The Taliban's Victory In Afghanistan Is Also A Victory For Al Qaeda

 

New York Times: The Taliban Are Back. Now Will They Restrain or Support Al Qaeda?  

BRUSSELS — The United States and NATO invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 by Al Qaeda, harbored by the Taliban. 

Now that the Taliban are back in power, there are already worries that Afghanistan will again become a breeding ground for Islamist radicalism and terrorism, aided by new technologies and social media. 

These are early days and experts disagree on how the Taliban may choose to govern, and on how big a threat they might become — or how quickly — even as the Taliban try to persuade the world they are different than before. 

But there is little doubt that the Taliban victory is a huge propaganda boost for Islamist terrorism worldwide.  

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WNU Editor: Analysis is true .... Taliban to give Al-Qaeda covert, not overt support: analysts (France 24). But I predict that after a certain period of time, this support will become overt. 

More News On Al Qaeda In Afghanistan  

Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan sparks new fears of al-Qaida resurgence -- Yahoo News  

Al-Qaeda mocks US withdrawal from Afghanistan, as Taliban continues to advance -- SCMP 

Potential Al Qaeda resurgence in Afghanistan worries U.S. officials -- NBC  

How are the Taliban and al-Qaeda linked? -- The Independent  

Rep. Mike Waltz on Afghanistan: ‘We are going to see Al Qaeda 3.0’ -- CNBC

Top U.S. Commander In Afghanistan: Al Qaeda Operating ‘Across’ The Country

Long War Journal: US commander confirms: al Qaeda operating ‘across’ Afghanistan

Al Qaeda is operating “across the country” and not confined to one region, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan confirmed.

General Austin Miller, the commander of Resolute Support Mission and US Forces – Afghanistan, confirmed several analyses by FDD’s Long War Journal, which has noted for years that al Qaeda’s footprint spans all regions of Afghanistan.

“We have seen al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Yes, in different parts of Afghanistan,” Miller said, according to TOLONews. “In different parts of Afghanistan, we can find them, so it’s not one particular region, it’s across the country.”

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WNU Editor: Al Qaeda and the Taliban have always been close allies, and al Qaeda has always had a certain degree of support in Afghanistan. This is nothing new.

Senior Al Qaeda Leader Killed By U.S. Air Strike In Afghanistan

Washington Post: U.S. airstrike kills al-Qaeda leader responsible for deaths of two Americans, Pentagon says

A U.S. airstrike this week in southeastern Afghanistan targeted an al-Qaeda leader connected to multiple terrorist attacks, including a hotel bombing in 2008 that killed two U.S. service members, the Pentagon said Saturday.

The March 19 strike, probably carried out by a drone, killed Qari Yasin in Afghanistan’s Paktika province.

“The death of Qari Yasin is evidence that terrorists who defame Islam and deliberately target innocent people will not escape justice,” said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in an emailed statement.

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More News On A Senior Al Qaeda Leader Killed By U.S. Air Strike In Afghanistan

US airstrike kills high-profile terrorist leader -- FOX News
Al-Qaida leader who plotted Marriott Hotel bombing confirmed killed in US air strike in Afghanistan -- AP
US air strike in Afghanistan killed senior Qaeda leader -- AFP
Pentagon: ‘High Profile’ al Qaeda Figure Killed in Afghanistan Strike -- NBC
Pentagon: US drone strike in Afghanistan killed a senior Al-Qaeda militant -- DW
Afghanistan: Senior al-Qaeda leader Qari Yasin killed in US drone strike -- International Business Times

U.S. Drone Strike Kills Senior Al Qaeda Leader In Afghanistan

Long War Journal: Pentagon confirms death of senior al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook confirmed in a statement today that Faruq al Qatani, a senior al Qaeda leader who was plotting against the US, was killed in an airstrike last month. Cook’s full statement reads:

We can now confirm that the precision strike conducted by the U.S. military on Oct. 23 in Kunar, Afghanistan, resulted in the death of senior al-Qaeda leader Faruq al-Qatani. Al-Qatani was al-Qaeda’s emir for eastern Afghanistan and one of the terrorist group’s senior plotters of attacks against the United States. This successful strike is another example of U.S. operations to degrade international terrorist networks and target terrorist leaders who seek to attack the U.S. homeland, our interests and our allies abroad. Another al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan, Bilal al-Utabi, was also targeted in a separate strike. We are still assessing the results of that strike.

