Latest Briefs

Jihadis Speculate on Secret Cooperation between Iran and al-Qaeda

A discussion in jihadi internet forums triggered by a posting entitled "Is there a secret cooperation between Iran and al-Qaeda?" raised suspicions over possible clandestine connections between Shiite Iran and al-Qaeda, the self-declared enemy of Shi'ism (muslm.net, February 18, 2008). A jihadi forum chatter nicknamed... MORE

BRIEFS

AL-QAEDA AND OIL FACILITIES IN THE SHADOW OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISISBy Murad Batal al-ShishaniIn its latest issue, Bahraini weekly business magazine The Gulf reported that Middle East oil companies are spending billions of dollars on security every year and the cost is rising fast,... MORE

BRIEFS

IS AL-QAEDA IN THE ISLAMIC MAGHREB TESTING BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS? Rumors of a plague outbreak among al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) members in the caves of Algeria's eastern Tizi Ouzou province first appeared in Algiers' Arabic language Ech Chorouk el-Youmi newspaper on January 6. The... MORE

Al-Qaeda Leaders in the Arabian Peninsula Speak Out

Al-Qaeda Leaders in the Arabian Peninsula Speak Out Jihadi forum members hailed a series of statements by leaders of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), gathered under the title “From Here We Start and in Aqsa [Jerusalem] We Meet” (hanein.info, January 24). The statements, originating... MORE

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PAKISTANI TALIBAN THREATEN ISRAEL AND PASHTUN NATIONALISTS WITH SUICIDE BOMBERS Well-pleased with the local “success” of their suicide bombing campaign, the leaders of Pakistan’s Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are now threatening to send their suicide bombers against Israeli targets and Pakistan’s Pashtun politicians. In a telephone... MORE

BRIEFS

NEW CHIEF OF PAKISTAN’S ISI DEFENDS TALIBAN’S RIGHT TO JIHAD In a recent interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General, Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, gave a rather startling reply when asked about the reluctance of Pakistan’s military to apprehend senior Taliban leaders... MORE