Generation Jihad (FDD's Long War Journal)

Bill and Joe are back to discuss the latest from Israel's ground offensive in Gaza, including the established civilian corridor. They talk about Netanyahu's recent remarks — and Nasrallah's. They also debunk the latest "attempted Abbas assassination" rumors.

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss 5 key stories from 2021 and what they mean for jihadism going forward.

Bill and Joe catch up on top Israel headlines, including this weekend’s attack by Hamas that killed four IDF soldiers and in which the Iron Dome was curiously not activated to intercept the rocket fire; the issues of humanitarian aid, pier, and port; the anticipated Rafah operation; the concept of a permanent ceasefire; the cycle of civilians being kidnapped and held hostage by armed Palestinian groups; reports of the U.S. withholding a shipment of military aid to Israel; an update on the eerily quiet West Bank; and Joe’s visit to his local “pro-Palestine protest.”

Bill is joined again by LWJ's Joe Truzman to unpack the latest developments from Israel.

Edmund Fitton-Brown joins hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio to discuss his work for the United Nations Security Council. Fitton-Brown is a former British diplomat. He is currently coordinator of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio briefly discuss recent reporting on the Biden administration's deliberations concerning a withdrawal from Afghanistan. They also discuss ISIS' surge in Mozambique.

Bill welcomes back to the show Generation Jihad regular Ambassador Edmund Fitton-Brown. Now a member of the Counter Extremism Project's advisory board, Edmund previously served as the UK's Ambassador to Yemen and later as the coordinator of the U.N. Security Council’s Sanctions Monitoring Team.

Edmund's former team at the U.N. just released its latest report on Afghanistan which details (among other troubling issues) just how embedded al Qaeda is in Afghanistan's Taliban government.

Bill and Edmund dissect the report's findings.

Bill and Behnam catch up on the latest round of American ambivalence in the face of vessels harassed, allies shot at, and drones dropping from the sky in addition to other headlines related to the Islamic Republic this week, including the regime’s willingness to share information concerning its nuclear advancements and a former IRGC commander with loose lips gave a precise breakdown of every single type of drone and missile fired at Israel last month.

Bill and Joe are back for an update on the latest headlines stemming from Israel's war in Gaza. They check in on where things stand with Shifa, do a multi-front around the horn to catch up on Gaza, the West Bank, and the northern front with Lebanon and Syria. They also discuss the insanity that is media coverage of Gaza.

Social media influencer Preston Stewart joins Bill and Joe to discuss Preston’s experience both serving in and covering global conflicts and wars from serving in Afghanistan to multiple TikTok bannings as well as his take on Israel’s rapidly expanding war against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the conflict in Mali. 

Hosts Bill and Caleb are joined by Ryan O'Farrell, a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation (where Caleb is also a senior analyst) to discuss one of the more obscure Islamic insurgencies in the world: the conflict in Mozambique.

Bill is joined by show regular Edmund Fitton-Brown to discuss Edmund's latest analysis for Long War Journal: The role of Iraqi Shia militias as proxies in Iran’s Axis of Resistance.

Host Bill Roggio is joined again by John Hardie, deputy director of FDD's Russia Program, to discuss the latest developments from Russia's war in Ukraine, including Russia's recent change in command of its forces.

Despite decrying America’s role in “endless wars,” President Trump recently defended the role of a small U.S. force in the country. Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss this apparent contradiction, as well as current events in Afghanistan and Somalia.

Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss the latest diatribe released by Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, the Islamic State’s spokesman, who portrays the coronavirus as an act of divine retribution against the West and accuses the Taliban of working with the “Crusaders.” Bill and Tom also discuss a new report outlining the Taliban’s reluctance to “publicly break” with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State’s resiliency in Iraq and Syria.

Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss President Biden's to withdraw U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. It's understandable that he doesn't want any more Americans to die there, but the Afghans continue to fight a global jihadist threat.

(…and don’t walk out.) Amidst the chaos of this weekend’s assassination attempt against President Trump, the Israel Defense Forces took advantage of Hamas being on the ropes in Gaza by conducting an operation targeting two of the remaining top brass: top Hamas commander Mohammed Dief and Rafa’a Salameh, Hamas brigade commander in Khan Younis.

