The Long War Journal (Site-Wide)

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• British hostage discusses American airstrikes on Islamic State’s media kiosks
• Ayman al Zawahiri’s brother released from Egyptian prison
• Islamic State details operations against jihadist rivals in Derna, Libya

British hostage discusses American airstrikes on Islamic State’s media kiosks Posted: 19 Mar 2016 08:39 AM PDT The Islamic State has released a new video featuring John Cantlie, who has been held hostage by the group since 2012. Cantlie speaks from the ruins of a media kiosk that was bombed in Mosul, Iraq. While Cantlie is made to downplay the importance of the media kiosks, the Islamic State itself recently trumpeted them as "one of the cornerstones" of its media strategy.

Ayman al Zawahiri’s brother released from Egyptian prison Posted: 19 Mar 2016 05:50 AM PDT Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri, was released from an Egyptian prison earlier this week. He was imprisoned in Egypt in 1999, but released following the uprisings in 2011. He quickly became a prolific advocate for al Qaeda's jihadist ideology. Along with other al Qaeda-linked jihadists, he helped orchestrate the protest outside the US Embassy in Cairo on Sept. 11, 2012.

Islamic State details operations against jihadist rivals in Derna, Libya Posted: 18 Mar 2016 01:10 PM PDT An infographic in the Islamic State's Al Naba newsletter highlights the "caliphate's" fighting against both its jihadist rivals and the Libyan Army in the eastern city of Derna. The Islamic State was forced out of Derna's center last year, even as it gained ground elsewhere in Libya.