Latest Briefs
Somali Fighters Focus Forces on Common Ethiopian Enemy
Violence in Somalia has spiraled in recent weeks to levels surprising even to Mogadishu's war-weary residents, with almost daily bombings, mortar attacks or street fighting. Islamist insurgents as well as clan-based militias are increasing attacks, targeting Ethiopian troops sent to support the feeble Somali Transitional... MORE
AQIM Employs Martyrdom Operations in Algeria
On September 8, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) issued a statement via its official website affirming that it was responsible for the suicide attacks against a Coast Guard barracks in Dellys and the attempted assassination of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Batna (Echorouk al-Youmi,... MORE
BRIEFS
JIHADI STATEMENT EXTOLS VIRTUES OF THE INTERNET A September 13 statement in the Islamist forums demonstrated jihadi awareness of the attempts by Western governments to impede their use of the internet as an operational tool. The statement was allegedly authored by the Ministry of Information... MORE
Germany Arrests Fuel Fear of Homegrown Terrorism
The fear of Islamist terrorism has reached new heights in Europe. A recent survey conducted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Compagnia di San Paolo, a research center in Turin, Italy, documented a sharp increase in the number of Europeans... MORE
Peru’s Shining Path Gaining Ground?
New reporting by Peruvian officials has brought to light information on a terrorist group about which has been little noted in recent years: Peru's Sendero Luminoso (SL)—Shining Path. The reports, which include sources who specialize in counter-terrorism programs within Peru's Interior Ministry, provides a worrisome... MORE
Wad Banda Raid Shows Khartoum Losing Control of Darfur Conflict
A daring rebel raid 200 kilometers into the Sudanese province of Kordofan suggests that the Darfur conflict may actually be spreading, despite the initiation of Darfur peace negotiations in Tanzania last month. At 4 PM on August 29, four columns of fighters from Darfur's Justice... MORE
BRIEFS
JAILED TALIBAN LEADERS PLAN MILITARY OFFENSIVES FROM PRISON A September 4 report on Afghanistan's Aina TV explained how jailed Taliban leaders in Kabul's Pol-e Charkhi Prison have been able to coordinate attacks against Afghan and foreign forces in Helmand province. The network interviewed the head... MORE
Yemen Faces Second Generation of Islamist Militants
The July 2 suicide attack in Marib, which killed eight Spanish tourists and two Yemeni drivers, painfully illustrated the degree to which Al-Qaeda in Yemen has reorganized itself into an effective force (Terrorism Focus, July 10). The Yemeni government was caught largely unaware by the... MORE
BRIEFS
HAMAS-IRAQ PUBLISHES PIONEERS OF GLORY MAGAZINE In March, Iraq's 1920 Revolution Brigades splintered into two corps, one of which retained the name 1920 Revolution Brigades and the other calling itself Hamas-Iraq (Terrorism Focus, April 10). In July, Hamas-Iraq released its first magazine, which was published... MORE