The US State Department today announced the designation of Usamah Amin al Shihabi, who has "recently been appointed head of Syria-based al Nusrah Front's Palestinian wing in Lebanon."

Al Shihabi is also described as being an "associate" of Fatah al Islam (FAI), "a Lebanese-based militant group formed in 2006, whose ultimate goal is the institution of Islamist sharia law in the Palestinian refugee camps and the destruction of Israel." The State Department explains that al Shihabi "at times has played a key leadership role in the organization."

The ties between Fatah al Islam and the Al Nusrah Front, which is one of al Qaeda's official branches inside Syria, are unsurprising. Members of Fatah al Islam, which is linked to al Qaeda and al Qaeda in Iraq, have been killed while fighting in Iraq and Syria. Some of Fatah al Islam's earliest leaders are known to have been close to Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the deceased head of al Qaeda in Iraq. [See LWJ report, Fatah al Islam emir killed while waging jihad in Syria.]

Allegedly trained terror cell that plotted against Americans in Jordan

Leaked State Department cables provide additional details concerning Usamah Amin al Shihabi's career. One, dated Oct. 5, 2006, noted that al Shihabi had been accused by Jordanian authorities of training a group of men who "plotted to attack American citizens, nightclubs, liquor shops, and hotels in Amman and Aqaba."

The plot was foiled, however, after four members of the cell were arrested in September 2005.

In September 2006, the four arrested members, al Shihabi, and one other plotter were sentenced to "between 10 and 15 years [of] hard labor" after being convicted of planning the terror attack. Al Shihabi and the other plotter were tried in absentia, as they were "believed to be in Lebanon" at the time.

The State Department cable explains that, according to the Jordanian court papers, the "cell's members received weapons training in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon." The training was conducted by al Shihabi and one of his accomplices.

According to the Jordanian government, the cable reads: [T]he defendants sought to spray cyanide on the doorknobs of nightclubs to poison customers, but could not buy the chemical without a license." They "switched plans to conduct their attacks using machine-guns, according to the indictment."

The al Shihabi-trained cell called itself the "Khattab Brigade." According to another leaked State Department cable, dated Dec. 8, 2005, the cell "planned to attack Americans who frequented the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman, and the Intercontinental Hotel in Aqaba."

Al Qaeda reportedly revamped organization in Lebanon

Al Shihabi's appointment as head of the Al Nusrah Front's Palestinian branch was reported earlier this year. The move was seen as part of al Qaeda's push to unify control over its operations at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon.

An account by Mohammad Harfoush, a Lebanese journalist who writes for the Kuwaiti Al-Anbaa newspaper, noted that al Shihabi's appointment, as well as other personnel moves, came after al Qaeda decided to restructure its organization in Lebanon "following instructions from Ayman al Zawahiri."

It is not clear what specific reports led to this reporting. Harfoush cited accounts "in Beirut from local and Western media" as the source for this claim. In any event, Harfoush's account accurately noted al Shihabi's appointment.

Germany's Syria policy is one of the most paradoxical within the European Union. In contrast to her French and British counterparts, Chancellor Angela Merkel has opposed all forms of military intervention and lethal aid designed to topple Bashar al Assad's regime.

Yet a steady stream of German Muslims continues to enter the war zone and embrace jihad. To be fair, sizable numbers of Muslims (as of early December, between 1,500 and 2,000) from across Europe have managed to travel to Syria because of lax Turkish border policies and the wide latitude afforded to those with Western passports.

The mushrooming influx of German fighters into Syria prompted a worrisome reaction earlier this month from Germany's domestic intelligence head Hans-Georg Maaßen.
The agency's inability to prevent the departure of extremists for Syria was captured in Maaßen's appeal to "Turkey as a very important factor in the region" and as a country with which Germany "hopes and expects to have a significantly closer working relationship." His boilerplate diplomatic language reflects the reality that Turkey's dangerously porous borders have allowed European Muslims to enter what is arguably the world's largest mix of foreign jihadists.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's relaxed policies toward allowing foreign fighters to enter northern Syria via Turkey have helped al Qaeda-linked groups to absorb large swaths of land. German media refer to the establishment of a "German Camp" in Syria that caters to training and recruitment as a magnet to attract German-speaking jihadists from Europe. Germany's domestic intelligence agency Verfassungsschutz -- The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution -- declined to comment on the "German Camp" report.

The decampment of radical German Islamists to Muslim-majority countries immersed in revolt is nothing new. In 2009, German Muslims set up a "German village" in Pakistan as a base connected to the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. It is worth noting that the German Islamists used Iran as a conduit to enter Pakistan.

Last year, German intelligence and police officials described the emergence of a "German Salafist colony" in Egypt. Over 60 German fighters created an organizational base in Egypt. The former famous Berlin rapper Denis Cuspert (a.k.a. "Deso Dogg") escaped the observation of the Verfassungsschutz and fled to the "German Salafist colony." Cuspert is now in Syria fighting to topple the Assad regime.

German police official stated in mid-November that Cuspert planned terror attacks on German institutions abroad. Cuspert, in an audio message, said that "Germany is not my attack target" for his jihadi activities.

A flurry of Twitter micro-blogs in late November claimed Cuspert had died. Dr. Guido Steinberg, a counterterrorism expert and author of German Jihad: On the Internationalization of Islamist Terrorism, said that Cuspert is not dead but is either still in Syria or receiving medical treatment in Turkey.

Steinberg, who is affiliated with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said that "[t]here is only a very limited number of Germans with Al Nusrah and ISIS because the leadership distrusts" fighters who cannot be easily identified and dislikes the uncertainty created by dealing with non-homegrown combatants. The al Qaeda-linked ISIS and Al Nusrah represent the most lethal form of revolutionary Islam in Syria. This helps to explain their obsession with avoiding penetration by spies. They may very well suspect Cuspert because he is a convert to Islam. Cuspert's new name is believed to be Abu Talha al-Almani.

The challenge German security services face in gathering sound intelligence and monitoring threats was illustrated last year. The New York Times reported in an article titled "German case spotlights difficulty in monitoring Muslim extremists," that a Tunisian man who may have worked as a bodyguard to Osama bin Laden a year before the 9/11 attacks had been living undetected in Germany. Sami A., the alleged bin Laden bodyguard, was described as a "dangerous Jihadist" who gained enormous admiration among young German Muslims for his training in extremist camps in Afghanistan.

The failure to take preventative measures to combat radicalization and inadequate antiterrorism policies in the Federal Republic has helped create a pool of young German Muslim zealots eager to fight in Syria and willing to die as "martyrs."

By current estimates there are 230 German Muslims in Syria, and this number is "changing on a daily basis," according to information obtained from the Verfassungsschutz. The intelligence agency said this represents a mix of German "fighters and humanitarian aid personnel," and added: "What they are doing there, we don't know, because we are a domestic intelligence agency." It is worth recalling that in August the estimated number of German fighters in Syria was 150, and six months prior the figure was 60.

The counterterrorism alarm bells are ringing in the Federal Republic because of the ballooning number of German Muslims traveling to Syria. The western state of Hesse is slated to implement an early warning system to stop jihadi trips to Syria, particularly by German adolescents. Hesse's interior ministry commissioned a study analyzing cases of Salafists who departed for Syria. In a sample of 23 cases, most were men under 25 years old and nine were school-age boys. "Salafists ... target pupils" to be groomed for combat in Syria, noted the study. Second German Television (ZDF) aired a report on underage Germans fighting Syria; the civil war has become a form of "war tourism" for the combatants.

Hesse's Interior Minister Boris Rhein proposed a model to discern radical Islamist tendencies among young German Muslims. His social work-style model would entail a hotline for worried parents and a consulting center to provide expertise to families. Rhein's approach mirrors the model widely used to combat neo-Nazism and extremist right-wing ideologies across Germany.

Horrific acts of violence have been attributed to German Muslim fighters in Syria. In early August, German Islamists reportedly participated in the killing of Syrian Christians.
"The complicity of Germans in the extermination and ethnic cleansing in Syria is a sheer intolerable condition," a German police official said.

Germany has a Syria civil war problem. The eventual return of some German extremists from the conflict in Syria will likely breathe new energy into Germany's rising Salafist movement. When asked what measures can be employed to address the problem, Steinberg, the German counterterrorism expert, said that "our services must take a more aggressive approach" and Turkey has to clamp down on its loose border control policies to prevent entry into Syria.

As Syria's civil war enters its fourth year in March 2014, the German Islamic colony in Syria will continue to grow.

Benjamin Weinthal is a European affairs correspondent for The Jerusalem Post and a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He reported on the conflict in September and October from the Turkey-Syria border, including from Jarabulus in Syria. Follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal

A newly released designation by the US Treasury Department identifies two alleged al Qaeda supporters who have raised funds for the terror network. The fundraising has benefited multiple al Qaeda branches, according to Treasury, and has at times totaled millions of dollars per month.

Some of this money has been funneled through a longtime al Qaeda operative known as Abu Khalid al Suri, who served as one of Osama bin Laden's most trusted couriers prior to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and is now Ayman al Zawahiri's main representative in the Levant. Al Suri is also a founding member of Ahrar al Sham, an al Qaeda-allied extremist group in Syria. [See LWJ report, Syrian rebel leader was bin Laden's courier, now Zawahiri's representative.]

One of the two alleged al Qaeda supporters identified by Treasury is 'Abd al-Rahman bin 'Umayr al-Nu'aymi, who is described as "a Qatar-based terrorist financier and facilitator who has provided money and material support and conveyed communications to al Qaeda and its affiliates in Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen for more than a decade." Nu'aymi "was considered among the most prominent Qatar-based supporters of Iraqi Sunni extremists."

The designation makes it clear that al Qaeda's Gulf donors are still funneling money to al Qaeda.

"In 2013," the Treasury designation reads, "Nu'aymi ordered the transfer of nearly $600,000 to al Qaeda via al Qaeda's representative in Syria, Abu-Khalid al-Suri, and intended to transfer nearly $50,000 more."