The Long War Journal has written about Qatani on a number of occasions. He was a prominent al Qaeda member for years. Osama bin Laden’s files show that Qatani was trusted to establish safe havens in Afghanistan more than six years ago, meaning he had plenty of time to establish a robust network in the country. In addition to having a hand in al Qaeda’s “external operations” – that is, plots against the West – he also supported the Taliban-led insurgency against the Afghan government, US forces and their allies.

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More News On Reports That A Senior Al Qaeda Leader Was Killed By A Drone Streike In Afghanistan

Al-Qaeda leader killed in US drone strike in Afghanistan -- BBC
Senior al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan killed in US drone strike -- France 24
US says airstrike killed al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan -- AP
US says Afghanistan air raid killed al-Qaeda leader -- Al Jazeera
Pentagon confirms death of senior al-Qaeda leader Faruq al-Qatani in latest strike in Afghanistan -- IBTimes

Al Qaeda Wants To Forge Stronger Ties With The Afghan Taliban

© REUTERS/ Stringer

Washington Times: Al Qaeda seeks partnership with Taliban for comeback

U.S. counterterrorism operations expand focus.

Al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan are plotting a comeback, forging strong ties with the Afghan Taliban and other indigenous terrorist groups in an attempt to reassert its presence as the Islamic State continues to gain ground in the eastern part of the country.

Roughly 100 to 300 al Qaeda members are active in Afghanistan, concentrated in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Ghazni and in Kandahar province in the south, Army Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, deputy chief of staff for communications for Operation Resolute Support, the name of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, said Thursday.

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Update: US Military: Al-Qaida Working More Closely With the Taliban (AP)

WNU Editor: Apparently it has been a good poppy harvest this year .... Taliban expect to gain big from banner poppy crop in Afghanistan, US general says (FOX News). More here .... Taliban Gets 'Windfall' from Poppy Harvest to Fund Offensives (Military.com). The U.S. military is also expecting the next Taliban offensive to occur in Helmand .... US general: Helmand province likely site of next Taliban offensive as poppy harvest ends (Stars and Stripes).

Al Qaeda Returns To Afghanistan

The Independent: Al-Qaeda returns to Afghanistan amid fears of new jihadist alliance with Isis and Taliban

American officials are no longer so dismissive of reports about al-Qaeda’s growing presence

Al-Qaeda is back in Afghanistan, joining Isis and the Taliban in waging jihad. The three most prominent Islamist terrorist groups in the world are now in one violent arena and drawing the West back into a bloody conflict it had sought to leave behind.

The CIA is marking the fifth anniversary of Osama Bin Laden’s death five years ago by publishing, though Twitter, a rolling description of the secret mission by US special forces which killed him in Pakistan. The move is meant to mark President Barack Obama’s legacy in tackling America’s number one enemy and stress the part the agency played in achieving this.

But, 15 years after George W Bush declared the War on Terror following the September 11 attacks, with the specific pledge of destroying al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Bin Laden’s legacy, the organisation he founded, is once again spreading its tentacles across the country which it used as base to plot attacks abroad.

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WNU Editor: Reports on the return of Al Qaeda to Afghanistan have been making the news for the past month (see links below).

