The official al-Qa’ida media outlet al-Sahab has released a flurry of videos in the past two weeks featuring leaders of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), both living and dead, in what amounts to a media campaign announcing their open alliance with Pakistan’s deadliest militant network. On September 28, Zawahiri’s video eulogy for the slain TTP [...]
Archive for the ‘Pakistan’ Category
Al-Qa’ida Publicy Cements Ties to the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan
Posted: 14th October 2009 by Vahid Brown in Jihadi media, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, Pakistan, Zawahiri5
A growing number of news reports from Pakistan are voicing concern over the alleged presence of the controversial security contractor Blackwater (or Xe) in Pakistan. The latest online edition of banned Urdu newspaper Zarb-e-Momin (linked to the outlawed al-Rasheed Trust) also issued an article on this topic. After briefly outlining Blackwater’s history, columnist Aurya Maqbool [...]
Jaysh-e-Mohammed on Madrasas
Posted: 3rd September 2009 by Qandeel Siddique in Jaysh-e Mohammed, Pakistan, UncategorizedIn the latest edition of al-Qalam, the weekly online magazine of the Pakistani militant group Jaysh-e-Mohammed, columnist Naveed Masood Hashmi lashes out at Hillary Clinton for linking madrassas, or religious seminaries, to suicide bombings. In an article entitled “Hillary, Madaris and Hanging/Execution,” Hashmi asks: “… who is she [Hillary Clinton] to accuse Pakistani madrassas of [...]
Visions of Afghan and Somali Emirates
Posted: 27th August 2009 by Scott Sanford in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, propaganda, Somalia, StrategyOn 25 August 2009, the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) published a plea by Dr. John Boutros for Muslims to aid the jihadi cause. He stated, “Do not mourn because the Islamic Caliphate is imminent… Trust me, the US is one or two thrusts” away from crumpling. However, in order to make this happen Muslims [...]
Hijazi Comments on New AFPAK Strategy
Posted: 16th August 2009 by Scott Sanford in Afghanistan, Pakistan, StrategyOn 28 July 2009 the popular jihadi blogger Akram Hijazi initiated a series of articles under the title, “The Power of God in the Great Empires.” He titled the first installment “The American Strategy in Afghanistan,” the second “Dismembering the Strategy,” the third “Strategic Crisis and NATO’s Humiliations,” and the fourth, which is the last [...]
On 10 August 2009, Abdullah al-Wazir, a “jihadi correspondent” for the Shumukh forums, stated that his “private sources in Pakistan” have denied the death of Baitullah Mehsud. These “sources” maintained that Mehsud is in good health and remains operational. Al-Wazir added that he requested an official video or statement regarding the matter, but did not [...]
In my previous post we saw how Commander Hafizullah viewed the struggle of the Swati Taliban. Later in the video, he says some interesting things about how the militants acquire support, money and weapons. By feeding off the social and economic frustrations of the local populace in the tribal belt, the Swati militants may have [...]
Since May this year the Pakistani Army has been engaged in fierce combat in the Swat valley against a branch of the Pakistani Taliban. Who are the rebels and what do they want? A recent urdu-language video by al-Sahab features an interview with a Pakistani Taliban commander named Hafizullah. It offers useful insights into the [...]
The Posts That Never Were
Posted: 13th July 2009 by Thomas Hegghammer in Afghanistan, France, Islamic State of Iraq, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, Pakistan, Somalia, Strategy, USAApologies for the slow publication pace here at Jihadica, but deadlines and an upcoming house move mean I can only dream about serious blogging these days. This does not mean forums are quiet. Every morning this past week I found things on the forums that deserved commentary. In a dream world, here’s what I would [...]
Are the Uzbeks Going Global?
Posted: 17th June 2009 by Einar Wigen in Afghanistan, Germany, Jihadi media, Pakistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan[Editor’s note: I am thrilled to introduce Einar Wigen, author of the recent FFI report on the IJU, as a guest contributor. Einar interned at FFI last summer and is currently a a student fellow at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs (NUPI). A fluent Turkish speaker, Einar specialises in jihadism among the Turkics. Not [...]