Briefs
A Jihadist in the Sand: The Rise of Abdelmalek Droukdel, al-Qaeda’s Amir in Algeria
Abdelmalek Droukdel (a.k.a. Abu Musab al-Wadoud), the current amir of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), should be considered the real power behind the shift in focus of the Algerian jihad. Droukdel was an early volunteer in the struggle launched by the Armed Islamic Group... MORE
From Yemen to Detroit: The Expanding Influence of AQAP’s Sa’id al-Shihri
In the Saudi state television broadcast of a recorded conversation which took place on August 27, 2009 between Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Nayef and Abdullah Hassan Tali al-Assiri—moments before al-Assiri attempted to assassinate the prince via suicide bomb—Bin Nayef made mention of a woman and... MORE
Quiet in the Sulu Sea: The Elimination of Albader Parad
Philippine media is reporting that on February 21, 2010, leading Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) commander Albader Parad was killed along with five other fighters on the island of Jolo, in the volatile Sulu archipelago, in a confrontation with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 2nd... MORE
A Profile of Radical Jamaican-born Cleric Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal al-Jamaikee
Shaykh Abdullah al-Faisal al-Jamaikee (The Jamaican), the radical Jamaican-born cleric, made international headlines when he was arrested in Mombassa, Kenya on New Year’s Eve, 2009. Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unity (ATPU) arrested al-Faisal in the suburbs of Nyali after he was leaving a local mosque with... MORE
February 2010 Briefs
END OF THE LINE FOR KUNDUZ SHADOW GOVERNOR Mullah Abdul Salam, the Taliban’s “Shadow Governor” for Kunduz Province has been captured in Pakistan after the much-touted arrest of the movement’s military commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy of Mullah Mohammed Omar. Salam is a member... MORE
South Asia’s Architect of Jihad: A Profile of Commander Mohammed Ilyas Kashmiri
As the sun set on February 25, 2000, a group of Indian army commandoes allegedly crossed the tense Line of Control (LoC) that divides the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Pakistani-controlled portion of territory known as Azad (“Free”) Jammu and Kashmir... MORE
Muqtada al-Sadr’s Radical Rival: A Portrait of Qais al-Khaz’ali
For most observers, the link between the release of British hostage Peter Moore, held in Iraq for two and a half years and the nearly simultaneous release of Iraqi militia commander Qais al-Khaz’ali by Iraqi authorities was clear and obvious. Al-Khaz’ali, a Shiite cleric, was... MORE
A Close-Up Look at Darfur’s Paramount Rebel Leader: Dr. Khalil Ibrahim
Dr. Khalil Ibrahim Muhammad Achar Foudeil Taha is the chairman of Darfur’s Justice and Equality Movement (JEM – Harakat al-Adl wa’l-Muswaa), the most powerful and determined of the many-armed movements in Darfur challenging the authority of the military/Islamist regime in Khartoum. As a former Darfur... MORE
Abdul Basit Usman: Waziristan’s Filipino Connection
Abdul Basit Usman, a leading Filipino Muslim militant trained in bomb making, was reported killed, along with 11 other militants in a Predator drone strike along the North and South Waziristan border on January 14, 2010 (The News International [Karachi], January 22). Usman, who was said... MORE
January 2010 Briefs
TOP RANKING MILITANT SURRENDERS TO ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT: A PROFILE OF LICHO BUKHURA Licho Bukhura (a.k.a. Lucho Burbura), a senior militant leader of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), has surrendered to central government authorities in Addis Ababa along with some 100 other OLF fighters. Bukhura spoke... MORE