More News On The Return Of Al Qaeda To Afghanistan

Al Qaeda re-emerges as challenge for U.S., NATO in Afghanistan -- Reuters
Al Qaeda 'very active' in Afghanistan: U.S. Commander -- CNN
US military admits al Qaeda is stronger in Afghanistan than previously estimated -- Long War Journal
Ghani says al-Qaeda, Taliban and ISIS threaten Afghanistan -- Khaama Press
'Increased Relationship' Between al-Qaeda, Taliban Worries U.S. Commanders -- Bridget Johnson, PJ Media

Pentagon Issues Warning On The Growing Strength Of Al Qaeda In Afghanistan

Long War Journal: US military admits al Qaeda is stronger in Afghanistan than previously estimated

A senior US general in Afghanistan recently admitted the US military and intelligence services’ long-held belief that al Qaeda has only 50 to 100 operatives based in the country is incorrect, stating that number must be revised upward. Since 2010, US officials have claimed that al Qaeda has been “decimated” in Afghanistan and has maintained a consistent minimal presence of 50 to 100 operatives.

For more than six years, The Long War Journal has warned that official estimate of al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan is erroneous, and the jihadist group remains a significant threat to this day.

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More News On Growing Concerns That Al Qaeda Is Growing Stronger In Afghanistan

Al Qaeda 'very active' in Afghanistan: U.S. Commander -- CNN
Afghan Official Says Al-Qaeda Is 'Very Active' In Afghanistan -- Newsy
Return Of Al-Qaeda? Official say Al-Qaeda Is Back -- Inquisitr
Defense Chief Warns Al-Qaeda 'Preparing for Bigger Attacks' -- Sputnik

Al Qaeda Has Returned To Afghanistan

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

New York Times: As U.S. Focuses on ISIS and the Taliban, Al Qaeda Re-emerges

WASHINGTON — Even as the Obama administration scrambles to confront the Islamic State and resurgent Taliban, an old enemy seems to be reappearing in Afghanistan: Qaeda training camps are sprouting up there, forcing the Pentagon and American intelligence agencies to assess whether they could again become a breeding ground for attacks on the United States.

Most of the handful of camps are not as big as those that Osama bin Laden built before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But had they re-emerged several years ago, they would have rocketed to the top of potential threats presented to President Obama in his daily intelligence briefing. Now, they are just one of many — and perhaps, American officials say, not even the most urgent on the Pentagon’s list in Afghanistan.

More News On The War In Afghanistan

Al Qaeda is reemerging in a troublingly familiar place as the US focuses on other threats -- Business Insider
Daesh vs. Taliban: Afghanistan Between Devil and Deep Blue Sea -- Sputnik
Terrorists VS terrorists: ISIS in ‘direct rivalry with Taliban in Afghanistan,’ UN says -- RT
Afghan cops refuse to face Taliban in their heartland -- CBS/AP
Daesh, Lashkar-e-Islam militants bombed in Nangarhar, at least 38 killed -- Khaama Press
At least 68 IS members killed in bombings in Afghanistan -- EFE
Talks underway on supply of helicopters to Afghanistan: Russian envoy -- Khaama Press
Moscow to supply small arms with ammunition to Kabul in January — foreign ministry -- TASS
Russia begins supplying weapons to Afghanistan, sides with Taliban -- Washington Times
Russia may be 'flexible' on easing of U.N. sanctions against Taliban: TASS -- Reuters
Afghanistan, Pakistan Lay Groundwork for Taliban Peace Talks in Early 2016 -- The Diplomat
Afghanistan, Pakistan to Hold Peace Talks With Taliban Next Week - Kabul -- Sputnik
Afghanistan: Aid workers pull out in the face of Isis and Taliban threat, turning a healthcare revolution into a crisis -- The Independent
Taliban Controls More Territory in Afghanistan Than At Any Time Since 2001 -- Reason
Amid Taliban surge, a witness to Afghanistan's endless war -- Scott Peterson, CSM
Afghanistan — the case for staying -- Michael O'Hanlon, USA Today

Pentagon Confirms That The Largest Al Qaeda Training Camp Ever Found Was Destroyed This Month In Afghanistan

Standing by on a hilltop, Soldiers with the 101st Division Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division watch as two Chinook helicopters fly in to take them back to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Nov. 4, 2008. Photo by Spc. Mary L. Gonzalez, CJTF-101 Public Affairs

Washington Post: ‘Probably the largest’ al-Qaeda training camp ever destroyed in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — A multi-day operation in southern Afghanistan this month that involved 200 Special Operations forces and scores of American airstrikes targeted what was “probably the largest” al-Qaeda training camp found in the 14-year Afghan war, the senior U.S. commander in Afghanistan said on Friday.

