Latest Briefs
BRIEFS
TALIBAN TAKE CONTROL OF TWO AFGHAN VILLAGES As evidence of the Taliban's attempts to re-establish their control over southern Afghanistan, the Taliban managed to take control of two Afghan villages in the south of the country, near the border with Pakistan. Taliban militants drove police... MORE
Turkey’s Mounting Concerns over PKK Incursions from Northern Iraq
There have been ongoing tensions between Turkish and Iraqi Kurdish authorities over Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists operating out of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) territory. In a recent trip to the United States after meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Turkish Foreign Minister... MORE
New Islamist Leaders Emerge in Somalia
The celebrations that marked the overthrow of the warlords, who had controlled Mogadishu for about 15 years, by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) are nearing an end as the hard-line Islamic courts tighten their grip on most of southern Somalia. At the onset, Sheikh Sharif... MORE
Indonesians Infiltrate Southern Thailand’s Insurgency
While the Thai government goes to great lengths to state that the insurgency in Southern Thailand is solely a domestic affair, there is evidence that a growing number of Indonesians are involved. In late-2005, the Thai government began to acknowledge that a number of Barisan... MORE
BRIEFS
TALIBAN SECRET ARMY APPEARS IN AFGHANISTAN A previously unknown militant group, the Taliban Secret Army, claimed responsibility for a July 1 attack in Baghlan province in Afghanistan. The attack involved an explosion that ripped through the office of BRAC, a Bangladeshi NGO. The incident caused... MORE
Abu al-Ghadia to Build on al-Zarqawi’s Legacy in Iraq
Very little is known about one of the late-Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's top operatives, Abu al-Ghadia al-Soori (or sometimes known as Abu al-Ghadia al-Shami). Some refer to his real name as Sulayman Khalid Darwish. There is no photograph of Abu al-Ghadia, and not a single interview... MORE
Dulmatin, JI’s Top Technician, Trains a New Generation of Fighters
Of the known leadership of Jemaah Islamiya (JI) at large, there is no one with a higher price on his head than Joko Pitoyo (known as Dulmatin), who commands a US$10 million bounty offered by the United States. Dulmatin, a skilled technician, remains the most... MORE
BRIEFS
SAUDI SECURITY FORCES PREVENT NEW TERRORIST ATTACK On June 23, Saudi security forces killed six al-Qaeda militants and arrested a seventh. The gun battle occurred after security forces followed the seven militants to a house in the al-Nakhil district of Riyadh (al-Jazeera, June 23). One... MORE
Pakistan Holds Secret Talks with Local Taliban
The Pakistani government is frantically attempting to prolong the relatively calm situation in South Waziristan and to reach reconciliation with militants in North Waziristan. In order to attain this objective of ending violence in the Waziristan agencies, a multi-prong strategy is underway, with the latest... MORE