s diplomatic district.

U.S. officials added they are concerned by al-Qaida’s resilience, especially since American intelligence efforts have less visibility inside Afghanistan since the bungled withdrawal.

The UN report, culled from intelligence from its various member nations, said that while al-Qaida does not have the capability to command and conduct long-range terror attacks like 9/11 right now, it is clearly showing signs of expansion and regional reach after years of diminishment from the Bush to the Trump years.

“Al-Qaida was reported to have established up to eight new training camps in Afghanistan, including four in Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan and Uruzgan Provinces, with a new base to stockpile weaponry in the Panjshir Valley,” the report said. “Some camps might be temporary.

“Five Al-Qaida madrasas operate in Laghman, Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan and Parwan Provinces,” it added. “The group maintains safe houses to facilitate the movement between Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Provinces of Herat, Farah and Helmand, with additional safe house locations in Kabul.”

Equally troubling, the Islamic State terrorist group is also showing resiliency in several regions of the world, particularly Afghanistan, the UN warned.

“Member States assessed that, despite the recent loss of territory, casualties, and high attrition among senior and mid-tier leadership figures, ISIL-K continued to pose a major threat in Afghanistan and the region,” it noted.

Link

Afghanistan

On eve of 9/11 Anniversary, U.S. officials continue to downplay Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan

2023-09-17

Long, detailed, and with a useful map. Herewith, the opening set-up:

[LongWarJournal] On the eve of the 22nd anniversary of Al Qaeda’s deadly attacks on New York and Washington, American intelligence officials further minimized the terror group’s safe haven in Afghanistan and its global reach. The U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that “Al Qaeda is at its historical nadir in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and its revival is unlikely” is directly at odds with intelligence gleaned by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which recently reported that Al Qaeda is running training camps, safe houses, and a media operations center throughout Afghanistan.

The assessment of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan was briefed to reporters on Sept. 8 by two unnamed U.S. intelligence officials. In addition to Al Qaeda being at a “historical nadir,” its “ability to threaten the United States from Afghanistan or Pakistan is probably at its lowest point,” the officials claimed, according to CNN.

Oddly, the intelligence officials surmised that Al Qaeda is weak because the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan meant that Al Qaeda fighters no longer had a “proving ground” to battle U.S. forces.

Additionally, the intelligence officials claimed that Al Qaeda “was left without ‘leadership talent’ and “strategic guidance’” after the U.S. killed Al Qaeda emir Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike at a Taliban safe house in Kabul in the summer of 2022, CNN reported.

The intelligence officials dismissed the UN Monitoring Team’s report as “an outlier within the UN system” and “‘wildly out of whack’ with intelligence collected by the US and its partners,” CNN noted.

However, the UN Monitoring Team’s report closely tracks with information on Al Qaeda’s historical and recent operations in Afghanistan that has been gathered by FDD’s Long War Journal.

A HISTORICAL NADIR?
The unnamed intelligence officials were incredibly dismissive of the Monitoring Team’s report, which was released in early June. According to the Monitoring Team, the Al Qaeda camps are located in six Afghan provinces: Helmand, Zabul, Badghis, Nangarhar, Nuristan, and Kunar. Additionally, the Monitoring Team noted that Al Qaeda has established “safe houses” in Farah, Helmand, Herat and Kabul, and opened a media operations center in Herat.

Despite the assertions of the U.S. intelligence officials Al Qaeda was known to have a significant presence in the provinces of Helmand, Farah, Zabul, Kunar, Nuristan, and Nangarhar prior to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. There is no indication that Al Qaeda abandoned these provinces with post-U.S. withdrawal. As the Monitoring Team has noted and FDD’s Long War Journal has independently assessed, the Taliban-Al Qaeda relationship remains strong.

Link

India-Pakistan

Army major, among three, martyred in gun fights with terrorists in KP

2023-09-02

[GEO.TV] An army major and another soldier were martyred during an intelligence-based operation conducted by the security forces in North Wazoo

Wazoo District’s Miranshah
... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas...
’s general area, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Friday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said when the security forces launched the operation a "party of snuffies was spotted and intercepted by Major Amir Aziz, who was leading the operation from the front".

During the exchange of fire, one terrorist was killed while another was injured.

However,
a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all...
29-year-old Major Amir and 27-year-old Sepoy Muhammad Arif were martyred during the heavy exchange of fire.

