Militant Leadership Monitor – July 2015 Issue

The July 2015 issue of Militant Leadership Monitor covers militants from Libya to Pakistan. Nicholas Heras begins with a brief on Muhanna Jaffala, an Aleppan student turned rebel leader who was just severely injured in an assassination attempt. Heras follows with another on Faraj al-Barassi, the Libyan National Army’s colonel who is fighting the Islamic State there. Sunguta West details Mohamed Kuno, al-Shabaab’s mastermind behind the Garissa College and Mandera attacks. Javed Ibrahim Paracha is al-Qaeda’s longtime lawyer in Pakistan according to Farhan Zahid. Guy Van Vlierden gives a glimpse into three militants from Belgium who have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq: Houssien Elouassaki, Nacer Mehentel and Bassam Ayachi. Finally, Abu Sulayman al-Muhajir, an Australian who seems to have risen to prominence in Jabhat al-Nusra seemingly overnight, is profiled by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Nathaniel Barr.