The Long War Journal (Site-Wide)

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• Ayman al Zawahiri warns against ‘nationalist’ agenda in Syria
• Taliban ‘infiltrated’ Afghan Army to carry out deadly attack in north
• Qods Force commander to advance Tehran’s influence as ambassador to Iraq

Ayman al Zawahiri warns against ‘nationalist’ agenda in Syria Posted: 23 Apr 2017 08:22 AM PDT In a new audio message, Ayman al Zawahiri warns jihadists that they should avoid a strictly "nationalist" agenda in Syria. He also says the jihadists should focus on waging a "guerrilla" war inside Syria and not place too much emphasis on controlling territory at this time. Zawahiri's words are likely intended to influence some of the debates occurring within jihadist circles.

Taliban ‘infiltrated’ Afghan Army to carry out deadly attack in north Posted: 23 Apr 2017 05:35 AM PDT "4 of these martyrdom seekers were infiltrated Mujahideen that were performing their duties in headquarter as soldiers for a long period of time in order to conduct this type of attack," the Taliban claimed.

Qods Force commander to advance Tehran’s influence as ambassador to Iraq Posted: 23 Apr 2017 01:00 AM PDT An Iranian general from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) this week began his new position as Tehran’s ambassador to Iraq. The selection of Brigadier General Iraj Masjedi, the senior adviser to the commander of the IRGC extraterritorial branch the Qods Force, highlights Tehran’s strategy to assert itself as the dominant foreign power in its western neighbor following the Mosul campaign. Since 2003 all Iranian ambassadors to Iraq have been Qods Force officers.