The army’s media affairs wing said that the sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate the snuffies present in the area.

"Security forces of Pakistain are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our soldiers further strengthen our resolve," the ISPR said.

TIRAH EXCHANGE OF FIRE
The report of Major Aziz and Sepoy Arif’s martyrdom came minutes after the ISPR had shared that a soldier was martyred while a terrorist was killed during an exchange of fire in the Khyber district.

The ISPR said that on the night between August 31 and September 1, a fire exchange took place between the army troops and the snuffies in the general area of Tirah in Khyber District.

The troops "effectively" engaged at the terrorists’ location, resulting in the killing of one terrorist, the ISPR said.

"The killed terrorist remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces and killing of innocent civilians."

During the intense exchange of fire, Havildar Muntazir Shah, 36, having fought gallantly, embraced martyrdom.

NATION CANNOT BE "COERCED" BY TERRORISTS: GEN MUNIR
Earlier today, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir vowed that the nation cannot be "coerced" by "cowardly tactics of the terrorists" who hold the "misbelief that they can challenge the iron resolve of the soldiers and writ of the state".

As per the military’s media wing, the army chief passed the remarks while visiting Bannu in KP where, a day earlier, nine soldiers were martyred when a jacket wallah went kaboom! himself near a military convoy in the Jani Khel area.

"The army, law enforcement agencies and the nation can never be coerced by the cowardly tactics of the terrorists, who have a misbelief that they can challenge the iron resolve of the soldiers and writ of the state," Gen Munir said while interacting with officers and troops deployed in the area.

The COAS further said that the nation has "fought for long and will continue to fight the menace of terrorism till the end".

"The nation pays rich tribute to those who have laid their lives and their sacrifices will forever be honoured," he added.

Link

India-Pakistan

One terrorist killed, two injured in North Waziristan shootout

2023-06-13

[GEO.TV] One terrorist was killed and two others injured in an exchange of fire that took place between security forces and the miscreants in the general area of Spinwam,

...a charming name for a nasty little jihadi spot...

North

Wazoo District, the public relations arm of the military said in a statement.

As per the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), one terrorist was killed and two others sustained injuries after the troops engaged with them at their location. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from them.

"The killed terrorist remained actively involved in terr activities against the security forces as well as the killing of innocent citizens," the ISPR added. It further said that residents of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the area.

The engagement with the turbans came a day after armed forces bumped off three turbans while four others were maimed in a gunbattle in the general Miranshah
... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas...
area in North Waziristan district, the ISPR had said.

The military's media wing had said that the soldiers fought gallantly but three of them were martyred in the intense exchange of fire that took place on the night between June 9 and 10.

"Own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and resultantly three turbans were sent to hell, while four turbans were maimed. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists," a statement released by the ISPR read.

The martyred soldiers were identified as Subedar Asghar Ali, 40, Sepoy Naseem Khan, 26, and Sepoy Muhammad Zaman, 22.

The ISPR further stated that a sanitisation operation was being carried out to eliminate any other turbans found in the area.

"Armed forces of Pakistain are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve," it reiterated.

Link

India-Pakistan

Three soldiers martyred, terrorists gunned down in exchange of fire in N Waziristan

2023-06-12

[GEO.TV] The armed forces bumped off three forces of Evil while four others were maimed in a gunbattle in the general Miranshah
... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas...
area in North Wazoo

Wazoo district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.

The military's media wing stated that the soldiers fought gallantly but three of them were martyred in the intense exchange of fire that took place on the night between June 9 and 10 (Friday and Saturday).

"Own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and resultantly three forces of Evil were sent to hell, while four forces of Evil were maimed. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists," a statement released by the ISPR read.

The martyred soldiers were identified as Subedar Asghar Ali, 40, Sepoy Naseem Khan, 26, and Sepoy Muhammad Zaman, 22.

The ISPR further stated that a sanitisation operation was being carried out to eliminate any other forces of Evil found in the area.

"Armed forces of Pakistain are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve," it reiterated.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Washington opens a terrorist second front against Russia

2023-05-27

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

by Kirill Semenov

One of the leaders of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group, which holds the Syrian Idlib, Abu Maria al-Qahtani , said that the HTS intends to focus on confrontation with Iran, and hence Russia, which act as allies Syrian government. This became known on May 24, when a translation of al-Qahtani's article was published.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group actually emerged in 2012 as the Jabhat al-Nusra group, which was a branch of the Islamic State of Iraq terrorist organization. After ISIS declared itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in 2013, Jabhat al-Nusra refused to swear allegiance to it and came under the auspices of al-Qaeda. In 2017, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was created, which announced the severance of all ties with al-Qaeda and became a rival group led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani.

