Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) killed American photojournalist Luke Somers and Pierre Korkie, a South African teacher, during a hastily organized rescue attempt by US forces that took place in southern Yemen earlier today. The raid was authorized after AQAP had threatened to kill Somers within 72 hours unless its demands were met.

The rescue attempt and the hostages' deaths were announced by the US Department of Defense in a press release. The operation "was quickly but thoroughly planned," after being authorized by President Barack Obama and the Yemeni government on Dec. 5.

"US Special Operations forces were close to the Yemeni compound when al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula terrorists detected them and murdered American Luke Somers and another Western hostage," the press release stated. "The Yemeni government approved the operation and gave its full support."

"Military, law enforcement and intelligence specialists pinpointed where AQAP was holding the hostages and the threat the terrorists posed to them," the statement continues. "Intelligence indicated AQAP planned to murder the hostages within 72 hours, giving added impetus to the attempt."

The Department of Defense provided some details on the rescue operation. Forty American "special operators" assaulted a "remote compound" in the southern province of Shabwa, an AQAP stronghold, after being dropped off by CV-22 Ospreys "under the cover of darkness." The operation lasted for at least one hour.

"AQAP terrorists detected the special operators as they began their final approach to the compound and they began firing wildly at the Americans," the statement says. An AQAP fighter entered the buildings where the hostages were held and shot them.

The special operations forces overran the building and found Somers and Korkie, both of whom were shot but still alive. The two freed captives were flown to the USS Makin Island. "Surgeons and medics worked on the two men on the way to the ship, but one died en route and the other on the operating table," the statement says.

AQAP threatened to kill Somers

Somers was captured by AQAP in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a one year ago. US special operations forces attempted to rescue Somers and other hostages during a raid in the Hajr as-Say'ar district of Hadramout province during the night between Nov. 24 and Nov. 25. Eight hostages were rescued in that operation, but Somers had been moved prior to the raid.

AQAP reacted to that operation in a speech by senior AQAP leader Nasser bin Ali al Ansi that was released on Dec. 4. In the videotaped speech, Ansi threatened to kill Somers if the US did not give in to a number of undisclosed demands.

Somers then appeared in the video and pled for his life. [See LWJ report, AQAP threatens to execute American hostage.]

"It's now been well over a year since I've been kidnapped in Sana'a," Somers said in the video. "Basically, I'm looking for any help that can get me out of this situation. I am certain my life is in danger. So as I sit here now, I ask, if anything can be done, please let it be done."

An operative who was dispatched to Libya by al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri was reportedly captured in Turkey and is now being held in Jordan.

A Turkish daily, the Milliyet, first reported Azzouz's capture earlier this month. The Milliyet's reporting was subsequently picked up by other Turkish press outlets.

Azzouz was handpicked by Zawahiri to oversee al Qaeda's efforts in post-revolution Libya. According to the Turkish reports, Azzouz was detained in mid-November after the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Turkish authorities located him in the "summer resort" area of Yalova, which is south of Istanbul. Two laptops and a fake passport were captured along with Azzouz.

According to an account by the Washington Post, Azzouz was soon deported to Jordan, where he is currently being held.

US intelligence officials are investigating Azzouz's potential ties to the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. If he did have a role in the assault, during which four Americans were killed, then his involvement would be yet another strong piece of evidence pointing to the culpability of al Qaeda's international network.

Fighters from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), two formal branches of al Qaeda, are known to have taken part in the Benghazi attack. Both AQAP and AQIM are openly loyal to Zawahiri.

Members of the so-called Mohammad Jamal Network (MJN) were present among the attackers. The MJN, as it is known by Western counterterrorism officials, was founded by Mohammad Jamal, an Egyptian who was first trained by al Qaeda in the 1980s. Like the leaders of AQAP and AQIM, Jamal swore a bayat (oath of allegiance) to Zawahiri.

Fighters from Ansar al Sharia, an al Qaeda-linked group based in Libya, were also among the jihadists who stormed the embassy. There is abundant evidence tying Ansar al Sharia to al Qaeda's network and these ties have been formally recognized by the United Nations. [For more on the various al Qaeda groups responsible for the Benghazi attack, see LWJ reports, Senate report: Terrorists 'affiliated' with multiple al Qaeda groups involved in Benghazi attack and UN recognizes ties between Ansar al Sharia in Libya, al Qaeda.]

Zawahiri's man in Libya

In September, the State Department added Azzouz to the US government's list of specially designated global terrorists. Azzouz "has had a presence in Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and Libya."

State noted that Azzouz "was sent to Libya in 2011 by al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri to build a fighting force there, and mobilized approximately 200 fighters." Azzouz "is considered a key operative capable of training al Qaeda recruits in a variety of skills," such as building improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The designation of Azzouz confirmed some of the details previously reported by CNN, as well as by an analysis shop in the Defense Department.

An unclassified report published in August 2012 highlights al Qaeda's strategy for building a fully operational network in Libya, and it identified Azzouz as playing a key role in these plans. The report ("Al Qaeda in Libya: A Profile") was prepared by the federal research division of the Library of Congress under an agreement with the Defense Department's Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO).

The report's authors noted that Azzouz had been sent to Libya by Zawahiri and has been close to the al Qaeda leader "since 1980." Azzouz "first visited Afghanistan in the 1990s to join the mujahedin fight against the Soviet occupation." In Libya, according to the CTTSO report, Azzouz "has been operating at least one training center" and has hundreds of men under his command. [See LWJ report, Al Qaeda's plan for Libya highlighted in congressional report.]

It is not clear what Azzouz was specifically doing in Turkey at the time of his capture. Turkey is a known crossroads for al Qaeda operatives, including those dispatched by al Qaeda's senior leadership and fighters seeking to join the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria.

A senior al Qaeda commander is reported to have been killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan's tribal areas yesterday. If his death is confirmed, it would mean that two al Qaeda leaders have been killed by US and Pakistani forces over the weekend.

The CIA-operated, remotely piloted Predators or Reapers fired a pair of missiles at a compound in the village of Khar Tangi in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan during the early morning of Dec. 7, killing upwards of six jihadists, according to reports from Pakistan. Several fighters from the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group, a Taliban faction that is supported by the Pakistani state, are said to be among those killed.

There is some confusion over the identity of the al Qaeda leader who is reported to have been killed. Both Reuters and Dawn identified him as Omar Farooq ("alias Omar Ustad and Ustad Farooq," according to Dawn), who is described as al Qaeda's spokesman and emir for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Express Tribune also named the slain al Qaeda leader as Omar Farooq, but described him as al Qaeda's "coordinator for the Arab region and Pakistan." The name of al Qaeda's spokesman for Pakistan is Ustad Ahmad Farooq, rather than Omar Farooq. [See LWJ reports, Al Qaeda eulogizes senior commander killed in recent drone strike and Al Qaeda weighs in on the Malala shooting.]

US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal said they are aware of reports of the death of a senior al Qaeda leader in Sunday's drone strike, but would not comment on the identity of who was targeted. One intelligence official noted that Omar Farooq is a common nom de guerre for Pakistani jihadists.

Al Qaeda and its official branch in the region, al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), have not released an official statement confirming or denying the death of a senior leader, nor are al Qaeda-linked jihadists discussing reports of the death on social media sites.

If Farooq's death is confirmed, he would be the second al Qaeda leader killed in Waziristan last weekend. On Dec. 6, the Pakistani military claimed it killed Adnan Shukrijumah, al Qaeda's operations chief for North America, in a raid in Spin Warzak, South Waziristan.

The Datta Khel area in North Waziristan, where yesterday's drone strike took place, is a nexus of Taliban, Haqqani Network, and al Qaeda activity. Hafiz Gul Bahadar, the top Taliban commander for North Waziristan, administers the area, but the Haqqani Network, al Qaeda, and other jihadist groups also operate there. Some of al Qaeda's top leaders have been killed in drone strikes in Datta Khel, including Mustafa Abu Yazid, Abdullah Said al Libi, and Zuhaib al Zahibi. [See LWJ report, 'Foreign militants' reported killed in latest US drone strike in Pakistan, for more details on Datta Khel and senior al Qaeda leaders killed there.]

US continues to target al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan's tribal areas

The US has killed three other senior al Qaeda leaders in drone strikes in Pakistan since the beginning of October. AQIS confirmed that Sheikh Imran Ali Siddiqi, a member of the group's shura, or executive council, was killed in a drone strike on Oct. 11. And in mid-November, the US killed AQIS leaders Adil Abdul Quoos and Dr. Sarbaland. [See LWJ reports, AQIS announces death of 2 senior leaders in US operation and US drone strike kills veteran jihadist turned senior AQIS official.]

The ongoing targeting of al Qaeda's leadership cadre by the US in Pakistan's tribal areas refutes past claims from Obama administration and intelligence officials that al Qaeda's core has been "decimated", and that the organization has been "reduced to just two figures whose demise would mean the group's defeat."

US strikes in Pakistan

Yesterday's operation in Datta Khel is the 21st strike reported in Pakistan this year. Ten of those strikes have taken place in Datta Khel, and four more in the in the Shawal Valley of North Waziristan, which is also an al Qaeda and jihadist hub in the tribal agency.

All 21 attacks have taken place since June 11. The US drone program in Pakistan was put on hold from the end of December 2013 until June 11, 2014, as the Pakistani government attempted to negotiate a peace deal with the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, an al Qaeda-linked group that wages jihad in Afghanistan and seeks to overthrow the Pakistani state.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) carried out a double suicide bombing early this morning at the First Military Command base in Seyoun, the capital of Yemen's eastern Hadramout province. Yemeni security sources reported that two attackers detonated separate vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) at the base, killing at least five soldiers and wounding between four and eight others.

A Twitter account affiliated with AQAP promptly claimed credit for the bombings and alleged that "tens" of soldiers were killed in the attacks. Although Yemeni security officials indicated that soldiers had prevented the explosives-laden vehicles from entering the facility, AQAP claimed that one car bomb exploded at the base's gate and the other detonated inside the compound.

