al-Qaeda

The Irish Government has ordered the return of the country’s top Special Operators from Mali despite the qualms of the United Nations. The small contingent, approximately 14 men, of the Army Ranger Wing (ARW), Ireland’s Tier 1 Special Operations unit, have been on the ground in Mali for approximately four months. Their main purpose there […]

One of the underreported aspects of the violence in the Sahel is the ongoing targeting of Christians and their churches, which threatens to drive them out of the area for good. According to an annual report by the Christian charity organization, Open Doors, 27 Islamist groups repeatedly target Christians in the Sahel.  Climate change played […]

In the increasing violence that is tearing apart the country, Jihadist militants attacked a military base in the northern town of Bamba early on Monday morning. At least 20 Malian soldiers were killed in the fighting, government sources stated. Army officials confirmed that the attack occurred in Bamba. They said that there had been losses […]

The State of Massachusetts and the City of Boston is also wracked with cases of the coronavirus. In response, Boston’s mayor, Marty Walsh, has sought outside help and has hired a retired Army general to advise the city on its efforts.  General Stanley McChrystal was best known for his work in the Joint Special Operations […]

The Malian army suffered another bloody setback in the northern region of the country. At least 29 people were killed, with some reports stating that all 29 were soldiers in the town of Tarkint, north of the city of Gao. However, the military posted on social media that only two of the dead were soldiers, […]

The Swedish government is planning to send helicopters and 150 special forces operators to augment the French-led Special Operations Task Force in the Sahel, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a release. In January, SOFREP had reported that the Swedish government was contemplating the option and weighing the pros and cons.  “The government has decided […]

Ever since the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. military and intelligence agencies have been battering al-Qaeda terrorists wherever they have found them. Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, everywhere. What used to be safe havens have now become graveyards. But other bastions have emerged in the meanwhile.  Somalia and Yemen are two of them. Al-Qaeda’s Yemen affiliate was bolstered […]

Kenyan Special Operations soldiers, operating near the Somalian border, have killed six al-Shabaab fighters while capturing another early on Friday, officials reported.  North Eastern Regional Commissioner, Nick Dalana, confirmed that the terrorists were killed by a Kenya Army (KDF) Special Operations Team (SOT) at Jirole in Ijara Sub-County. British Special Air Service (SAS) and U.S. […]

The United States has begun the initial, gradual withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in keeping with the peace agreement signed with the Taliban on Feb. 29. The Pentagon confirmed this despite the political chaos surrounding the Kabul government. Under the peace agreement, U.S. forces will be reduced from 13,000 to 8,600 over the next 135 […]

Hardly a week has passed since the conditional peace treaty between the U.S. and the Taliban, and American troops are already leaving the country. Despite evidence that the Taliban have resumed attacks on Afghan government forces, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has given the order for the United States to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.s. […]

British soldiers are set to be deployed to the war-torn country of Mali. They will join the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the country as part of an effort to combat insurgent Islamist forces. Until now, British soldiers have only assisted in training operations: Roughly 30 Army soldiers and Royal Marines have been working in […]

On Friday, the French Defense Ministry released a statement saying that French forces in a joint military operation with Nigerien troops killed 120 terrorists and seized bomb-making equipment and vehicles in the Sahel.  Working along the violent tri-border area of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in the Tillaberi region of Niger, the forces “neutralized” the […]