The call to move away from the course of the fight against the United States and move on to confrontation with Iran, voiced by the leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was apparently made under the influence of Washington. The United States has long been sending HTS signals through publications by recognized experts and think tanks about the possible removal of this terrorist organization from the relevant lists if it meets a number of conditions.

It is obvious that Washington is waiting for the HTS to abandon hostility towards the United States and reorient itself to the fight against the opponents of the United States, and at the same time to include Al-Qaeda branches in this process - their HTS will have to lead. Thus, the Americans can not only eliminate the threat from the unruly al-Qaeda, which must be disbanded, but also direct its branches to subvert US rivals such as Iran and Russia.

In particular, Abu Maria al-Qahtani criticizes the appointment of Saif al-Adl as the new head of al-Qaeda instead of the murdered Ayman al-Zawahiri . He points out that he is al-Adl in Iran, and therefore it is not clear to him how he will lead the organization, being under the control of the local authorities and the IRGC. Therefore, Abu Maria calls on all branches and branches of Al-Qaedato withdraw from this organization, and Al-Qaeda itself to disband in order to oppose Iran as a “united front”.

In fact, HTS intends to lead the front of jihadist groups against Iran and Russia, replacing in this role the "central apparatus" of Al-Qaeda as the main coordinating body.

"Roadmap" of the legalization of terrorists
Back in 2021, the International Crisis Group, funded by the Soros Foundation, produced a report that formulated proposals for the Biden administration on Washington's attitude towards HTS. In particular, it stressed the need for the United States to work with its European allies and Turkey to “ push the HTS to take further action to address key local and international issues and set clear targets that, if met, could enable the HTS to decommission himself labeled "terrorist"," the document noted.

US and Ukraine bring in new jihadist fighters to fight Russia
In this regard, a "road map" was proposed, which contained proposals on what needs to be done by HTS so that NATO countries eventually stop treating it as a terrorist organization. In the future, it was supposed to support similar changes in the status of HTS in the UN, where "terrorist marks" should also be removed from it.

As a result, according to the idea of the Americans, HTS should acquire a legal status and it is with her that negotiations should be conducted on the future of the Syrian region of Idlib.

Western countries are now ready to increase stabilization support for "critical services" in Idlib, provided that HTS expands the space for Western NGOs to work, supports the activities of civil society organizations and "shows a clear commitment to political and religious pluralism."

In turn, recent events related to the restoration of Syria's membership in the Arab League and Ankara's readiness to normalize relations with Damascus may force Washington to intensify efforts to legalize HTS. The United States continues to oppose Syria's exit from the regime of international isolation and, perhaps, will seek to more actively support any opponents of Bashar al-Assad , who were previously refused assistance.

The most powerful and organized anti-government group in the SAR is the HTS. By taking the group under guardianship, the United States can prevent the solution of the Idlib problem through a Syrian-Turkish compromise. Such a compromise implies the establishment of control over the region by the Syrian government with certain concessions to the opposition.

Washington can also use HTS to put pressure on Turkey.
Recently, there has been growing tension for control over resources between pro-Turkish groups from the Syrian National Army and the HTS. This group seeks to become the only significant opposition force that has closed on itself all external support for the remaining afloat Syrian rebels, whom it would like to attach to its own forces along with the territories under their control.

In addition, the HTS-controlled region of Idlib is already being used to recruit foreign fighters to take part in the fighting in Ukraine on the side of the Kyiv regime. In particular, militants from the Ajnad al-Kavkaz group, which consists mainly of Chechens, have already arrived in Ukraine from Idlib, and so-called. "Albanian group".

Also, through their outreach activities, resources affiliated with HTS , including numerous Telegram channels, began to openly support the United States and Western countries, as well as Ukraine in conflict with Russia. A few years ago, direct support of these states by such jihadist structures seemed unthinkable.

ISIS terrorists are also in the focus of US attention

In addition to the HTS, the United States will continue to use fighters from another terrorist organization, ISIS (or IS ), to destabilize Syria.

