Latest Briefs

BRIEFS

U.S. DRONE ATTACK IN BAJAUR TRIBAL AGENCY RILES PAKISTAN A missile attack by a CIS-controlled Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on May 14 has created a political firestorm inside Pakistan that threatens to derail ongoing peace negotiations between frontier region tribal militants and the Islamabad... MORE

Jihadis Urge Naval Terrorism in the Middle East

Islamist forums and jihadi media have been promoting and threatening to perpetrate naval terrorism as an important strategic trend in the jihadi path. Jihad Press, an e-journal affiliated with al-Qaeda, issued a statement entitled “Naval Terrorism, a Strategic Necessity,” which was carried by several different... MORE

BRIEFS

IRAQI MUJAHIDEEN CLAIM TO HAVE DECODED U.S. MILITARY ROBOTS The Iraqi mujahideen are claiming that resistance engineering units have successfully “decoded” U.S. military robots designed for urban combat and turned them against U.S. soldiers. After redirecting the robots against U.S. forces, the American military was... MORE

BRIEFS

MOSUL SUICIDE BOMBER FORMER PRISONER IN GUANTANAMO PRISON Three suicide bombers struck on April 26 in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, where U.S. and Iraqi government forces are struggling against well-established al-Qaeda militants. The first attack involved a suicide car bomber who targeted a... MORE

BRIEFS

SLAUGHTER IN MOGADISHU MOSQUE INFLAMES SOMALI CONFLICT A new wave of heavy fighting broke out in Mogadishu on April 19 that lasted for over 48 hours and left more than 80 dead. More residents continue to pour out of the city past Ethiopian tanks awaiting... MORE

The Jihadi Quest for Home-Made Air Transport

A previous issue of Terrorism Focus examined jihadi attempts to produce anthrax and concluded that without the proper aerosol equipment, jihadis are unlikely to launch a biological attack in the foreseeable future (Terrorism Focus, March 11). Though the problem of aerosolization has not yet been... MORE

BRIEFS

MYSTERIOUS MURDERS OF TUAREGS NEGOTIATING WITH AL-QAEDA KIDNAPPERS IN MALI The bodies of three brutally executed men were found in the desert region of Kidal in northern Mali last week. The victims turned out to be two Tuareg negotiators and a driver, assigned to mediate... MORE