ISIS magazine takes credit for Obama shift in hostage negotiations

ISIS claimed victory Wednesday for the Obama administration’s summer shift in allowing hostage negotiations with terrorists, posting an article in the radical Islamist group’s online magazine declaring, “it’s clear that violence is the only message they will respond to.” The article, in the new issue of the Islamic State’s “Dabiq” magazine released Wednesday, is attributed […]

Death and Taxes in Islamic State

In January of this year, an internal ISIS memorandum on the group’s finances was leaked to the public. In it, ISIS revealed it was cutting the pay of its soldiers substantially. In 2015, ISIS’s fighters were being paid between $400 and $1,200 per month, depending on their seniority and their job. The leaked memo said ISIS […]

Top general: 50,000-troop coalition needed in order to crush ISIS

It will take a coalition of 50,000 troops on the ground to defeat the Islamic State, according to the former army chief of staff who spent more than four years serving in Iraq and who is credited, along with retired General David Petraeus, with being the architect of the successful 2007 troop surge there. “Probably […]

Obama at the CIA: ‘Depraved’ ISIS now on the defensive

ISIS is on the defensive after a “bad few months,” President Barack Obama claimed Wednesday during a rare trip to CIA headquarters outside Washington.  He said the “depraved” nature of the organization, also known as ISIL, only brings the world together and strengthens opposition to the group. “Their barbarism only stiffens our unity and our […]

Afghanistan: Former Taliban fighters flee ISIS brutality

It might just be a crackle and a hiss but to many in eastern Afghanistan, it’s a sign that ISIS is back. ISIS FM was for months how the militants reached out to local Afghans. But then the United States bombed it, as part of a broader campaign to dismantle ISIS, and the radio broadcast […]

Watch: The Latest Coalition Airstrike on ISIS in Iraq

Coalition strike destroys Daesh weapons storage facility near Qayyarah, Iraq to disrupt terrorist operations. The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the Daesh terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, and the wider international community. The destruction of Daesh targets in Syria and Iraq further […]

Watch: A 23mm Anti-Aircraft Gun Destroy an ISIS VBIED in Syria

In early April, the Free Syrian Army launched an offensive adjacent to the Syrian-Turkish border capturing a collection of 10 (+/-) villages and cutting off several Daesh [ISIS/ISIL] access points to supporters in Turkey. Their daring move to stretch their lines has provided Daesh with the opportunity to counterattack, as the FSA scrambles to consolidate […]

B-52s Arrive In Qatar To Support Inherent Resolve

FighterSweep Fans, as we mentioned before, the mighty B-52H Stratofortress is on deck to start laying down “positive influence” on Daesh. To that effect, the first BUFFs arrived at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar this past weekend in preparation for their first sorties over Iraq and Syria. With its huge payload, the B-52 is […]

Russia Announces Willingness to Cooperate with NATO, then Threatens Sweden  

For over twenty years, NATO has reached out to Russia to enhance cooperation on a multitude of topics. NATO was forced to redact that cooperation in September of 2014 when Russia militarily intervened in Ukraine. Zamir Kabulov, of the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced earlier today, that Russia would like to re-open relations with NATO and come to an agreement to cooperate on terrorism. His statement came around the time three militants […]

Watch: The Ruins of the Ruins of Palmyra: Before and After ISIS

Syrian forces recaptured Palmyra from Daesh [ISIS/ISIL], at the end of March but the extent of the damage is still being analyzed. The ancient city of Palmyra is considered a United Natation’s Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage (UNESCO) site, although as we know that means nothing to terrorist organizations such as Daesh. Palmyra […]

Is the US in danger of running out of bombs?

FighterSweep Fans, when your drop rate eclipses your replenishment rate, there’s a problem. That is exactly the issue our men and women downrange are experiencing in the ongoing Operation Inherent Resolve. The good news is actual target engagement rates have been on the rise; coalition aircraft dropping more bombs, but the downfall is a looming […]

Belgian raids net 6th terror suspect in attacks

Belgian police, who arrested six terrorist suspects Friday, descended on a building in central Brussels on Saturday with snipers and bomb disposal units, according to media reports. Residents of the building in the Etterbeekdistrict were evacuated as police and forensics experts spent several hours searching the building, Reuters reports. At least 50 bomb disposal experts were also on the scene, according to the Belgian broadcaster RTBF. Belgian broadcaster […]