AQAP identified the first suicide attacker as Humam al Qarqa al Awlaki, also known as Julaybeeb al Awlaki. According to the group's statement released this morning, Awlaki detonated a Suzuki Vitara laden with half a ton of explosives at the gate of the base at around 8:40 a.m. About two minutes later, the second suicide attacker, Nasser bin Ganam al Si'ri, also known as Mansour al Si'ri, detonated a Toyota Hilux carrying 1.25 tons of explosive material inside the command headquarters, allegedly killing "tens" of soldiers and disabling a number of military vehicles.

AQAP stated that its fighters had been monitoring the base prior to the operation and noted that a military convoy that included high-ranking officials had entered the facility about 30 minutes before the attacks.

Yemeni officials told Arabic news outlets that a military truck was also attacked last night in the city of al Shihr, about 150 miles south of Seyoun. Two soldiers were killed and one wounded in the incident, according to officials.

An AQAP statement released today alleged that its fighters attacked the military truck with an improvised explosive device (IED) at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 8 at the western entrance to al Shihr, killing three soldiers and wounding other passengers. The statement also asserted that soldiers from a nearby barracks began firing in the area "randomly" for over an hour after the attack, ostensibly damaging a nearby mosque and several "houses of Muslims in the area."

Bombings in Sana'a

Today's double suicide attack in Hadramout follows a day of AQAP bombings in Sana'a targeting the residences of Shiite Houthi rebel leaders in the city. The jihadist group said that its fighters carried out three nearly identical twin bombing attacks on the morning of Dec. 8 at the residences of Abd al Ilah al Sharqi, Mohammad Dhayf Allah, and a third unnamed Houthi leader, killing a total of 15 Houthis and wounding 36.

Local media outlets reported that five IEDs exploded in several locations in Sana'a on Monday morning, injuring a total of eight people. Two of the IEDs reportedly detonated in the al Sha'ub district of Sana'a at the home of a local carpenter and overt Houthi supporter, Abdul Hamed Dhayf Allah. The first bomb exploded at 6:00 a.m. and the second, attached to a car parked outside the house, went off about 20 minutes later, reportedly injuring eight local residents.

An officer from the Criminal Investigation Bureau in Sana'a claimed that a third IED exploded a short time later at the house of local Houthi leader Abdullah al Sharafi in the capital's Hasaba district. In addition, two IEDs detonated in the al Sayah neighborhood of Sha'ub district yesterday morning, with apparently no injuries.

According to a statement released by AQAP today, its fighters staged three identical bombing operations at the residences of Houthi leaders, each comprised of two staggered explosions at each site.

In the jihadist group's account, the first attack took place at 6:00 a.m. at the residence of Houthi politician Abd al Ilah al Sharqi, where AQAP fighters detonated a rigged motorbike parked outside the house, damaging the building's facade as well as six vehicles. As Houthis gathered at the scene of the initial explosion, AQAP claimed it detonated a second and more lethal IED comprised of 13 kilograms of TNT and 370 pieces of shrapnel. According to the jihadist group's statement, eight Houthis were killed and 14 others were wounded in the secondary attack.

AQAP also stated that it carried out essentially the same operation at the residence of Houthi leader Mohammad Dhayf Allah, remotely detonating the first IED at 6:15 a.m. and the second, a five-kilogram explosive, at 6:30 a.m. The jihadist group also stated that its fighters reenacted this scenario a third time at the house of an unnamed Houthi leader, claiming that seven Houthis were killed and 22 injured in these two attacks.

AQAP has already claimed credit for a total of 25 terrorist attacks throughout Yemen against both Houthi and military targets since Dec. 1, including today's bombing at the First Military Command base in Hadramout. Eight of these attacks (about 30 percent of all AQAP attacks this month) have been directed at the Yemeni military, mostly in Yemen's southern and eastern provinces.

The remaining operations, with the exception of the Dec. 3 bombing at the residence of the Iranian ambassador to Yemen, have been directed at Houthi military positions and/or individual Houthi leaders or their alleged supporters. The majority of these attacks (7) took place in Sana'a, whereas other operations were conducted in Ibb and Baydah provinces.

AQAP has been battling its traditional local enemy, the Yemeni military, and its rising nemesis, the Shiite Houthi rebels, while still managing to threaten the US. On Dec. 4, the jihadist group released a video featuring hostage Luke Somers, threatening to kill the American photojournalist if the US government did not give in to various demands. On Dec. 6, AQAP killed Somers as well as a South African hostage during a rescue attempt by US forces in Shabwa. And two weeks ago, AQAP claimed responsibility for a double IED attack at the US Embassy in Sana'a.

The following photos were released by AQAP along with the statement regarding today's attack at the First Military Command base in Hadramout:

The first suicide attacker - Humam al Qarwa al Awlaki

The second suicide attacker, Nasser bin Ghanam al Si'ri

This image purports to show the second suicide attacker approaching the base

This image purports to show the detonation of the second VBIED

The Defense Department announced on Dec. 7 that six Guantanamo detainees had been transferred to Uruguay. Four of the six are citizens of Syria, one is a Tunisian, and the sixth is from the Palestinian-controlled territories.

In its final recommendations, issued in January 2010, President Obama's Guantanamo Review Task Force recommended that all six be transferred "to a country outside the United States that will implement appropriate security measures."

Prior to the establishment of the task force in early 2009, Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO), which oversees the detention facilities in Cuba, wrote threat assessments for all six of the now former detainees. The threat assessments were subsequently leaked online.

JTF-GTMO deemed five of six to be "high" risks, who are "likely to pose a threat to the US, its interests, and allies." Only one was determined to be a "medium" risk, "as he may pose a threat to the US, its interests, and allies."

Interestingly, the intelligence contained in JTF-GTMO's files linked all six transferred detainees to Abu Zubaydah, who has been the subject of much controversy. Zubaydah was captured in 2002 and subjected to harsh interrogation techniques. Some have claimed that Zubaydah was not really a senior al Qaeda leader at the time of his capture, but this argument is contradicted by dozens of pieces of intelligence contained in the JTF-GTMO files, among other evidence.

The dossiers compiled by the US government for each of the six transferred detainees include multiple pieces of evidence pointing to their ties to both Abu Zubaydah and al Qaeda. Four of the former detainees were members of the so-called "Syrian Group," which was based at a guesthouse funded by Zubaydah. A fifth detainee was allegedly part of Zubaydah's "Martyrs Brigade," which sought to attack US forces in 2002. And the sixth was identified by Zubaydah as a trainee at the Khaldan camp, which was run by Zubaydah and his comrade in arms, Ibn Sheikh al Libi.

Members of the "Syrian Group," tied to Abu Zubaydah

The four Syrians transferred -- Ahmed Adnan Ahjam, Ali Husein Shaaban, Abd al Hadi Omar Mahmoud Faraj, and Jihad Ahmed Mujstafa Diyab -- were all allegedly members of the so-called "Syrian Group." The JTF-GTMO files describe the "Syrian Group" as "comprised of dismantled terrorist cells that escaped Syrian authorities and fled to Afghanistan (AF) in 2000."

Part of the reporting in the JTF-GTMO files on the so-called "Syrian Group" came from the Syrian government, which was opposed to this particular group of jihadists but also eventually allied with al Qaeda in the fight against American forces in Iraq. Ultimately, in a form of blowback, that one-time alliance would fracture.

Syrian intelligence authorities under the Assad regime reported that Abu Musab al Suri, a senior al Qaeda ideologue, was the head of the "Syrian Group," whose members traveled to Afghanistan for training in al Suri's and al Qaeda's camps. One camp established by al Suri, known as the al Ghuraba camp, provided training in electronics, including the building of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Al Suri is reportedly still in the Syrian government's custody today. Al Qaeda members consistently say "may Allah free him" when discussing al Suri. This is a strong indication that he is alive and still in custody. While Bashar al Assad's forces have been willing to free dozens of other senior al Qaeda figures, they have apparently held onto Abu Musab al Suri.

Perhaps the biggest red flag in the leaked threat assessments for the four Syrians is their reported ties to Sheikh Issa al Masri, one of al Qaeda's most dangerous ideologues. Issa was responsible for indoctrinating jihadist recruits in al Qaeda's ideology, and convincing new members of the justifications for suicide attacks. A large number of suicide operatives had their minds infected with Issa's teachings. Status reports concerning Issa's students were regularly sent to senior al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden.

During their time in custody, at least three of the detainees transferred on Dec. 7 -- Ahmed Adnan Ahjam, Ali Husein Shaaban, and Abd al Hadi Omar Faraj -- allegedly admitted to studying under Issa in Afghanistan. For instance, Faraj purportedly "admitted spending two weeks at [Sheikh] Issa's home in Kabul receiving religious training." A fourth member of the Syrian group who was once detained at Guantanamo, Maasoum Abdah Mouhammad, also allegedly admitted his ties to Issa. Mouhammad implicated some of his fellow Syrians in the training as well. Mouhammad was transferred to Bulgaria on May 3, 2010.

The Syrian detainees attempted to "minimize the importance of their contact with" Sheikh Issa. But JTF-GTMO's analysts did not believe their explanation, writing: "...due to the fact that they were in the Syrian Guesthouse for over a year, they probably completed [Sheikh] Issa's training."

The JTF-GTMO files for each of the four Syrians highlight the intelligence connecting them to Zubaydah and al Qaeda.

Ahmed Adnan Ahjam (internment serial number 326) "is assessed to have participated in hostilities against US and Coalition forces" at Osama bin Laden's Tora Bora Mountain complex "under the command of" Ibn Sheikh al Libi, who was detained in Libya until his death in 2009. JTF-GTMO's analysts concluded that Ahjam "received suicide operations training at" a Syrian guesthouse funded by Abu Zubdaydah, "at which currency and document forgery operations were also conducted." Ahjam allegedly "received money from" Zubaydah "during his time in Afghanistan and received basic and advanced training at several al Qaeda-affiliated training camps."

Ahjam received "basic training" at al Qaeda's al Farouq training camp on "pistols, AK-47s, M-16s, rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), and hand grenades." Al Qaeda documents also indicate that Ahjam "received the advanced, tactics training course and completed mortar training at the Abu Musab al Zarqawi training camp in Herat." Zarqawi went on to found and then lead al Qaeda in Iraq until his death in 2006.

