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Harmony Program

The CTC launched the Harmony Program in 2005 in order to release and analyze documents from the Department of Defense’s Harmony database. The focus of this program is to contextualize the inner-functioning of al-Qa’ida, its associated movement, and other security threats through primary source documents. Harmony products released by the CTC are typically accompanied by an analytical report and the primary source material from which its conclusions are based. By releasing this material, the CTC aims to make these sources, which are captured in the course of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other theaters, available to other scholars for further study.

While captured documents offer unique insight into the decision-making process of terrorist groups they are most valuable when contextualized with information drawn from other sources. Scholars and practitioners should be aware that analyzing such data is fraught with risk. Documents in the Harmony database were collected on the battlefield unscientifically. There is no way to know just how representative documents captured by U.S. forces are of the larger body of information produced by al‐Qa`ida or other insurgents. Likewise, the vast database in which they are stored is imperfect and virtually impossible to search systematically. Readers and researchers should therefore be wary of conclusions drawn from Harmony documents alone.

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Featured Documents

`Atiyah’s Letter to Zarqawi

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This is a letter from `Atiyah `Abd al-Rahman, mostly known as `Atiyatullah al-Libi, to Abu Mus`ab al-Zarqawi. The letter was...

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Zawahiri’s Letter to Zarqawi

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This is a critical letter from Ayman al-Zawahiri to Abu Mus`ab al-Zarqawi in which the author presents his strategy of...

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Letter from UBL to `Atiyatullah Al-Libi 4

SOCOM-2012-0000019

This document is a long letter authored by Usama bin Ladin after the death of Sheikh Sa'id (Mustafa Abu'l-Yazid) in...

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Lessons Learned from the Jihad Ordeal in Syria

AFGP-2002-600080

This is a lengthy document that examines the jihad waged by the Muslim Brotherhood against the Syrian regime of Hafiz...

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Title

Description

Reference Number

  • Caliphate Complaint Box 296

    This is a complaint form as well as several related documents. In the complaint, an individual accused another of coming...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 295

    This is a complaint form that includes the name of the complainant, but not any other details.

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 293

    This complaint alleges that sheep were taken from PMF supporters and moved to another town. However, an Islamic State military...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 292

    This document is a complaint from a man claims he was not given a pistol as a gift upon graduation.

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 291

    This complaint is from an individual who had a fight/argument with the Hisbah. Eventually, another Hisbah member joined the conversation,...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 290

    This is a complaint between shop owners regarding a police barricade and the fact that it hampered shopping.

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 289

    This document is a complaint from an individual who claims that an Islamic State member beat him and threatened him.

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 288

    The complaint, without many details, alleges that two cars full of men came and beat him and his brother, then...

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