Army Gen. John F. Campbell, the four-star officer in charge of the U.S. war effort, said the camp was used by AQIS, an acronym for al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. The group’s formation was announced last year by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, and is believed to be based in Pakistan and focused on India, Pakistan and other nations in southern Asia.

Previous Post: Two Major Al Qaeda Bases In Afghanistan Were Unknown To The U.S. For Months

WNU Editor: This is a huge story that has been completely under-reported by the U>S. press. Bottom line .... Al Qaeda is definitely not dead.

Two Major Al Qaeda Bases In Afghanistan Were Unknown To The U.S. For Months

CNN: Major al Qaeda camp was unknown to U.S. for months

An al Qaeda training camp in southern Afghanistan that was the target of a major raid last week had been operating since last November -- and the U.S. didn't learn the full details about the site until July, coalition forces said in an email Wednesday.

Earlier this month, U.S. airstrikes, along with U.S. and Afghan ground troops, conducted the assault operations in an area known as Shorabak, close to the Pakistan border. Al Qaeda had set up two sites, a one-mile-square training camp and a second site of nearly 30 square miles it controlled.

The coalition conducted 63 airstrikes on the site, and a ground assault team of more than 200 Afghan and U.S. troops on the ground attacked both targets. It is estimated by the U.S. that more than 160 suspected terrorists were killed from a number of groups. U.S. officials have said they believe a number of al Qaeda and related terrorist group members have been pushed into Afghanistan due to pressure from Pakistani military operations on the other side of the border.

WNU Editor: Two major bases .... one that covers 30 square miles .... that is not a small Al Qaeda presence. This is what happens when you withdraw your troops and you end up with not enough boots on the ground.

Afghan Leaders Are Trying To Make Peace With The Pakistani Taliban And What's Left Of Al Qaeda

A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter carries a shipping container during retrograde operations and base closures in Afghanistan's Wardak province, Oct. 26, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Peter Smedberg

Afghanistan And Pakistan Scramble For The Favor Of Al Qaeda -- Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor

As the US military presence winds down, Afghan leaders are hedging their bets, looking to protect themselves. Like allying with the very groups the US ousted in 2001. Messy? You bet.

The US war in Afghanistan could turn into a pumpkin as soon as the middle of November.

That's when a national meeting of tribal leaders and other notable Afghans will hold a so-called loya jirga and vote on whether to meet the Obama administration's terms for keeping troops in the country beyond the end of 2014.

If they vote no, it will all be over but the packing, shipping, and destroying of military infrastructure. Whatever the Afghans decide about an extended US presence, the US involvement in offensive operations is sure to decline, just as its role in "nation building" is winding down. That means Afghans have gaps to fill when it comes to influence and power projection.

As the New York Times reported on Tuesday, the US-installed and -supported Afghan government is wasting little time. The plan? Make friends with the Pakistani Taliban and what's left of Al Qaeda's network in Pakistan.

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My Comment: With allies like this .... who needs enemies.

Al Qaeda Tries Afghan Comeback

Al Qaeda Tries Afghan Comeback; U.S. Commanders Worried -- Washington Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — A diminished but resilient al Qaeda, whose 9/11 attacks drew America into its longest war, is attempting a comeback in Afghanistan’s mountainous east even as U.S. and allied forces wind down their combat mission and concede a small but firm toehold to the terrorist group.

That concerns U.S. commanders, who have intensified strikes against al Qaeda cells in recent months. It also undercuts an Obama administration narrative portraying al Qaeda as battered to the point of being a nonissue in Afghanistan as Western troops start leaving.

When he visited Afghanistan in May to mark the one-year anniversary of the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, President Obama said his administration had turned the tide of war.