In "late 2000 or early 2001," Ahjam traveled through Iran to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he visited Osama bin Laden's "legal college for three days." JTF-GTMO identified the "college" as being the Islamic Institute of Kandahar, which was run by Abu Hafs al Mauritani, a "religious advisor" to bin Laden. The school indoctrinated jihadists in al Qaeda's ideology. From there, Ahjam explained to authorities, he traveled to Kabul, where he "stayed at a Syrian guesthouse for over a year." He met Sheikh Issa al Masri, one of al Qaeda's chief ideologues, during this time. Sheikh Issa would "teach the Koran to the Syrians." Ahjam also worked for al Wafa, a charity that was really a front for al Qaeda, during this time.

US officials found that Ahjam's alias was included on a "class roster" for a tactics training course held in March 2001. Ahjam "confirmed it was his alias on the list." Intelligence cited in the files indicates that Abu Khalid al Suri, a senior al Qaeda operative who was killed earlier this year in Syria, was an instructer at Abu Musab al Suri's camp, where the Syrian group was trained. Abu Zubaydah told authorities that Abu Khalid al Suri "was a very good friend of Abu Musab al Suri and was a pistol trainer at Abu Musab al Suri's training camp."

JTF-GTMO also found that "[v]ariations of [Ahjam's] name and alias were found on a document recovered from raids on suspected al Qaeda guesthouses in Pakistan." The "list identifies the contents of [Ahjam's] trust account as a passport, ID cards, and photographs."

Ali Husein Shaaban (ISN 327) "has threatened US personnel upon release and is assessed to have participated in hostilities against US and Coalition forces in" Osama bin Laden's Tora Bora Mountain complex "under the command of" Ibn Sheikh al Libi. Shaaban is "assessed to have received suicide operations training provided by" bin Laden "associate" Sheikh Issa al Masri "at the Syrian Guesthouse funded by" Abu Zubaydah. Shaaban "acknowledged receiving AK-47 training in Afghanistan" and is thought to have trained at Abu Musab al Suri's al Ghuraba training camp, as well as al Qaeda's al Farouq training camp. Shaaban "may have received additional training at the training camp in Afghanistan operated by [the] deceased leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi."

The JTF-GTMO threat assessment for Shaaban includes specific allegations linking him to Abu Zubaydah, who "supported the guesthouse" where Shaaban and his fellow Syrians stayed. Shaaban is "assessed to have received money from" Zubaydah during his stay, the file reads.

Additional information sourced to Zubaydah is included in the JTF-GTMO file, but it is not clear how it is relevant to Shaaban's story.

During debriefings that apparently took place in 2002, Zubaydah told officials that Abu Musab al Zarqawi "was willing to use his network of operatives and trainers to assist al Qaeda." Zubaydah and Zarqawi "worked out a plan to smuggle operatives into Israel to conduct operations, and to train Palestinian groups on explosives, poisons, remote-controlled improvised devices (IED), and suicide operations." Zarqawi "originally suggested that a special group be formed of men from 'al-Sham,'" meaning "the region comprising primarily Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan." It is not clear from the files if Shaaban and other members of his group were considered potential recruits for this Zarqawi-Zubaydah venture.

Abd al Hadi Faraj (ISN 329) has a similar background to his fellow Syrians, according to the JTF-GTMO files. Faraj is "assessed to have participated in hostilities against US and Coalition forces in" Osama bin Laden's Tora Bora Mountain complex under the command of Ibn Sheikh al Libi and "to have received suicide operations training provided by" Sheikh Issa at the Abu Zubaydah-funded Syrian guesthouse. The details of Faraj's training compiled by JTF-GTMO are identical to the two Syrians detailed above. He is thought to have received training at Abu Musab al Suri's al Ghuraba Training camp, al Qaeda's al Farouq camp, and may have been trained at a camp run by Abu Musab al Zarqawi as well.

Faraj's name "appears on a list of foreign fighters as Abu Omar Muhammad, a butcher who had received basic training at an al Qaeda camp in Kandahar." Faraj told authorities that "he worked as a butcher prior to traveling to Afghanistan." The list of foreign fighters "was recovered from the al Qaeda Office of Mujahideen Affairs," and it was assessed that the camp Faraj trained at was al Farouq, al Qaeda's primary training facility in pre-9/11 Afghanistan. A separate list contained a "variation" of Faraj's "name and alias." Faraj's identification "was one of 324 names" included on this document, which was recovered "during a September 2002 raid on a suspected al Qaeda safe house in Karachi."

Jihad Ahmed Mujstafa Diyab (ISN 722) is described as a "document forger who provided services to the network operated by" Abu Zubaydah, "supporting European, North African, and Levant extremists" by "facilitating their international travels." Diyab is an "associate of several other significant al Qaeda members to include" Ibn Sheikh al Libi, 9/11 recruiter Mohammed Zammar, and "other facilitators and identified document forgers."

Intelligence cited by JTF-GTMO indicated that Diyab "provided assistance to Abu Musab al Zarqawi during hostilities in Afghanistan." Diyab was also "assessed to have received training at the al Farouq Training Camp." The JTF-GTMO files connect Diyab to a variety of other al Qaeda actors. One is Sulayman Khalid Darwish, who was Zarqawi's uncle and a senior figure within al Qaeda in Iraq until he was killed.

A significant part of the JTF-GTMO assessment of Diyab is sourced to Abu Zubaydah and Hassan Ghul, who served as an al Qaeda courier and operative. Ghul, who was captured in Iraq and detained for a time, was connected to the highest levels of al Qaeda. After being captured in Iraq in 2004, Ghul gave up crucial intelligence concerning the identity of Osama bin Laden's courier. That intelligence would later be used to hunt down bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Ghul was eventually killed in northern Pakistan in October 2012.

Zubaydah described Diyab "as an expert document forger who was also a long-time associate of" Ibn Sheikh a Libi. Zubaydah explained that Diyab "used computers for falsifying travel documents and sought training through" Zubaydah at Khaldan. Diyab was captured alongside a Tunisian, known as Abu Zur al Tunisi, whom Zubaydah identified as an "al Qaeda document forger" and said "specialized in European visas." Tunisi and Diyab "were close friends," according to Zubaydah.

Zubaydah provided a number of other details concerning Diyab's career, saying the two first met in the mid-1990s. Zubaydah "photo-identified" Diyab "as an associate who was also possibly a member of Ansar al Islam," an al Qaeda-linked group operating in Iraq. Diyab sought training at the Khaldan camp, but Zubaydah believed that Diyab ended up being trained elsewhere. Diyab "escorted" 9/11 recruiter Muhammad Zammar "to Jalalabad" after the attack on the USS Cole in October 2000, Zubaydah explained.

And The JTF-GTMO file alleges that Diyab "sought medical assistance from Dr. Amer Aziz." Zubaydah told authorities that Aziz was a "Lahore-based doctor" who served as Osama bin Laden's "personal doctor." According to Zubaydah, Aziz "provided or coordinated treatment to other key al Qaeda personnel, and recruited a network of doctors and scientists to provide medical services for al Qaeda members and [to] support al Qaeda's chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons programs." Aziz's al Qaeda role has been widely reported.

Ghul told authorities that he knew Diyab as "Abu Wa'il al Suri," and the pair met in Kabul or Khost shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. After Diyab was captured in 2002, his wife contacted Ghul "for money." She received "help" from the wife of Ibn Sheikh al Libi in contacting Ghul.

Two other detainees tied to Abu Zubaydah were transferred

In addition to the four members of the "Syrian Group," two other Guantanamo detainees were transferred to Uruguay. According to the leaked JTF-GTMO threat assessments, they were also tied to Abu Zubaydah.

Mohammed Abdullah Tahamuttan (ISN 684), who is originally from the West Bank, is the only one of the six transferred detainees who was deemed a "medium" risk by JTF-GTMO. Tahamuttan was captured during the same raids that netted Abu Zubaydah in late March 2002. The safe houses where Tahamuttan, Zubaydah and others were captured were operated by Lashkar-e-Taiba, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Pakistan. JTF-GTMO concluded that Tahamuttan was a member of Zubaydah's "Martyrs Brigade," which was created for the "purpose of returning to Afghanistan to conduct improvised explosive devices (IED) attacks against US and Coalition forces."

The leaked JTF-GTMO file for Tahamuttan includes multiple references to the debriefings of Zubaydah. For instance, the file notes that Zubaydah "described his escape from Afghanistan with a group of other al Qaeda operatives...with the assistance" of Lashkar-e-Taiba's network of "facilitators." Zubaydah also explained to authorities that his "original plan was to flee Afghanistan and travel via Pakistan to Iran, where he would set up a base of operations for the Brigade." Zubaydah also offered details about the IED training, including which jihadists conducted and received the lessons.

Known al Qaeda operatives were part of Zubaydah's "Martyrs Brigade." One of them is Ghassan Abdullah al Sharbi, who is still a detainee at Guantanamo. According to JTF-GTMO, a poem al Sharbi wrote, and that was found in his possession, praises Zubaydah as a man "who is pushing us to glory." The poem also references the jihadists who were captured along with al Sharbi in late March 2002, saying that he has a "special place in my heart" for the man "from Palestine, Muhammad." JTF-GTMO concluded this was a reference to Tahamuttan.

Tahamuttan allegedly explained to authorities during his time in US custody that two of his uncles were well-known members of Hamas who were arrested by Israeli authorities "numerous times." JTF-GTMO found intelligence indicating that Tahamuttan himself was a Hamas member and originally traveled to Afghanistan to support the Taliban.

Abdul Bin Mohammed Bin Abess Ourgy (ISN 502), a citizen of Tunisia, is the sixth and final detainee transferred to Uruguay. "Detainee is assessed to be a member of al Qaeda and a finance operative for the Tunisian Combatant Group (TCG)," the JTF-GTMO threat assessment reads. The TCG is a forerunner of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, the group responsible for the Sept. 14, 2012 assault on the US Embassy in Tunis. And the intelligence collected on Ourgy showed that he worked with some of the senior TCG officials who would go on to form Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, including the group's founder, Abu Iyad al Tunisi, and Sami Ben Khemais Essid, a longtime al Qaeda operative.