Bill and Joe unpack the strike and discuss a lesser-known terror group inside Gaza (is it the ‘Popular Resistance Committee’ or ‘The Committee for Popular Resistance’?), and the issue of battlefield longevity with which Israel seems to be grappling.

Bill and Will recently attended a conference organized by the Afghanistan United Front resistance group (and with help from Will). They unpack what was on the docket, including the repercussions of the fall of Afghanistan three years ago and looking ahead to consider Afghanistan's future.

Bill and Joe unpack the latest concerning Iran-backed terrorist groups in the West Bank, Israel’s special ground operation in Syria last week, ceasefire negotiations, and whether Hamas is pulling a Taliban and playing Weekend at Bernie’s with its leadership.

Bill and Behnam discuss the helicopter crash in northern Iran that killed multiple regime officials, chief among them Ebrahim Raisi who was President of the Islamic Republic and a top contender to be the next Supreme Leader. Was it an accident?

Given the Islamic Republic’s constitutional mandate that elections be held to replace Raisi, who might be the next president? What does the president even do? What will it mean for Iran’s foreign and security policy

They also revisit Raisi’s history in the regime or as Behnam calls it, “failing up.” From being the youngest hand-picked by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to head the infamous “death commission” and implement fatwas issued by the then-Supreme Leader to his days as a hanging judge and heading the judiciary, the “Butcher of Tehran” had a lot of blood on his hands.

The Islamic Republic of Iran tightening its noose around Israel can be evidenced by activity from the Houthis and in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and — lest we forget — the West Bank. How does the West Bank threat compare to the Gaza threat? Who holds power in the West Bank, and which terrorist groups are active there? Top of the list? Islamic Jihad. They discuss Joe’s recent research on the senior members of Islamic Jihad that were killed in a counterterrorism operation in the West Bank and losses suffered by the group’s Syria branch in Lebanon. 

Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss the “endless wars” narrative, explaining why it is more accurate to call the conflicts unleashed by 9/11 an “endless jihad.” While there are plenty of legitimate criticisms of America’s warfighting, the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere continue because the jihadists fight on.

Bill and Joe discuss the ceasefire agreement and expected hostage exchange.

Flying solo for this episode, Bill shares his thoughts on yesterday's House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing with Generals Milley and McKenzie — including the questions they *should* have asked (but failed to).

Host Bill Roggio is joined by FDD Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu to discuss America's inability, or refusal, to understand its enemies and adversaries. In particular: how the Islamic Republic of Iran's continued brazenness in targeting American security interests — including its latest missile attack in Iraq just days ago — cannot deter the United States from continuing to engage in nuclear negotiations (vis-a-vis the Russians, no less) with the world's leading state-sponsor of terror. 

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss the life and reported death of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s emir, Abdulmalek Droukdel. They also review some of Osama bin Laden’s files to piece together AQIM’s history. 

Bill and Joe are joined by their FDD colleague Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power, to discuss yesterday's tragic news of three U.S. service members killed in Jordan.

Host Bill Roggio and co-host Caleb Weiss are joined by the associate professor for national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, Dr. Craig Whiteside, for a deep dive into the ranks of the Islamic State. They discuss leaders of past and present and their roles within the broader IS.

Host Bill Roggio is joined by Caleb Weiss — a senior analyst at the Bridgeway Foundation and long-time contributor to FDD's Long War Journal — for an update on the latest surrounding various jihadist groups across the African continent. 

Bill, co-host Behnam, and long-time friend of the show Edmund Fitton-Brown preview and share insights from a project they’ve been working on concerning the Islamic Republic of Iran’s axis of resistance. They discuss Tehran’s extensive track record of not playing by the rules — and not paying a price for it — as well as the origins of conflict between Iran and the West from before the 1979 revolution to tapping their regional proxies on and after October 7, 2023 to target Israeli and American interests in the Middle East — and everything in between. 

Bill and Will discuss plots to target Western assets both inside and outside of combat zones, from the foiled attack targeting a Taylor Swift concert in Europe to credible threats on President Trump's life made by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Is anything more on-brand than seismic geopolitical events co-occurring with Bill’s family vacation? No.