“The goal that I set – to defeat al Qaeda, and deny it a chance to rebuild – is within reach,” he said.

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My Comment: The philosophy of Al Qaeda still exists .... and it still enjoys widespread support in certain parts of Afghanistan. As long as this mindset exists, Al Qaeda will always have a presence in Afghanistan. The key question is .... how big will this presence be.

The Taliban And Al Qaeda Are Working Together In Afghanistan

Taliban And Al Qaeda Working Together In Afghanistan -- CBS

(CBS News) In an interview that aired Sunday night on "60 Minutes," CBS News' Lara Logan spoke with a Taliban commander, who claimed to be a bomb specialist trained by al Qaeda. He told "60 Minutes" that al Qaeda fighters are rushing into Afghanistan and that he has more than a dozen of them under his command, raising new questions about the strength of the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan and their role in the recent insider attacks against American troops in the region.

CBS News senior correspondent John Miller, spoke with "CBS This Morning" co-hosts on Monday about Logan's report and the situation in Afghanistan.

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My Comment: According to this CBS analyst .... U.S. drone strikes have been so successful in Pakistan that it has forced Al Qaeda to go into Afghanistan and fight alongside the Taliban .... that we are the victim of our success? Hmmmm ... I disagree. The way I see it, Al Qaeda is getting stronger and they now feel more confident and secure to travel into Afghanistan to target ISAF troops and our Afghan allies. That as U.S. forces depart from Afghanistan, we are getting weaker and the Taliban with their Al Qaeda allies are getting stronger and more deadlier in their attacks.

Al Qaeda's No. 2 In Afghanistan Killed In Air Strike

NATO Says Al Qaeda's No. 2 In Afghanistan Killed In Air Strike -- L.A. Times

ISLAMABAD -- U.S.-led coalition troops battling Afghan Taliban insurgents have killed Al Qaeda’s second-in-command in Afghanistan in an air strike in the country’s eastern province of Kunar, the coalition said Tuesday.

Sakhr al-Taifi, a Saudi national, commanded foreign insurgent fighters and frequently moved between Afghanistan and Pakistan, often overseeing the transport of militants into Afghanistan, NATO said in a prepared statement. The air strike occurred Sunday in the Watahpur district of Kunar, a volatile Afghan province along the Pakistani border.

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More News On The Death Of Al Qaeda's Number 2 In Afghanistan

NATO kills senior al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan -- AP
U.S. Says Qaeda Militants Killed in Afghanistan -- New York Times
NATO: Airstrike Kills Senior Al-Qaida Leader in Afghanistan -- Voice of America
Nato 'kill senior al-Qaeda militant' in Afghanistan -- BBC
Al-Qaeda's No. 2 Leader In Afghanistan Killed In Airstrike -- RTT News
Al-Qaeda No2 in Afghanistan killed, NATO says -- AFP
Nato forces kill al-Qa'ida's second-highest ranking leader in Afghanistan -- The Independent

WNU Editor: Al Qaeda is reporting that Sakhr al-Taifi was not killed in this air strike.

Can Al Qaeda Come Back To Afghanistan?

Al-Qaeda Could 'Re-Emerge In Afghanistan After Nato Withdrawal' -- The Telegraph

Al Qaeda could re-emerge in Afghanistan to threaten the West after Nato troops leave the country in two years' time, alliance officials conceded on Monday.

A senior US general also warned that Nato forces would face combat with the Taliban until the very last day of the alliance mission in Afghanistan.

The downbeat assessments of Afghanistan and its prospects emerged even as Nato leaders met at a summit in Chicago and outlined plans to withdraw their forces by the end of 2014.

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Update: Afghanistan terrorism threat to west 'may continue after Nato forces leave' -- The Guardian

My Comment: Al Qaeda enjoys a certain level of popularity and support on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border. With NATO military forces gone .... it is then not hard to predict that Al Qaeda will return. But I suspect that within their safe havens they will operate in a low-key manner in order to not draw attention to themselves from NATO special forces and/or Afghan forces .... at least until the next terror strike against the West occurs.