Ourgy "spent about four years in Afghanistan (AF) and Pakistan and was a senior explosives trainer for al Qaeda," JTF-GTMO found. Ourgy's "name appears on al Qaeda documents and he admitted he was recruited by an al Qaeda recruiter, his travel was arranged by al Qaeda facilitators, and he trained at al Qaeda training camps." One of the al Qaeda documents that identified Ourgy as an al Qaeda operative was found on 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's hard drive. The document listed Ourgy, using his alias, "as a captured al Qaeda member-fighter who escaped during the movement of prisoners."

During his time in captivity, Ourgy apparently revealed his foreknowledge of the Sept. 9, 2001 assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Northern Alliance's leader. Massoud's assassination was orchestrated by al Qaeda and the TCG in order to pave the way for the attacks in the US two days later. Massoud's slaying removed a key adversary of the Taliban from the battlefield before the US could launch its own counteroffensive against the al Qaeda-Taliban axis.

"Senior al Qaeda facilitator Abu Zubaydah and senior trainer Ibn al Sheikh al Libi both photo-identified detainee as a trainee at the Khaldan camp during the late 1990's," the JTF-GTMO file reads. The US analysts noted that Zubaydah and al Libi gave "different periods for [Ourgy's] training, but both identified him by the alias Abu Musab." Separately, a "Tunisian government report" identified Ourgy as an extremist who "attended the Derunta and Khaldan camps."

Therefore, according to JTF-GTMO's files, all six recently transferred detainees were tied to Abu Zubaydah before their detention in Cuba.

Over the past week, the Islamic State has launched a series of attacks against Iraqi troops and allied Iranian-backed Shiite militias near the key central city of Samarra. The attacks include an operation that resulted in a defeat of the Shiite Badr Brigade militia, and a series of suicide bombings that were executed by foreign jihadists from France, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

In the town of Mukayshfah, which sits on the main highway between Samarra and the Islamic State-controlled city of Tikrit, the jihadist group clashed with the Badr Brigade, killed at least 11 fighters, and captured weapons, ammunition, and pickup trucks after overrunning a unit. The Salahaddin division of the Islamic State released photographs of the fighting in Mukayshfah on its social media accounts yesterday.

The photos, some of which are extremely graphic, show Islamic State fighters firing on Badr Brigade positions, its fighters patrolling the streets, the corpses of Badr militiamen, and weapons, vehicles, and other items captured during the fighting. Several of the photos show Badr militia flags and vehicles emblazoned with Badr's logo.

The current status of Mukayshfah is unclear. In the photos, Islamic State fighters appear to control the town, but they may have withdrawn after the attack.

Also yesterday, the Islamic State released images of three suicide bombers from France, Saudi Arabia, and Syria who conducted attacks in Huweish, Mukayshfah, and Al Buduour, respectively. The three towns are all located near Samarra, along the main highway to Tikrit.

"The French fighter, Abu Anas al Firansi, detonated an explosives-laden vehicle against Shiite militia elements in Huweish, while Abu Nayef, the Saudi, hit a similar target in al-Mukayshfah, and Abu Omar targeted Iraqi soldiers in the area of Al Buduour," the Islamic State said, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The exact date and results of the attacks have not been disclosed. The Islamic State has featured attacks by foreign fighters as part of an effort to attract jihadists from outside Iraq and Syria to join its ranks, as well as to promote the organization as a global jihadist group. [See Threat Matrix report, German, Saudi, and Turkish Islamic State fighters launch complex suicide attack.]

The Islamic State also launched a suicide assault yesterday in Dijla, a town just south of Mukayshfah which is also situated on the road to Tikrit, and killed 12 Shiite militiamen in the operation.

"The militia fighters were killed when Islamic State militants commandeered an armored Humvee, rigged it with explosives and drove it into a school where the fighters were based near Dijla district, 20 km (15 miles) south of the city of Samarra," Reuters reported. "They followed up with mortar and machine gun fire, a source at the Samarra Operations Command said, and clashes continued."

The Islamic State has stepped up its attacks in Samarra, despite suffering a setback farther north after it lost the city of Baiji during a joint Iraqi military and Shiite militia assault last month.

Samarra is strategic terrain for both the Islamic State and the Iraqi government. The Islamic State attempted to seize Samarra just prior to launching its June offensive that saw the group seize most of Ninewa province, including Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, as well as Salahaddin province. [See LWJ reports, ISIS takes control of areas in central Iraqi city and ISIS' advance halted at Samarra.]

Qods Force Commander Qasem Soleimani posing with a Badr Brigade militiaman in Samarra.

The Islamic State seeks to control Samarra and towns and cites to its south in order to secure the northern Baghdad belt. Jihadist control of this area would make it difficult for Iraqi forces to resupply and reinforce military units north of the city. Additionally, the Islamic State would use this area to disrupt security in Baghdad.

The Iraqi government has allowed Shiite militias, including the Badr Brigade, Hezbollah Brigade, Asaib al Haq (League of the Righteous), and Muqtada al Sadr's Promised Day Brigade, all of which are supported by Iran's Qods Force, to reinforce beleaguered and demoralized Iraqi forces in Samarra. These militias have remained on the front line and have secured cities and towns, many of which are predominantly Sunni communities, along the road from Samarra to Baghdad.

Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Qods Force, the special operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, has been spotted numerous times in Samarra directing military operations there. He has been photographed alongside Shiite militiamen in Samarra as recently as last month. The Qods Force commander has also been spotted on other key fronts as Shiite militias assume a larger role in fighting the Islamic State.

The Shiite militias appear to be girding for a major battle in and around the city. Hadi al Ameri, the leader of the Badr Brigade who is close to Soleimani, is traveling to Samarra to aid in organizing the city's defense. He is said to be accompanying an Iraqi armored brigade from the 11th Division.

Muqtada al Sadr, the leader of the Promised Day Brigade, which is the successor of the Mahdi Army, released a statement to his forces telling them to be "prepared for combat within the next 48 hours" in Samarra.

Photographs from the Islamic State in Mukayshfah

An Islamic State fighter stands next to a Badr Brigade Toyota Hilux captured during the fighting:

Vehicles seized during the fighting:

Another Badr Brigade vehicle seized in Mukayshfah:

Islamic State fighters patrol the streets of Mukayshfah:

The French military killed Ahmed el Tilemsi, the co-founder of the al Qaeda-linked Movement for Tawhid [Unity] and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO, during a special operations raid in Gao in northern Mali today. El Tilemsi, who was a senior leader in al-Murabitoon, was one of two leaders of the group who were listed by the US government as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in December 2012.

Gilles Jaron, a French Army spokesman, said that a dozen terrorists, including el Tilemsi, were "neutralized," a euphemism for killed, in a midnight raid.

"Following an intelligence opportunity," Gilles said, "French forces led an operation in the Gao region in coordination with the Malian authorities."

This raid that killed el Timlemsi comes a day after French hostage Serge Lazarevic was freed from captivity. Lazarevic was kidnapped in Mali in 2011 by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). He was taken along with another French national, Philippe Verdon, who was killed last year by AQIM. Lazerevic and Dutch hostage Sjaak Rijke were featured in an AQIM video released last month. [For more information on this video, see LWJ report Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb video features French, Dutch hostages]

Al Qaeda-linked jihadist groups have remained active in northern Mali and Niger over the past year despite losing overt control of the region after a French offensive in 2013. At least 28 attacks have occurred this year, with 13 occurring since Oct. 3 [see map above].

El Tilemsi founded MUJAO, merged with Belmokhtar's brigade

MUJAO was founded by Hamad el Khairy and el Tilemsi in late 2011 as an offshoot from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the al Qaeda affiliate in North Africa, in order to wage jihad in western Africa. While MUJAO was created partly as the result of a leadership dispute with AQIM, the two groups cooperated during the jihadist takeover of northern Mali in March 2012. At the time of its formation, MUJAO expressed affinity to al Qaeda and its founder, Osama bin Laden, and Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

El Tilemsi, a Malian citizen who had previously served as MUJAO's military emir, and Hamad el Khairy, a Mauritanian citizen who was the group's top sharia or Islamic law official, were listed as Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the US government on Dec. 7, 2012. MUJAO was listed as a terrorist group that same day. The US stated that el Tilemsi was responsible for the kidnapping and deaths of aid works in Algeria and a French national in Niger in 2011, and offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture and prosecution.

El Tilemsi is said to have led the Osama bin Laden Battalion, one of four units in the Ansar al Sunnah Brigade that was formed by MUJAO in late 2012 or early 2013. [See LWJ report, West African jihadist group forms 4 'battalions,' names 3 after al Qaeda leaders.]

In August 2013, MUJOA merged with the al-Mulathameen Brigade, which was led by veteran jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, and formed al-Murabitoon. El Tilemsi and Belmokhtar ceded leadership to an unnamed jihadist commander who is said to have waged jihad in Afghanistan. Al-Murabitoon then swore allegiance to al Qaeda. [See Threat Matrix report, Al Qaeda group led by Belmokhtar, MUJAO unite to form al-Murabitoon.]

The merger of the two jihadist groups was telegraphed in the spring of 2013. MUJAO conducted a joint suicide operation with the Those Who Sign in Blood Brigade [the al-Mua'qi'oon Biddam, a sub-unit of Belmokhtar's al-Mulathameen Brigade] in Niger in late May 2012. The attacks targeted a military barracks in Agadez and a uranium mine in Arlit that supplies French reactors. The Agadez attack was executed by a five-man suicide assault team; 18 Nigerien soldiers and a civilian were killed. Belmokhtar said the attacks were carried out to avenge the death of Abou Zeid, an AQIM commander killed by French forces in northern Mali.

"A Message for the American People regarding the Killing of an American hostage in Yemen." Source: Al Malahem Media Foundation.

In a newly released video produced by the media wing of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the terrorist group's senior officials addresses the American public and comments on the recent US rescue operation to free American hostage Luke Somers and South African hostage Pierre Korkie. Al Ansi criticizes the US government's decision to carry out that operation and blames President Barack Obama for the deaths of the two hostages.

