The Long War Journal (Site-Wide)

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Russia’s new favorite jihadis: The Taliban Posted: 04 Jan 2017 12:35 AM PST Russia is openly advocating on behalf of the Taliban, arguing that the jihadist group should be considered a bulwark against the Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan. But the Taliban is a bigger threat to Afghan security than Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's men, the organization remains closely allied with al Qaeda and its own extremism should not be downplayed.

Analysis: Islamic State claims historically high number of suicide attacks in 2016 Posted: 03 Jan 2017 08:50 AM PST The Islamic State claims to have carried out 1,112 suicide attacks in Iraq and Syria during 2016. Additional suicide bombers were deployed in Libya and elsewhere. If the group's claims are accurate, then the so-called caliphate has been using "martyrs" at a historically high rate.