CTC Harmony Document magazine cover

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.

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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Filter Harmony Documents

Title

Description

Reference Number

  • Caliphate Complaint Box 205

    This is a partially redacted document in which an individual is complaining about the Hisbah having taken his cell phone...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 204

    This is a complaint from an individual that worked in the Martyrs office. They said that their job was fine...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 203

    This is a partially redacted document where the only visible part show that a complaint was being filed against the...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 202

    This is a partially redacted document where the only visible part is where the trainee is complaining that their cell...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 201

    This is a letter of complaint from a group of neighbors who claim IS started using a warehouse that is...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 200

    This is a partial letter in which a former teacher accuses the parent of two of the students (who is...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 199

    This document is a complaint from an individual that was arrested and accused of betraying the state because he had...

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  • Caliphate Complaint Box 198

    This is an investigation form for a complaint. In the interview of the complainant, he notes that he was in...

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