It appears the Treasury Department is referring to al Qaeda's senior leadership in South Asia as the recipient of Nu'aymi's funds. If so, the designation highlights the degree to which al Qaeda's fundraising continues to rely on a cohesive network that reaches from the Gulf, through the Levant and Middle East, and into South Asia.

Nu'aymi "was designated for providing financial support to al Qaeda, Asbat al Ansar, al Qaeda in Iraq, and al Shabaab." Asbat al Ansar is based in the Ayn al-Hilwah Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Al Qaeda in Iraq (now the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and Al Shabaab are official al Qaeda branches.

As recently as 2012, according to Treasury, Nu'aymi has been funneling cash to Shabaab leaders. As of mid-2012, Nu'aymi "provided approximately $250,000 to two US-designated al-Shabaab figures, Mukhtar Robow and Sheikh Hassan Aweys Ali," who are longtime al Qaeda-connected leaders in Somalia.

Nu'aymi has been a prolific supporter of the Iraqi insurgency. He "reportedly oversaw the transfer of over $2 million per month to al Qaeda in Iraq for a period of time" and has served as an intermediary between al Qaeda leaders in Iraq and their "Qatar-based donors."

"Between 2003 and 2004," the Treasury Department says, "Nu'aymi provided support to the Iraqi insurgency more broadly and served as a conduit for their broadcast materials to media outlets."

Key AQAP figure

Among the many recipients of Nuaymi's funding is a Yemeni-based charity headed by `Abd al-Wahhab Muhammad `Abd al-Rahman al Humayqani, according to Treasury. Humayqani, who was also designated, has delivered at least some of the funds into al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's (AQAP) coffers. Humayqani has also "facilitated financial transfers from AQAP supporters in Saudi Arabia to Yemen in support of AQAP operations."

But Humayqani has served multiple functions within AQAP, beyond his fundraising activities.

The Treasury Department describes Humayqani as "an important figure within AQAP" who has "reportedly had a relationship with important AQAP leaders." On behalf of the al Qaeda branch, he has allegedly orchestrated attacks, recruited, negotiated with the Yemeni government, and provided spiritual guidance.

The US government fingers Humayqani as one of the chief planners of "an AQAP attack on a Yemeni Republican Guard base in al-Bayda' Governorate, Yemen" in March 2012. "The attack employed multiple vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and killed seven."

Some of individuals he is suspected of recruiting for AQAP "were involved in a plot to assassinate Yemeni officials."

The Treasury Department's designation contains an important detail about one of Osama bin Laden's earliest supporters. "Along with the US and UN designated cleric Shaykh Abd al-Majid al Zindani," Humayqani "has issued religious guidance in support of AQAP operations."

Zindani's ties to al Qaeda have long been known. The Treasury Department added Zindani to its list of designated terrorist supporters in 2004, calling him an Osama bin Laden "loyalist." Zindani "has a long history of working with bin Laden, notably serving as one of his spiritual leaders," Treasury explained at the time. Zindani "has been able to influence and support many terrorist causes, including actively recruiting for al Qaeda training camps" and "played a key role in the purchase of weapons on behalf of al Qaeda and other terrorists."

On Sept. 13, 2012, the US embassy in Sanaa was stormed after Zindani called for protests, according to The New York Times. The assault on the American embassy in Sanaa was one of several raids by al Qaeda-affiliated parties on US diplomatic facilities that began on Sept. 11, 2012.

The Treasury designation points to al Qaeda's active political ambitions, which go far beyond the desire to commit spectacular terrorist attacks in the West or elsewhere.

"Humayqani and AQAP leadership have planned to establish a new political party in Yemen, which AQAP planned to use as a cover for the recruitment and training of fighters and a means to attract broader support," Treasury notes. "AQAP leadership decided that Humayani would play a public role as a leader and spokesman for the new political party."

One such new front is Ansar al Sharia, which Treasury described as an "alias" for AQAP in Oct. 2012. Treasury explained in that action that Ansar al Sharia "was established to attract potential followers to sharia rule in areas under the control of AQAP."

Humayqani has been a part of AQAP's attempts at governance. He "reportedly assisted AQAP in gaining a foothold and safe haven in al-Bayda' Governorate, Yemen and as of mid-2011 served as the acting AQAP amir there."

Even while assisting AQAP in such local endeavors, Humayqani has remained active in al Qaeda's global jihadist network.

The Treasury Department says that both Nu'aymi and Humayqani "are at the center of global support networks that fund and facilitate terrorism."

In a newly released video, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan eulogized Qari Hussain, a top commander of the group who trained suicide bombers and plotted operations against the West, including the failed Times Square bombing in May 2010. Qari Hussain trained suicide bombers for numerous attacks and once described them as "the atomic weapons of Muslims."

The Taliban emailed the over 60-minute video celebrating the death of Qari Hussain to The Long War Journal today. The video was produced by Umar Media, the Movement of the Taliban's official media outlet, and emailed by the group's official email account.

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and Umar Media did not respond to the The Long War Journal's request to confirm the date and location of Qari Hussain's death, or how he was killed.

On numerous occasions, Pakistani officials have rumored that Qari Hussain had been killed in US drone strikes and Pakistani military operations. The last report of his death was on Jan. 12, 2012; he was said to have been killed in a US drone strike in a village near Miramshah in North Waziristan. Hakeemullah Mehsud, then the emir of Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, was also rumored to have been killed in that attack. Hakeemullah was not killed, but later died in a US drone strike nearly two years later, on Nov. 1, 2013.

The Taliban have referred to Qari Hussain as a "martyr" several times in the past but had not released a statement officially announcing his death. For instance, in a statement released in November that announced the appointment of Sheikh Khalid Haqqani to serve as the deputy emir of the group, Qari Hussain was described as "the martyr Qari Hussain."

Qari Hussain's martyrdom video features interviews with Qari Hussain and other Taliban commanders. Also included is footage of Faisal Shahzad, the operative who came close to detonating a car bomb in Times Square in the heart of New York City on May 1, 2010. Qari Hussain claimed credit for the plot in a video that was first released to The Long War Journal. [See LWJ report, Exclusive: Tapes show Hakeemullah Mehsud is alive and threatens attacks in the US.]

In the video claiming credit for Times Square, Qari Hussain said Faisal Shahzad was sent to attack the US for a drone strike that killed Baitullah Mehsud, the founder of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and for a US and Iraqi military operation that killed both Abu Omar al Baghdadi, the founder of the Islamic State of Iraq, and Abu Ayyub al Masri, al Qaeda in Iraq's military chief. Qari Hussain also accused the US of unfairly jailing "Lady al Qaeda" Aafia Siddiqui, and said the US pushed the Pakistani military to attack the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, a radical madrassa in Islamabad whose clerics openly supported the Taliban and al Qaeda. [For more on the Pakistani Taliban's role in the Times Square plot, see LWJ reports, Pakistani Taliban claim credit for failed NYC Times Square car bombing, US sees Pakistani Taliban involvement in Times Square attack after downplaying links.]

Qari Hussain also played a role in training Abu Dujanah al Khurasani [Humam Khalil Muhammed Abu Mulal al Balawi], the Jordanian who deceived the CIA into believing he was providing intelligence on al Qaeda's operations in Pakistan. Khurasani killed seven CIA officials and bodyguards, and a Jordanian intelligence officer, in the Dec. 30, 2009 suicide attack against the CIA at Combat Outpost Chapman in Khost province, Afghanistan. Khurasani had lured the officials by promising to have detailed intelligence on the location of Ayman al Zawahiri.

The US added Qari Hussain to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists in January 2011 for his involvement in the Times Square plot, the attack on COP Chapman, and numerous attacks in Pakistan.

In the designation, the State Department described him as "the deadliest of all TTP's commanders." [See LWJ report, US adds Qari Hussain Mehsud to list of designated terrorists].

Background on Qari Hussain Mehsud

Based out of South Waziristan until the military operations in the Mehsud tribal areas in the fall of 2009, Qari Hussain had relocated to the Mir Ali region in North Waziristan. He had long been a close ally of al Qaeda.

He served in the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, a radical anti-Shia terror group that serves as muscle for al Qaeda, and in the Harkat-ul-Jihad-i-Islam, under the command of Ilyas Kashmiri, who later served as a military chief for al Qaeda. Qari Hussain also served as a senior leader in the Fadayeen-i-Islam, a terror outfit that conducted numerous attacks against the Pakistani government.

Qari Hussain was known as Ustad-i-Fedayeen, or the teacher of suicide bombers. Prior to the Pakistani Army offensive in South Waziristan in October 2009, Qari Hussain ran camps in the tribal agency where children were trained to become suicide bombers. Children as young as seven years of age were indoctrinated to wage jihad in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a video taken at one of his camps in Spinkai showed.

The Pakistani military first demolished Qari Hussain's suicide nursery during an earlier, shorter offensive against the Taliban in Spinkai in January 2008. The military launched the short operation after Taliban forces commanded by Baitullah Mehsud overran two military outposts and conducted attacks against other forts and military convoys in the tribal agency.

The military seized numerous documents and training materials in the demolished camp. In May 2008, a senior Pakistani general described the previous camp as a suicide "factory" for children. Sometime in the spring or summer of 2008, however, Qari Hussain rebuilt his child training camps in South Waziristan.

In November 2009, the Pakistani government placed a $600,000 bounty out for information leading to the death or capture of Qari Hussain. He was among the top three most wanted leaders of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, along with Hakeemullah and Waliur Rehman Mehsud, who, like Hakeemullah, was killed in a US drone strike in 2013.

Egyptian security forces yesterday launched a raid in the North Sinai village of al Mahdiya near Rafah. Authorities had received information that two key Ansar Jerusalem (Ansar Bayt al Maqdis) members were in the village. It is unclear whether the tip came from locals, one of the Islamist militants recently arrested, or a foreign intelligence service.

According to Egypt's army spokesman, upon arriving in the area Egyptian forces came under heavy fire. In the ensuing clashes, two soldiers were killed and eight injured. The army spokesman further claimed that three terrorists were killed. However, Shadi el Menai and Kamal Allam, the original targets of the raid, appear to have survived.

The Long War Journal had reported on Dec. 4 that el Menai, last seen in September, was still in North Sinai.