Bill is back and leaning on co-host Joe Truzman to help him piece together the events of last week. He doesn’t want it to be “a what-the-hell-happened episode,” so we won’t call it that.

They revisit Iran’s historic strike on Israel and Israel’s retaliatory strike in Isfahan, Iran — including what targets they hit, what message they wanted to send by hitting them, and whether this was the right move. They contemplate whether Israel’s relatively tempered response is indicative of U.S. restraint and if Israel will continue to go after IRGC-QF targets.

They also discuss reports of an attack on an Iranian-backed militia outside of Baghdad as well as allegations of Hezbollah Brigade forces launching an attack on U.S. forces in Syria.

Varsha Koduvayur, a senior research analyst at FDD, joins the podcast to discuss the Abraham Accords, recent announced reforms in Saudi Arabia and the war in Yemen. 

Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss the FBI's breakthrough in the investigation into the Dec. 6, 2019 shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola. It took more than four months for the FBI to crack the terrorist's phones, but the hosts argue that Americans shouldn't give up their privacy in the name of security. They also discuss the Taliban's reluctance to publicly break with Al Qaeda and the Defense Department's reluctance to release data concerning the war in Afghanistan. 

Bill and Will Selber are joined by friend of the show Jerry Dunleavy. Jerry was the senior investigator for the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s investigation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan until he shared his letter of resignation on X earlier this week. 

Why did Jerry resign? The answer requires revisiting how events leading up to the fall of Kabul and withdrawal from Afghanistan unfolded and played out — and the ever-expanding black hole of accountability.

LTG (ret.) H.R. McMaster joins hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio to discuss his new book, his career in the U.S military and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Bill and Joe give another update on the latest developments from Israel almost one week into the war.

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss the basic epistemological problems that plague analyses of al Qaeda nearly 20 years after 9/11.

Host Bill Roggio is again joined by John Hardie, deputy director of FDD's Russia Program, to discuss the latest from Russia's war in Ukraine, including Putin's announcements on mobilization and additional annexations as well as other developments from the battlefield.

Bill and Joe catch up on the latest headlines related to Israel’s defensive war, including a possible ceasefire, more terror tunnels uncovered and destroyed, the Hezbollah attack that killed an IDF soldier, and the suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

Is Africa the epicenter of today's jihad? Bill and Caleb discuss, including in the context of Mali, the drawdown of African Union forces in Somalia, and one of Uganda's worst terrorist attacks in more than a decade.

Bill Roggio is joined by co-host Caleb Weiss to unpack updates related to the global Jihad from West Africa to Southeast Asia, including CENTCOM’s announcement of a helicopter raid that targeted a senior Islamic State official.

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss the demise of Husam Abd-al-Ra’uf, al Qaeda’s media chief. Afghan forces hunted him down in a Taliban-controlled village nearly eight months after the U.S. State Department trumpeted the Taliban’s supposed counterterrorism assurances.

Former CIA Officer Sarah Carlson joins the podcast to discuss her new book, In The Dark of War. Sarah discusses her career as a counterterrorism analyst, the jihadist scene in Libya and the U.S. evacuation from Tripoli in 2014.

Hosts Tom and Bill continue to explore the failures in American leadership that led to the resurrection of the Taliban's regime.

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss Tom's recent testimony before the Senate, why the Islamic State bombed a mosque in Kunduz, and the Pakistani Taliban's ongoing jihad.

In the first iteration of Long War Journal's expanding coverage, Bill is joined by John Hardie, deputy director of FDD's Russia Program, to examine the current state of Russia's war in Ukraine. They unpack and analyze the latest information, from tactical and theater-level to strategic. 

Bill and Joe discuss the latest updates from Israel’s defensive war in Gaza, including a potentially dwindling supply of ammunition for Hamas and its subsequent cooperation with other Palestinian terror groups; Egypt “fortifying” its border (but only above-ground and only because they want to keep Gazans out); whether Yahya Sinwar is still hiding out in a tunnel somewhere under Khan Younis (“with pneumonia”); the possibility and consequences of a ceasefire during Ramadan; and why Israel is indeed “winning” but will only win if it to continues its ground operation in Gaza, including in Rafah.

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss al Qaeda’s problems in Syria, where a series of disputes have upset the group’s chain of command. They also discuss the State Department’s latest terrorism report and what it says about Pakistan’s sponsorship of the Taliban. 

