Latest Terrorism Focus Articles
Government Forces Overrun Tuareg Rebel Camps in Northern Mali
Mali's security forces appear to have broken the latest Tuareg rebellion in that country as a month-long offensive concludes with the seizure of all Tuareg bases in north Mali. The leader of the revolt, Ibrahim Ag Bahanga, is believed to have escaped across the border... MORE
Polish-Born Muslim Convert Sentenced for Leading Role in Tunisian Synagogue Bombing
A French court has sentenced Christian Ganczarski, a Polish-born German national and convert to Islam, to 18 years in prison for his role in the 2002 bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia. Though Ganczarski has been under suspicion for years, it was only the recent... MORE
Rising Arab-Kurdish Tensions over Kirkuk Will Complicate U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq
Kurdish suspicions of Iraq's central government have reignited after a January 22 decision by Baghdad to deploy the army's 12th Division north towards the disputed oil-rich city of Kirkuk. This development, coupled with U.S. military plans to gradually disengage from Iraq, led Kurdistan Regional Government... MORE
Roundup of Kabul Suicide Gang Reveals Ties to Pakistan
Suicide bombings have become a regular insurgent tactic in Afghanistan since 2005, with a special focus on Kabul in the last year. The number of such attacks have grown considerably during the recent years in Kabul, culminating in the February 12 suicide bombings that targeted... MORE
In the Aftermath of Iraq’s Provincial Elections, Part Two: Shi’a Militancy Takes a Blow from al-Maliki’s Mainstream
Iraqis cast their votes on January 31 in new provincial council elections whose outcome could shape Iraq's balance of power and set the tone for the upcoming general elections in December 2009. With 440 seats contested in 14 provinces, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Dawalt al-Qanon... MORE
In the Aftermath of Iraq’s Provincial Elections, Part One: A Dangerous Year Ahead for Iraqi Kurds
Some ominous signs have appeared for northern Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) following the January 31 nationwide provincial elections. If the elections offer an indicator of the national mood of Iraq, then in this case Iraq's Arabs seemed to show a growing preference for Iraqi... MORE
BRIEFS
EGYPTIAN ISLAMISTS URGE AL-QAEDA TO DECLARE A TRUCE Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah (JI - The Islamic Group), once one of Egypt's most feared Islamist terrorist organizations, has issued a statement urging al-Qaeda to observe a ceasefire to better assess the intentions of the new Obama administration in... MORE
Alleged Assassins of U.S. Diplomat Claim Khartoum Regime Incites People to Jihad
The ongoing trial in Khartoum North of the alleged assassins of a U.S. diplomat is revealing some of the lethal undercurrents in the continuing struggle between different Islamist factions in the capital. John Granville, an officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and... MORE
Al-Zarqawi’s Legacy Seen in Trial of Jordanian al-Qaeda Cell
On January 27, 2009, the trial of a Salafi-Jihadi group was launched in Amman, Jordan. The twelve Jordanians, all of Palestinian origin, were members of a group charged with carrying out attacks with Molotov cocktails on a Christian church and cemetery. According to Jordanian authorities,... MORE
Is Ankara Promoting Zaza Nationalism to Divide the Kurds?
Until recently, speakers of the Zaza language within Turkey have been considered part of the vast Kurdish ethnic group spread over Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. In the 1980s, the creation of a Latin alphabet suitable for Zaza-language publishing created a renewal in Zaza literature... MORE