As clashes subsided today, jihadists in the area were seen "parading the corpse of one of two soldiers killed through the streets while it hung from a pole," the Associated Press reported. The body of the slain soldier was retrieved after it was dumped by jihadists outside a mosque in a nearby village.

Ansar Jerusalem has yet to comment on today's events, which took place in a village previously identified by the Egyptian army as a stronghold for the group.

Since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi on July 3, there have been more than 260 reported attacks in the Sinai Peninsula, most of which were carried out against Egyptian security forces and assets, according to data maintained by The Long War Journal.

Attacks by Sinai-based jihadists, Ansar Jerusalem specifically, have also taken place in the Egyptian mainland. On Sept. 5, the jihadist group carried out an assassination attempt in Nasr City on Egypt's interior minister, Mohammed Ibrahim. A month later, an Ansar Jerusalem suicide bomber unleashed a blast at the South Sinai Security Directorate in el Tor, which killed three security personnel and injured more than 45. On Oct. 19, the Sinai-based jihadist group targeted a military intelligence building in the city of Ismailia. And on Nov. 19, the group claimed responsibility for the shooting attack on Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Mabrouk, a senior national security officer, in Cairo.

Ansar Jerusalem, which was founded by Egyptians, is the dominant jihadist group operating in the Sinai Peninsula today. The group, whose fighters are often seen with the al Qaeda flag, has claimed credit for a number of attacks against Israel and Egypt over the past two years.

In September 2013, Ansar Jerusalem, which releases material through the jihadist forums of the al Qaeda-linked Al Fajr Media Center, declared that "it is obligatory to repulse them [the Egyptian army] and fight them until the command of Allah is fulfilled." Recent reports in the Egyptian media have suggested that Ansar Jerusalem may have links to Muhammad Jamal and the Muhammad Jamal Network [MJN], which were added to the US government's list of designated terrorists and the UN's sanctions list in October 2013.

Jamal, whose fighters have been linked to the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi terror attack, is said to have established "several terrorist training camps in Egypt and Libya" with funding from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

In late November, in response to a Long War Journal query on whether the State Department believes there is a connection between the Muhammad Jamal Network (MJN) and Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, a State Department spokesman said: "We have no comment on the inter-relationships between MJN and the other Sinai groups."

For a larger image, click the map. Left and center maps: these two maps were produced by MNF-I in 2008 to show how al Qaeda was driven from its sanctuaries during the surge. Dark red indicates control; light red indicates presence. Right map: this map was produced by Reuters in December 2013.

Al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed 18 Iraqi Army officers, including a senior general and members of his staff, in a complex suicide attack today in the western province of Anbar.

The commander of the Iraqi Army's 7th Division and the commander of the 28th Brigade were among the 18 officers who were killed after three suicide bombers attacked them in a home in the remote western town of Rutbah, Reuters reported. Several "high-ranking officers" who were members of the division and the brigade staffs were also killed.

The officers were reportedly visiting an area in Rutbah that was subject to a recent military operation targeting al Qaeda.

Rutbah is a smuggler's town and a transit point to Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia in the desert in the southwestern corner of Iraq. Al Qaeda attempted to control the town from 2005 to 2007 in order to facilitate the transit of weapons, cash, and foreign terrorists into Iraq's central regions. With the civil war in Syria and the renewed terrorist insurgency in Iraq, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham is attempting to regain control of Rutbah and other border areas in western Iraq, as well as areas it lost late last decade.

Al Qaeda regaining control of areas it lost during the surge

The ISIS has had success in regaining control of areas of Iraq that it lost during combined US and Iraqi counterinsurgency operations from 2007 to 2009. A map recently produced by Reuters shows that the ISIS controls villages and towns along the Euphrates River and the border with Syria as well as in the desert in Anbar, in areas south of Baghdad, in the Hamrin Mountains in Diyala and Salahaddin, and in numerous areas in Ninewa [map is above].

When the Reuters map is compared with maps produced in 2008 by Multinational Forces - Iraq that show al Qaeda control in Iraq in 2006 [leftmost map] at the height of the organization's strength in the country, and 2008 [center map] after the group was driven from many of its sanctuaries, al Qaeda's resurgence becomes clear.

The ISIS began retaking control of areas in Iraq after the US withdrew military, intelligence, and logistical support from the Iraqi military and intelligence services in December 2011. The Syrian civil war has also fueled the resurgence of al Qaeda in Iraq.

ISIS suicide operations continue unabated

The ISIS has not had difficulty in recruiting and deploying suicide bombers in either Iraq or in Syria, where it is a dominant force in the insurgency against President's Bashir al Assad's embattled regime. In Iraq, ISIS has conducted 13 suicide attacks and assaults so far this month and 12 last month, according to a count by LWJ. The US government reported that the ISIS carried out 38 suicide attacks in October. In Syria, the ISIS and the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's other branch, have executed six suicide attacks and assaults so far this month, 11 in November, and nine more in October, according to a count by LWJ.

Of the 13 suicide attacks in Iraq this month, eight have been suicide assaults, or attacks that include more than one bomber and are often accompanied by an armed team of fighters.

The ISIS has conducted numerous coordinated assaults on Iraqi security forces over the past year. The most prominent raid took place on July 21, when assault teams attacked prisons in Abu Ghraib and Taji. At least 26 policemen and prison guards were killed, while hundreds of prisoners, including many senior al Qaeda leaders, escaped. Many are still on the loose.

The ISIS continues to display its capacity to plan and execute coordinated operations against Iraq's security facilities. These attacks are part of multiple 'waves' of al Qaeda's "Destroying the Walls" campaign, which was announced by emir Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, who is also known as Abu Du'a, on July 21, 2012.

The Pakistani military claimed it killed 23 "militants" in the town of Mir Ali in the Taliban controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan, two days after a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint there. The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and the Ansar al Aseer denied that its fighters were killed, and claimed the Pakistani military carried out a "massacre" of civilians in reprisal for the suicide attack.

The fighting began after a suicide bomber killed five soldiers and wounded 34 more at a checkpoint in the Mir Ali area on Dec. 17. The Pakistani military said the soldiers were praying at a mosque when the suicide bomber rammed a truck packed with explosives into the checkpoint.

The Ansar al Aseer Khorasan, or Helpers of the Prisoners, a group that includes members from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Taliban and was founded to free jihadists from Pakistani prisons, claimed credit for the attack in a statement emailed to The Long War Journal

"A Fidai [fedayeen] (also term by western media suicide bomber) struck his explosive laden truck with Khajoree check post of Pakistan army, killing almost every one there or injured, and vanishing the post completely, [sic]" the statement said.

Two days after the suicide attack, the Pakistani military claimed it killed "23 militants" after an army convoy was ambushed on Dec. 18 while evacuating casualties from the suicide attack. The military, in a statement released on its public affairs website, said it killed "10 more terrorists, reportedly most of them were Uzbek," during a follow-up raid on an IED factory in the Mir Ali area on Dec. 19.

Ansar al Aseer denied that fighters were killed, and instead claimed that "the Army camp in Mir Ali started shelling the local innocent population of villages nearby," while "fleet of Gunship helicopters" were "used to shell local villagers, resulting in heavy causalities of men, women and children." Ansar al Aseer also claimed that Pakistani soldiers executed a group of truck drivers in the village of Eppi in the Mir Ali area.

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan also sent photos to The Long War Journal purporting to show destruction of the bazaar and other areas in Mir Ali and nearby villages. The claims made by Ansar al Aseer and the validity of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan's photographs cannot be confirmed. Residents in the area have also claimed that the Pakistani military killed civilians, according to Pakistani press reports.

The Pakistani military has indiscriminately used force during military operations in the past, and has summarily executed individuals suspected of belonging to the Taliban. Civilians in Swat and Bajaur accused the military of conducting scorched earth tactics during operations, while soldiers in Swat were caught on video killing suspected Taliban fighters.

This week's clashes in North Waziristan occurred less than one week after another jihadist group that operates in North Waziristan, the Ansarul Mujahideen, killed four Pakistani soldiers in an IED attack in the village Spinwam.

For years, the Pakistani military has promised the West that it would launch an offensive in North Waziristan to clear the tribal agency of the Taliban and al Qaeda, however it has failed to do so. Groups such as the Haqqani Network and Hafiz Gul Bahadar's Taliban faction, operate in North Waziristan, and are considered "good Taliban" by Pakistan's military and intelligence establishment as they do not openly support jihad against the state. But the Haqqanis and Bahadar fight in Afghanistan, and shelter and support al Qaeda, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and a host of terror groups that attack the Pakistani state and promote international jihad.

A suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb at a checkpoint outside the city of Benghazi earlier today. The number of casualties varies in the early reporting. According to Al Arabiya, at least 13 people were killed. Several of the victims are Libyan soldiers.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. According to Reuters, the Libyan Army has blamed Ansar al Sharia, the al Qaeda-linked group that took part in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the US Mission in Benghazi.

The bombing is the latest in a string of attacks on Libyan security personnel. On Dec. 20, Colonel Fethallah al Gaziri, who was recently appointed the head of military intelligence in Benghazi, was assassinated. Al Gaziri was attending the wedding of his niece in Derna, Libya when gunmen opened fire, according to Al Jazeera.

Ansar al Sharia has been battling government forces in Derna and Benghazi. The group has a strong presence in both eastern Libyan cities.

Ansar al Sharia has repeatedly claimed that is members are not behind the violence. The group has also attempted to portray recent events as part of a Western conspiracy to interfere in Libya's affairs. Statements released by al Qaeda's senior leadership have advanced a similar theme.

In a statement released on the group's official Twitter page on Dec. 19, Ansar al Sharia Libya's sharia committee denounced anyone who accuses the organization of engaging in violence. Ansar al Sharia alleged that a series of unspecified recent "incidents" have been "concocted by enemies to divert the attention of Muslims away" from implementing sharia in Libya. The group warned that Libya was "sliding" towards collaboration and "subordination to the West." Ansar al Sharia further claimed that "some people" want "to enable the US-Western project of fighting Islam."

Suicide attacks uncommon in post-revolution Tunisia, Libya

While gunfights, assassinations, and bombings have become common occurrences in Libya following the fall of Muammar Qaddafi, the country's longtime dictator, jihadists had refrained from suicide bombings.

