
Briefs

A Holy Warrior Reborn: Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil Enters Pakistan’s Mainstream
Once an infamous militant leader who unleashed a reign of terror in India’s Jammu and Kashmir in the early 1990s, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil looks poised for an image makeover. Recently, Khalil has launched a political front in Pakistan, and he has worked in assisting... MORE

Overcoming Internal Struggle in Syria: Can Hassan Soufan Revive Ahrar al-Sham?
Ahrar al-Sham (Ahrar) is one of the largest rebel groups in Syria. In December 2016, like other groups, it suffered a major blow at the hands of the forces of the al-Assad regime, resulting in the loss of the city of Aleppo. The defeat in... MORE
Pakistan’s Most Wanted: LeJ Commander Mati ur Rehman Cooperates to Kill
Few militants have remained on as many most-wanted lists in Pakistan, and abroad, as Mati ur Rehman. Rehman is indeed the most wanted terrorist in Pakistan (Pakistan Today, March 2, 2013). His role in masterminding and perpetrating terrorist attacks against former Pakistani President General Pervez... MORE

Overseeing al-Shabaab’s Kenyan Resurgence: The Ascendance of Jaysh al-Ayman Commander Abdifatah Abubakar Abdi
Al-Shabaab attacks are on the rise in Kenya. From concerns about threats to the recent Kenyan elections to stepped-up attacks in Kenya’s coastal Lamu county, this uptick in activity has authorities across the region concerned (see Terrorism Monitor, June 16, 2017; see Terrorism Monitor, February... MORE

Religious Extremist or Force for Moderation? A Profile of Imprisoned Saudi Shaykh Salman bin Fahd al-Ouda
One of Saudi Arabia’s leading Salafist religious scholars, Shaykh Salman bin Fahd al-Ouda, is currently hospitalized under guard after spending nearly five months in isolation without charges in a Saudi prison. [1] Once a strong opponent of the American military presence in the Arabian Peninsula... MORE

Osama’s Heir: Hamza Bin Laden Begins His Ascent Within al-Qaeda
In mid-August 2015, the voice of Hamza Bin Laden, the so-called crown prince of jihad, reached al-Qaeda’s foot soldiers and sympathizers worldwide for the first time through an audio message. In that message, Hamza, a son of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was introduced and strongly endorsed... MORE

AQAP Update: A New Look at Khalid Saeed Batarfi’s Rise to the Top
On January 23, the U.S. Department of State designated al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) top commander Khalid Saeed Batarfi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. [1] Batarfi is just the latest AQAP figure to be added to the U.S. sanctions list, a mechanism that... MORE

Raising Saleh’s Flag in Southern Yemen: Brigadier General Tariq Saleh Attempts to Finish His Uncle’s Work
On December 2, 2017, former Yemeni President Ali Abdulla Saleh announced he was breaking his alliance with the Iran-backed Houthi rebel movement, which controls the Yemeni capital of Sana’a and a large part of the country. Ali Abdulla Saleh, who ruled Yemen between 1978 and... MORE

Islamic State’s Cultural Jihad: A Profile of British Foreign Fighter Raymond Matimba
Islamic State’s (IS) foreign fighters are a key part of its propaganda campaign in the West. The group thrives on attracting militants whose personal history makes them seem “too normal” to be terrorists. This strategy is designed to scare citizens of Western countries by creating... MORE

The Bangladeshi Fashion Model With Looks to Kill: A Look at Neo-Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh Commander Imam Mehedi Hasan
Despite relentless anti-terror drives aimed at neutralizing the resurgence of Islamic militants, Bangladeshi authorities are still struggling to contain the surge of Islamist militancy that has sprung up in the country since the Holey Artisan Bakery attack in July 2016. Groups linked to and inspired... MORE