In January 2022, there was a mass escape of ISIS militants from the Al-Hasakah prison in northeastern Syria, held by the US military and the Kurdish left-wing radical SDF. Among the fugitives were, among other things, high-ranking commanders of the group. Thanks to this, it was possible to significantly increase the combat capability of this terrorist organization. Especially given the fact that many of the fugitives made it to ISIS bases in central Syria.

However, even after this escape, the flow of both recruits and veterans of ISIS, smuggled out of Kurdish prisons under American control in northeast Syria, continued.

It is significant that these prisons contain both experienced militants, as well as young people and children. They at least continue to receive the appropriate ideological pumping from the "senior comrades"; they are taught both the skills of warfare and the conduct of terrorist attacks.

The increased activity of ISIS in Syria in recent months has led to heavy fighting this spring, in April and May, in the area of the Syrian city of Al-Qaum. Then the ISIS militants were able to take control of several settlements, and government forces only with the support of Russian PMCs and aviation managed to squeeze them back into the desert.

The growth of this terrorist activity is due to the fact that from the camps and prisons in the territory held by the Americans and Kurdish militants, groups of ISIS terrorists are purposefully “dumped” from time to time, which penetrate into the territories controlled by the government. These "emissions", of course, are controlled by the US military and the SDF, which open the appropriate corridors for this.

Such actions of the Americans have three goals.

First, to reduce tension in the camps themselves through the release of the most trained and active militants from there.

Secondly, through the activation of ISIS militants in the Syrian desert, open a second front against Russia, which will force it to divert its capabilities to the Syrian theater of operations. However, as the battles for Al-Qaum showed, government forces without Russian support are still ineffective in conducting counter-terrorism operations.

Second after Afghanistan. In Syria, a fatal blow is dealt to US hegemony
Thirdly, the activity of ISIS will serve as an excuse not only to maintain, but also to increase the American military presence in the Syrian northeast. Its declared goal is to prevent the revival of ISIS. Therefore, as long as ISIS is active, supporters of continued American intervention in Syria will always have an appropriate argument for Congress.

At the same time, the Americans will support the persistence of this threat of a “rebirth of ISIS” through the use of their own channels for replenishing terrorist cells exclusively in the desert areas controlled by the Syrian government. At the same time, these “dumpings” of ISIS militants from prisons and camps will be dosed and will allow maintaining the level of escalation that the Americans need, and if necessary, the flow of militants can be blocked.

Link

Afghanistan

Daily Evacuation Brief April 28, 2023

2023-04-28

[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS

SAUDI ARABIA EVACUATES AFGHANS TRAPPED IN SUDAN – An undisclosed number of Afghan citizens who had been caught between the opposing forces in Sudan were successfully evacuated to Jeddah yesterday. It is believed approximately fifty Afghans remain in Khartoum and elsewhere across the country. Saudi Arabia reportedly conducted the evacuation after an official request was made by the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry.

BLOWBACK FROM ‘RECOGNITION’ REMARKS CONTINUE – After the UN’s Deputy Secretary General made remarks that led some to believe that recognition of the IEA would be discussed at next month’s UN meetings, criticism has continued to mount. Yesterday, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission added its voice to the chorus and stated flatly that any attempt to recognize the regime while the bans on females in classrooms and humanitarian work remain in place is unacceptable. The AIHRC statement is just one of many from international human rights organizations who are warning against such a move. However, the UN has walked back the comments, and representatives from the nations that will attend the meetings have reiterated that recognition was never on the agenda. The drama illustrates some dysfunction among the various UN agencies in their messaging and the Director for Human Rights Watch Asia, Patricia Grossman, highlights some of the confusion issuing out of New York and Geneva. The report can be found by scrolling down to our Daily WTF section.

PAKISTAN’S CRACKDOWN ON CRIME HAS BEEN BLOODY, 6 POLICE KILLED IN SHOOTOUT IN SINDH – The government announced in March that it intended to tackle the issues of street criminals in conjunction with an all-out assault on terrorism. The police have definitely made good on the promise to reduce crime but it has come at a tremendous cost. Yesterday, a shootout took place between police and members of a kidnapping/ransom criminal network in Sindh Province on Wednesday. Police reacted to a tip and mounted an operation to try and recover the son of a local mill owner near Jageer. A gun battle broke out and 5 police officers were killed at the scene with another perishing en route to medical attention. It is not clear if any of the criminals were killed or arrested and the fate of the kidnapped boy is not yet known. The incident is just one of several deadly encounters the Police force has been involved with as they ramp up their efforts on both the criminal and terror fronts.