Suicide bombings have not been common in post-revolution Tunisia either. In October, however, a jihadist blew himself up outside of the Riadh Palm hotel in Sousse. No one, other than the bomber himself, was killed. A second suicide bomber was arrested before he could detonate his bomb.

Tunisian officials blamed Ansar al Sharia for dispatching the suicide bombers. "The two suicide bombers are radical Islamist jihadists. They are Tunisians, but they had been in a neighboring country," Interior Ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Laroui told Reuters, without specifying the country, which may be Libya.

In October, Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Larayedh told Reuters: "There is a relation between leaders of Ansar al Sharia [Tunisia], al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Ansar al Sharia in Libya. We are coordinating with our neighbors over that."

In late August, Tunisian security officials accused Ansar al Sharia of having a "close" relationship with AQIM. At a press conference, according to Tunis Afrique Presse, they "reported the existence of close links between Ansar al Sharia and AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), showing journalists the handwritten Allegiance Act" between Ansar al Sharia's leader, Seifallah Ben Hassine, and AQIM's emir, Abdelmalek Droukdel.

In a response to the Tunisian government's accusations, Ansar al Sharia reaffirmed its "loyalty" to al Qaeda while claiming to be organizationally independent.

AQIM officials have openly praised and blessed Ansar al Sharia.

The Islamic Front, a newly formed jihadist group in Syria, recently launched a joint raid with one of al Qaeda's branches to take control of a hospital in the contested city of Aleppo. The operation to take the hospital culminated in a suicide assault that was led by two Kurdish bombers.

The joint operation was announced today by the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, one of two official al Qaeda branches that operate in Syria. The statement was published on jihadist forums and obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.

The Al Nusrah Front said that it commanded the Islamic Front and the Fajr al Sham Islamic Movement, an independent Salafist group, from what it described as a "joint tactical operations room."

"The joint tactical operations room of 'al-Qalb al-Wahid' (One Heart) - which is militarily led by al-Nusra Front and includes the Islamic Front and the Fajr al-Sham Islamic Movement - launched a blessed operation to end the hopes of the Nusayri army from reaching the al-Kindi hospital and lifting the siege from its soldiers who are trapped in the gate of northern Aleppo, near Aleppo Central Prison ..." according to the SITE translation.

The three groups tried to "storm the building" first on Dec. 4, by detonating a BMP armored personnel vehicle near the building and then sending a team to enter the breach.

"On that day the mujahideen entered the first, second, and third floors and used light, medium, and heavy machine guns, and RPGs," the Al Nusrah Front said, while claiming nine Syrian soldiers were killed.

The al Qaeda-led groups then attacked the building again on Dec. 20. This time, two suicide bombers of Kurdish origins led the assault.

"The operation started with the two martyrdom-seeking heroes Abu al Wad'aa al Kurdistani and Abu Torab al Kurdistani - may Allah accept both of them - and they detonated their trucks at the old building of the hospital," the statement said. "Afterwards, the stormers entered the building right away and cleared floor by floor."

After taking control of the hospital complex, "the flag of Tawhid [oneness of God] was raised atop the building, and the mujahideen did Maghreb [evening] prayer from inside the building."

The capture of the hospital complex in Aleppo is the second major operation that has been publicly promoted since the formation of the Islamic Front at the end of November.

On Dec. 7, the Ahrar al Sham Islamic Movement, one of the most powerful and influential brigades in the Islamic Front, announced that it, in conjunction with the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, targeted a Hezbollah headquarters near Damascus.

Islamic Front welcomes al Qaeda in Syria

Ahrar al Sham, a force estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000 fighters, has conducted numerous joint operations with the Al Nusrah Front and the ISIS in the past. Some of the more notable joint operations include overrunning the Taftanaz airbase in Idlid in January; taking control of the city of Raqqah in March; massed assaults in Idlib in May; assaulting the Christian town of Malula in September; and attacks on the villages of Maksar al-Husan, Job al-Jarrah, and al-Massoudiyya, also in September.

Ahrar al Sham was one of 11 groups, including the Al Nusrah Front, that in September rejected the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition and called for the establishment of sharia, or Islamic law, throughout Syria.

In November, Ahrar al Sham formed the Islamic Front along with five other large Islamist brigades that have also cooperated with al Qaeda's branches in the past. The Islamic Front is estimated to consist of about 45,000 fighters. [See LWJ report, Analysis: Formation of Islamic Front in Syria benefits jihadist groups.]

The Islamic Front's charter, released on Nov. 26, calls for the establishment of an Islamic state and the imposition of Islamic law, both of which are goals shared by al Qaeda. The charter also hints that the Islamic Front will continue to work with al Qaeda's branches in Syria. It welcomes the "Muhajireen" [emigrants or foreign fighters] as "our brothers who supported us in jihad." [See LWJ report, Islamic Front endorses jihad, says 'the Muhajireen are our brothers'.]

Al Qaeda leaders are known to serve in the upper echelons of the Islamic Front. Abu Khalid al Suri, whose real name is Mohamed Bahaiah, one of the top leaders of Ahrar al Sham, is a longtime al Qaeda operative who worked as a courier for Osama bin Laden and the terror network. He currently serves as Ayman al Zawahiri's representative in the Levant [see LWJ report, Syrian rebel leader was bin Laden's courier, now Zawahiri's representative].

The Islamic Front has recently seized bases and warehouses in northern Syria near the border with Turkey that were used by the Free Syrian Army to store and distribute weapons, ammunition, supplies, and aid sent by the US and Western and Arab countries.

After it was rumored that senior US officials had met with members of the Islamic Front to get the supplies back, Secretary of State John Kerry said that the US government is willing to talk with the Islamic Front in order to "broaden the base of the moderate opposition and broaden the base of representation of the Syrian people."

A spokesman for the Islamic Front denied rumors that it met with US officials, and said that the group "will not fight the al Qaeda organization because it [Islamic Front] was founded to form a link for jihadists."

Just after 1 a.m. on Dec. 24, a massive explosion struck the Daqahliya security directorate in Mansoura, Nile Delta. Video and photos from Mansoura showed an explosion far larger than what was seen in Ismailia on Dec. 12. The exact cause of the explosion in Mansoura has yet to be determined, though early reports have suggested a car bomb.

The explosion, which killed at least 12 people and injured around 130, also caused a nearby bank building to collapse and destroyed a number of vehicles, state-run MENA reported. "Most of those killed were among policemen inside the security headquarters whose bodies were buried under the debris," the Associated Press reported.

The number of wounded is the most in a single attack since the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi in early July. Among the wounded are two top security officials, Reuters reported, citing state TV. MENA identified the two officials as Daqahliya security chief Major General Samy el-Mehy and Director of the Investigation Department Brigadier Said Emara.

The attack comes roughly a day after the Sinai-based jihadist group Ansar Jerusalem (Ansar Bayt al Maqdis) called on members of the security forces to repent and leave their positions. Ansar Jerusalem concluded its message by warning that those in the security forces who do not leave will have no one "to blame but himself." "[W]e are the most resolute and determined to carry out the command of Allah and His Messenger to do jihad against you and fight you until all the religion is for Allah," the group declared.

This is the not the first time that attacks have been reported in Mansoura since Morsi's overthrow. On July 23, a bomb attack at a police station in Mansoura killed one person and wounded 19. More recently, on Oct. 28, three policemen were killed in a shooting attack on a checkpoint in the city.

Since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi on July 3, there have been more than 260 reported attacks in the Sinai Peninsula, most of which were carried out against Egyptian security forces and assets, according to data maintained by The Long War Journal.

Attacks by Sinai-based jihadists, Ansar Jerusalem specifically, have also taken place in the Egyptian mainland. On Sept. 5, the jihadist group carried out an assassination attempt in Nasr City on Egypt's interior minister, Mohammed Ibrahim. A month later, an Ansar Jerusalem suicide bomber unleashed a blast at the South Sinai Security Directorate in el Tor, which killed three security personnel and injured more than 45. On Oct. 19, the Sinai-based jihadist group targeted a military intelligence building in the city of Ismailia. And on Nov. 19, the group claimed responsibility for the shooting attack on Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Mabrouk, a senior national security officer, in Cairo. Ansar Jerusalem has repeatedly stated its intent to target police and military headquarters in Egypt.

The al Furqan Brigades, which are not believed to be based in the Sinai, have also claimed responsibility for a number of shootings and rocket attacks in the Egyptian mainland since Morsi's overthrow. In contrast to Ansar Jerusalem, the group has yet to claim responsibility for any large car or suicide bombings.

In a statement released to jihadist forums today, the Sinai-based jihadist group Ansar Jerusalem (Ansar Bayt al Maqdis) claimed responsibility for the Dec. 24 suicide car bombing in Mansoura that killed at least 12 and injured more than 130.

The group said the targeted Daqahliya security directorate is one of the dens "of apostasy and tyranny." Ansar Jerusalem also denounced the current Egyptian government for what it is doing "fighting the Islamic Shariah, shedding the blood of weak Muslims, and violating the honor of our women and sisters," according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group.

The communiqué, which identified the suicide bomber as Abu Maryam, reiterated its call for members of the Egyptian security forces to leave their positions. Those who are in the security services should "consider what they saw [happen] to their brothers if they want to preserve their religion and world," the group declared. Roughly a day before the Mansoura suicide attack, the jihadist group had called on members of the security forces to repent and stop serving. In that statement, the group concluded by warning that those in the security forces who do not leave will have no one "to blame but himself."

"[W]e are the most resolute and determined to carry out the command of Allah and His Messenger to do jihad against you and fight you until all the religion is for Allah," the group declared.

In its latest statement, Ansar Jerusalem said it was ready to continue its fight and reiterated its warning for Egyptian Muslims to stay away from buildings associated with the security forces. The group, which has issued such warnings since at least September, in an Oct. 21 statement stated that police and military headquarters "are legitimate targets for the mujahideen."

