Latest Briefs

Manila Bombing Highlights Possible Shift in ASG Strategy

On the evening of November 13, a remote control bomb attached to a motorcycle was detonated at one of the entrances of the Philippine Congress in Manila, killing Congressman Wahab Akbar and three other staffers. A Philippine National Police spokesman said: “It looks like Congressman... MORE

BRIEFS

DANISH INTELLIGENCE OFFERS HASHISH BUSINESS TO TERROR SUSPECT The Danish Security Intelligence Service (DSIS) has come under fire for its questionable approach to intelligence work. A 22-year old Muslim man of Turkish descent was offered the opportunity to purchase and resell several pounds of hashish... MORE

Revolt in Pakistan’s NWFP: A Profile of Maulana Fazlullah of Swat

Maulana Fazlullah, who is now leading an extremist Islam-oriented insurgency in the valley of Swat in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan, is the son-in-law of Maulana Sufi Mohammad, founder of the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM - Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Laws), which he... MORE

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INTERPOL ISSUES WARRANTS FOR IRANIAN BOMBING SUSPECTS On November 7 the Interpol General Assembly issued warrants for one Lebanese and five Iranians suspects in connection with the 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Argentine prosecutors... MORE

Lebanese Assassinations Create Political Crisis in Intelligence Services

Johnny Abdo, the former head of Lebanese military intelligence, recently predicted continued attacks against members of the pro-government “March 14” parliamentary coalition in the days leading up to the selection of the next president by parliament (The Daily Star, October 29). Abdo’s comments were issued... MORE

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IRAN CRACKS DOWN ON BALOCHI MILITANTS Iranian Balochis crossing the border into Pakistan are reporting hundreds of Balochis arrested in the Iranian port city of Chabahar (Sistan-Balochistan province) as part of a security sweep targeting Balochi militants (Dawn, November 2). The raids were in response... MORE

Political Repercussions of Somali Conflict Spread to Kenya

Renewed fighting between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian forces in Somalia is displacing hundreds in the capital city Mogadishu. More violence is feared after the October 29 resignation of Prime Minister of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Ali Mohammed Gedi. The move, which came less than... MORE

Iraqi Terror Trial Exposes Belgium’s Muslim Dilemma

The recent start of the Belgian Iraq terror trial of six men accused of recruiting Europe's first female suicide bomber has once again put the country’s Muslim minority in the spotlight, arousing significant levels of discomfort, concern and fear among Belgium’s Muslims (Le Soir, October... MORE

BRIEFS

A “MODERATE” TALIBAN EMERGES IN AFGHANISTAN’S HELMAND PROVINCE Reports are emerging from the Taliban-held Musa Qala District of Afghanistan’s Helmand Province of changes in the style of Taliban rule there. While the provincial governor continues to refer to Musa Qala as a “nest of terrorists,”... MORE

Somali Conflict Spreads Across Horn Of Africa

The conflict in Somalia is spreading, drawing in fighters and displacing increasing numbers of civilians. Violence has erupted in the previously calmer north of Somalia, with border clashes between the forces of semi-autonomous Puntland and the self-declared republic of Somaliland. Ten people were killed when... MORE