In this episode, Bill interviews John Batchelor, host of CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor. Bill has been a regular on John's radio show for more than a decade and considers him a mentor and friend. They discuss the Long War and how September 11, 2001 shaped both of their careers.

Bill and Joe discuss the latest issues emanating from Israel's defensive war in Gaza, including the tragic death of the three Israeli hostages mistakenly shot by IDF soldiers, the massive labyrinth of tunnels continuing to be discovered by the IDF and controversy surrounding the decision to flood them, and use by Hamas of suicide bombers — Joe explains why one case is different.

Bill and Joe unpack the undertaking of the pier to be built by the U.S. off the coast of Gaza for the purpose of distributing aid (but without boots on the ground?) including some of their general concerns like, "Who is the aid handed off to, Hamas? Who the hell is going to secure this thing?"

They also discuss President Biden's statement that Israel operating inside Rafah would be "a red line," how Ramadan has started with no ceasefire in sight, and details surrounding a high-value target that Israel has gone after.

FDD's Long War Journal editors, and co-hosts of Generation Jihad, Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn set the scene for what's to come in this weekly podcast project studying the struggle against islamic jihadism.

The (still technically unofficial) leader of Al Qaeda, Saif al-Adel, wrote an article under a pseudonym calling for people around the world to flock to Afghanistan for training to conduct attacks against “the Zionists.” Clear efforts by Al Qaeda to capitalize on the conflict in Gaza — but is the threat credible? Does al Qaeda in Afghanistan even have the means? Yes and yes, say Bill and Will Selber, LWJ contributor and retired Middle East Foreign Area Officer. They discuss how we give an enemy time and space to innovate and then ignore their threats at our own peril.

Host Bill Roggio is joined by two Long War Journal regulars, Caleb Weiss and Andrew Tobin, to give listeners an update on what's happening on the ground in Africa from the Sahel — including that more than 400 Malians have been slaughtered in under one month — to "elections" and Shabaab attacks in Somalia.

Bill and co-host Caleb catch up on the latest goings on related to the global jihad, including why the Islamic State’s Moscow attack should surprise no one; Shabaab’s rampage in Somalia and the prospect for the state’s survival; rumors that Saif al-Adel’s son has died; and fireworks on the Af-Pak border when the Pakistanis launched airstrikes apparently targeting members of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban.

Bill is joined again by Caleb Weiss, long-time contributor to Long War Journal and friend of the show. They discuss why al Qaeda hasn't (at least not publicly) named a successor to Zawahiri, as well as several updates on Shabaab.

Edmund Fitton-Brown again joins the podcast to discuss the United Nations Security Council's latest report on ISIS and Al Qaeda.

Bill and Behnam catch up on recent headlines, including the statement made by a U.S. senator pushing for regime change (spoiler: he was not talking about Iran), reports of a high-level meeting between Iranian and Hezbollah officials, the Houthis continuing their maritime attacks, and more.

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss the killing of al Qaeda's deputy emir in Tehran. The operation was reportedly conducted by Israeli assassins at the behest of the U.S.

ISIS orchestrated an assault on the main prison in Jalalabad earlier this month. Afghan officials immediately accused the Taliban of planning the attack. Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss this allegation, as well as other recent events.

Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn review The Outpost, a new movie based on a book by CNN’s Jake Tapper. The book and movie are excellent, but the guys discuss how al Qaeda is often left out of such stories. Still, The Outpost reveals many truths about the war in Afghanistan. 

Host Bill Roggio is joined by FDD Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu to disuss Behnam's major new FDD Monograph — Arsenal: Assessing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program — including through the lens of Iran's shadow war against Israel, AKA "the war between wars."

Edmund Fitton-Brown — outgoing coordinator of the UN Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring team and longtime friend of the show — joins Bill to discuss the killing of Al Qaeda emir Ayman Zawahiri, who died in a U.S. drone strike last Sunday.

That the leader of Al Qaeda was killed in Kabul "comprehensively disproves" Taliban claims that Al Qaeda has no presence inside of Afghanistan. On the contrary, it proves that the group's top leadership uses the country as a safe haven.

