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

AL-FAJR MEDIA CENTER RELEASES HIGH TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL The al-Fajr Media Center, a jihadi news agency connected to the Islamic Army in Iraq, launched a new journal series on how to use high technology for jihad. The first issue of the publication, called Al-Mujahid al-Tiqani (The... MORE

On November 28, Syria was hit by another terrorist attack. The story, as usual, is murky and not much information is available on the background of the man who blew himself up on the Syrian-Lebanese border (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, November 28). The terrorist attack comes... MORE

Jihadi attempts to procure lethal and destructive weapons are endless. It is especially disturbing when they attempt to experiment with and acquire chemical and biological weapons. One recent post on a jihadi website outlined a user's attempts at mixing chemical components to create deadly substances... MORE

PHILIPPINES ISSUES ALERT FOR AL-QAEDA OPERATIVES WITH INDIAN PASSPORTS The Philippines' Justice Department recently released a two-page memorandum for immigration supervisors, warning that al-Qaeda operatives may be attempting to infiltrate the country using forged Indian passports (Daily Tribune, November 25). The memorandum, drafted by Justice... MORE

On November 17, the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) declared a ban on Qat (or Khat), a mild narcotic plant chewed for relaxation. The ban threw off balance a multi-million dollar regional trading industry between Somali and Kenyan businessmen. Since then, observers have pointed out that... MORE

On November 15, Sheikh Khadir al-Anbari, a Sunni imam and preacher at al-Sajjad Mosque, was assassinated in Iraq. The mosque is one of the few Sunni mosques in the predominantly Shiite inhabited Sadr City section of Baghdad. Al-Anbari was allegedly killed by members of Shiite... MORE

SAUDI ARABIA ANNOUNCES SPECIAL SHARIA TRIBUNAL TO TRY EXTREMISTS Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz has recently declared the creation of a special court to try extremists. According to Asharq al-Awsat, the court will apply Sharia to judge imprisoned extremists. He did not... MORE