Latest Briefs
April 2014 Briefs
MAYSAR ALI AL-JABOURI ENCOURAGES JABHAT AL-NUSRA-ISIS SPLIT IN SYRIA Nicholas A. Heras Shaykh Maysar Ali bin Musa bin Abdullah al-Jabouri (a.k.a. Abu Marya al-Qahtani) is the amir (commander) of the eastern region of Syria for al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra (Victory Front). Al-Jabouri is also considered... MORE
BRIEFS
LIBYA PURCHASES BLOODLESS RETURN OF ITS EASTERN OIL FACILITIES In a move that may help restore revenues to a desperate national government in Tripoli, Libya’s ruling General National Council (GNC) has come to a costly agreement with eastern Libyan gunmen that will enable the resumption... MORE
March 2014 Briefs
ABU AYMAN AL-IRAQI DIRECTS ISIS OPERATIONS IN EASTERN SYRIA Nicholas A. Heras Recent reports from Syrian activists indicate that the militant Salafist armed organization Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has withdrawn its fighters from their positions in the Jabal al-Akrad (Kurds’ Mountain) region... MORE
BRIEFS
IRAQI PRESIDENT ACCUSES QATAR AND SAUDI ARABIA OF WAGING A TERRORIST WAR AGAINST THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT Andrew McGregor As Iraq descends further into a pattern of intensive sectarian violence and terrorist attacks, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has accused Qatar and Saudi Arabia of supporting... MORE
BRIEFS
EGYPTIAN MILITARY OFFENSIVE IN THE SINAI FOLLOWS TOURIST MASSACRE Andrew McGregor Egyptian security forces have responded to the latest terrorist blow to Egypt’s vital tourism industry with a series of raids that have killed dozens of militants and resulted in the detention of many others. ... MORE
FEBRUARY BRIEFS
MUHAMMAD MAJID AL-KHATIB: A RISING LEADER IN THE FREE SYRIAN ARMY Nicholas A. Heras The Free Syrian Army (FSA) fired its military chief Salim Idriss on February 16 for being “ineffective,” saying that he “lacked the military experience to run operations on the ground” (al-Jazeera,... MORE
BRIEFS
SUCCESSFUL OFFENSIVE ESTABLISHES HOUTHI SHIITE MOVEMENT AS A POLITICAL FORCE IN THE NEW YEMEN Andrew McGregor Since last October, the Zaydi Shiite Houthis of northern Yemen’s Sa’ada governorate have been involved in simultaneous conflicts with the Zaydi Shiites of the Hamid Confederation of tribes in... MORE
BRIEFS
BERBER-ARAB CLASHES IN ALGERIA’S M’ZAB VALLEY Andrew McGregor The ongoing Berber cultural revival in North Africa has gone hand-in-hand with a new political assertiveness. In nations such as Libya, Algeria and Mali, this has at times resulted in armed clashes and protests demanding linguistic rights... MORE
