
Briefs

Umm Umara—Al-Qaeda and Islamic State’s Mysterious Poetess and Jihadist Parenting Advisor
Background The editor and occasional contributor to the al-Qaeda affiliated magazine The Daughter of Islam, Umm Umara al-Muhajirah, is carving out a new, female role within the terrorist movement through literature and art, since the launch of her magazine in September 2017. Umm Umara was... MORE

General Ali Kanna: The GNA’s Last and Best Hope in Southern Libya
Libyan National Army (LNA) forces loyal to the House of Representatives (HoR) government under the command of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar have been waging a concerted campaign to seize, hold, and control the oil resource-rich Fezzan province in Libya’s south-central region in order to prevent... MORE

Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar: Provocateur of Kashmir’s Enduring Terrorist Movement
On June 12, motorcycle-borne militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district killed five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. Kashmir-based Al-Umar-Mujahideen (AuM), a largely inactive terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for the attack (Daily Excelsior, June 13). These fatal shootings and grenade attacks targeting Indian... MORE

“An Average Young Tunisian”: A Profile of Aymen al-Samiri, Mastermind of the June 27 Tunis Double-Attack
Introduction From June 27 to July 3, Tunisia saw a series of chaotic events, as the country’s capital was struck by two nearly simultaneous suicide bombings, followed by a massive government manhunt for those behind the attacks. Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed defined these five... MORE

Death of Islamic State East Asia Leader Abu Dar Puts Philippine Militant Leadership in Flux
On June 28, a pair of suicide bombers (Rappler, June 29) struck a Philippine outpost, killing five and wounding nine. It was the third suicide bombing in a year, in a country that had so far not had any, raising fears of increased Islamic State... MORE

Haftar’s Right Hand Man in Libya: General Abd al-Razaq al-Nadhuri
The Libyan National Army (LNA) forces loyal to Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar are stalled amidst fierce fighting in their campaign to oust the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) from Tripoli (Sky News Arabia [Abu Dhabi), June 22; Anadolu Agency [Ankara], June 27). Haftar commands... MORE

The Kenyan Financier of Islamic State: Halima Adan Ali
Halima Adan Ali, a 34-year-old female Islamist militant has recently been revealed to be a financier, supporter, and recruiter of the Middle East-based Islamic State (IS). Her name is emerging at a time when the role of women as facilitators of terrorist activities has become... MORE

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai—The ISI-Approved Leader of the Taliban Negotiation Team
In February, the Taliban named Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai as the head of its 14-member team that would participate in negotiations with U.S. Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad (Pajhwok, February 12). Stanikzai has led the Taliban team not only in several rounds of... MORE

Snatching the Sudanese Revolution: A Profile of General Muhammad Hamdan Daglo “Hemetti”
While it was no surprise that the Sudanese military took action to protect themselves by deposing President Omar al-Bashir in the midst of nationwide protests, what is surprising is who has emerged as Sudan’s de facto leader. Nearly illiterate and widely accused of war crimes... MORE

Iran’s High Value Target in Europe—Habib Jaber al-Ka’abi
Over the past year, there has been an increased awareness of, and attention to, the activities of Iran's intelligence services and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to target Iranian dissidents and leaders of diaspora movements that are based in Europe (The National [Abu Dhabi],... MORE