Last week, al Ansi appeared in a video message in which he threatened to kill Luke Somers if the US government would not meet AQAP's demands. Al Ansi refers to this ultimatum in the most recent video, and alleges that President Obama made "the wrong decision" in carrying out the attempted rescue operation, "which was considered as a signature of the execution order of the American citizen [Somers]."

Although the previous AQAP video did not detail the terrorist group's demands for the release of Somers, in the video released today al Ansi asserts that "Obama and his government know the fairness of our demands." He suggests that the American government could have instead negotiated with AQAP regarding specific clauses or details of the ultimatum but instead chose to go ahead with a military operation.

Al Ansi alludes to several imprisoned terrorists who may have figured in the terrorist group's ultimatum. "Is it not our right to request the release of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman?" al Ansi asks. Abdel Rahman, also known as the "Blind Sheikh," was the spiritual head of the two leading Egyptian jihadist groups, Gamaa Islamiyya (IG) and Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ). The latter group was headed by Ayman al Zawahiri, who merged his organization into al Qaeda. Rahman has long been revered by al Qaeda, and Osama bin Laden, who was influenced by the Blind Sheikh, repeatedly demanded his release. He was convicted for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a follow-on plot against New York City landmarks and is currently detained at Guantanamo Bay.

"Can they explain the fate of imprisoned Aafia Siddiqui," al Ansi continues, "and can they free her after two long years of injustice, torture, and arrest?" Siddiqui was sentenced to prison in the US after grabbing a gun and firing at two Americans in July 2008 in Afghanistan. The Americans were attempting to question Siddiqui about her many nefarious ties. According to American intelligence and law enforcement officials, Siddiqui was a member of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's al Qaeda network and was involved in its plotting against the US after Sept. 11, 2001.

The demand to free Rahman and Siddiqui is a common one, especially from al Qaeda-linked groups, despite the slim to nonexistent chance that either will be released. In January 2013, the al Qaeda-affiliated group responsible for a raid on a natural gas field in eastern Algeria demanded the release of the two AQ figures from US custody. The same demand was issued previously by al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri in a September 2012 video.

Al Ansi also addresses the video appeal from Somers' family released last week shortly after AQAP announced its ultimatum. Although Somers' family had appealed to AQAP to spare Luke's life, arguing that he was not responsible for any US government action in Yemen, al Ansi claims that "it was appropriate to appeal to Obama and his government, not to us." He puts the blame squarely on Obama, saying that AQAP had desired a different outcome but that Obama's decision forced AQAP's hand.

Al Ansi concludes that "it is impossible to reach an understanding with the American government except in a single manner, a direct manner of killing and standing up to tyranny, which will put the lives of all Americans in danger, inside and outside America."

The Taliban followed up two deadly attacks in Kabul earlier last week with a series of bombings, assaults, and suicide attacks in the capital and four provinces over the weekend. Twelve de-mining personnel, 11 Afghan soldiers and police, two Coalition troops, and a Supreme Court official are among those killed.

On the night of Dec. 12, the Taliban killed two Coalition soldiers in an IED attack in the Bagram district in the central province of Parwan. TOLONews reported that the slain soldiers were Americans. The US relinquished control of the Parwan Detention Facility just two days prior after transferring the prison's remaining three foreign detainees, including Pakistani Taliban commander Latif Mehsud, to Pakistan. On Dec. 11, the US had conducted two airstrikes in Parwan that are said to have killed 12 Taliban fighters and five civilians.

On Dec. 13, the Taliban launched two major attacks in Kabul and another in the southern province of Helmand. In Kabul, a suicide bomber attacked an Afghan Army bus and killed six soldiers. Also, gunmen riding a motorcycle shot and killed the chief secretary of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan.

In Helmand, the Taliban gunned down 12 workers who were clearing land mines. According to TOLONews, the de-miners were based out of Camp Bastion, which was turned over from Coalition to Afghan control at the end of October. By the end of November, the Taliban attacked the base, penetrated the perimeter, and fought Afghan forces for nearly four days before being defeated.

Today, six Taliban fighters and five Afghan security personnel were killed during a Taliban ambush in the northwestern province of Faryab.

Also today, Afghan Taliban fighters backed by units from the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, "launched [a] coordinated attack on security forces check posts" in the district of Dangam in Kunar province, Khaama Press reported. Afghan officials claimed that eight Taliban fighters were killed, while the Taliban claimed three Afghan soldiers were killed in the fighting.

The clashes over the weekend were preceded by two Taliban suicide attacks in Kabul on Dec. 11. In one of the attacks, a suicide bomber killed six Afghan soldiers as they rode on a bus. In the other, a teenage Taliban fighter purportedly detonated an underwear bomb at a French-run high school in the capital, killing a German citizen. The bombing took place during the performance of a play that criticized suicide attacks.

The Taliban have increased offensive operations in Kabul and the provinces as the US and NATO are ending the combat mission in Afghanistan. The rise in violence has forced the US to change the rules of engagement for next year and allow forces to conduct combat missions, as well as keep an additional 1,000 troops in country (10,800 troops will remain in Afghanistan as opposed to the planned 9,800).

As the US and allied countries withdraw their forces, the Afghan National Security Forces have taken the brunt of the casualties. This year, Afghan forces have suffered the highest casualty rates since the war began in 2001. As of Nov. 5, "4,634 Afghan security forces were killed in action this year, up from 4,350 last year," USA Today reported, based on a briefing by Lieutenant General Joseph Anderson. The number of wounded personnel and those who have gone AWOL, or absent without leave, was not disclosed. Anderson said the high casualty rate for the Afghan security forces "is not sustainable."

The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, Ahrar al Sham, and elements of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army have advanced on regime positions in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The Al Nusrah Front, supported by jihadist groups Ahrar al Sham and Jund al Aqsa, and units from the Free Syrian Army, today claimed to have overrun Wadi Al Daif, a Syrian Army base located just east of the city of Maa'rat al Nu'man. In addition, Ahrar al Sham, Al Nusrah, and the Free Syrian Army also advanced on Al Hamadiya, which sits just south of the city; the groups claimed to have taken partial control of Al Hamadiya.

Control of the two bases is critical for the Syrian military as they straddle the M5 highway, the main road from Aleppo to Damascus. The military uses the highway to supply its forces in Aleppo, Idlib, and other areas in northern Syria. The Syrian military and rebels fought over the two bases from October 2012 until April 2013, when the military broke the siege of Wadi Al Daif and Al Hamadiya.

The recent round of fighting for control of the two bases intensified over the weekend. Yesterday, two regime checkpoints near the bases were reported to have fallen into the hands of the jihadists and the Free Syrian Army. And today, the Al Nusrah Front reported that its fighters completely overran the regime at Wadi al Daif, while Ahrar al Sham claimed its forces overran a large portion Al Hamadiya. In a video posted to YouTube, an Ahrar al Sham leader says that the group captured 10 tanks and killed dozens of regime soldiers during the fighting. The claims cannot be independently verified.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that at least 31 Syrian solders and 12 fighters from Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, and "Islamic battalions" were killed at Wadi al Daif. The Observatory noted that fighting is still going on for the headquarters of the Al Hamadiya Camp.

The Al Nusrah Front claimed it committed significant resources during the fighting at Wadi al Daif. Yesterday, the jihadist group stated on its official Twitter page for Idlib operations that its fighters stormed Wadi Al Daif with 12 tanks. Other tweets detail the use of 23-millimeter cannons as well as mortars. In several photographs, Nusrah shows a number of its fighters moving to the front lines of the battle. The group also claimed that it destroyed several Syrian Army BMP infantry fighting vehicles during the battle.

Ahrar al Sham, a unit in the Islamic Front that is closely allied with al Qaeda's branch in Syria, coordinated with Al Nusrah by attacking the nearby Al Hamadiya camp. Tweets on the Islamic Front's official Twitter page feature photos and several YouTube videos showing Ahrar al Sham fighting in Al Hamadiya. Another video shows a T-55 tank operated by the jihadist group firing on regime positions near the camp. A video uploaded today showcases many weapons, including howitzers and tanks, that Ahrar al Sham captured during the fighting.

Units from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army also fought alongside the jihadist groups in Idlib. A Free Syrian Army group known as Division 13 aided Al Nusrah in Wadi Al Daif. In a video uploaded to YouTube, fighters from Division 13 fire a BGM-71 TOW antitank missile at a regime BMP. Another Free Syrian Army group, the Supporters of Truth Brigade, uploaded a video to YouTube that shows its fighters assisting Ahrar al Sham near the Hamadiya camp. A group from the Authenticity and Development Front, a coalition of rebel groups outside of the Free Syrian Army, also helped Al Nusrah at Wadi al Daif.

Free Syrian Army units have fought alongside the Al Nusrah Front and allied jihadist groups since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, and continue to do so to this day. Over the past several months, Free Syrian Army units have aided Al Nusrah and other groups on several fronts. On Oct. 7, the US-funded Hazm Movement assisted the Chechen-led Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar against the regime in Aleppo. On Oct. 5, several Free Syrian Army units utilized their TOW anti-tank missiles to help Al Nusrah and Ahrar in southern Syria. And in August, the Syrian Revolutionaries Front helped Al Nusrah and Ahrar in taking the Quneitra border crossing with the Israeli-held Golan Heights.

Pictures from Al Nusrah Front regarding the battle in Wadi Al Daif

A map showing three regime positions taken in Wadi Al Daif:

Al Nusrah's new map showing all of Wadi al Daif captured:

Al Nusrah fighters moving towards the battle:

Al Nusrah tanks being used in the battle:

Tanks captured by Al Nusrah at Wadi al Daif:

Picture of the Saudi al Qaeda cleric Abdullah al Muhaysini before the battles; video was uploaded to YouTube showing him giving a speech to inspire the fighters:

Pictures from Ahrar al Sham showing the fighting in Al Hamadiya

Ahrar fighters moving towards the battle:

An Ahrar T-72 being used in the battle:

Ahrar showing its fighters near a checkpoint in the Al Hamadiya camp:

Ahrar al Sham members inside Al Hamadiya:

Picture showing Jund al Aqsa assisting Al Nusrah at Wadi al Daif by firing mortars

A suicide assault team from the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan (or Pakistani Taliban) stormed a military high school in Peshawar today. It is one of the deadliest jihadist attacks in the country's history. According to initial reporting, the attackers have killed more than 140 people, including scores of children.

