Don Rassler and Vahid Brown have written one helluva report on the Haqqani network, the folks who have been providing aid and sanctuary to AQ Central for decades. Based on thousands of pages of primary source documents–many not previously released to the public–Rassler and Brown explain how the Haqqanis did (and do) it. Still not sure [...]
Archive for the ‘Afghanistan’ Category
NYU Report on AQ and Taliban
Posted: 8th February 2011 by Thomas Hegghammer in Afghanistan, AQ Central, TalibanNYU’s Center on International Cooperation has just published a new report by Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn on Taliban-al-Qaida relations and implications for US policy. Few people are better informed than Alex and Felix about this topic. How many Western civilians do you know who has spent the past few years living in Qandahar?
From the Pen to the Sword
Posted: 3rd January 2011 by Joas Wagemakers in Afghanistan, AQ Central, Better Know a Forum, Jordan, propaganda, terrorismOne of the things that struck me about the Stockholm bomber, Taimour Abdalwahhab, was that he was apparently active on the internet as a radical before he decided to engage in actual terrorism (see Thomas’ posts below for more details). This transition reminded me of a similar but much more serious process by someone who [...]
Justifiying Martyrdom in German
Posted: 21st May 2010 by Nico Prucha in Afghanistan, Converts, Germany, Suicide bombingsEditor’s note: I am glad to introduce Nico Prucha as a new regular contributor to Jihadica. Nico is an German Arabist who has followed the jihadi Internet for a long time and has written several articles on the topic for Jane’s and other publications.] In mid-April Elif Medya published a 30-page document in German justifying [...]
Guest Post: The Story of Eric Breininger
Posted: 11th May 2010 by Thomas Hegghammer in Afghanistan, Germany, training camps, Travel Routes[Editor's note: This post was written by Christopher Radler and Behnam Said, who are intelligence analysts based in Hamburg, Germany. For links to the original document, see the comments to the preview post.] On 3 May a message announcing the death of Eric Breininger (b. 3 August 1987) and three of his fellow combatants was [...]
Preview: Autobiography of a German Jihadist
Posted: 5th May 2010 by Thomas Hegghammer in Afghanistan, Converts, Germany, PakistanThe memoirs of Erik Breininger, the German jihadist who was allegedly recently killed in Waziristan, have reportedly appeared online. I haven’t seen them myself yet, but if their authenticity can be established, we are dealing with an extremely valuable document. Jihadica will bring you more details soon.
New Report Profiling the Taliban
Posted: 23rd April 2010 by Thomas Hegghammer in Afghanistan, TalibanAnne Stenersen has written a new FFI report on the organizational structure and ideology of the Taliban. The report is based on field research, analysis of online Taliban propaganda and a thorough review of the secondary literature. This is essential reading for anyone working Afghanistan. One of her conclusions caught my eye: “For the time [...]
Did the Quetta Shura Break With al-Qaida?
Posted: 22nd March 2010 by Anne Stenersen in Afghanistan, AQ Central, TalibanMustafa Hamid, aka Abu’l-Walid al-Masri, published a blog piece a little while ago which discussed the arrest of Mullah Baradir. It’s fascinating reading, especially the first part which deals with the historical role of Mullah Baradir in the Taliban insurgency. It’s already been covered in part by Leah Farrall. I thought I’d add some comment [...]
New Interview with Jalaluddin Haqqani
Posted: 19th November 2009 by Qandeel Siddique in Afghanistan, PakistanThe latest issue of Nawai Afghan Jihad includes an interview with Jalaluddin Haqqani. The interview is centered on American policy in Afghanistan and the danger America poses to the world. Little mention is made of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or the role of Pakistani extremists in Afghanistan. To a question regarding the “propaganda unleashed by the [...]
The Taliban, the UN and al-Qaida
Posted: 30th October 2009 by Anne Stenersen in Afghanistan, AQ Leadership, Taliban(Editor’s note: Anne tried to post a comment on Vahid Brown’s landmark post on Al-Qaida-Taliban relations. Given that she is one of the world’s foremost experts on this issue, there was no way I was going to let her remarks “disappear” into the comments section. So here they are. Her text begins with a response [...]