It also said the islamic state remains much stronger than al qaeda. After 11 years of war, al qaeda in afghanistan is smaller. Map of al qaeda presence in afghanistan al qaeda presence in afghanistan, which reported in the last 2 years in various researches. Peter bergen was able to do what i have never been able to do, which was to actually interview bin laden. Al qaeda core the top echelon or core of aq leadership remains a primary target of the u. According to american military officials on the ground, al qaeda is playing the long game. Alqaeda in afghanistan remain dependent on the taliban for a safe haven and mobility, while the taliban have access to alqaedas network of training camps. Chairman poe, ranking member sherman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the enduring threat posed by al qaeda in afghanistan and pakistan. This was not because the taliban itself represented a direct threat to the united states but because al qaedas presence in afghanistan did. Al qaeda, the islamic state, and the global jihadist movement. Before the syrian civil war, alqaedas presence in syria was negligible, but its growth thereafter was rapid.
A direct invasion of afghanistan was therefore not an option. The taliban and al qaeda maintain, and will sustain, an enduring and intimate relationship that invalidates the premise of u. Al qaeda afghanistan nautilus institute for security. Afghanistans top defense official has warned that al qaeda the reason the united states first invaded afghanistan is very active and a big threat in the country. While senior al qaeda figures reportedly remain based in pakistan, the network includes a number of affiliates across the middle east and africa including al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap, al qaeda in the islamic maghreb aqim, and al shabaab. Pratiek sparsh samantara surveys some of the best contemporary literary fiction and nonfiction to come out of afghanistan, from both afghan and international authors, and looks at how these books interpret the culture, society and history of this unsettled landscape. Asked again by hasan if he believed the 911 attacks were the responsibility of alqaeda in afghanistan, the former president responded. Al qaeda also retains a small but possibly growing presence in afghanistan. Thats a policy comfortable with a message that there is no longer a significant presence of al qaeda in afghanistan. Indian attack and deny india a presence in afghanistan with which it could mil. Conversely, although the us is not running for the exit, it is about to withdraw 80% of its troops in the next 2 years. The taliban, al qaeda, the global drug trade, and afghanistan as a dominant opium source frank shanty it has been claimed that during the past twentyfive years the opium trade has provided a vast source of funding to the afghan mujahideen, the taliban, and possibly al qaeda. Also known as al qaeda central, the core is made up of aq leader ayman al zawahiri and his deputies, an advisory council of about ten individuals, and members of various aq committees such as military operations and finance.
An assessment a thesis submitted to the faculty of the school of continuing studies and of the graduate school of arts and sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in liberal studies by keith boyea, b. As a result, alqaeda today maintains a presence in different pockets of afghanistan, mainly in konar, helmand, badakhshan, paktika, zabul and. Lets take a look at your final book, peter bergensthe longest war. List of books and articles about afghan history online. Pdf from jihad to alqaeda to islamic state researchgate. Stenersen makes in particular extensive use of arabic sources, many of which have become available in recent years, and comes to a more sophisticated understanding of the organisations aims and strategy. Understanding war in afghanistan ndu press national defense. Al qaeda afghanistan al qaeda in afghanistan since 2001. Alqaeda returns to afghanistan amid fears of new jihadist alliance with isis and taliban american officials are no longer so dismissive of reports about al. The bombings are the work of alqaeda successor groups, showing that while the groups organisational structure may have been damaged by the war. Meaning it is, for now, content to fly strategically below the radar as it quietly supports the taliban.
The united states also began providing financial aid and other assistance to the northern alliance and other opposition groups. The best books on alqaeda five books expert recommendations. The enduring conflict between america and al qaeda. A reading list of modern war stories the new york times. Al qaeda still resilient, closely works with pakistani let. Government sources the terrorist threat to the us homeland, national intelligence estimate, july 2007 alqaida is and will r. Best iraq and afghanistan war books some of the best books out there about the wars in iraq and afghanistan. The alqaeda mole who infiltrated the cia, joby warrick untangles the complicated web of cia operations in pakistan and tells the story of how humam albilawi mounted the deadliest attack against the cia since 911. A resilient alqaeda in afghanistan and pakistan middle east. Alqaeda began as a logistical network to support muslims fighting against the soviet union during the afghan war. Alqaeda, isis, afghanistan and an opportunity for the. The talibanalqaeda coalition is now being challenged by increasingly strong.