TWO SEPARATE BUS ACCIDENTS KILL 17, MANY INJURED – Bus accidents in Balkh and Kandahar Provinces on Thursday claimed the lives of at least 17 people, and many others were reportedly injured in the accidents. A Taliban spokesman has said that negligent driving and fatigue have caused an uptick in fatalities over the holiday.

CONFLICT TRACKER
Nangarhar: An operation by a currently unidentified Resistance group is said to have taken place near Torkham (Bandar area) that resulted in the deaths of 6 Taliban and 5 others were wounded.

NEXT 24 HOURS
UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL VOTE CONDEMNING TALIBAN EXPECTED – In an afternoon session on Thursday, the UNSC was expected to vote on a demand for the Taliban to reverse its restrictions on women’s education and work. The resolution was drafted jointly by the United Arab Emirates and Japan. Barring a veto from any of the permanent members of the council, the resolution was expected to pass. The vote could be significant leading into the Doha meetings from 1-2 May in Doha, Qatar which could well see a new strategy shift for dealing with the Taliban. UPDATE: The resolution passed unanimously late on Thursday.

Daily Evacuation Brief | April 27, 2023

[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS

RUSSIA ‘DROPS THE HAMMER’ ON THE TALIBAN – The Russian Foreign Minister made several remarks during a press conference in the US about Russia’s stance with regard to the Taliban. He proclaimed that Russia would not recognize the Taliban until it fulfilled its international obligations. Of primary importance to Russia was the formation of an inclusive government that represents not only ethnic minorities but opposing political views. He also added that the rights of girls and women must be respected. However, he also articulated that the Taliban are the ‘reality’ and must be dealt with on the ground in Afghanistan. Finally, he said Russia is supportive of the upcoming meeting in Doha which is to be hosted by the UN Secretary-General. Sergey Lavrov was in New York as Russia assumed the role of the presidency of the Security Council. Russia, Iran, and other regional powers have consistently stuck to the criteria Lavrov outlined but the Taliban leadership in Kandahar appears unwilling to compromise.

RUMORS OF US/TALIBAN COOPERATION AGAINST ISIS AND AL QAEDA CONTINUE TO SWIRL – Several regional News outlets have published stories about purported secretive meetings in Qatar and the UAE, between leaders of the Taliban’s intelligence unit (GDI) and select US intelligence agencies. The reports cite unnamed ‘sources’ who described the meetings as cordial and focused on limited areas of cooperation with regard to threats of mutual concern. The date of the meeting was not released but the sources said they had taken place recently. There has been no official confirmation of any such meetings but rumors of limited intelligence exchanges have circulated for many months and several analysts believe the drone strikes that resulted in the death of the al-Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, were coordinated with elements from the Ministry of the Interior.

POISONINGS AT WEDDING PARTY IN FARYAB – A source said that nearly 20 guests who attended a wedding in the province were poisoned and had fallen ill. The source said that preliminary investigation results suggest that guests were served pomegranate juice that had been laced with sleeping pills. There were no suspects named at the time of the report. The case is eerily similar to an incident that occurred in Faryab in 2015. Approximately 40 people were reputedly poisoned during a dinner at a wedding ceremony event in the Province and investigators believed the case was perpetrated by a jealous rival who had been involved with the Taliban-led poisoning of Afghan school girls that affected roughly 300 children in Herat Province the same year.

WHILE THE US ADMINISTRATION HAS ‘CONFIRMED’ THE TALIBAN ASSERTION OVER THE DEATH OF THE MASTERMIND OF THE ABBEY GATE BOMBING, OTHERS DISAGREE – Several Afghanistan observers and members of the former regime’s intelligence service and military say the Taliban and the US Government are wrong and the plotter is alive and is possibly living in Kunar Province. While the identity of the corpse discovered after a security operation in Southern Afghanistan earlier this month has not been released, those claiming knowledge of the situation say they got the wrong man. They have identified Abdullah Omar Bajawari as the actual planner of the Abbey Gate attack. At this point, it is not clear who was killed and what role he may have played in the attack. US officials continue to assert, with high confidence, that the man killed by the Taliban was indeed responsible for the deadly attack. More information will likely be released over the coming weeks to provide clarity.

