The Hesbah forum’s reaction to two recent rumors is instructive. First, the claim by a Hamas official that Obama’s advisers met with members of the organization during the U.S. election is being met with derision. The derision is directed not at Obama but at Hamas for selling out and walking down the trail blazed by Fatah. [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Afghanistan’
Divide And Conquer
Posted: 12th November 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, HamasTags: Afghanistan, Hamas, Hekmatyar, Taliban
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Hesbah Discusses U.S.-Taliban Negotiations
Posted: 30th October 2008 by Will McCants in AfghanistanTags: Afghanistan, Taliban
A quick rundown of the opinions on the Hesbah forum in reaction to news that the U.S. is negotiating with elements of the Taliban: `Umar: “Humilated, they [the Americans] will leave (Afghanistan) and all of the Muslim countries.” Al-Islam Nasir: “Aren’t negotiations with the Taliban a victory for us, brothers? What if the result of [...]
Jihadis Skeptical Of Reported U.S. Pardon Of Mullah Omar
Posted: 28th October 2008 by Will McCants in AfghanistanTags: Afghanistan, Taliban
Members of the Shumukh forum are skeptical of a report in al-Islam al-Yawm that the U.S. is willing to remove Mullah Omar from its blacklist as part of its negotiations with the Taliban (a similar story, in English, is here). One member, Jaysh al-Zahf (The Advancing Army), says its a Saudi ruse. Another, Abu Muhajir, [...]
New Issues of Two Jihadi Journals
Posted: 5th October 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, AQ Leadership, Jihadi journals, SomaliaTags: Afghanistan, Somali
Issue 12 of the Tala’i` Khurasan (Vanguards of Khurasan) is out. Several big names have written pieces, including Atiyyat Allah (we have to learn from our mistakes), Abu al-Walid al-Ansari (how past jihads failed), Abu Yahya al-Libi (fighting to restore the Sharia is the only way forward in Palestine), and Mustafa Abu al-Yazid (the meaning [...]
Pakistani Taliban Videos Posted On Mainstream News Site
Posted: 27th August 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, Jihadi media, Pakistan, propaganda, RecruitmentTags: Afghanistan, media, Pakistan, Pakistani Taliban, Taliban
[Chipotle Mystery] One of the difficulties in studying militant groups in Pakistan is that there aren’t a lot, if any, forums dedicated to these groups that are affiliated with the Taliban. Most Taliban-related information that is available in forums comes through Al-Qaeda clearinghouses like Al-Sahab, though smaller studios occasionally have videos that make it to [...]
Pakistan Preparing All-Out Confrontation of Militants?
Posted: 25th August 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, AQ Leadership, Conspiracy Theories, Pakistan, ZawahiriTags: Afghanistan, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Counterinsurgency, Pakistan, Pakistani Taliban, Taliban
[Chipotle Mystery] Since late July a number of suicide attacks have struck Pakistan, reminiscent of the spate of violence that ringed in the New Year and witnessed the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The rise in violence comes as the Pakistani military appears to be engaging in a large-scale offensive in Bajaur, one of the seven [...]
The Chameleon Strategy
Posted: 21st August 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, AQ in Iraq, Islamic State of IraqTags: Afghanistan, Islamic State of Iraq, Taliban
Muhami al-Dawla (“Defender of the State”) has written an essay on Ekhlaas titled, “The Connection between the State of Islam and the Taliban is the Strategy of the ‘Chameleon.’” His argument is that the Taliban’s recent successful surge in Afghanistan is the result of using “chameleon cells,” which are small, well-organized, armed bands that 1) [...]
Jihadis Apprehensive About the Future
Posted: 7th August 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, AQ in Iraq, Iraq, MotivationsTags: Afghanistan, Iraq, morale
Jihadica reader Jallen asks some good questions about the pessimism of Jihadis regarding Iraq: How long have forum members been pessimistic over Iraq? Is the pessimism widespread or just a few members in one forum? Is pessimism over Iraq matched by increased optimism over Afghanistan or are these independent? It depends which forum you read. [...]
Weekend Detritus
Posted: 3rd August 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, art, Travel RoutesTags: Afghanistan, Bin Laden, forum fighter, graffiti
I’ve found a very interesting nugget for tomorrow night, but in the meantime here are two bits of debris: First is a July 31st announcement on the Firdaws forum that one of its members, Khattab al-Thaqafi, traveled to fight in Afghanistan. Thaqafi, we are told, contributed a great deal on the Internet and to Jihadi [...]
Iraq a Sinking Ship for al-Qaeda, Afghanistan the Lifeboat
Posted: 31st July 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, AQ in Iraq, AQ Leadership, Iran, Islamic State of Iraq, SyriaTags: Afghanistan, al-Qaeda in Iraq, Syria
Earlier this week, I noted that members of the Hesbah forum are increasingly pessimistic about Iraq. And in May I wrote about the death of Sulayman al-`Utaybi, an al-Qaeda leader in Iraq who had left for Afghanistan after his dismissal from his post. Here’s what I wrote at the time: That he headed straight for [...]