At least nine Taliban fighters armed with assault weapons and suicide vests entered the Army Public School in Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, this morning. The fighters fanned out through the school and killed everyone in their path, according to press reports.

Shahrukh Khan, a child who survived the attack by feigning death after being shot in both legs, told Agence France Presse (AFP) that the Taliban fighters were instructed to kill the students. The terrorists deliberately executed students who were already wounded.

"There are so many children beneath the benches, go and get them," one Taliban fighter told another, according to Khan.

"The man with big boots kept on looking for students and pumping bullets into their bodies. I lay as still as I could and closed my eyes, waiting to get shot again," Khan stated. The fighters shouted "Allahu Akbar," or Allah is greatest, as they executed the children.

Pakistani officials have stated that 132 student and nine teachers have been killed, but warned that the death toll may rise, Reuters reported.

At least 15 explosions were heard during the fighting, Dawn reported. Pakistani security forces surrounded the building and assaulted as the Taliban continued to execute students and staff. The military claimed it killed nine Taliban fighters, but more may have been involved in the attack. Troops are still searching the building for Taliban fighters and survivors.

Muhammad Khurasani, the official spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, claimed the gruesome assault and admitted that his fighters intentionally targeted civilians.

"We selected the army's school for the attack because the government is targeting our families and females," Khurasani said, according to Reuters. "We want them to feel the pain." Khurasani is referring to the current Pakistani military operation in the tribal agencies of North Waziristan and Khyber, which are adjacent to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Pakistani military is targeting the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and jihadist organizations such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, but is leaving groups such as the Haqqani Network and the Hafiz Gul Bahadar Group alone.

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan has targeted military high school students in the past. In 2009, the jihadist group kidnapped hundreds of students as they fled their military school in Ramzak, North Waziristan. The Taliban ultimately released the students as part of a prisoner exchange.

The Taliban has also launched numerous attacks on soft targets such as churches, mosques, shrines, markets, hotels, and even hospitals. Thousands of civilians have been killed in those attacks since the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan was formed in late 2006.

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan has also plotted against the US. In an email first sent to The Long War Journal, the group claimed responsibility for the May 2010 attempted bombing in New York City's Times Square. [See LWJ report, Pakistani Taliban claim credit for failed NYC Times Square car bombing.]

The US has targeted the organization's top commanders as part of its drone campaign. Baitullah Mehsud, the group's founder and first leader, was killed by an American missile in August 2009. In late 2013, Baitullah's successor, Hakeemullah Mehsud, was also killed in an American airstrike. Hakeemullah had gloated over the failed Times Square attack in the group's propaganda prior to his demise.

Hakeemullah was replaced by Mullah Fazlullah, but his appointment as emir of the Pakistani Taliban proved to be unpopular within the terrorist group's ranks. Earlier this year, key constituencies that were part of Baitullah's original coalition began peeling away to go on their own. Much of the group founded by Baitullah no longer answers to Fazlullah. One of the larger blocs to break away from Fazlullah's leadership has rebranded itself as the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Other commanders have reportedly pledged their allegiance to Islamic State emir Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.

[For more on the dissolution of the original Pakistani Taliban alliance, see LWJ report: Discord dissolves Pakistani Taliban coalition.]

The Afghan Taliban has released a statement, attributed to "Zabihullah Mujahid," the group's official spokesman, condemning the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan's attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar today.

The statement was released on the Afghan Taliban's official Urdu website. The Pakistani Taliban is not named in the short statement, but the Afghan Taliban says it expresses "sorrow over the tragedy and grief for the families of the victims."

"Innocent men, women and children were killed intentionally" and this is against "Islamic principles." The Afghan Taliban claims it has "always condemned the killing of innocent people and children."

Of course, the Afghan Taliban regularly kills innocent people. For example, the United Nations reported in July that there were approximately 4,853 civilian casualties in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2014. The UN attributed 74 percent of these casualties to anti-government elements, including the Taliban, and said that the "onus" was on the Taliban and other anti-government forces to reduce civilian casualties.

Still the Afghan Taliban, led by Mullah Omar, has been attempting to avoid high-profile attacks on civilians. In a message celebrating the end of Ramadan earlier this year, Omar stressed, "Every caution should be taken to protect life and property of the public during [jihadist] operations, so that, God forbid, someone is harmed." Omar said that the Taliban's "Department of Prevention of Civilian Casualties should seriously pay attention to its task to prevent civilian casualties." [See LWJ report, Analysis: Mullah Omar addresses governance of Afghanistan, war against 'invaders' in new message.]

Omar's speech shows that the Afghan Taliban is sensitive to the criticism that its operations cause far more damage to civilians than its opponents do. Like al Qaeda and other jihadist groups, the Afghan Taliban is attempting to win additional hearts and minds for its cause. And the attack on the school in Peshawar, where dozens of children were slaughtered, will likely reduce, not increase, popular support for the jihadists' goals.

The inner workings of the relationship between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban groups are not clear. The Pakistani Taliban and its leader, Mullah Fazlullah, are openly loyal to Mullah Omar.

In October, for instance, several Pakistani Taliban commanders reportedly swore bayat (oath of allegiance) to the Islamic State's Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, thereby breaking their previous allegiance to Omar. The circumstances surrounding this defection remain murky. [See LWJ report, Discord dissolves Pakistani Taliban coalition.]

However, the Pakistani Taliban released a statement saying that Mullah Fazlullah had previously pledged his organization's loyalty to the "Emir of the Believers Mullah Muhammad Omar." This was a not so subtle indication that the Pakistani Taliban's existing leadership was not going to break ranks with the Afghan Taliban leader in favor of Baghdadi.

It remains to be seen if the Afghan Taliban's condemnation of the school assault has any additional ramifications, or is merely rhetoric.

The US killed 11 members of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban in an airstrike in the eastern province of Nangarhar yesterday. The strike is the fifth that has targeted Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan fighters and leaders operating inside Afghanistan since the last week of November.

Four members of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and seven Afghan Taliban fighters were killed in the "drone strike" that targeted a pickup truck, Mahlem Mashuq, the governor of Shirzad district in Nangarhar, told Reuters.

The airstrike, which could have been carried out by the remotely piloted Predators or Reapers, or a variety of strike aircraft that operate in Afghanistan, was confirmed by Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, the spokesman for police forces in Nangarhar. At least one of the jihadists killed in the attack was an important commander, Mashriqiwal told Khaama Press. He did not indicate if the commander was a member of the Afghan or Pakistani branch of the Taliban.

Yesterday's strike took place as a suicide assault team from the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan attacked a high school in Peshawar and killed everyone in their path. Officials stated that 132 students and nine teachers were killed during the rampage. The Afghan Taliban released an official statement condemning the attack while not mentioning the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan by name. [See LWJ reports, Pakistani Taliban assaults military high school in Peshawar and Afghan Taliban releases statement condemning attack on Pakistani school.]

Yesterday's airstrike in Nangarhar is the fifth since Nov. 24 that has targeted Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan fighters and leaders operating in eastern Afghanistan, and the fourth in Nangarhar. On Nov. 24, the US targeted Mullah Fazlullah, the emir of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, in the Nazyan district. Fazlullah was not killed. On Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, the US attacked the Pakistani Taliban group in the Shirzad and Lal Pur districts. [See LWJ report, US airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan target Pakistani Taliban.] On Dec. 7, the US launched another airstrike in the Shigal district of Kunar province.

The US has targeted Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan fighters and commanders operating inside Afghanistan over the past several years, but the strikes have been infrequent. The most high-profile airstrike took place on Aug. 24, 2012, when the US killed Mullah Dadullah (a.k.a. Maulana Mohammad Jamal), his deputy Shakir, and 10 Taliban fighters in an airstrike in Kunar's Shigal district. [See LWJ report, Bajaur Taliban leader, deputy killed in airstrike in eastern Afghanistan.]

The US killed Baitullah and Hakeemullah Mehsud, the previous two emirs of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, in drone strikes in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan. Baitullah, the group's founder, was killed in August 2009, and Hakeemullah, who organized the Times Square bomb plot, was killed in November 2013.

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, which has been weakened of late due to internal divisions and defections, has had a presence in eastern Afghanistan since the organization was founded in late 2006. The jihadist group, which is closely allied with al Qaeda and has sworn allegiance to Mullah Omar, the emir of the Afghan Taliban, has waged jihad on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border. The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan has increased its footprint in eastern Afghanistan recently due to Pakistani military operations that have targeted its strongholds over the border in North Waziristan.

An activist group and online sources reporting from inside Syria claim that a mass grave filled with approximately 230 corpses has been discovered in eastern Syria. The victims are reportedly members of the Sheitaat tribe, which has been battling the Islamic State in the province of Deir Ezzor.

The fog of war makes it difficult, if not impossible, to fully verify accounts of human rights atrocities and other aspects of the conflict. The Long War Journal cannot independently verify accounts of the mass grave.

The Sheitaat tribesmen have waged fierce battles against the Islamic State, which claims to rule over a caliphate across large parts of Iraq and Syria, since earlier this year. There have been multiple reports in the past several months detailing the Islamic State's mass executions and other barbaric acts in eastern Syria.

Images of the newly discovered mass grave began surfacing on Twitter feeds within the past day. And the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) has released a statement saying that "reliable" sources have informed the group that the site of the atrocity "was found in al-Keshkeyyi Desert in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor."

"It is worth mentioning that hundreds of the people were killed after arrest, some of them were beheaded, and others had been pursued and executed in the villages and towns that they escaped to in the countryside of Deir Ezzor," the SOHR statement reads. "The SOHR could document dozens of names."

The SOHR previously reported that 700 other Sheitaat tribesmen had been slaughtered in August. If that figure and the latest account are accurate, then the Islamic State has killed more than 900 members of the tribe this year, the group points out.

