
Briefs

Twan Mrat Naing: Ruler of Rakhine and Leader of the Arakan Army
Executive Summary: Twan Mrat Naing is the leader of one of the major anti-junta ethnic factions in Myanmar, the Arakan Army (AA). Twan has pushed fairly successfully for a separate Rakhine State under his leadership, either independent or in confederation with a new national government... MORE

Commander Muneeb: The Mind Behind the TTP’s Media Transformation
Executive Summary: Chaudhry Muneeb Ur Rehman Jatt, better known as Commander Muneeb, is a former al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) leader who revolutionized the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) recruitment and propaganda efforts. The close coordination between al-Qaeda and its former leaders and the TTP, reflects... MORE

Abu Bakar Kogoya: A Post-Mortem of TPNPB–OPM Guerilla
Executive Summary: Mobinus Abu Bakar Kogoya, a guerilla fighter with the West Papua National Liberation Army–Free Papua Movement (TPNPB–OPM), was killed in an operation by the Indonesian military in April. Abu's death will likely impede TPNPB–OPM operations in the remote areas where he operated. The... MORE

Raed al-Karmi: Twenty Years Dead, Second Intifada Leader’s Legacy at Core of New ‘Rapid Response Battalion’ in Tulkarem
Executive Summary: The legacy of Raed al-Karmi, a Palestinian militant who fought in the Second Intifada and was killed in 2002, continues to have an impact on the minds of West Bank militants, especially in the city of Tulkarem. Since October 7, 2023, a broad... MORE

Mir Bangulzai: Commander ‘Returned From the Dead’ to Boost Baloch Insurgency in Pakistan
Executive Summary: Mir Abdul Nabi Bangulzai is a well-known and well-liked Baloch guerrilla commander who gained renown for having been mistakenly declared dead in 2016 following a raid by the Pakistani military. Since then, Bangulzai has become a key figure in reconciling disparate Baloch militant... MORE

Rawa Majid and Ismael Abdo: Swedish Gangsters Revealed as Iranian Proxies
Executive Summary: In late May, Mossad attributed two attacks against the Israeli embassy in Stockholm to Iranian-backed criminal networks active in the country. The individuals at the core of these networks are Rawa “The Kurdish Fox” Majid and Ismael “The Strawberry” Abdo. The decision by... MORE

Nathan Bawm: The Artist-Turned-Militant Mastermind in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts
Executive Summary: Nathan Bawm is a former artist and activist who transformed an organization named the Kuki-Chin National Development Organization into the present-day Kuki-Chin National Front and the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), an ethnic militant group that stands in opposition to a key peace accord... MORE

Abbas Betani: Mid-Level Commander Who Mediated Between Pakistani Taliban Factions Killed
Executive Summary: On May 27, Pakistani security forces conducted a raid that appears to have killed Abbas Betani, a commander in the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). While Betani was a prominent middle-level commander at the time of his death, members of his tashkeel (fighting unit) from... MORE

Qasim Gujjar: Lashkar-e-Taiba Militant Behind Attacks in Kashmir Designated as Terrorist by India
Executive Summary: On March 7, India's Ministry of Home Affairs designated 41-year-old Kashmiri militant Mohammad Qasim Gujjar as a terrorist. Gujjar has been involved in multiple high-profile attacks, financed and supplied arms to terrorists, and is a major recruiter for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. Gujjar has... MORE

Mohammad Kamrul Hasan: Islamic State Bengal Leader Continues to Live Abroad in Turkey
Executive Summary: The current emir of Islamic State Bengal (ISB)/“Neo-JMB” (Neo-Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh) is Mohammad Kamrul Hasan. An able recruiter and mastermind behind numerous bombings in Dhaka, Kamrul is in Turkish custody awaiting transfer back to Bangladesh. Mohammad Kamrul Hasan (also known as “Mahadi Hasan... MORE