Briefs
Abu Jihad: A Brief Profile of Islamic State’s Russian Propaganda Master
On August 10, 2015, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department implemented an executive order sanctioning three Russian citizens involved in terrorist activities. Among the individuals mentioned on the sanctions list was North Caucasian militant Abu-Jihad, one of the key Russian-speaking... MORE
Stabilizing Hudaydah: A Look at the Pragmatic Leadership of Tihama Resistance Brigade Commander Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Shuae Hajari
On July 1, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia–led multinational coalition announced a pause in its campaign to capture the strategic Yemeni port city of al-Hudaydah (Twitter, July 1). Coalition officials, including senior members of the UAE government, argued that the cessation in... MORE
Three Key Players Shaping Moqtada al-Sadr’s Further Expansion Into Iraqi Politics
In the May 12 Iraqi parliamentary elections, a party led by the anti-American Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Sa’iroon (Marching Forward), won the most seats. The electoral alliance Sa’iroon placed way ahead of electoral slates led by incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and former Prime Minister... MORE
Hafiz Mohammed Saeed: The Lashkar-e-Taiba Founder’s Quest for Political Legitimacy
Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the firebrand founder of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its charity front Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD), remains free in Pakistan. Legendary for his anti-Western and anti-India rhetoric, Saeed is known for his longstanding obsession and support for the Kashmir militant movement.... MORE
Libya’s Video Executioner: A Brief Profile of LNA Special Forces Commander Mahmud al-Warfali
Islamist militants have long used the power of videotaped atrocities to terrorize their opponents. One man believes he can do the same in the interests of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s attempt to gain control of Libya: Major Mahmud Mustafa Busayf al-Warfali, a senior officer in... MORE
Terror in the Sulu Archipelago: A Profile of Filipino Abu Sayyaf Leader Yassir Igasan
The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) of the southern Philippines has always found itself perched on a fine line between Islamic jihad and organized crime. [1] Active since the early 1990s, some factions of the group are devoted solely to kidnapping-for-ransom, though some leaders have tried... MORE
The Fall of Islamic State’s Female Militants: A Case Study
As an increasing number of Islamic State (IS) female militants have been captured and sentenced to death after the collapse of the so-called “caliphate,” gender roles within the group have been deconstructed once more. This process marks the fall of female militancy within the terrorist... MORE
Leading Pakistan’s Nascent Form of Extremism: The Rise of Khadim Hussain Rizvi
Barelvi sect extremism has recently emerged as a new phenomenon in extremism in Pakistan. It is unique in that Pakistanis are accustomed to various Deobandi and Salafist militant groups carrying out violence in the Sunni-majority country but not to Barelvi sect adherents. For their part,... MORE
Heading al-Qaeda’s Syrian Resurgence: An Updated Profile of Abu Humam al-Shami
On February 27, 2018, a new jihadist entity calling itself Hurras al-Din (Guardians of the Religion) released a statement through social media channels announcing its establishment in Syria (al-Modon, March 2). In the statement, Hurras al-Din urged fellow Muslims to assist the jihadists fighting against... MORE
The Next Doku Umarov? The Rise of Chechen Commander Abdul Hakim al-Shishani
In summer 2017, leaders of the three main factions of the Syrian opposition with fighters from the Caucasus, Muslim al-Shishani, Abdul Hakim al-Shishani and Salahuddin al-Shishani, released a joint video message, where they reaffirmed neutrality in the confrontation between the Syrian rebel groups Akhrar al-Sham... MORE