Latest Briefs
Declining in Algeria, GSPC Enters International Theater
Government authorities achieved a recent success in the battle against jihadists in Algeria, but the development comes at a time when the threat posed by the group may be more significant outside the country's borders. The Algerian daily Le Jeune Independant (www.jeune-independant.com) reported on January... MORE
Al-Qaeda Networks Uncovered in Morocco
Investigations into Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad bil-Maghrib (the Monotheism and Jihad group in Morocco) cells broken up by Moroccan security have revealed the inroads al-Qaeda has made into the region (see Terrorism Focus, Volume II, Issue 22). From the testimony of the arrested Belgian national Mohamed... MORE
An Online “University” for Jihad
In an interesting new development, the al-Qaeda network is making strides to present itself as a permanent cultural--as well as military--phenomenon. An October 7 posting on the al-Farouq jihadi forum (www.al-farouq.com) by Ahmad al-Wathiq bi-Llah, the "deputy general emir" of the Global Islamic Media Front,... MORE
Mujahideen to Pledge Allegiance on the Web
On November 14, a posting on the al-Hesbah jihadi forum (www.alhesbah.org) displayed a novel use of the Internet. Entitled the "Pledge of Death in God's Path," the posting by the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) called for forum participants, on "Day One of the Great... MORE
The “Voice of the Caliphate” Looks Beyond Iraq
The latest Sawt al-Khilafa (Voice of the Caliphate) broadcast by the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) was distributed on the forums on November 20, and again demonstrated the strategic value of the media for the mujahideen. With a new interview format, entitled "To Be Continued,"... MORE
Threat of Renewed Conflict in Indonesia
Indonesian counter-terrorism officials announced a conspicuous success on November 9 with the cornering and subsequent suicide in East Java of Azahari Husin, the top militant and fugitive suspected of involvement in the 2002 and 2005 Bali explosions and the 2004 bombing of the Australian embassy... MORE
Algerian Magazine Rebuts the Amnesty
The fifth and latest edition of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) magazine al-Jama’ah was distributed over the forums on October 21-22. As expected, outside the customary ideological literature, much of the issue is dedicated to the question of the amnesty referendum, which... MORE
Jihad Declared on the Moroccan State
On October 23 a statement was distributed on the jihadi forum Minbar Suriya al-Islami (www.nnuu.org/vb) from the Mujahideen in Morocco that “the time draws right for the decisive date, the date of the declaration of Jihad against the Infidel and Tyrant state, whose heads have... MORE
Another al-Qaeda group forms in Saudi Arabia
A new al-Qaeda affiliate in Saudi Arabia announced its presence via the jihadi forums on October 13. A declaration by the "Echo of Tuwayq Brigades in al-Zulfa," dated October 9, was released on the al-Tajdeed forum, announcing that the Brigades were subordinated to the Organization... MORE
Arrest of top Taliban spokesman in Pakistan
On October 2, Mullah Abdul Latif Hakimi--media spokesman and close aide to Taliban leader Mullah Omar--was arrested by Pakistani security forces, reportedly near Dera Ismail Khan in southwestern Baluchistan province. The arrest is something of a coup for Pakistani intelligence; he can provide valuable information... MORE