They talk about what's next for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and for its affiliates around the world as well as Zawahiri's possible successor.

Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss the history of America’s drone campaign against al-Qaeda and ISIS. They discuss some of the drone campaign’s biggest successes, civilian casualties and why the unmanned aerial vehicles are a tactic, not a strategy for defeating terrorist organizations. 

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss reports saying that Russia offered bounties to Taliban fighters to attack Americans. While this wouldn’t be surprising, there are still many unanswered questions concerning the reported bounties. The Taliban has been fighting American forces for nearly 19 years, and its jihadists don’t need any extra incentives. 

Bill is joined by LWJ/FDD's Joe Truzman to talk about the war (yes, it's officially a war) happening now in Israel.

Bill and Will unpack the implications of Trump’s win on the foreign and national security policies, particularly as they related to Ukraine, Israel, and Iran. They also analyze the second Trump administration’s potential strategies for addressing burden sharing amongst NATO members, the ongoing jihadist threat, and the challenges posed by China and North Korea. 

Bill is joined again by Edmund Fitton-Brown and Caleb Weiss to take a look at the current global footprint of the Islamic State.

Bill, Behnam, and Joe discuss the Israeli airstrike in Damascus that took out a senior IRGC-QF commander, Israel on high-alert after Iran vows revenge, Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s statement about the slain leader, whether the Biden administration has finally turned on Israel, and today’s holiday: Quds Day. 

Bill is joined by LWJ’s Seth Frantzman just after the six-month mark of Israel’s defensive war in Gaza resulting from the October 7 attack by Hamas. They discuss Seth’s latest visit to border communities in Israel and whether there’s a realistic timeline for still-evacuated citizens to return, disturbing reports that Hamas has apparently lost track of which hostages are dead or alive, and Tehran’s possible response to Israel’s April 1 assassination of an IRGC-QF commander in Damascus as we enter day ~seven of bracing for an imminent Iranian attack against Israel within 24-48 hours.

On November 8, 2023, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs conducted a closed-door interview with Zalmay Khalilzad, the Former Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation and master architect of the Doha Agreement which cemented the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

Many items of interest came up during the marathon meeting, including Long War Journal. If you know, you know.

Bill poured over transcripts of the nearly ten hours-long interview, and he had help from none other than LWJ OG Tom Joscelyn.

Bill and Tom discuss the highlights.

Bill is back with, plot twist, his long-lost cohost Caleb. They tell you how they really feel about Gen Zs lionizing Osama bin Laden on TikTok and then do an around the horn update on how jihadi groups around the world have (or have not) responded to the war in Gaza.

Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss Hezbollah’s influence in Iraq and the State Department’s decision to offer a $10 million reward for information concerning the group’s main man in the country. They also discuss: a new video from the Pakistani Taliban that illustrates how the jihadi syndicate in Afghanistan and Pakistan works, a recent batch of al-Qaeda infographics and an alleged ISIS plot that was foiled by authorities in Germany.

Bill and Behnam catch up on new Houthi activity, reports of the Iranian regime leveraging criminal groups in Sweden to target Israeli and Jewish interests, and an update on the most expensive piece of performance art in history, the floating humanitarian aid pier in Gaza.

Bill and Joe catch up on the latest news from the Middle East, including U.S. pressure on Israel (led by Secretary of State Blinken) to come to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza while the U.S. also considers withdrawing its own troops from Syria; Israeli casualties in Gaza (including suffering the recent historic loss of 24 IDF reservists); Israeli strikes inside Lebanon; and, yes, more Houthi drama.

Bill and Joe are joined by Seth Frantzman — FDD adjunct fellow and LWJ contributor as well as acting news editor and senior middle east correspondent for The Jerusalem Post — to get his first-hand account of goings on in Israel on and since the attacks on October 7, 2023.

Bill and Joe unpack the latest unfolding in the evolving conflict between Iran and Israel, particularly in light of recent retaliatory strikes by Israel and the anticipated Iranian response. They also discuss the current situation in the West Bank, Hezbollah's operational status, and implications of tomorrow's U.S. elections on regional stability and military strategies.

Bill and Behnam are joined by their FDD colleague Jonathan Schanzer to discuss President Trump's controversial plan for Gaza which includes a radical restructuring of the region.