NEXT 24 HOURS
SEVERE WEATHER ALERTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN – A strong storm system is expected to roll across both countries over the coming week. Heavy rain, strong winds, and hail will be widespread and emergency management agencies are warning agricultural workers and the transport sector about the possibility of flooding. The system could be met by a high-pressure system loitering over China and India which would cause it to remain over Pakistan, potentially into the first week of May. At-risk Afghans who reside in areas under threat from this system should set aside drinking water and food as the expected flooding is expected to pollute local drinking water supplies and disrupt the transport systems.

Link

Afghanistan

ISIS in Afghanistan Capable of Overseas Attacks, Says US Commander

2023-03-17

[KhaamaPress] The Islamic State militants in Afghanistan will have the potential to attack American or Western interests outside the country in less than six months, the top commander for US forces in the Middle East said on Thursday.

Army General Michael Kurilla, who leads US Central Command, told the US Senate Armed Services Committee that Islamic State’s Khorasan Province, commonly known as ISIS-K, is rapidly growing in Afghanistan, with the potential to launch “overseas operations” in Europe and Asia.

The terrorist group will not be able to attack the US homeland in the near future, however, hundreds of Americans outside the country will face immediate threats from the insurgent group, according to Michael Kurilla.

Following the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, civil and military American officials said that the United States has the ability to target terrorist groups in Afghanistan from a distance.

The killing of Al-Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a counter-terrorism operation by the CIA in the Afghan capital city of Kabul in August 2021, justifies the US’s ability to target terrorist groups in Afghanistan and beyond.

Kurilla acknowledged that the quality of US intelligence has degraded since the pullout from Afghanistan, and conducting counterterrorism operations has become difficult but not impossible. He said his command is working to close the intelligence gap using sophisticated technologies that can stay in the air for days and weeks to enhance gathering accurate intelligence on terror groups.

Since the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, ISIS-K is responsible for killing and injuring at least 700 people in Afghanistan, according to Human Rights Watch. The terrorist group carried out four high-profile attacks from December-January 2022, hitting Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, the military section of Kabul’s airport, the Pakistani embassy, and a hotel housing Chinese guests, according to the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project.

Security remains a significant challenge for Afghanistan’s de facto authorities among other critical issues, such as poverty, unemployment, and economic challenges. The Islamic State militants in Afghanistan will have the potential to attack American or Western interests outside the country in less than six months, the top commander for US forces in the Middle East said on Thursday.

Army General Michael Kurilla, who leads US Central Command, told the US Senate Armed Services Committee that Islamic State’s Khorasan Province, commonly known as ISIS-K, is rapidly growing in Afghanistan, with the potential to launch “overseas operations” in Europe and Asia.

The terrorist group will not be able to attack the US homeland in the near future, however, hundreds of Americans outside the country will face immediate threats from the insurgent group, according to Michael Kurilla.

Following the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, civil and military American officials said that the United States has the ability to target terrorist groups in Afghanistan from a distance.

The killing of Al-Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a counter-terrorism operation by the CIA in the Afghan capital city of Kabul in August 2021, justifies the US’s ability to target terrorist groups in Afghanistan and beyond.

Kurilla acknowledged that the quality of US intelligence has degraded since the pullout from Afghanistan, and conducting counterterrorism operations has become difficult but not impossible. He said his command is working to close the intelligence gap using sophisticated technologies that can stay in the air for days and weeks to enhance gathering accurate intelligence on terror groups.

Since the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, ISIS-K is responsible for killing and injuring at least 700 people in Afghanistan, according to Human Rights Watch. The terrorist group carried out four high-profile attacks from December-January 2022, hitting Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, the military section of Kabul’s airport, the Pakistani embassy, and a hotel housing Chinese guests, according to the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project.

Security remains a significant challenge for Afghanistan’s de facto authorities among other critical issues, such as poverty, unemployment, and economic challenges.

Link

Terror Networks

Iran-based trainer of 9/11 hijackers Sayf al-‘Adl believed to be new al-Qaeda chief

2023-02-15

[IsraelTmes] Though successor to Ayman al-Zawahri not officially announced by terror group, most UN member states say commander is its ’uncontested leader’

UN experts say the predominant view among member nations is that the leadership of al-Qaeda has passed to Sayf al-’Adl, who was responsible for the late Osama bin Laden
...... who used to be alive but now he's not......
’s security and trained some of the hijackers involved in the 9/11 attack on the US.

