Briefs
Tackling Islamic State Recruitment in Southeast Asia: The Arrest of Karen Aisha Hamidon
Karen Aisha Hamidon (a.k.a. Karen Aisha al-Muslimah) was arrested on October 11, 2017, by the Philippines’ National Bureau of Investigation (Counterterrorism Division) in Taguig City for luring foreign and local Muslims to join the Maute group (the so-called “Islamic State of Lanao”) to fight against... MORE
Pushing Back Against the KRG: A Profile of Iraq’s Dr. Hunain al-Qaddo
The decision by Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG), to hold the September 25 referendum on the independence of the KRG has led to significant conflict inside Iraq. In the middle of October, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), including groups... MORE
Islamic State in Libya Emir Abdel Qader al-Najdi Returns From the Dead
On September 28, Sadiq al-Sour, head of investigations for the Libyan attorney general’s office in Tripoli, held a press conference in the Libyan capital providing fresh information regarding the recent reorganization of Islamic State (IS) in Libya (al-Jarida, September 28). The group, which was dislodged... MORE
The Future Leader of the Taliban? A Brief Sketch of Taliban Deputy Chief Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob
The announcement of the death the Taliban movement’s founding leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, in July 2015, almost two years after his actual demise, set off a succession battle within the Taliban’s ranks (Dawn (Karachi), July 29, 2015; Daily Pakistan, August 31, 2015). Despite vehement opposition... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s New Hope on the Run: A Profile of Ansar al-Sharia Pakistan Emir Abdul Karim Saroush Siddiqui
A series of terrorist attacks swept Karachi this summer. At least six terrorist attacks — five in Karachi and one in the remote Mastung district of Baluchistan province — were claimed by Jamaat ul Ansar al-Shariah Pakistan, a new Islamist terrorist entity on Pakistan’s jihadist... MORE
“Biafra or Death”: Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the Struggle for Biafran Independence in Nigeria
Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the founder and leader of a Biafran separatist movement known as the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), has been missing since a raid by Nigerian security forces on his Abia State compound on September 14. Rumors abound regarding Kanu’s fate or location:... MORE
Abadi’s Ally in Ninewah: Militia Leader Abd al-Rahim al-Shammari Defends Iraq’s Territorial Integrity
The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG) referendum on independence that was held on September 25 has faced extensive criticism from a range of Iraqi and international actors. Among the critics are prominent Arab Sunni Iraqi politicians concerned with the territorial integrity of the strategic... MORE
Resisting the Purge of Foreign Fighters: Maalim Salman’s Struggle for Survival in al-Shabaab
The al-Shabaab terrorist attack on the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in 2013 sent a shockwave through the Kenyan security establishment and instilled fear in Kenyan citizens. Widely covered in both the domestic and international press, the attack left 67 people dead and nearly... MORE
Securing Italy’s Assets in Libya: A Profile of Militia Leader Ahmad al-Dabbashi
Italian Foreign Minister Marco Minniti reportedly recently reached an agreement with Katiba al-Shahid Abu Anas al-Dabbashi (The Martyr Abu Anas al-Dabbashi Brigade), one of the most powerful Libyan militias profiting off of the trans-Sahara network involved in smuggling migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe. Based... MORE
Rebel or Mercenary? A Profile of Chad’s General Mahamat Mahdi Ali
In April 2017, the foreign minister of Libya’s Tripoli-based Presidency Council estimated the number of Chadian mercenaries operating in Libya to be 18,000, with another 6,000 hailing from Sudan (Libya Herald, August 23). The numbers emphasized the growing problem of mercenary activity in Libya as... MORE