The Ansar Jerusalem statement also called on Egyptian Muslims to "not accept humiliation and disgrace, and do not accept anything but the Shariah of Allah as a constitution and government, and do not accept anything but jihad in the cause of Allah." The statement further stated that Ansar Jerusalem's fighters have taken "the path of jihad ... to defend Islam and to avenge the blood of Muslims and their honor."

The Dec. 24 attack in Mansoura was not the first time that attacks have been reported in Mansoura since the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi. On July 23, a bomb attack at a police station in Mansoura killed one person and wounded 19. More recently, on Oct. 28, three policemen were killed in a shooting attack on a checkpoint in the city.

Since July 3, there have been more than 260 reported attacks in the Sinai Peninsula, most of which were carried out against Egyptian security forces and assets, according to data maintained by The Long War Journal. A good number of these attacks, including the Nov. 20 car bombing that killed 11 Egyptian security personnel, have been claimed by Ansar Jerusalem.

Attacks by Sinai-based jihadists, Ansar Jerusalem specifically, have also taken place in the Egyptian mainland. On Sept. 5, the jihadist group used a suicide car bomber in an assassination attempt in Nasr City on Egypt's interior minister, Mohammed Ibrahim. A month later, an Ansar Jerusalem suicide bomber unleashed a blast at the South Sinai Security Directorate in el Tor, which killed three security personnel and injured more than 45. On Oct. 19, the Sinai-based jihadist group targeted a military intelligence building in the city of Ismailia in another car bombing. And on Nov. 19, the group claimed responsibility for the shooting attack on Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Mabrouk, a senior national security officer, in Cairo.

The al Furqan Brigades, which are not believed to be based in the Sinai, have also claimed responsibility for a number of shootings and rocket attacks in the Egyptian mainland since Morsi's overthrow. In contrast to Ansar Jerusalem, the group has yet to claim responsibility for any large car or suicide bombings.

Ansar Jerusalem, which was founded by Egyptians, is the dominant jihadist group operating in the Sinai Peninsula today. The group, whose fighters are often seen with the al Qaeda flag, has claimed credit for a number of attacks against Israel and Egypt over the past two years.

In September 2013, Ansar Jerusalem, which releases material through the jihadist forums of Al Fajr Media Center, al Qaeda's exclusive media distribution outlet, declared that "it is obligatory to repulse them [the Egyptian army] and fight them until the command of Allah is fulfilled." Recent reports in the Egyptian media have suggested that Ansar Jerusalem may have links to Muhammad Jamal and the Muhammad Jamal Network [MJN], which were added to the US government's list of designated terrorists and the UN's sanctions list in October 2013.

Jamal, whose fighters have been linked to the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi terror attack, is said to have established "several terrorist training camps in Egypt and Libya" with funding from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

In late November, in response to a Long War Journal query on whether the State Department believes there is a connection between the Muhammad Jamal Network (MJN) and Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, a State Department spokesman said: "We have no comment on the inter-relationships between MJN and the other Sinai groups."

The US killed four "militants" in a drone strike in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan late last night. The strike is the first in Pakistan in a month.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired a pair of missiles at a compound in the village of Qutab Khel near Miramshah in North Waziristan just after midnight, according to Dawn. Several of the unmanned strike aircraft were seen hovering over the compound before and after the strike.

The target of the latest strike in Pakistan was not revealed, and no senior Taliban, al Qaeda, or allied jihadist commanders have been reported killed at this time. Pakistani officials told Dawn that Afghans were thought to be among those killed.

The attack took place in an area under the control of the Haqqani Network, a powerful Taliban faction that operates in eastern, central, and northern Afghanistan, and is based in North Waziristan in Pakistan. The US has stepped up its targeting of the Haqqani Network this year. Since the beginning of September, two top Haqqani Network leaders, Mullah Sangeen Zadran and Maulvi Ahmed Jan, have been killed in strikes in North Waziristan.

The terror group has close links with al Qaeda, and is supported by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate. Sirajuddin Haqqani is the operational commander of the Haqqani Network and leads the Miramshah Shura, one of four major Taliban regional councils. Siraj is also a member of al Qaeda's Shura Majlis, or executive council, US intelligence officials have told The Long War Journal.

Despite the known presence of al Qaeda and other foreign groups in North Waziristan, and requests by the US that action be taken against these groups, the Pakistani military has indicated that it has no plans to take on the Haqqani Network or allied Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadar. The Haqqanis and Bahadar's fighters are considered "good Taliban" by the Pakistani military establishment as they do not carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

Today's strike is the first recorded in Pakistan this month. Last month, the US conducted three airstrikes in North Waziristan, and killed two top jihadist leaders. On Nov. 1, the US killed Hakeemullah Mehsud, the leader of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, in an attack in the Miramshah area of North Waziristan. The next strike, on Nov. 21, killed Maulvi Ahmed Jan, a top leader in the Haqqani Network, and two other Haqqani Network senior commanders. And the last strike, on Nov. 28, is said to have killed a Pakistani from Punjab province who was involved in terror attacks inside Pakistan.

The last four strikes have taken place in areas administered by the Haqqani Network.

The strike near Miramshah today took place days after the Taliban, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Ansar al Mujahideen clashed with Pakistani troops in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan. The jihadist groups have targeted Pakistani security forces in suicide and IED attacks. The groups have claimed that the attacks were carried out to punish the troops for cooperating with the US in drone strikes that have killed top Taliban and Haqqani Network leaders. [See LWJ, Ansarul Mujahideen kills 4 Pakistani troops in North Waziristan, and Pakistani military, Taliban clash in North Waziristan after suicide attack].

Background on US strikes in Pakistan

The vast majority of the US drone strikes have taken place in the tribal agencies of North and South Waziristan. Of the 354 strikes since 2004, 253 have hit targets in North Waziristan, and 83 have hit targets in South Waziristan. In the other tribal areas, there have been three strikes in Bajaur, two in Arakzai, four in Kurram, and five in Khyber. Four more strikes have taken place outside of the tribal areas; three were in Bannu and one more was in Hangu.

The drone strikes are controversial; in October, groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International formally accused the US of indiscriminately killing civilians in strikes in both Pakistan and Yemen. But at the end of October, Pakistan's Ministry of Defence released a report stating that 67 civilians have been killed in drone strikes since the beginning of 2009, and claimed that no civilians have been killed since the beginning of 2012.

The Long War Journal has recorded, based on Pakistani press reports, that at least 2,088 jihadists from al Qaeda, the Taliban, and a host of terror groups operating in North and South Waziristan have been killed in strikes since the beginning of 2009, including some of al Qaeda's top leaders. There have also been 105 reported civilian deaths in drone strikes in Pakistan since the beginning of 2009, with 18 civilians killed since the beginning of 2012. Civilian casualties are difficult to assess as the strikes take place in areas under Taliban control; the figure may be higher than 105.

The US has launched 28 drone strikes in Pakistan so far this year, according to data compiled by The Long War Journal. The number of strikes in Pakistan has decreased each year since the program's peak in 2010, when 117 such attacks were recorded. In 2011, 64 strikes were launched in Pakistan, and in 2012 there were 46 strikes.

The US has targeted al Qaeda's top leaders and its external operations network, as well as the assortment of Taliban and Pakistani jihadist groups operating in the region. The strikes have been confined mostly to North and South Waziristan, but al Qaeda and allied groups are known to have an extensive network throughout all of Pakistan.

The head of the Al Nusrah Front, Abu Muhammad al Julani, finally granted a television interview earlier this month. Al Nusrah has long had a prolific media shop. But in a world in which al Qaeda's jihadists use and manipulate various media channels to get their message out, Julani has pursued a different course. The Al Nusrah head is so secretive that until recently little was known about the man, even as he oversaw one of al Qaeda's fastest growing branches in Syria.

Al Jazeera's Tayseer Allouni conducted the interview from inside Syria with the reclusive Julani. It was the latest exclusive for Allouni, who has garnered high-profile interviews with senior al Qaeda leaders before. Allouni was the first to air an interview with Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

In the years that followed his interview with bin Laden, Allouni was at the center of a high-profile trial. Spanish authorities accused Allouni of being more than just an enterprising journalist. In 2005, a Spanish court convicted Allouni of supporting al Qaeda and sentenced him to seven years in prison. Allouni spent time in prison and then house arrest.

Allouni was released in 2012 and resumed his work for Al Jazeera. After his return to Doha, Allouni denounced his conviction as "political."

Allouni's conviction was controversial. For Allouni and his advocates, the Spanish courts had trampled on the rights of a proactive journalist who simply used his networking skills to get the story. "I was hoovering up professional information," Allouni explained, according to an account in the Guardian.

Among Allouni's contacts was Imad Yarkas, the accused head of al Qaeda's network in Spain. Yarkas was also convicted on terrorism charges.

The court rejected Allouni's explanation of his relationship with Yarkas. Tayseer Allouni "did not belong to the group led by [Imad Yarkas]. He possibly felt superior to it ... but he collaborated with it," the Spanish court's judgment reads. "Journalistic truth, like all other truths, cannot be obtained at any price," the judgment continued. "Taysir Alouni committed the wrongdoing of collaborating with a terrorist group and, for that, he must now pay."

Allouni denied providing any real assistance to al Qaeda's network in Europe or elsewhere.

The Spanish court focused, in particular, on Allouni's relationship with two of Yarkas' associates: Mohammed Bahaiah (a.k.a. Abu Khalid al Suri) and Mustafa Setmariam Nasar (a.k.a. Abu Musab al Suri).

Both Bahaiah and Nasar had been imprisoned by Bashar al Assad's regime. Before joining al Qaeda's ranks, they were members of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, which opposed Assad. Various accounts suggest that Allouni himself was a member of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, but he reportedly denied that allegation.

Today, Bahaiah is Ayman al Zawahiri's representative in Syria and throughout the Levant. He is also a founding leader of Ahrar al Sham, a Syrian extremist group that fights alongside al Qaeda's branches in Syria. [See LWJ report, Syrian rebel leader was bin Laden's courier, now Zawahiri's representative.]

Nasar was also reportedly freed in the wake of the Syrian uprising, but his current status is unknown.