The panel of experts said in a report to the UN Security Council circulated Monday that no announcement has been made of Sayf al-’Adl replacing Ayman al-Zawahri, who was killed by a US dronezap in Kabul last August.

"But in discussions in November and December many UN member states took the view that Sayf al-’Adl is already operating as the de facto and uncontested leader of the group," the report said.

Assessments vary as to why al-’Adl’s leadership hasn’t been declared, it said.

Some countries feel that al-Zawahri’s presence in Kabul embarrassed the country’s Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
rulers who are seeking legitimacy "and that al-Qaeda chose not to exacerbate this by acknowledging the death," the experts said.

"However,
alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk...
most judged a key factor to be the continued presence of Sayf al-’Adl in the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran
Iran

...They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
(which) raised difficult theological and operational questions for al-Qaeda," they said.

While noting that one country rejected claims that any al-Qaeda affiliate is in Iran, the panel said that the location of Sayf al-’Adl’a "raises questions that have a bearing on al-Qaeda’s ambitions to assert leadership of a global movement in the face of challenges" from the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
murderous Moslem group.

Sayf al-’Adl has been listed on the UN sanctions blacklist as Egyptian-born Mohammed Salahaldin Abd El Halim Zidan since January 2001, the panel said. He is described in the UN listing as taking over as military commander of al-Qaeda following the death of Mohammed Atef — one of bin Laden’s top aides — in a US attack in November 2001.

In addition to being bin Laden’s security chief, the UN says, Sayf al-’Adl taught bully boyz to use explosives and trained some of the hijackers involved in the attack in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. It says he also trained Somali fighters who killed 18 US servicemen in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993.

Sayf al-’Adl is wanted by US authorities in connection with the August 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.

According to the report, the threat from al-Qaeda, the Islamic State murderous Moslem group, and their affiliates "remains high in conflict zones and neighboring countries," with Africa emerging in recent years "as the continent where the harm done by terrorism is developing most rapidly and extensively."

The panel said the Islamic State’s leadership has also become a question following the group’s Nov. 30 announcement that Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi had died in a battle the previous month, the group’s second leader to be killed in 2022.

"The new leader was announced as Abu al-Husain al-Husaini al-Qurashi, and his true identity is not yet known," the experts said.

Member states noted numerous pledges of allegiance to Abu al-Husain by Islamic State "affiliates far and wide without specific knowledge of his identity or qualities as a leader," they said.

Wikipedia:

According to the Egyptian authorities, the FBI information on Saif al-Adel confuses the biographies of two members of Al-Qaeda. The first, 'Mohammed Salah al-Din Zaidan', known as Saif al-Adel, an economy graduate, joined Al-Qaeda in 1991, but was never a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. The other individual, 'Mohammed Ibrahim Makkawi', is a former Egyptian Special Forces Colonel and a former member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, who traveled to Afghanistan in 1987 after his release from prison, and later joined Al-Qaeda.

According to the indictment, Adel is a member of the majlis al shura of al-Qaeda and a member of its military committee. He has provided military and intelligence training to members of al-Qaeda and Egyptian Islamic Jihad in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan, and to anti-UN Somali tribes.[5] It is possible that his trainees included the Somalis of the first Battle of Mogadishu in 1993.[6] He established the al-Qaeda training facility at Ras Kamboni in Somalia near the Kenyan border.[7]

Adel was accused of being involved with Egyptian Islamic Jihad and attempting to overthrow the Egyptian government in 1987. After the charges were dismissed, he left the country in 1988 to join the mujahideen in repelling the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.[8] He is believed to have traveled to southern Lebanon along with Abu Talha al-Sudani, Saif al-Islam al-Masri, Abu Ja`far al-Masri, and Abu Salim al-Masri, where he trained alongside Hezbollah Al-Hejaz.[9]

In Khartoum, Sudan, Adel taught recruited militants how to handle explosives.[4] Along with Saeed al-Masri and Mahfouz Ould al-Walid, he is believed to have opposed the September 11 attacks two months prior to their execution.[10]

Many analysts believe that Saif al-Adel will be named as the successor of Ayman al-Zawahiri since he was a loyal aide of Osama bin Laden.[11] However, this is seen as a complicated issue due to his residency in Iran.[12]

Link

Afghanistan

'No Details Found to Prove Zawahiri Was Killed in Kabul': Islamic Emirate

2023-02-09

*Snicker* Saying it won’t force Allah to make it so, suggesting that Allah doesn’t love the Talibs nearly as much as they suppose.

