Briefs
Spearheading the Coming Assault on Raqqa: A Portrait of Abu Issa al-Raqqawi
Abu Issa al-Raqqawi is the head of the Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa (Raqqa Revolutionaries’ Brigade) and a former manager of an agricultural company who could play a key role in defeating the Islamic State in the caliphate’s self-declared capital of Raqqa. Al-Raqqawi’s forces are the main... MORE
A Profile of Syria’s Influential Sunni-Arab Tribal Militia Leader—Shaykh Humaydi Daham al-Hadi Jarba
Over the last two months, an anti-Islamic State offensive conducted by Sunni Arab tribal forces has sought to displace the jihadist organization from two important towns in northeastern Syria’s al-Hasakah governorate: al-Shaddadeh and al-Hawl. These towns serve as major routes of resupply and reinforcement for... MORE
The Road Comes to an End for Ugandan Islamist Leader Jamil Mukulu
Shaykh Jamil Mukulu, the leader of Ugandan Islamist group Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU), continues to be detained following his arrest in April by Tanzanian security forces. His arrest brought an end to the international hunt for one of the... MORE
Farhat Hashmi: Mentor to Pakistan’s Future Jihadist Mothers
Very few female Islamist preachers are as successful, popular and networked as Farhat Hashmi in Pakistan. Hashmi preaches an ideology not dissimilar from that of other contemporary Islamist preachers and ideologues in Pakistan; the vital difference is her approach and target audience. Hashmi’s audience is... MORE
Umm Adam: The Architect Behind the Islamic State’s Matchmaking Network
Fatiha Mohamed Taher Housni al-Mejjati (a.k.a. Umm Adam), is a member of the Islamic State’s media committee and therefore one of the most powerful women in the organization (The Africa Channel, January 15). Wearing black from head to toe with a strong, bulky physique and... MORE
A Portrait of the Islamic State’s British Propagandist Ifthekar Jaman
Since the start of the Syrian civil war, British police estimate that at least 700 British Muslims are believed to have traveled to that country to fight for various jihadist groups (BBC, September 18). Few have so far achieved significant leadership positions or any enduring... MORE
Egypt’s Most Wanted—Hisham Ali Ashmawy Mosaad Ibrahim
Hisham Ali Ashmawy Mosaad Ibrahim (a.k.a. Abu Omar al-Muhajir al-Masri) is a former Egyptian military officer turned al-Qaeda jihadist who has become the most wanted militant in Egypt. He defected from Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM), a Sinai Peninsula-based group, after the group declared an oath... MORE
Asia Ahmed Mohamed: Spain’s Islamic State Recruiter in Ceuta
Born into a Muslim family in Spain’s Ceuta, Asia Ahmed Mohamed is just one of several Spanish women who have traveled to Iraq or Syria to join the Islamic State or another jihadist militia. She became connected to the militant group when she was searching... MORE
Riyaan Saalim Sadeq al-Kaldani: The Pro-Iran Iraqi Christian Militia Leader
In the wake of the Islamic State’s June 2014 takeover of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, the Iraqi government created al-Hashd al-Sha’bi (Popular Mobilization Committees—PMCs), a militia network to help counter the jihadist organization. Though dominated by Shi’a armed groups, several militias within the network are... MORE
Ahmad Qaddaf al-Dam and the Qaddafist Shadow Over Libya
Given that many might think Qaddafism as a political ideology died along with Mu’ammar Qaddafi in his hometown of Sirte at the hands of Libyan revolutionaries in October 2011, the announcement of the creation of the Nidal (“Struggle”) Front by pro-Qaddafist exiles in Cairo on... MORE