The United Nations has also documented the mass killings that occurred in August. The conflict between the Islamic State and the Sheitaat tribe "was perpetrated in a struggle for control of oil resources near the town of Mohassan," the UN reported in November. A survivor described the scene, saying there were "many heads hanging on walls while I and my family escaped." And a "[p]ublished video" indicates that Islamic State fighters "conducted a mass execution of fighting-age male members of the" tribe.

The UN says that on Nov. 6, 2014, the emir of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, "issued a statement, granting members of the [Sheitaat] tribe permission to return to their homes, upon the condition that they do not assemble, surrender all weapons and inform on all 'apostates' to" the Islamic State. Baghdadi added that all "traitors" would be executed.

The images below have been posted on various Twitter feeds by individuals inside Syria.

The Long War Journal is posting the images, some of which are graphic, because they document the Islamic State's alleged war crimes. The photos do not independently corroborate the casualty count reported by various sources.

*Warning: Graphic images below*

The Islamic State has retaken control of the central Iraqi city of Baiji after the Iraqi military ordered its forces to retreat to the nearby refinery. Iraqi forces withdrew yesterday just one month after taking the city from the Islamic State with the help of Iranian-backed Shiite militias.

"Top army commanders ordered troops to leave the city and take positions inside the refinery, which was given priority. They knew staying inside Baiji would help Islamic State to drag the army into a war of attrition," an unnamed Iraqi Army major told Reuters.

Local policemen and tribal militias fought the Islamic State for five days without the support of the Iraqi military before abandoning the city. The lightly armed forces, which withstood mortar and sniper fire from jihadist fighters besieging Baiji, requested help from the Iraqi military but were denied assistance.

The Islamic State touted this latest victory in the central Iraqi province of Salahaddin by posting a series of photographs on the Internet. The photos showed captured and destroyed armored vehicles, including US-made M1 tanks, M113 armored personnel vehicles, and Humvees. Islamic State fighters also siezed weapons and ammunition that were abandoned by fleeing Iraqi forces. The jihadist group's fighters are also shown patrolling the streets of Baiji and standing outside of government buildings.

The city was captured in mid-June during the Islamic State's lightning offensive that also saw Mosul, Tikrit, and other cities and towns in Ninewa, Salahaddin, Diyala, and Anbar province fall under the jihadist group's control.

Baiji, which also hosts Iraq's largest oil refinery, was under the control of the Islamic State up until mid-November, when Iraqi forces and sponsored Shiite militias, such as Asaib al Haq, or or the League of the Righteous, succeeded in retaking the city. The Iraqi military touted the retaking of Baiji, and claimed that it killed Ala Burhan al Tikriti, an Islamic State commander who was responsible for massacring hundreds of Iraqi troops at Camp Speicher, a base outside of Tikrit, over the summer. [See LWJ report, Iraqi forces, Iranian-suported militias report success in Baiji.]

The loss of Baiji is a major setback for the Iraqi military, which has made a push to retake terrain lost to the Islamic State in mid-June. Over the fall, Iraqi forces ejected the jihadist group from Jurf al Sakhar in northern Babil province, Amerli in Salahaddin, and from several towns northern Iraq that were governed by the Kurds. Despite these gains, the Islamic State took control of some towns near Samarra and overran a unit from the Badr Brigade, another Shiite militia supported by Iran, during the same period.

The Islamic State controls large areas of Iraq and neighboring Syria despite airstrikes by the US and allied countries. The US began its air campaign against the jihadist group in Iraq on Aug. 7, and in Syria on Sept. 22. While the airstrikes have helped Iraqi forces regain some ground, the Islamic State has taken control of other areas, including Hit in Anbar.

The State Department today announced that it has added an Egyptian jihadist group and a senior al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) ideologue to the US government's list of specially designated global terrorists.

The Egyptian group, Ajnad Misr ("Soldiers of Egypt"), is a "violent extremist group that splintered from Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM)," which is also a "designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global entity."

Some of Ajnad Misr's earliest attacks took place in Cairo at the beginning of the year. Initially, ABM claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Cairo that occurred on Jan. 24. ABM subsequently acknowledged that some of the attacks were actually executed by Ajnad Misr, which ABM described as "our brothers."

ABM, or at least the part of the organization based in the Sinai, announced its allegiance to the Islamic State's Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in November. The group was then rebranded as the Islamic State's province in the Sinai.

However, other Egyptian-based jihadists, including Ajnad Misr, did not follow suit and join the Islamic State's ranks. Recently, a previously unknown jihadist group claiming to operate in the Sinai said that it rejects ABM's decision and will continue to operate independently from ABM.

Egyptian press accounts have speculated that Ajnad Misr remains part of the pro-al Qaeda network in Egypt. Many details concerning the group's hierarchy, operations, and funding remain murky.

"Ajnad Misr officially announced its formation in January 2014," the State Department's announcement reads, "and has since claimed numerous attacks on Egyptian security forces at government buildings, public spaces and universities, often injuring or killing innocent bystanders."

Some of Ajnad Misr's most significant operations since its inception have focused on attacks on Egyptian universities, with the group often portraying itself as defending students who are being oppressed by security forces. In its propaganda, Ajnad Misr attempts to drum up popular support for its anti-government attacks. [See LWJ report, Jihadist group 'Soldiers of Egypt' claims responsibility for attack on police near university.]

Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's Mufti.

Ibrahim Rubaish, senior AQAP sharia official once detained at Guantanamo

In addition to Ajnad Misr, the State Department also added Ibrahim Rubaish to the US government's list of terrorists today. State describes Rubaish as "a senior leader of AQAP," who "serves as a senior advisor for AQAP operational planning and is involved in the planning of attacks."

Rubaish "has served as a senior AQAP sharia official since 2013" and in that capacity he "provides the justification for attacks conducted by AQAP."

According to State, Rubaish frequently makes "public statements, including one in August 2014 where he called on Muslims to wage war against the United States." The US government previously issued a $5 million reward for information on Rubaish's whereabouts.

Although the State Department does not mention it, Rubaish was detained at Guantanamo for several years before being transferred to his native Saudi Arabia on Dec. 13, 2006.

Along with other Saudi ex-Gitmo detainees, Rubaish was entered into a jihadist rehabilitation program. Once completed, Rubaish and numerous other graduates absconded for Yemen, where they helped rebuild AQAP, a branch of al Qaeda that had suffered tremendous losses inside the Saudi kingdom.

A leaked Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) threat assessment, dated Nov. 30, 2005, describes Rubaish as an al Qaeda "member who traveled to Afghanistan intent on training for jihad in Chechnya, but stayed and joined the Taliban." JTF-GTMO's analysts found that Rubaish stayed in al Qaeda guesthouses and "attended the group's Al-Farouq terrorist training camp," which was al Qaeda's primary training facility in pre-9/11 Afghanistan.

Rubaish fought during the Battle of Tora Bora in late 2001 and, according to JTF-GTMO, had ties to numerous other al Qaeda members. Rubaish's name, alias, and other identifying information was found on various al Qaeda lists of captured fighters. One such list "was found in a document listing the names of captured mujahideen recovered from a 20 gigabyte hard drive associated with senior [al Qaeda] operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM)."

Abu Zubaydah, who remains in custody at Guantanamo, was asked about Rubaish's "name/alias" while in US custody sometime in 2003, according to the JTF-GTMO file, and it was "familiar" to him. No other details concerning Abu Zubaydah's identification of Rubaish are provided.

According to JTF-GTMO, Rubaish was originally convinced to travel to South Asia to fight on behalf of the Taliban and al Qaeda by a fatwa issued by Saudi cleric Sheikh Hamoud al Uqla, who "helped raise money for" Osama bin Laden "until his death in Saudi Arabia in 2001." Al Uqla had previously been arrested for criticizing the Saudi monarchy's close relationship with the West. And after 9/11, al Uqla "issued fatwas declaring that those supporting the US and coalition forces against Muslims were themselves nonbelievers."

In its Nov. 30, 2005 threat assessment, JTF-GTMO found that Rubaish was a "medium" risk, "as he may post a threat to the US, its interests and allies." JTF-GTMO recommended that Rubaish remain in the Defense Department's custody. But the Saudi government said that it would take in Rubaish and attempt to prosecute him. Ultimately, he escaped from Saudi Arabia and went on to become one of AQAP's most senior officials.

Rubaish remains loyal to al Qaeda's senior leadership to this day. Earlier this summer, he praised the jihadists' advances in Iraq and Syria, but was careful not to endorse the Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot that repeatedly defied orders from al Qaeda's general command before being disowned in early February.

In July, along with another senior AQAP ideologue, Rubaish released a video denouncing the slander of experienced jihadist leaders. The video was part of AQAP's attempt to defend Ayman al Zawahiri against the criticisms levied by the Islamic State and its supporters.

[For more on Rubaish's background, based on declassified JTF-GTMO files, see LWJ report: Former Guantanamo detainee now al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula's Mufti.]

The US killed three senior Islamic State leaders, including the group's deputy emir, during a series of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria over the past month, the top American military commander disclosed yesterday.

Abu Musallam al Turkumani, the Islamic State's deputy emir and a close aide to self-declared caliph Abu Bakr al Baghdadi; Abd al Basit, the head of military operations in Iraq; and Radwin Talib, a regional commander; were all killed during US airstrikes that have taken place since late November, General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told The Wall Street Journal.

Both Turkumani and Abd al Basit were killed in airstrikes between Dec. 3 and Dec. 9, while Talib was killed sometime in late November. Dempsey said that US intelligence has since confirmed the deaths of the Islamic State leaders.

The Islamic State has not released martyrdom statements for the slain leaders, nor have their deaths been mentioned on the official social media accounts of the groups.

Turkumani is the most senior Islamic State leader killed in Iraq and Syria since Abu Abdulrahman al Bilawi (a.k.a. Adnan Ismail Najm), the group's military emir, and Samir al Khlifawi (a.k.a. Hajji Bakr), Baghdadi's deputy, were killed in January 2014. The Islamic State confirmed Khlifawi's death in February and Bilawi's death in June.

In addition to serving as Baghdadi's deputy, Turkumani is said to have overseen the Islamic State's wilayat, or provinces, in both Iraq and Syria. The Islamic State has said it has created 20 of these administrative divisions in Iraq and Syria.