Alleged ties to Bahaiah, Nasar

Spain's allegations tying Allouni to Bahaiah and Nasar have been previously summarized by the Guardian and by Brynjar Lia in his biography of Nasar, Architect of Global Jihad: The Life of Al Qaeda Strategist Abu Musab al Suri.

Years ago, Allouni "helped Bahaiah obtain Spanish residency papers by allowing him to say he was living at his Granada home - when he was actually in Turkey," the Guardian reported. And when Allouni traveled to Kabul in March 2000, Allouni "took $4,000 to Bahaiah," which Allouni claimed he did as a favor "to a friend who owed Bahaiah money."

According to Spanish court documents, cited by Lia, Allouni described his relationship with Nasar in the following terms:

We exchanged opinions. We are from the same community. I hope that you understand the peculiarity of relations within the Arab community. Thus, it is normal that an Arab and his family, who wishes to spend the night in my house, ask me. ... So I invited him [Nasar] - it is not possible to deny that - and hence, relations developed.

The Spanish government also claimed that Allouni received assistance from Nasar in setting up Al Jazeera's presence in Kabul. "[I]f you wish to come here, I can facilitate things for you and present you to some of the Taliban figures," court documents quote Nasar as saying to Allouni.

Allouni did not deny knowing the two Syrian al Qaeda operatives, but claimed that his contacts with them were innocuous and that they were not really al Qaeda. During Allouni's trial in 2005, Lia writes, Allouni "admitted meeting" both Bahaiah and Nasar in Kabul, describing the pair as a "source of information about al Qaeda's activities, its followers, and the world of radical Islam."

"I took advantage of the situation to extract information from them on what the Taliban were, on what al Qaeda was and on other organizations," Allouni said, according to the Guardian.

Spanish court records indicate that while Nasar was living in London prior to 2001, Allouni made "frequent phone contacts" with Nasar. And when the media reported in 2000 that Nasar was part of a schism within al Qaeda, Nasar turned to Allouni to publicly deny the charge, via Al Jazeera. After the 9/11 attacks, according to the US government, Nasar swore bayat (an oath of allegiance) to bin Laden.

Reporting from the post-9/11 battlefields

Allouni's interview with Julani is just the latest example of his work reporting from the post-9/11 battlefields. Allouni has previously reported from both Afghanistan and Iraq.

On Oct. 10, 2001, The Washington Post described some of Al Jazeera's reporters as having "links with the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamic organization with ties to a member of the al-Jazeera board." Allouni, according to the Post, was the "most prominent such reporter" and "was known in the past for his pro-Taliban views." In the weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Allouni became "one of the primary outlets for Taliban statements and denunciations of the United States."

The following day, on Oct. 11, 2001, The New York Times noted that Allouni was "the only reporter" in Taliban-controlled Kandahar. Allouni, the Times reported, had provided a "major exclusive" for Al Jazeera's coverage - a video of American warplanes bombing Taliban positions that was also aired on CNN.

Writing for the Times in November 2001, Fouad Ajami said Allouni's coverage of the war in Afghanistan included a "wistful tribute to the Taliban's public-works efforts." Allouni portrayed the American bombing campaign as undoing the Taliban's good work. "It appears that all the labors that had been made by the Taliban government prior to the outbreak of the war to repair the roads have scattered to the wind," Allouni said during one video shown to Al Jazeera's viewers.

It is no surprise that as the war in Syria rages on, Tayseer Allouni has received exclusive access once again.

The US killed two suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters today in the first drone strike since mid-December, when 15 civilians were reported to have been killed in another US attack in central Yemen.

The remotely piloted Predators or Reapers fired missiles at a pickup truck as it traveled near the town of Shibam in the eastern province of Hadramout today, Gulf News reported. The vehicle was destroyed and the bodies of those killed have not been identified, according to Agence France Presse.

No senior AQAP leaders or operatives are reported to have been killed at this time. AQAP does not comment on each strike that is carried out in Yemen.

Hadramout is the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden's family, and the province has become an AQAP bastion over the past several years. In May, the Yemeni government claimed it foiled a plot by AQAP to establish an Islamic emirate in the Ghayl Bawazir area.

In 2012, the US stepped up drone strikes against AQAP in Hadramout. Prior to May 2012, there were zero US drone strikes in the province. From mid-May until the end of 2012, the US launched seven attacks in Hadramout. Seven of the 41 drone strikes in Yemen in 2012, or 17%, took place in the province. And so far this year, six of the 26 strikes in Yemen, or 23%, have occurred in Hadramout.

Today's strike is the first recorded in Yemen since Dec. 12, when US drones accidentally killed 15 civilians as they traveled in a wedding party in Rada'a in the central province of Al Baydah. Yemeni officials said that the strike targeted Shawqi Ali Ahmad al Badani, a wanted midlevel AQAP commander. Al Badani is said to be linked to the al Qaeda plot that resulted in the shuttering of US embassies and diplomatic facilities worldwide. US officials claimed that no civilians died in the strike, and that between nine and 12 AQAP fighters were killed.

Background on US strikes in Yemen

Today's strike is the third in Yemen this month, and the third since Dec. 6, when AQAP penetrated security in a major attack at Yemen's Ministry of Defense in Sana'a. The suicide assault resulted in the deaths of 52 people, including foreign doctors and nurses, and 11 AQAP fighters. AQAP claimed that the assault targeted the US-run "operation rooms" for the drone program in Yemen.

The US has launched 26 drone strikes in Yemen so far this year. Despite an uptick of activity at the end of July and into the second week of August, the pace of the strikes has decreased since last year. In 2012, the US launched 41 drone strikes in Yemen against AQAP and its political front, Ansar al Sharia. The previous year, the US launched 10 drone and air strikes against the al Qaeda affiliate. The strikes are being reduced as the US government is facing increasing international criticism for conducting the attacks in both Yemen and Pakistan.

Between July 27 and Aug. 10, the US launched nine strikes in Yemen, but no drone strikes were reported for seven weeks prior to July 27. The spike in attacks from the end of July to mid-August was related to an al Qaeda plot that was uncovered by US officials. The plot's discovery led the US to close down more than 20 embassies and diplomatic facilities across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The plot involved AQAP emir Nasir al Wuhayshi, who now also serves as al Qaeda's general manager.

Although six senior AQAP operatives, including the group's deputy emir, Said al Shihri, were killed in strikes in Yemen in 2012, the group's top leadership cadre remains intact. In July, AQAP confirmed that al Shihri, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, was killed; he is thought to have died or been seriously wounded in a strike in October 2012.

The US has targeted not only senior AQAP operatives who pose a direct threat to the US, but also low-level fighters and local commanders who are battling the Yemeni government. This trend was first identified by The Long War Journal in the spring of 2012 [see LWJ report, US drone strike kills 8 AQAP fighters, from May 10, 2012]. Obama administration officials have claimed, however, that the drones are targeting only those AQAP leaders and operatives who pose a direct threat to the US homeland, and not those fighting AQAP's local insurgency against the Yemeni government.

For more information on the US airstrikes in Yemen, see LWJ report, Charting the data for US air strikes in Yemen, 2002 - 2013.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau. Image from Vanguard.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau released a new video yesterday, claiming responsibility for the Dec. 20 attack on a Nigerian military barracks in Bama, just south of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. In what is beginning to be a pattern for Shekau, the video was released to Agence France Presse in the same manner as his previous video, in which he claimed the Dec. 2 attack on the Maiduguri Barracks and mocked Western leaders.

In the newest video, Shekau claimed that his fighters killed "multitudes" and destroyed 21 armored tanks, a distinct possibility given that the attack was on a base belonging to the 202 Tank Battalion. But his latest communication appears to be far more ideological than his previous message, and Shekau seems intent on discrediting the West and the Nigerian government and military.

The Boko Haram leader used the video to deride Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, US President Barack Obama, President Francois Hollande of France, and Queen Elizabeth of England, and said they should be ashamed for believing a statement released by Nigeria's military in August that he was likely dead.

Addressing a bounty of 50 million naira (US $300,000) that the Nigerian military placed in November 2012 for his capture, Shekau scoffed at the idea that any of his men would betray him, and claimed that his men "do not worship money."

He went on to add that Nigeria's military is both inept and incapable of subduing Boko Haram, stating: "Nigerian soldiers are late. After killing many of them in Monguno and Benisheik, we have snatched their armored carriers and Hilux vans and then hoisted Islamic flags on them. We now move freely with them."

Shekau warned Christians not to attend church, and also attacked the notion of democracy, declaring that "the concept of government of the people by the people for the people will never be possible and will never exist. Democracy shall be replaced only by the government of Allah, from Allah and for Allah."

This attack on democracy is calculated and comes at a time when President Jonathan has come under fire domestically. Reports that he is more concerned with his 2015 reelection campaign than domestic security even in the wake of recent major Boko Haram attacks on military infrastructure have led to calls for Jonathan to do more, including suggestions that he relocate to Maiduguri until the insurgency is put down.

Further, Jonathan has his hands full with media allegations that quote him saying "terrorism has come to stay in Nigeria." This has caused outrage in the country, even while Jonathan insists he was misquoted and had in fact said that "Nigeria has done comparatively better in reducing the incidence of terrorist attacks within its borders to a 'reasonable level.'"

A master of resurrection

Widely assumed dead in a 2009 attack, Shekau announced his leadership of Boko Haram in dramatic style when he resurfaced in a 2010 video that "might best be described as 'classic al-Qaeda.'" In the video, he stated that he was the new head of Boko Haram, and that the group's "jihad has just begun." More significantly, he threatened attacks against not only the Nigerian state, but against "outposts of Western culture," and later published a manifesto linking Boko Haram's efforts with global jihad and especially the struggle of "the soldiers of Allah in the Islamic State of Iraq." This display of solidarity with jihadist groups operating outside Nigeria marked a major revision of Boko Haram's operational strategy.

Moreover, Shekau has backed up his threat to attack Western institutions, beginning with the August 2011 suicide bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. Additionally, a number of Westerners have been kidnapped for ransom in Nigeria.

In June 2012, the US State Department added Shekau to the list of Specially Designated Global terrorists. The designation was the first time the Nigerian terror group was officially recognized as a threat to the United States. According to a State Department press release, "[u]nder Shekau's leadership, Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in northern Nigeria, its primary area of operation."

