al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – President Joe Biden announced on Monday evening that a CIA-operated drone had killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second leader of al-Qaeda after Usama Bin Laden, on Saturday while he stood on the balcony of a Taliban safe house in Kabul. He was allegedly hosted by the Haqqani clan, one of whose […]

From the KKK to Europe’s new “Jihadis”: The Hidden Logic of seemingly Random Acts of Terror

Glenn E. Robinson

By Glenn E. Robinson | – Prior to his November 2 shooting rampage in Vienna, Kujtim Fejzullai’s affinity for ISIS was known to Austrian police, given his earlier unsuccessful attempt to cross Turkey’s border to join the ‘caliphate.’ But as far as is known, Fejzullai never actually made contact with ISIS before he swore his […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Did the US War on Terror Displace 37 Million?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The Brown University Watson Institute Costs of War Project has put out a report concluding that the US-led “War on Terror” has displaced 37 million people. While there are parts of the report I agree with, some of the argument seems to me flawed. Let me explain why that is, […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Trump’s Pentagon Admits to ‘Multiple Ground Missions’ in Yemen

Juan Cole

TeleSur | – – The U.S. Defense Department claimed the ISIS presence has doubled in Yemen. For the first time, U.S. Pentagon has admitted to carrying out “multiple ground missions” in Yemen. “U.S. forces have conducted multiple ground operations and more than 120 strikes in 2017,” U.S. Central Command, Centcom, in Tampa, Florida, said in […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

London Covered but 83 Iraqis killed in ISIL attack largely ignored by US TV News

contributors

UK lives are precious but aren’t Iraqi lives, as well?

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

After Mosul: The Coming ISIL Apocalypse in al-Anbar Desert

contributors

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – While fighting against the Islamic State group drags on in Mosul, tribal and military forces in Anbar are preparing for what will likely be the final battle against the extremists. But this fight will take many months. Many Iraqis and international observers are continuing to […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Under Trump, More Coalition Strikes on Yemen in a Week than in a Year under Obama

contributors

TeleSur | – – More drone and airstrikes have rained on Yemen in the past week than in any year of Barack Obama’s administration, with dozens of U.S. coalition airstrikes hitting schools, hospitals, markets and private homes. The strikes have reportedly targeted Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP, yet also killed civilians, including at […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Yemen withdraws blanket approval for US action after Trump’s botched Raid

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The the Arab press, reports that that government has withdrawn blanket permission from the Trump administration to conduct raids and drone strikes on al-Qaeda and other targets. It is sourcing one of the two Yemeni governments (that of Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi). Mansour Hadi’s diplomat expressed to […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Al-Qaeda Everywhere: US support for Oppressive Gov’t’s made Bin Laden’s Killing Moot

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The US government has never understood insurgency for the most part. Smart USG officials with whom I’ve interacted have had a firm belief that leadership is a rare quality and that you can attrite an organization by killing its leaders. This theory is patently false. It […]