Alqaeda returns to afghanistan amid fears of new jihadist. Washingtons attempts to drum up public support for operation enduring freedom confuse more than they convince. A thesis submitted to the faculty of the school of continuing studies and of the graduate school of arts and sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in liberal studies. A diminished but resilient al qaeda, whose 911 attacks drew america into its longest war, is attempting a comeback in afghanistans mountainous east even as u. In addition, both before and after the death of abu musab alzarqawi the former leader of alqaeda in iraq, the umbrella organization to which alqaeda in iraq belongs, the mujahideen shura council, has a regular presence on the web.
I neither believe nor disbelieve something that i dont know about. A resilient alqaeda in afghanistan and pakistan mei policy focus 201618 middle east institute policy focus series august 2016 although alqaeda has suffered severe blows in recent years, it has managed to remain entrenched in both afghanistan and pakistan and is poised to strengthen its position and. Troops and their families, edited by andrew carroll. While aqis has reportedly attempted to solidify its presence in afghanistan by embedding fighters in the taliban, its operations have mostly been elsewhere. I can tell you that afghanistan was as much a victim of terrorism as was. Us strategy for pakistan and afghanistan council on foreign. List of books about alqaeda ahmed, nafeez mosaddeq 2005. Shortly after the soviet union invaded afghanistan in 1979, bin laden, who viewed the invasion as an act of aggression against islam, began. A selection of books related to the wars in iraq and afghanistan. Only a small portion of the 15,000 american troops in afghanistan are involved in the counterterrorism mission that the military calls its core objective there. Al qaeda has expanded its presence in afghanistan, taking advantage of the sinking security situation to resurface in the country it.
To a large extent the rashid and schmidt books cover similar ground and. A means toward that end was destroying the taliban government. Although bin laden and his associates have been scattered, arrested and killed, the organization has survived and the ideology is intact. While al qaeda has been severely degraded, it has lost none of its zeal to strike western countries and undermine governments in asia, the middle east, and africa. But taliban leaders have said they would break ties with the group in exchange for the. An article in yesterdays washington post noted that al qaeda has an increasingly minor presence and role in afghanistan, becoming almost an afterthought in the conflict there though this isnt really new information, the article makes what i thought to be an interesting suggestion, noting that al qaedas relatively small role in the afghanistan conflict might be in at least some. Al qaeda and islamic state affiliates in afghanistan. Michael chandler of britain, who led the expert group which prepared the report for the u. Al qaeda expands its presence in afghanistan institute. It is a view shared, incidentally, by a senior member of the obama administration, the national security adviser, general james jones, who told cnn that the alqaida presence in afghanistan is.
On the morning of september 11, 2001, the entire world was introduced to al qaeda and its enigmatic leader, osama bin laden. The us government and the military has downplayed al qaedas presence for more than six years, despite evidence that al qaeda has remained entrenched in afghanistan some 15 years after the 911 attacks, the long war journal noted saturday nicholson indicated alqaeda is increasingly taking advantage of the security vacuum in afghanistan in remote parts of the country. Its a mystery if remaining remnants of the group that perpetrated the 911 attacks are still even plotting overseas attacks. For the united states, afghanistan has at present limited direct interest. The united states wanted to act quickly and decisively in order to disrupt al qaeda. He is a firstclass journalist who probably knows more about alqaeda than anyone else. It is widely assumed that al qaedas presence in south asia does not, in fact, pose an enduring threat to american interests. With the diffusion of al qaedas ideology around the globe, especially after 911, the threat it poses has moved beyond the.
Al qaeda has expanded its presence in afghanistan since 2014 in collaboration with the taliban. What else can we conclude about the presence of small al qaeda bases existing in afghanistan. Al qaeda affiliates praise al shabaab attack on american. Groups such as the alnusra front and the islamic state of iraq and the levant have recruited many foreign mujahideen to train and fight in what has gradually become a highly sectarian war. By now there are already dozens of books a few of them. Skeptics who argue for a reduced american presence in afghanistan are. Why al qaedas still a threat in afghanistan cbs news. In al qaeda, the islamic state, and the global jihadist movement. A challenged pakistan and its afghan policies jstor. Al qaeda claims that the fight in afghanistan bankrupted the soviet union in the 1980s and led to its collapse, and that the united states too is being driven to the. According to zahid hussain, one of pakistans most noted security specialists, drone strikes have killed many of its leaders, but have had little effect on the groups operations. This is the most comprehensive, carefully researched and detailed account of al qaida in afghanistan until 2001. Alqaeda used afghanistan as a base from which to plan the sept.
616 211 597 662 293 968 288 382 60 308 190 1270 1588 1231 490 353 99 536 1000 970 691 394 270 1610 62 334 502 228 146 808 255 267 568 274 52 1215 431 1266 1361 1433 481 984 314 652 1080 755