The Long War Journal (Site-Wide)

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• Analysis: Reported link between Houthi and Iranian ballistic missiles
• US killed commander of Taliban’s ‘Red Unit’
• US and Afghan forces target al Qaeda operatives in 3 provinces
• Yemen’s Saleh killed by former allies
• Taliban touts defection of Islamic State ‘deputy’

Analysis: Reported link between Houthi and Iranian ballistic missiles Posted: 05 Dec 2017 11:23 AM PST At the strategic level, if Iran’s provision of ballistic missiles to the Houthi rebels is confirmed, it could be seen as an indicator Tehran’s increased tolerance for risk in a distant conflict theater, one which has sought to weaken Saudi Arabia by any means possible.

US killed commander of Taliban’s ‘Red Unit’ Posted: 05 Dec 2017 09:59 AM PST Mullah Shah Wali, the leader of the Red Unit's forces in Helmand , was killed in a US airstrike in the Taliban-controlled district of Musa Qala. The Red Unit has served as the Taliban's shock troops and special forces.

US and Afghan forces target al Qaeda operatives in 3 provinces Posted: 05 Dec 2017 08:24 AM PST US and Afghan forces have targeted al Qaeda operatives in at least three Afghan provinces in recent weeks. One of the jihadists killed has been identified as Omar Khetab, the deputy leader of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Khetab and other AQIS operatives have been supporting the Taliban's insurgency.

Yemen’s Saleh killed by former allies Posted: 04 Dec 2017 03:21 PM PST The assassination of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh follows a strain in the opportunistic cooperation between his forces and the Houthis.

Taliban touts defection of Islamic State ‘deputy’ Posted: 04 Dec 2017 01:04 PM PST The Taliban is touting the defection of Mullah Abdul Razzaq Mehdi, the purported "deputy" of the Islamic State's Wilayah Khorasan. The Taliban is using his testimony to undermine the will of its jihadist rivals inside Afghanistan. But in so doing, the group reveals just how similar the two often are.