Like many senior Islamic State leaders, Turkumani served in Saddam Hussein's military before joining the Iraqi insurgency after the US invasion in 2003, followed by joining the Islamic State. According to documents seized by Iraqi forces from the home of Bilawi, Turkumani had served as a lieutenant colonel in Iraqi Army intelligence as well as in Iraq's special forces. Bilawi himself had served as an infantry officer before joining al Qaeda in Iraq, the predecessor to the Islamic State, and Khlifawi was a former colonel who had been involved in the development of weapons systems.

Talib, whose full name is Radwan Talib Husayn Ismail al Hamduni (a.k.a. Abu Jirnas), served as the "wali," or governor, "of the Wilayah of the Borders," according to the documents sized at Bilawi's home. Dempsey described him as serving as the Islamic State's emir for Mosul.

Dempsey and other US military officials have said that the US air campaign has been successful in President Barack Obama's stated goal of "degrading and defeating" the Islamic State, which controls vast areas of Iraq and Syria. The airstrikes have been "disruptive to their planning and command and control," Dempsey told WSJ.

Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby issued a statement yesterday confirming that "targeted coalition airstrikes successfully killed multiple senior and mid-level leaders within the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)," the previous name of the Islamic State which the US military still insists on using.

"We believe that the loss of these key leaders degrades ISIL's ability to command and control current operations against Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), including Kurdish and other local forces in Iraq," Kirby continued.

The US has launched 1,337 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as of Dec. 17, 2014, according to data compiled by Military Edge and The Long War Journal (782 strikes in Iraq since Aug. 7, and 555 in Syria since Sept. 22). Despite this targeting, the Islamic State has remained on the offensive in Syria and has even gained ground in some areas. In Iraq, the Islamic State has lost territory in some areas and gained in others. US airstrikes have also supported Iranian-supported Shiite militias that are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US soldiers in Iraq between 2006-2011. [See LWJ reports, Islamic State retakes Baiji after Iraqi forces withdraw and Iraqi forces, Iranian-supported militias report success in Baiji.]

Ajnad Misr ("Soldiers of Egypt") has released a statement responding to the State Department's announcement that the group has been added to the US government's list of specially designated global terrorists.

The group's statement was released on its official Twitter feed. Just prior to publishing the response, Ajnad Misr retweeted a comment by a member or leader of the organization offering his thanks for the "blessing" of designation.

Ajnad Misr argues in its statement, written in Arabic, that America is the real "terrorist" organization, as it is a "killer of children" and has established "secret prisons." Since the revolution in 2011, the group claims, it has faced "many plots" aimed at maintaining the "power of tyrants."

The statement reads like a piece of al Qaeda propaganda, as the jihadists explain they are not just facing a "criminal system or internal organs," but a "global system," which "many people" do not pay attention to. Egypt is not an "American state," the group says, and claims to have been working to counter America's efforts "in our territory." This is the "battle we face," Ajnad Misr says.

"We are embarking on a historic change that will [transform] the world" and ensure that we "will not go back to the era of tyrants," the group says.

In its announcement yesterday, the State Department explained that Ajnad Misr is a "violent extremist group that splintered from Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM)," which is also a "designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global entity."

Unlike ABM, or at least part of ABM, Ajnad Misr has not pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and its leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.

"Ajnad Misr officially announced its formation in January 2014," the State Department's announcement reads, "and has since claimed numerous attacks on Egyptian security forces at government buildings, public spaces and universities, often injuring or killing innocent bystanders."

Some of Ajnad Misr's most significant operations since its inception have focused on attacks on Egyptian universities, with the group often portraying itself as defending students who are being oppressed by security forces.

In its propaganda, Ajnad Misr attempts to drum up popular support for its anti-government attacks. Unlike the Islamic State and its adherents, who argue they are fighting for the top-down imposition of the caliphate's rule, Ajnad Misr portrays itself as defending or leading a popular revolution against corrupt authorities. In reality, the group's ideology is not popular across much of Egyptian society.

Since the seizure of the Yemeni capital of Sana'a by Houthi rebels in late September, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has stepped up its terrorist attacks throughout the country, claiming credit for a total of 149 attacks in 14 provinces. These attacks have targeted AQAP's traditional enemy, the Yemeni government and military, and led to more frequent attacks on the Houthi rebels. At the same time, AQAP has also managed to carry out several attacks against American interests, including the US Embassy in Sana'a and the US Ambassador to Yemen.

A few days after the Houthi sweep of Sana'a on Sept. 21, AQAP disseminated a statement portraying the Houthis as Shiite heretics threatening Sunni interests in Yemen, and called on all Sunnis to take up arms against the rebels. AQAP has played the role of the protector of Yemen's Sunnis and has waged a relentless campaign against the Houthis, allegedly alongside some Sunni tribesmen.

Although fighting between the Houthis and AQAP has spread throughout much of northern and central Yemen, Baydah province has been a focal point of such battles. Clashes around the provincial capital of Radaa broke out on Oct. 15, when the Houthis attempted to advance on the city. Since then, AQAP has claimed 47 attacks in Baydah, mostly in the city of Radaa and its outskirts.

AQAP has also claimed a total of 27 attacks in Sana'a, 20 of which targeted Houthi positions in the city. Most notably, AQAP carried out a suicide attack on Oct. 9 at Tahrir Square in the capital against Houthi supporters who were preparing for a demonstration, allegedly killing more than 50 Houthis. AQAP also attacked state institutions in the province, shelling Sana'a airport with mortars on Nov. 5 in retaliation for US drone strikes in Yemen.

Even while AQAP maintains its campaign against the Houthi rebels, the group's attacks against Yemeni government and military targets have continued, focused mostly on the eastern and southern parts of the country. AQAP has claimed credit for 21 attacks against the Yemeni military in Hadramout, primarily on the road linking the cities of Tarim with al Qatn in Wadi Hadramout. Eleven more such attacks were carried out in neighboring Shabwa province, including a rocket strike on the Yemen LNG company in Belhaf on Dec. 18.

While fighting both the Yemeni state and the ascendant Houthi rebels, AQAP has also managed to carry out three attacks against US interests in Yemen. On Sept. 27, less than a week following the Houthi seizure of Sana'a, AQAP claimed to have launched a "Lu-type" rocket at the US Embassy in Sana'a, allegedly wounding some guards on the scene. Exactly two months later, on Nov. 27, AQAP claimed yet another attack on the embassy, this time detonating two improvised explosive devices (IEDs). A third IED attack, which targeted US Ambassador Matthew H. Tueller as he left a meeting at the residence of Yemeni president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, failed when the explosives planted outside Hadi's residence were allegedly discovered minutes before Tueller left the meeting.

American interests in Yemen were not the only international targets of AQAP's attacks. On Dec. 3, AQAP claimed credit for a vehicle-borne explosive device (VBIED) attack at the residence of the Iranian ambassador to Yemen in the Hadda district of Sana'a. AQAP indicated that the attack came as a response to Iranian support for the Houthis.

List of attacks by province since Sept. 21:

Abyan: 13
Amran: 2
Baydah: 47
al Dale': 1
Dhamar: 9
Hadramout: 21
Hodeidah: 2
Ibb: 10
Lahj: 1
Marib: 3
Sa'adah: 1
Sana'a: 27
Shabwa: 11
Taiz: 1

The Houthi rebel crisis in Yemen has breathed new life into al Qaeda's Yemeni branch, providing AQAP with a wide power vacuum in which to operate. The fact that AQAP continues to challenge the Yemeni state, the Houthi rebels, and the US in numerous provinces suggests that the group has been the primary beneficiary of the Houthi rebellion that has rocked the country for nearly three months.

Insurgents from Boko Haram have reportedly kidnapped more than 100 people from a village in northeastern Nigeria. Details are still emerging on the raid in Gumsuri that occurred on Dec. 14. News of the attack has been slow to reach the media due to the remoteness of the region and the damage to telecommunication towers from previous attacks.

Storming the village from two directions, the insurgents overwhelmed local vigilantes firing from machine guns. According to a local government official, "They gathered the women and children and took them away in trucks after burning most of the village with petrol bombs," CNN reported. Some 35 people were reportedly killed in the attack, and one estimate put the number of those kidnapped at 172. A local source said that the attackers "gathered the people, shot dead over 30 people and took away more than 100 women and children in two open-top trucks."

A local militia leader told Bloomberg that 191 people were abducted in the attack, including "able-bodied young men and women, including children." Gumsuri is southwest of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

Boko Haram has become notorious for kidnapping civilians. In April, the group abducted 276 girls from their boarding school in the Borno state town of Chibok, which lies only about 15 miles away from Gumsuri. Although some of the schoolgirls have since escaped, an estimated 219 remain in the terrorist group's control.

Over the weekend, Boko Haram released a new video in which a man claiming to be leader Abubakar Shekau threatened to attack the Emir of Kano, Muhummadu Sanusi II, in retaliation for his call to Kano residents to arms themselves against the terrorist group.

In mid-November, the emir commented at a prayer meeting: "People should not sit idle and say prayer is the only solution. People should be made aware of the importance of being in a state of preparedness and make sure they acquire what they need to protect themselves. We should be ready to give our lives." On Nov. 28, a deadly attack with multiple bombs on the emir's mosque in Kano killed over 100 people.

In the recent video, Shekau did not claim responsibility for the mosque attack but threatened Sanusi, saying: "Now listen to me Emir of Kano. I am talking to you and only you because of your recent utterances. Let me inform you now that you are late, you should know that you are only but the King of Kano, King of Central Bank, King of money, you are only Sanusi Lamido." The emir was governor of Nigeria's central bank until February.

Shekau went on to say: "Because you are made the Emir of Kano that is why you got angry and was calling on the Vigilante groups and hunters to attack us. Let me tell you that the hunters and the vigilante groups will fail and you will also fail."

Reports noted that Shekau also condemned the government of Saudi Arabia and threatened further violence and kidnapping. "We will kill you people, we will capture hostages and keep selling some," he stated.

Today, the United States issued a statement in support of Nigeria's efforts to rescue the girls who were abducted in April from nearby Chibok and others kidnapped by the group.