In June 2013, Shekau was added to the State Department's" Rewards for Justice" list, with an offer of up to $7 million for his capture. This amount placed Shekau in the top echelon of wanted jihadist commanders linked to al Qaeda, just below the $10 million reward offered for Abu Du'a (al Qaeda in Iraq's emir), Mullah Omar (the emir of the Taliban), Hafiz Mohammad Saeed (the leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba), and Yasin al Suri (the former chief of al Qaeda's network in Iran).

The escalation in Boko Haram attacks follows an Aug. 1 report in the Huffington Post that Abubaker Shekau had been shot and deposed by his own followers as a prelude to peace negotiations with the Nigerian government. The report alleged that Boko Haram's leadership had sent representatives to the Nigerian capital Abuja on June 25, where they revealed to the government that Shekau was no longer their leader. The report quoted Imam Liman Ibrahim, described as "the spiritual leader of Boko Haram," as stating that Shekau's teachings were becoming increasingly harsh, and that "the beheadings, the killings, the recent death of students ... this is not the way of the Holy Qu'ran. We could tolerate it no longer."

According to the report, Shekau had been given a choice of joining the peace dialogue, forming his own sect, or being killed, and had subsequently been shot in the lower leg, thigh, and shoulder. The sight of a limping Shekau in a video clip recovered by the military after a raid on a Boko Haram camp seemed to corroborate the story.

When Imam Muhammadu Marwana released a statement claiming leadership of the group in early August, it appeared that Shekau had been deposed. However, reports emerged that Marwana was a creation of a group of Nigerian government officials attempting to steal money meant to end the insurgency. Then in September, a clearly in control Shekau released another video showing himself alive and well, in which he claimed responsibility for a Boko Haram attack that killed 161 people in Borno. Boko Haram attacks have escalated ever since, and Shekau has released more videos to prove his control over the organization.

It would appear that the reports of his demise have aggrieved Shekau, and he is intent on ridiculing them at every opportunity.

A female suicide bomber detonated a vest packed with explosives in a train station in the southern Russian city of Volgograd today, killing more than a dozen people. The bombing, which was likely executed by the Islamic Caucasus Emirate, took place in a region where Russia will soon host the 2014 Winter Olympics, and is the second suicide attack in Volgograd since October.

The female suicide bomber, or Black Widow, detonated at least 10 kilograms of TNT inside the entrance hall of the Volgograd train station today. The bomber set off the explosives close to the security checkpoint inside the station, near the metal detectors, according to RIA Novosti.

Reports indicate that between 13 and 18 people were killed in the suicide attack. More than 50 people are said to have been wounded.

Video of the blast was captured from outside of the train station and published on YouTube. A large fireball is seen rising up the multi-storied entrance.

Russian security services have said the suicide bomber was a female, and are currently investigating to determine if she is from the Republic of Dagestan in the southern Caucasus region. Voice of Russia reported that Russian security services have identified the female suicide bomber as Oksana Aslanova, "a 26-year-old Tabasaran national from Turkmenistan," who had been married to known jihadists who have been killed during fighting in the region. Russian officials said they are "almost confident" that Aslanova, who lived in Dagestan, is the bomber, ABC News reported.

Today's suicide bombing is the first in Volgograd since Oct. 21, when another Black Widow detonated explosives on a bus at a train station. That attack was carried out by a Dagestani woman named Naida Asiyalova. She was married to a jihadist who was wanted for executing bombings in the Caucasus. [See LWJ report, Suspected 'Black Widow' suicide bomber kills 6 in southern Russia].

The Islamic Caucasus Emirate considers Volgograd as part of its "Caucasus Emirate."

"Pyatigorsk [Volgograd] is located in the northern part of the Islamic state of the Caucasus Emirate with near-daily military operations in a long-running Jihad," Kavkaz Center, a media outlet for the Islamic Caucasus Emirate, stated in a report on a car bombing in the city that took place just days ago. Three policemen are reported to have been killed in that attack.

"Mujahideen want to create an Islamic state in North Caucasus," that statement continued.

Islamic Caucasus Emirate likely behind today's attack

No group has claimed the attack, but it is likely the work of the Islamic Caucasus Emirate and its Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyr Brigade, which have been responsible for a series of bombings and suicide attacks in the Caucasus region and beyond over the past decade.

The Brigade was revived in 2009 under Caucasus Emirate leader Doku Umarov, a terrorist blacklisted by the US in 2010 who has vowed further suicide attacks.

During an interview in February 2010 with the pro-terrorist Kavkaz Center, Umarov threatened to conduct attacks using the Riyad-us-Saliheen Brigade in the heart of Russia, and reiterated that the brigade was back in action.

"The zone of military operations will be extended to the territory of Russia," Umarov told Kavkaz. Umarov also claimed that the Riyad-us-Saliheen Brigade has been "replenished with the best among the best of the Mujahideen and if the Russians do not understand that the war will come to their streets, that the war will come to their homes, so it is worse for them." [See LWJ report, 'Black Widow' female suicide bombers kill 37 in Moscow metro blasts.]

In September 2010, Emir Adam, the commander of the the leader of the Caucasus Emirate forces in Ingushetia, claimed that the suicide teams of the Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyrs' Brigade executed the Sept. 9 suicide attack in Vladikavkaz that killed 18 people. He said that "[o]ur immediate goal is expulsion of invaders, the return to Muslims of the lands of the Caucasus and establishment of the Islamic rule on them." One month earlier, the Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyrs' Brigade had released a statement in support of Umarov and threatened to carry out more attacks. [See LWJ report, Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyrs' Brigade claims suicide attack in southern Russia.]

Female suicide bombers from the Caucasus, known as the Black Widows, have targeted Russian civilians and security personnel in multiple attacks over the past decade, including: the attack on the Nord-Ost Moscow theater (129 killed); an assassination attempt against Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov (14 killed); a suicide attack on a train in Southern Russia (46 killed); a dual suicide attack at a rock concert at Tushino Airfield in Moscow (16 killed); the destruction of two Russian airliners in 2004 (more than 90 killed); the attack on a school in Beslan in North Ossetia (334 killed); the Moscow metro bombings (39 killed); and the Moscow airport bombing (37 killed).

In the Moscow Metro bombings on March 29, 2010, two female suicide bombers detonated their vests during morning rush hour at metro stations in Moscow, killing 37 people and wounding 65 more.

More recently, on Aug. 29, 2012, a Black Widow suicide bomber carried out an attack in Dagestan that killed a moderate Sufi cleric and six other people. The attack was the third in two months against prominent Muslim clerics who were working to promote moderate versions of Islam in Russia. The attacker, a convert to Islam whose current husband as well as two previous husbands were Islamist militants, was the first known ethnic Russian female to become a suicide bomber, Reuters said at the time. [See LWJ report, 'Black Widow' assassinates moderate Muslim cleric in Russia's Caucasus.]

In July this year, Islamic Caucasus Emirate leader Doku Umarov issued a statement calling for further attacks aimed at disrupting Russia's plans for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, according to the Kavkaz Center. He stated: "We know that on the bones of our ancestors, on the bones of many, many Muslims who died and are buried on our territory along the Black Sea, today they plan to stage the Olympic Games. We, as the Mujahedeen, must not allow this to happen by any means possible."

In that statement, Umarov also declared that the Islamic Caucasus Emirate is allied with al Qaeda and other international terrorist groups.

"We are a part of the global jihad," he said.

Shortly after the Boston Marathon bombings this spring, Russian authorities announced that they would be bolstering security in Sochi starting on June 1, the Moscow Times reported. More recently, The Guardian disclosed that Russia's intelligence service is planning to monitor "all communications" by athletes and visitors at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Aftermath of the suicide attack on a bus in Volgograd. Image from RIA Novosti.

The southern Russian city of Volgograd has suffered its second suicide attack targeting public transportation in two days. Yesterday's blast took place at the city's train station, and today, a suicide bomber destroyed a trolley in the city. Both attacks are likely to have been carried out by the Islamic Caucasus Emirate, an al Qaeda-allied group whose leader has ordered his fighters to attack the 2014 Winter Olympics in nearby Sochi.

Today's suicide attack was designed to maximize casualties; the blast took place on a trolley at around 8 a.m. local time, as residents were commuting to work. The suicide bomber, who is believed to be a male, detonated the "equivalent to at least 4 kg TNT" on the crowded trolley, ITAR-TASS reported.

The blast demolished the trolley, peeling off the roof and sides. Reports indicate that at least 15 people were killed and 27 more were wounded; some of the wounded are in critical condition.

Today's terrorist attack took place just one day after a female suicide bomber, or Black Widow, killed 17 people and wounded dozens more in a suicide attack at the main train station in Volgograd. Yesterday's attack is thought to have been carried out by a woman who had been married to known jihadists from the Islamic Caucasus Emirate.

While no group has claimed credit for the last two attacks, they were most certainly carried out by the Islamic Caucasus Emirate, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in southern Russia. The Islamic Caucasus Emirate claims that Volgograd "is located in the northern part of the Islamic state of the Caucasus Emirate," according to Kavkaz Center, which distributes propaganda for the terror group.

The Islamic Caucasus Emirate is the only group operating in southern Russia known to use suicide bombers, and its Riyad-us-Saliheen Brigade has trained females for suicide missions. The terror group has announced that it seeks to disrupt the 2014 Winter Olympics slated for February in Sochi.

In July this year, Islamic Caucasus Emirate leader Doku Umarov issued a statement calling for further attacks aimed at disrupting Russia's plans for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, according to Kavkaz Center. He stated: "We know that on the bones of our ancestors, on the bones of many, many Muslims who died and are buried on our territory along the Black Sea, today they plan to stage the Olympic Games. We, as the Mujahedeen, must not allow this to happen by any means possible."

In that statement, Umarov also declared that the Islamic Caucasus Emirate is allied with al Qaeda and other international terrorist groups.

"We are a part of the global jihad," he said.