[ToloNews] The Islamic Emirate said that they have not found any details to prove that Ayman al-Zawahiri
...Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area assuming he's not dead like Mullah Omar. He lost major face when he ordered the nascent Islamic State to cease and desist and merge with the orthodox al-Qaeda spring, al-Nusra...
, former leader of al-Qaeda, was killed in Afghanistan.
Oh yeah? Then whose nose is this??
In August, US President Joe The Big Guy Biden
Joe <q>The Big Guy</q> Biden

...46th president of the U.S. Sleazy Dem machine politician, paterfamilias of the Biden Crime Family, the guy who bungled Afghanistan...
in a live address announced the death of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

"We have not reached a result yet. There has been no clear and decisive reason to prove that such an incident happened. It is still at a level of allegation. We have not received a satisfactory reason by the US," said Zabiullah Mujahid, Islamic Emirate’s front man.

However,
there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly...
the Islamic Emirate then condemned the drone attack that took place in August, in which the US said Zawahiri was killed.

"If Zawahiri was alive, he might defend himself and prove somehow the US claim wrong," said Mohammad Hassan Haqyar, a political analyst.

Some political analysts called the death of Zawahiri a controversial issue and urged an international investigation into it.

"To be clearer to the public mind, it is better that the sides agree on an investigation by an international and professional team in this regard," said Asadullah Nadim, a political analyst.

"This is a plan of the ISI and CIA to stress their claim that Afghanistan is a sanctuary of terrorists," said Bilal Fatimi, a political analyst.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, 71, who led the al-Qaeda network after the death of founder the late Osama bin Laden
...... who is now among the dear departed, though not among the dearest......
, was born to an Egyptian family in 1951 in Cairo.

His father Mohammed, who died in 1995,

...so he didn’t live long enough to have to be ashamed at what his son became...

was a pharmacology professor at Cairo University, where Zawahiri obtained a master’s degree in surgery.

Link

Afghanistan

Afghanistan intelligence official brags about ordering attacks that killed hundreds of civilians

2023-02-04

[FoxNews] Taj Mir Jawad bragged about ordering a number of car and suicide kabooms.

Afghanistan's deputy minister of intelligence bragged on national television about his role in a 2018 suicide kaboom in Kabul that killed over 100 people.

During an appearance on TOLONews Jan. 28, Taj Mir Jawad took credit for directing the attack, along with other attacks, including car and suicide kabooms.

The 2018 attack involved an ambulance full of explosives traveling to an intersection in Kabul, where it detonated and killed over 100 civilians, including women and kiddies.

Two U.S. intelligence officials, who wish to remain anonymous, told the Long War Journal Taj Mir Jawad went by the name of Jawad Sargar during his time as a Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
commander who helped lead the Kabul Attack Network along with known jihadist Daud, or Dawood.

Tajuden Soroush, a senior international correspondent for Iran
Iran

...The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both...
International, posted a clip of the interview to Twitter.

Suhail Shaheen, head of the Political Office in Doha, refuted Jawad’s claim, telling Fox News Digital that "killing of civilians has never been the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) policy. We refute this."

"The IEA front man had denied having carried out the 2018 bombing," stressed Shaheen, who previously served as front man for the Taliban during its insurgency.

The Kabul Attack Network used personnel and resources from the Taliban, al Qaeda and a number of Islamic movements across Uzbekistan and Turkistan to carry out attacks around Afghanistan’s capital city.

Bill Roggio of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and managing editor of The Long War Journal, wrote on Twitter that the group even found support from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, which he claims directly funded the Taliban and al Qaeda.

But how can that be, when we know that Sunni and Shiites never, ever support one another, even after Iran sheltered one branch of Al Qaeda after 9/11.
/sarcasm

"The IRGC was financing some of the most spectacular attacks in the heart of Afghanistan against U.S., NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
and Afghan cops, as well as civilians," Roggio wrote.

Jawad took his post as deputy intelligence minister shortly after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan following the hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.

According to The Long War Journal, he reports to Abdul Haq Wasiq, an ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee who served as the Taliban’s deputy director general of intelligence prior to the 9/11 attacks. Wasiq now serves as the director of intelligence for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Link

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