According to a leaked secret French report examined by the Arab newspaper al-Hayat, Osama bin Laden plans to repeat the "Spanish scenario" by attacking selected French targets during the upcoming April presidential election campaign in an attempt to influence the results (al-Hayat, February 9). According... MORE

MILITANT GROUP THREATENS VIOLENCE IN SOMALIA Somalia's newly declared insurgent group, al-Harakah al-Muqawamah al-Sha'biyah fi al-Bilad al-Hijratayn (The Popular Resistance Movement in the Land of the Two Migrations, PRMLTM), issued a warning to Ugandan troops, threatening them with "bullets from heavy guns, exploding cars and... MORE

A February 14 car bomb attack against a bus carrying Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units outside of Zahedan in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Balochistan is the latest example of tensions and violence between ethnic Baloch nationalists and Tehran. Eleven IRGC members were killed... MORE

For at least the third time this year, insurgents in Iraq have incorporated canisters of liquefied chlorine into vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. The latest of these attacks came on February 21, and left several dead and scores suffering from exposure to the dispersed chlorine in... MORE

AL-QAEDA IN THE ISLAMIC MAGHREB LAUNCHES NEW ATTACK On February 13, seven bombs ripped through Algeria, leaving six people dead. The attacks took place in the Boumerdes and Tizi Ouzou districts, about 30 miles east of Algiers, and consisted of car bombs targeting police and... MORE

In late January, a new round of fighting broke out between the Shabab al-Muminayn (The Believing Youth) and Yemeni forces in the northern governorate of Sa'dah. Government sources put the combined death toll at nearly 100, although the actual numbers are likely far higher. Like... MORE

Since Osama bin Laden first spoke about the necessity of targeting the oil industry in order to damage the U.S. economy, there has been a clear shift in al-Qaeda's operational strategy. Moreover, just months after al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called on his fellow mujahideen... MORE

ATTACKS ON OIL INTERESTS IN NIGERIA ESCALATE DRAMATICALLY During the year of 2006, approximately 70 foreigners involved in Nigeria's energy industry were taken hostage by militants. Just in January of this year, more than 50 foreigners were taken hostage, an alarming increase from the previous... MORE

The ruling Gulf monarchies are frequent targets of radical Islamist militant discourse on Arabic-language website discussion forums, with the Saudi royal family drawing the most ire. Islamist militants view the Gulf monarchies as heretical and apostate regimes akin to other regional governments considered illegitimate, tyrannical... MORE

Snipers targeting U.S. soldiers in Baghdad and in other Iraqi cities garnered attention on jihadi forums in early 2005. It was not until November 2005, however, that these shootings received extensive press coverage when U.S. forces announced a reward for any information leading to the... MORE