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 ‘Taliban’
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, [...]
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) [...]
Al-Qaeda Cleric Linked to Chinese Terrorist Group
Posted: 11th August 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, AQ Leadership, China, PakistanTags: China, Islamic Party of Turkistan, Pakistan, Shaykh `Isa, Taliban
In the past week, there have been a spate of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, the Muslim-majority province in China. On Aug. 4, militants killed 16 police in Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, which is near the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. On Sunday, bombers attacked 17 sites in Kuqa, west-central Xianjiang. Although I haven’t seen any claim [...]