The Islamic Caucasus Emirate appears to be targeting public transportation in Volgograd in order to sow panic and deter visitors from traveling to the region for the Olympics. On Oct. 21, another Black Widow detonated explosives on a bus at a train station in Volgograd. That attack was carried out by a Dagestani woman named Naida Asiyalova. She was married to a jihadist who was wanted for executing bombings in the Caucasus. [See LWJ report, Suspected 'Black Widow' suicide bomber kills 6 in southern Russia.]

The blast on the bus today sparked panic in Volgograd and as far away as Moscow as rumors of other bombings circulated. In Volgograd, some commuters left buses and trains after rumors of other attacks in the city were reported on social media sites, according to RIA Novosti.

For more information on the Islamic Caucasus Emirate's use of female suicide bombers in its operations in Russia, see LWJ report, 'Black Widow' suicide bomber strikes at Russian train station.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula launched a complex suicide assault against a Security Department headquarters in the port city of Aden in southwestern Yemen today. Security forces repelled this latest AQAP suicide assault against security forces in Yemen's largest cities.

The attack began as a suicide bomber drove a vehicle laden with explosives into the main entrance of the Security Department in Aden at 2:00 a.m. local time, according to SABA, the state-run news agency. The blast collapsed a building at the main gate and badly damaged nearby buildings. Then several vehicles filled with AQAP fighters attempted to breach the main gate but were repelled by security forces.

The military claimed that "two soldiers from the special forces and five of the Security Department" were wounded during the attack, according to SABA. Unnamed officials claimed that three soldiers were killed, Al Jazeera reported.

Military officials also claimed that two of the attackers were captured and several more were wounded but escaped during the fighting.

While the Security Department headquarters was under attack, AQAP fighters reportedly shelled two police stations in the city.

AQAP is known to have a presence in Aden, and has carried out several suicide attacks and assassinations in the city. The most prominent suicide attack took place in June 2012, when a suicide bomber killed Brigadier General Salem Ali al Quton. The general was the commander of Yemen's southern military district and had directed the offensive that cleared AQAP from the major cities and towns in Abyan and Shabwa provinces. Quton was killed when a suicide bomber detonated outside the general's home. AQAP claimed credit for the attack and accused the US of directing the war against the terror group in Yemen.

In August 2012, an AQAP suicide assault team targeted an intelligence headquarters in Aden, and killed 14 soldiers during the sophisticated attack.

In another suicide attack, in June 2011, a suicide bomber killed nine Yemeni soldiers in an attack on a military convoy in Aden.

The US has conducted at least one drone strike in Aden. On June 25, 2012, the unmanned Predators or Reapers killed an al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula commander and two fighters in an airstrike near the southern port city.

Today's suicide assault follows the Dec. 5 attack by a large suicide team of AQAP fighters at the Ministry of Defense in the capital of Sana'a. The suicide assault resulted in the deaths of 52 people, including foreign doctors and nurses, and 11 AQAP fighters. AQAP claimed that the assault targeted the US-run "operation rooms" for the drone program in Yemen.

AQAP has continued to launch suicide assaults, bombings, and assassinations throughout Yemen. Some of the more high-profile suicide assaults include: the Sept. 20 suicide assaults against three military bases in Shabwa province; a raid on military headquarters in Mukallah in Hadramout on Sept. 30 (the base was held by the AQAP fighters for days before the military retook control); and the Oct. 18 suicide assault on a military training center in Abyan.

The suicide assault, or coordinated attack using multiple suicide bombers and an assault team, is a tactic used by al Qaeda and its allies, including the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban, and the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Suicide assault are commonly executed in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia.

Majid bin Muhammad al Majid, from the Saudi Interior Ministry's list of 85 most-wanted terrorists.

Lebanese security forces have captured Majid bin Muhammad al Majid, a Saudi jihadist who leads the al Qaeda-associated Abdullah Azzam Brigades, according to reports. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades has stepped up attacks against Hezbollah for its involvement in the Syrian civil war.

Majid was reportedly detained on or before Dec. 29, according to Reuters, but the circumstances of his capture were not disclosed. US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal said that Majid is thought to be in Lebanese custody and was detained in early December.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades has not released an official statement confirming or denying that its emir is in custody.

Majid, a Saudi citizen, is on Saudi Arabia's list of 85 most-wanted individuals for links to al Qaeda, which was released in 2009.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades was formed by Saleh al Qarawi, who was close to former al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi. The two fought together in Fallujah (presumably in the two battles in 2004). Sometime after 2004, Qarawi was ordered by Zarqawi to form the Abdullah Azzam Brigades. The group, which is named after al Qaeda's co-founder and Osama bin Laden's mentor, was tasked with hitting targets in the Levant and throughout the Middle East.

In June 2012, Qarawi was reportedly detained by the Saudi government after returning to his home country to receive medical treatment for injuries received in a US drone strike that year in Pakistan's Waziristan region.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades is known to have conducted attacks in Lebanon and Israel, and off the coast of Oman. A group with the same name has also claimed credit for attacks in Egypt and Pakistan. The US government added the Abdullah Azzam Brigades to list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists in May 2012.

At the outset of the Syrian civil war, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades urged caution against conducting attacks in major cities, such as suicide bombings and IED blasts, that might turn Syrians against the revolution, "because preserving the popularity of the revolution is more important and constant for the work."

As Hezbollah increased its support for the Assad regime, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades encouraged Muslims to join the jihad.

In 2013, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades began attacking Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon as the Iranian proxy began sending thousands of fighters into Syria. On Nov. 21, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed credit for the suicide attack outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut that killed 23 people, including Iran's cultural attache.

"First: All the elements of the party of Iran [Hezbollah] must withdraw from Syria," an Abdullah Azzam Brigades spokesman said on Twitter. He also demanded that the Lebanese government "release our prisoners from the prisons of injustice in Lebanon."

For more information on the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, its leaders, and its involvement in the global jihad, see LWJ reports:

• Abdullah Azzam Brigades claims credit for attack on Iranian embassy
• Online jihadists discuss fate of al Qaeda operative held by Saudi Arabia
• Abdullah Azzam Brigades names leader, advises against attacks in Syria's cities
• US adds Abdullah Azzam Brigades to list of terror groups
• US adds Abdullah Azzam Brigades commander to terrorist list
• US adds Abdullah Azzam Brigades explosives expert to terror list

Over the past several days, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq, has taken control of large sections of two western Iraqi cities that were once bastions for the terror group.

ISIS fighters entered the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar, after the Iraqi military withdrew from them following clashes with tribes over a political standoff that resulted in the arrest of a Sunni member of parliament.

The ISIS has posted videos of its fighters entering the cities in force after clashing with Iraqi police and overrunning several checkpoints. In the videos, a large convoy of ISIS fighters driving technicals, or pickup trucks with heavy machine guns mounted on the back, is seen moving through Ramadi. The fighters are flying al Qaeda's black banner while singing praises to al Qaeda and its "Islamic state." [See more videos here.]

Officials from the Iraqi Interior Ministry acknowledged that parts of Fallujah and Ramadi are under al Qaeda control.

"Half of Fallujah is in the hands of ISIS (the Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham) group," an anonymous interior ministry official told AFP.

"In Ramadi, it is similar - some areas are controlled by ISIS," the official continued. The other parts of the city are controlled by "tribesmen," likely a reference to the Sahwa ("the Awakening"), the tribal militia that with US backing ejected al Qaeda from control of large areas of Anbar between 2006 and 2009.

In Fallujah, ISIS fighters stormed the main police headquarters, freed more than 100 prisoners, and seized weapons and ammunition. "Other police stations in the city were torched by fighters as most police abandoned their posts," Al Jazeera reported.

Iraqi special forces are said to be battling ISIS fighters in Fallujah and Ramadi. The status of nearby cities and towns is not known, but the ISIS has been active in cities such as Haditha, where in March 2012 a large force attacked police stations and executed policemen and their commanders. The ISIS has also staged raids in other cities such as Hit and Rawa.

Ramadi and Fallujah, sizeable cities with populations of several hundred thousand each, once served as the hubs for al Qaeda in Iraq, the predecessor of the ISIS. From 2004 to early 2007, large areas of the two cities were either controlled by al Qaeda or were contested. The Awakening and US and Iraqi forces waged a protracted counterinsurgency to clear al Qaeda from the two cities as well as from surrounding cities and towns along the Euphrates River Valley.

The ISIS has been targeting Iraqi security forces as well as the Awakening in a series of high-profile suicide assaults and bombings in Anbar. Just two weeks ago, the ISIS killed the commanding general of the 7th Division, one of the division's brigade commanders, and 16 staff officers and soldiers in a suicide attack in Rutbah. The ISIS set a trap for the division commander as he toured an area thought to have been cleared of the terror group. The 7th Division is made up primarily of soldiers and officers from Anbar province.

Al Qaeda regaining control of areas in Iraq it lost during the surge

The ISIS has had success in regaining control of areas of Iraq that it lost during combined US and Iraqi counterinsurgency operations from 2007 to 2009. A map recently produced by Reuters shows that the ISIS controls villages and towns along the Euphrates River and the border with Syria as well as in the desert in Anbar, in areas south of Baghdad, in the Hamrin Mountains in Diyala and Salahaddin, and in numerous areas in Ninewa [map is below].

When the Reuters map is compared with maps produced in 2008 by Multinational Forces - Iraq that show al Qaeda control in Iraq in 2006 [leftmost map] at the height of the organization's strength in the country, and 2008 [center map] after the group was driven from many of its sanctuaries, al Qaeda's resurgence becomes clear.

The ISIS began retaking control of areas in Iraq after the US withdrew military, intelligence, and logistical support from the Iraqi military and intelligence services and abandoned its support of the Awakening in December 2011. The Syrian civil war and a political standoff between Prime Minister Maliki and Sunnis in Anbar have also fueled the resurgence of al Qaeda in Iraq.

In Syria, the ISIS and the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda's other branch in Syria, and allied Islamist groups from the Islamic Front control large areas in the northern and eastern portions of the country.

For a larger image, click the map. Left and center maps: these two maps were produced by MNF-I in 2008 to show how al Qaeda was driven from its sanctuaries during the surge. Dark red indicates control; light red indicates presence. Right map: this map was produced by Reuters in December 2013.