How Many Al Qaeda Fighters Are There In Afghanistan?

President Barack Obama addresses the nation on Afghanistan at the United States Military Academy at West Point in West Point, N.Y, Dec. 1, 2009. Obama said sending 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan is in the "vital national interest" of the United States. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

President Obama's Secret: Only 100 al-Qaeda Now in Afghanistan -- ABC News

With New Surge, One Thousand U.S. Soldiers and $300 Million for Every One al-Qaeda Fighter.

As he justified sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan at a cost of $30 billion a year, President Barack Obama's description Tuesday of the al-Qaeda "cancer" in that country left out one key fact: U.S. intelligence officials have concluded there are only about 100 al-Qaeda fighters in the entire country.

A senior U.S. intelligence official told ABCNews.com the approximate estimate of 100 al-Qaeda members left in Afghanistan reflects the conclusion of American intelligence agencies and the Defense Department. The relatively small number was part of the intelligence passed on to the White House as President Obama conducted his deliberations.

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Update: 30,000 U.S. Troops Not Fighting 100 Al Qaeda Terrorists, Officials Insist -- FOX News

My Comment: Numbers like this puts everything into perspective .... we are not fighting Al Qaeda, we are fighting against Afghans who support the Taliban.

Al Qaeda Leaving Iraq For Afghanistan

An Iraqi youth sits on the ground close to US soldiers holding a defensive position during a neighborhood search in Baquba earlier this week. Iraq forces supported by US troops have arrested 35 suspects as a major crackdown on fighters in the Al-Qaeda bastion of Diyala province enters its second day.(AFP/File/Ali Yussef)

From Yahoo News/AFP:

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Several Al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq have left the country for Afghanistan in a sign of weakness in the insurgent group, The Washington Post reported Thursday quoting Iraqi intelligence.

US officials also say Al-Qaeda may be sending new recruits to Afghanistan, where they have made gains, and away from Iraq, where they have been hit by US and Iraqi forces, the newspaper reported.

"We do believe Al-Qaeda is doing some measure of re-assessment regarding the continued viability of its fight in Iraq and whether Iraq should remain the focus of its efforts," Brigadier General Brian Keller, senior intelligence officer for General David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, told the paper in an e-mail.

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More News On Al Qaeda Leaving Iraq For Afghanistan

Al-Qaeda leaving Iraq for Afghanistan: report -- AFP
More foreign fighters join Taliban in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader May Be in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Iraq militant group head said to be in Afghanistan -- Reuters
Exodus of al-Qaeda leaders from Iraq -- Sydney Morning Herald
Report: Al-Qaeda leaving Iraq for Afghanistan -- Middle East Online
Al-Qaeda hails 'revival' in Afghanistan -- Asia Times
Study: New Strategy Needed vs. Al Qaeda -- FOX News

My Comment: The rats are escaping a sinking ship.

Afghanistan's 'Pristine Jihad' Draws In Outsiders Trained In Pakistan

Afghani warlord insurgents are being bolstered by men
from Saudi Arabia, Chechnya, Turkey and Pakistan

From Times Online:

Afghanistan is replacing Iraq as the destination of choice for international jihadists, Western intelligence agencies claim. Analysts have monitored a surge in online recruitment of “lions of Islam” to join the war in Afghanistan through jihadist websites, particularly in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Chechnya and Turkey, in the past year.

That is now being matched by evidence of an increase in foreign fighters entering Afghanistan, mostly from training bases established in the lawless Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) of Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding.

One Kabul-based Western diplomat, who did not want to be named, said: “There is a change with an increase in attacks in the east [along the Pakistan border] and more chatter of foreign voices is being detected.”

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My Comment: With the collapse of foreign forces and jihadists in Iraq, the only war arena that is still open to these fighters is Pakistan's tribal zones and Afghanistan. Like Iraq, I feel confident that with time they will also be defeated in Afghanistan and pakistan's tribal areas.