Where in the world might the next state collapse into failure?

Hosts Bill and Caleb ultimately narrowed it down to two options: Somalia or Mali.

Shabaab in Somalia has aptly been dubbed "The Taliban of Africa," given how well-organized, well-armed and effective it is there as a jihadist group.

But Mali is actually the weaker state. To boot:

— The UN has undertaken an unprecedented withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces and will no longer have a presence in Mali by the end of this year;

— France, which was a major counterterrorism partner, has already completely withdrawn its troops from Mali;

— There is currently an Islamic Statelet in northern Mali, where the Islamic State controls the majority of an entire province;

— Al Qaeda controls huge swaths of territory in both northern and central Mali, and it increasingly threatens Bamako as it slowly encroaches on the capital;

— And also in the ring: Russia's Wagner Group.

Despite all of these excellent targets, the country's ruling military junta in Bamako is threatening open conflict with rebels in the north — a situation that could easily erupt into war.

Bill and Caleb agree: It's Mali on the brink.

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio explore how President Trump’s rhetoric on Afghanistan and other post-9/11 conflicts changed from 2017 to 2020. While there is much to criticize about these wars, some of the common talking points don’t reflect reality. The guys also discuss recent counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda.

You guessed it. Our guest is, indeed, Caleb Weiss. This time, he and Bill discuss how (and which) prison breaks fit into the larger strategy of various Jihadi groups — and why some don't bother.

Bill and Will Selber talk to Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, about the ongoing struggle against the Taliban, the need for international recognition of resistance efforts, and the importance of a new generation of Afghan leaders. 

Bill, David Daoud, and Ahmad Sharawi discuss the evolving situation in Syria with new leader Abu Mohammed Al Jelani now at the helm and consequences of engaging with groups designated as terrorists, the latest kinetic interactions between Israel and the Houthis, and where the Islamic Republic of Iran fits into the evolving regional dynamics. 

The UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team has released its latest report on Afghanistan and the myriad of jihadist activity therein. To discuss, Bill is joined by former director of this team at the UN and longtime friend of the show Edmund Fitton-Brown. Edmund is now a senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project and previously served as the UK's ambassador to Yemen.

Craig Whiteside joins hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio to discuss the biography of the Islamic State’s leader. Recently released files show that he snitched on his fellow jihadists during his time in U.S. custody. 

Bill and Joe are joined by their FDD colleague Dr. Jonathan Schanzer to discuss his recent article for Commentary, "Hamas On The Ropes: A Progress Report."

Edmund Fitton-Brown joins hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio to discuss his team's most recent report on Afghanistan. Fitton-Brown is a former British diplomat. He is currently coordinator of the U.N. Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban.

Bill Roggio provides an update on the current situation in Ukraine following Russia's invasion, including a clear-eyed and sober analysis of what's actually happening on the ground. Bill reminds listeners that the West must understand the enemy and how — if we want to help Ukraine — we must be honest about its predicament. 

Mentioned in the episode: read Bill's latest analysis in DailyMail here.

Bill and Joe discuss Hezbollah continuing to turn up the heat at Israel's northern border with an uptick in cross-border attacks amidst foreign fighters also emerging in Lebanon and while the U.S. increases its pressure on Israel to enter a ceasefire before Ramadan.

Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio are joined by Caleb Weiss, a longtime contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. They discuss the recent coup in Mali and what it will mean for ISIS and al Qaeda.

Bill is joined by LWJ and GJ OG Tom Joscelyn to discuss the New Year's attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas.

Friend of the show LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster joins Bill once again to discuss America's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan one year ago. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary — including an ongoing close relationship with al Qaeda, the United States designated the Taliban as "partners in peace" and handed the terrorist group keys to a state apparatus. Afghanistan fell and became the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. But it didn't have to.

Bill and Joe discuss the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and its implications for Israeli strategy in the country’s ongoing defensive war in Gaza; for the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ongoing, multi-front war on Israel; and for already-tense U.S.-Israeli relations.

Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss what al Qaeda looks like in 2020. Nearly 19 years after the 9/11 hijackings, the group is alive, but still widely misunderstood. Despite suffering setbacks, al Qaeda’s members fight on in multiple countries.